Kickoff is only hours away and questions abound

OK, Packer fans...this is it...kickoff is about two hours away. We finally get the Eagles at Lambeau. That may or may not assure victory as it almost seemed to do "in the old days," but it is sure a heckuva lot better than having to go to Philly and come back with what usually has been a loss in recent years. The Eagles have become in this decade what the Cowboys were to the Pack in the early/mid-1990s: a pain you-know-where. But at least this gets us to the point where we are only 3 point underdogs going into today's game.

As every Packer fan probably suspects, this will be an interesting game on several fronts. It will provide an early insight into how good the Packers defense might in fact be. Also, whether or not the special teams -- which were so dreadful the last few years -- have actually improved. How well the Packers offense handles what will likely be a lot of blitzes from a lot of places throughout the game will also be key. And Brett doesn't exactly have a good record against Philly...in fact, his stats against the Eagles are among the worst he has against any other team; that's gotta change.

Perhaps the largest unknown, as has been addressed here at packerfansunited.com and countless others sites as well, is the running game. Will it be acceptable? Or will it be there at all? No one knows. And that applies to not only running the ball but being able to pass protect as well. If those young and untried backs aren't able to pick up the blitzes that will be coming all day long, and especially if there is no running game to speak of, Brett may have another long day against Philly.

But there are questions for the Eagles, too. Is QB Donovan McNabb all the way back from last season's injury? What about some of their key players who were basically out most of training camp with their own injuries? If you have to play the Eagles, this is probably the best time to do it.

Questions, questions. By about 3:15 p.m. Central time today, we will know which team came up with better answers.

Go Pack Go!!!