As long as the team was able to hang tough in a watered-down NFC North, most fans had been content to trust Thompson and Packers management's decision to move on with a younger signal-caller.

But what about now that they're under .500 and trailing by a game in that same watered-down division?

Not to beat a supposedly dead horse, but I wonder if the people in Green Bay are really all that satisfied with their decision to move on so peaceably from the Aaron Rodgers/Brett Favre quarterback controversy in the first place?

Then there's the issue of that other quarterback.

Sure, Favre's hard to deal with and always a little hazy about his future between mid-February and early July every year. But he's a proven winner and the 8-3 New York Jets are riding high because of it.

And since the Packers certainly aren't - despite the fact that Rodgers actually grades out a couple of points higher than Favre on the NFL's ultra-confusing quarterback scale - you can't tell me there aren't at least a few loyal cheeseheads casting longing glances toward the Big Apple right about now.

Twenty years ago, just doing so would be the epitome of disloyalty.

But these days it's just a by-product of an age of quick turnarounds spurred on by a pervasive win-now mentality exhibited by team owners, the media, fans and even the coaches and players themselves.

While a 5-6 record doesn't necessarily eliminate Green Bay from playoff consideration with five weeks still left in the regular season, things could get a little funky on the Frozen Tundra if Rodgers and the Packers end up staying home while Favre goes to the playoffs.

Just ask Thompson.

If the worst happens, he'll be able to tell you all about it.