Jim Souhan: Packers think long term; Vikings think right now

On Nov. 1, 2009 -- not so long ago in geologic time or even measured by the growth of Jared Allen's mullet -- the Vikings whipped the Packers 38-26 in Green Bay.

It was a moment of triumph for Brett Favre and the organization that lured him to Minnesota, as he returned to Lambeau Field for the first time and triumphed over his replacement and the people who chose Aaron Rodgers' promise over Favre's legendary stature.

That day, the Vikings beat the Packers for the third consecutive time, then finished 12-4 and came within one Favre pass of advancing to the Super Bowl. At that time, NFL experts thought the Vikings, with their deep cast of dynamic veterans, might have the best overall roster in the league.

Less than two years later, as the Packers visit the Metrodome on Sunday, Green Bay is the class of the NFL, and the Vikings are spending a second consecutive season embarrassing themselves. The Packers have won 12 in a row, tying a franchise record, and one of those victories came in the Super Bowl. The Vikings have lost 16 of their past 23 and eight of their past 10.

How did this rivalry change so quickly from a healthy competition to a mismatch?

The lessons learned from this divergent rivalry are as simplistic as grade-school admonitions, and universal enough to be studied by CEOs.

The Vikings splurged; the Packers delayed gratification. The Vikings tried to win it all in 2009; the Packers built what could become a dynasty. The Vikings invested in a veteran quarterback edging toward retirement, in Favre; the Packers drafted and developed the best young quarterback in the NFL, in Rodgers.

Even the Vikings' best free-agent moves in the past decade left them with an aging and expensive cast of players. Antoine Winfield, Pat Williams, Darren Sharper, Steve Hutchinson, Visanthe Shiancoe, Chester Taylor and Ryan Longwell all were intelligent signings. Today they're all either diminished or gone.

Such moves positioned the Vikings to contend for a championship in 2009. They also doomed the Vikings to a short competitive shelf-life, while Packers General Manager Ted Thompson refused to settle for quick-fix signings and trades.

Thompson built through the draft and with great patience. He and coach Mike McCarthy also made the signature move of intelligent NFL operators such as Bill Belichick, choosing to cut loose a star too soon rather than too late. In this case, the star was Favre.

Baseball teams must be strong up the middle. NFL franchises must be strong at the top, at quarterback, head coach, general manager, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.

The Packers have filled those jobs with Rodgers, who is setting records; McCarthy, who might be the best coach in the league; Thompson, who might be the best GM in the league; McCarthy, who largely serves as his own offensive coordinator; and Dom Capers, a former head coach masterful at mixing personnel and schemes.

While the Vikings age rapidly before our eyes, the Packers are both young and accomplished.

"Everybody's on the same page," McCarthy said of his offense. "The experience level is increased and improved between Aaron and the rest of the offense. This group of players has kind of grown up together. They're young, but they've been playing in the same offense together for six years.

"They've been drafted here and had the chance to develop in the same offense with the same quarterback. Now we're seeing the developing part of it and turning it into high performance."

Look at the structure of the organizations, and the mismatch between the Packers and Vikings seems more fated than surprising.