GREEN BAY, WIS. - The homeowners west of Lambeau Field were offering the usual bargain parking rates for Monday night's opener between the Vikings and the Packers. You could get within three blocks and receive a choice spot on a lawn for $15.
A three-block walk down a residential street to the stadium property revealed a large number of Brett Favre's No. 4 Packers jerseys in both white and green. There was also a handful of Favre jerseys of the New York Jets, a team for which he now has a 1-0 career record.
The walk to Ridge Road, the west barrier to the Lambeau parking lot, was almost complete before a Minnesota visitor spotted a Packers fan wearing the No. 12 jersey of Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback who was three hours from making his first NFL start.
Garland Green from Menomonie, Wis., was the gentleman honoring Rodgers' standing as the Packers quarterback.
"This jersey isn't about a player's contribution to the team," Green said. "Wearing this jersey is a statement."
Green continued: "It's a reminder to people that Aaron Rodgers is a young man who doesn't want anything more than a chance to play football ...
"He waited for three years behind Brett, and then he got caught in the middle of an unbelievably chaotic situation that was none of his making.
"He's our quarterback, and I'm going to cheer for him, and I wish the whiners would grow up and do the same."