I watched the Packers game Sunday, dropping in and out while in final rehearsals for a play I'm doing.

I did manage to see the exciting end of the game with the punt fumble and the winning field goal.

As Mason Crosby's kick sailed through the goalposts, one of the actors in the play shouted, "God, we are going to surprise some people this season."

I closed my eyes and had this deep flashback to early May. The Milwaukee Brewers were 24-10 and people I knew were talking about pennants and World Series rings.

These people weren't kidding, either. They really thought the Brewers might be the best team in all of baseball. After all, they had the best record in all of baseball.

Flash forward several months and the Brewers, even though they are in the midst of a pennant race in the worst division of baseball, are not even close to being the best team in baseball. There are 12 teams with better records and, compared to the whole league, the Brewers are an average team.

Now I wonder whether the Packers are doomed to provide the same kind of disappointment. Not that anyone thinks the Packers will be the best team in the league ... but with the big win against the Eagles, expectations surely have risen.

My answer is that I don't think the Packers will rise to the level of incompetence that the Brewers have. And I think there are several reasons for that.

The Brewers' problems can be traced to several things, including youth, inexperience, hitting slumps, pitching woes and bad defense, all at various times.

The Packers have some profound differences.

First of all, they have proven and high quality veterans at many critical positions including quarterback (Brett Favre), wide receiver, (Donald Driver), two tackles (Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher), middle linebacker (Nick Barnett) and cornerbacks (Al Harris and Charles Woodson). In addition, there are veterans and real skilled players on the defensive line.

Secondly, in baseball the defense has only one job - to stop the other team from scoring. In football, that's one job of the defense, the other is to get the ball and give it to your offense and the third is to actually put points on the board. Against the Eagles, this Packer defense, which many thought was going to be good, took on an opponent with a great quarterback and a great running back and didn't let them put many points on the board.

Another factor is that the Packers offense can't possibly be that ineffective all season long. They have an outstanding quarterback and will undoubtedly improve as the season moves along.

And the third big thing is that there are no special team units in baseball. One of the only things in baseball that can turn a game around in a moment is a home run. In football, as we saw Sunday, there are many ways to turn a game around. The special teams for the Packers look like they are both hungry and able to come up with turnaround plays.

I don't want anyone to think I'm predicting a Super Bowl berth for this team. But, if they have some luck, stay free of major injuries, and continue to get better, I agree with my friend who says the Packers could really surprise a lot of people this year.