{image1}Watching Green Bay pull away from Dallas with three second-half touchdowns on Sunday afternoon, it was hard to shake the nagging feeling that I had seen this team somewhere before.

But why so familiar? An explosive, inconsistent offense, capable of scoring from anywhere on the field or turning the ball over at any moment. A tendency to follow good games with bad games, bad games with good. An inability to win home games at what was once a house of horrors for opposing teams. A 3-4 record after seven games.

Don't tell me ... it's right at the tip of my tongue.

Oh, right, it's the 2003 Green Bay Packers.

Last season didn't share the precise opening seven-game script as 2004, but the plotlines intersect at the same point: one game under .500 and gazing upward at Minnesota with nine games to play.

Last year, the Packers blew out the Bears and Seahawks to reach 3-2 before folding at home against Kansas City and sputtering at St. Louis to fall to 3-4. Even after the bye week and the huge win in the Metrodome following it, a Monday night home loss to Philadelphia left the Packers at 4-5.

That's why I decided to reverse tendencies and not fly off the handle (in print, at least) when the Packers started 1-4. Admittedly, the Tennessee Monday night game of just 15 days ago was a new low, but it wouldn't truly be over until the Packers lost a must-win game to Detroit. They didn't. And they didn't lose this past weekend to Dallas, either.

Now I realize that the Packers are merely 3-4, which is still one hell of a long way from the playoffs. But they're still breathing. If they can somehow get a win next Sunday in Washington, not only will President Bush need to buck history to get re-elected (each time the Redskins have lost or tied their game the Sunday before a presidential election, the incumbent has lost), but the Packers will have reached the bye week at 4-4 -- setting up another second-half run at a playoff berth.

The schedule isn't easy; in fact, it's difficult. Minnesota looms twice, the Bears and Lions once each, and Houston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Jacksonville all evoke varying levels of worry. But there will at least be a reason to hope. After all, last year's team somehow managed to win six of its last seven to enter the playoffs as an even-money favorite to win the NFC.

The distinctions between that team and this one are subtle at best. The offensive line is probably weaker with Grey Ruegamer at center instead of the injured Mike Flanagan. The defensive backfield is worse, too, with the disgruntled Mike McKenzie now playing in New Orleans. And the defensive line -- until now, at least -- lags behind 2003's if only because of injury problems.

But with an improved Javon Walker, the NFL's leader in receiving yardage, the passing game is more explosive. Ahman Green would be hard-pressed to match his statistical accomplishments of 2003, but his 2004 self looked impressive on a couple bruising runs prior to his 90-yard touchdown burst that iced the victory Sunday. Brett Favre? Still looks like Brett Favre to me, perhaps achier and creakier, but also the author of a TD pass in 32 consecutive games, second only to Johnny Unitas' NFL record of 47.

What about the coaches? Bob Slowik for Ed Donatell at defensive coordinator? The slight advantage goes to Donatell, but outside the embarrassing defeats to Indianapolis and Tennessee, this year's defense hasn't been markedly worse than last year's. Remember, when the Packers needed to win a game with a defensive stand last year (Kansas City, Philadelphia twice), they couldn't -- with the brilliant exception of the Al Harris interception return in the playoffs. Same deal this year.

Mike Sherman calling the plays instead of Tom Rossley? So far, so good, though it remains to be seen if this is a permanent arrangement. And it should be noted that Rossley's calls (with Sherman's input) led the team to a 442-point season in 2003, fourth-best in the NFL. This year's team leads everyone save Indianapolis (183) with 178 through seven games.

Of course, there was simply something about last year's team. I'm not sure what it was, but the 2003 Packers had it. It allowed them to win their final four games to finish 10-6, it witnessed a stunning Monday night performance in Oakland the day after Favre lost his father in a car accident, and it even coerced Minnesota into stumbling down the stretch and finally wilting in Arizona on the season's final Sunday. Does the 2004 bunch have that type of mojo?

I'm not quite sure, but here's the beauty of it: we'll have to watch every week from here on in to find out.