Green Bay It was February 1996.
The Green Bay Packers had just finished an 11-5 regular season that included an NFC Central Division crown and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. Those Packers ranked seventh in the NFL in offense and 14th in defense.
General manager Ron Wolf and head coach Mike Holmgren both were a little more than four years into their jobs of turning around a moribund franchise. Quarterback Brett Favre was in his football prime, having just turned 26 years old.
Now, fast forward to today.
Again, the Packers are coming off an 11-5 regular season, although this one didn't include a division title and featured a first-round playoff loss. The 2009 Packers, though, ranked sixth in total offense and No. 2 in total defense.
General manager Ted Thompson just completed his fifth year on the job, while McCarthy - like Holmgren - wrapped up Year 4. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers - like Favre - is 26.
In so many ways, there are enormous parallels between where the Packers are today and where the organization was 14 years ago. But there's also one enormous difference.
In 1996, Wolf sensed just how close his team was to an NFL title.
He used free agency to sign defensive tackle Santana Dotson, kick returner Desmond Howard, wideout Don Beebe, left tackle Bruce Wilkerson, linebacker Ron Cox and traded for safety Eugene Robinson.
That group all played huge roles the following season as the Packers won their first Super Bowl in 29 years.
Thompson has had four months to improve his roster since the Packers' 51-45 overtime loss to Arizona in the NFC wild-card round. His scorecard currently reads: zero free agent signings, zero trades.
With such little activity these past four months, the question begs: Can Thompson get this team over the hump, as his mentor Wolf did 14 years ago?
Championships vs. games
"You have to make a decision as a general manager: Do you want to win championships or do you want to win games," said former safety LeRoy Butler, who made four Pro Bowls during his 12-year Packer career. "Ted's going to win games because of Aaron (Rodgers) and because he drafts well. But unless he changes his philosophy when it comes to free agency, it's going to be hard to win championships.
"Right now, the gap between Minnesota and the Packers is huge if Brett (Favre) comes back. How are the Packers going to close that gap by just drafting a bunch of young guys? The thing is, Ted doesn't believe in getting a 30-year-old veteran to help you do that. He wants to fill his holes with young guys."
After the 1995 season, one in which the Packers fell at Dallas, 38-27, in the NFC Championship Game, Green Bay knew just how close it was to greatness. And Butler still fondly remembers the flight home that day.
"Coach (Mike) Holmgren stood up and thanked everybody for the season and all that," Butler said. "Then, he said he thinks he knows the strategy to beat the Cowboys and the 49ers and teams like that. We all started getting pretty excited."
That strategy was to find veteran help to complement a roster that was close to a title. And while free agency can be a hit-and-miss proposition, almost everything Wolf touched that off-season turned to gold.
Dotson was a 15-game starter at right defensive tackle and was second on the team with 5 1/2 sacks. Robinson led the Packers with six interceptions and fit perfectly in the secondary with Butler.
Howard shattered the NFL record for punt return yardage in a single season with 870. Then Howard had a memorable postseason, highlighted by his 244 all-purpose yards in Super Bowl XXXI, which earned him most valuable player honors.
Wilkerson stepped in at left tackle when rookie John Michels and veteran Gary Brown both flopped.
Beebe had 11 catches and 220 yards during a regular-season win over the 49ers.
Cox was the Packers' No. 4 linebacker but then started in the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl after middle linebacker George Koonce tore his ACL.
"I remember in the locker room after the Dallas game, a lot of us were crying," said Robert Brooks, a wideout with Green Bay from 1992-'98. "I was crying, Reggie (White) was crying, Leroy (Butler) was crying. Just a whole bunch of us because we knew how close we were, and we almost felt shameful that we hadn't got it done.
"But then that off-season, Ron Wolf did a lot of great things. We had a lot of the pieces in place already, and then he went and filled in all the gaps. And when we returned for training camp, we knew. We knew were about to have a special year."
Compare that to the 2010 off-season, where Thompson has been quiet.
To Thompson's credit, he's re-signed unrestricted free agents Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher. But he also let free agent Aaron Kampman get away and hasn't brought in a single veteran.
Instead, Thompson elected to fill the holes on his roster with draft picks that aren't likely to become major contributors until at least 2011.
"Oh no, I disagree," Thompson said of the premise his draft picks won't be impact players immediately. "I think we got guys that can come in and make an impact."
Butler, like many others throughout Packer Nation, isn't buying that argument.
"I just think that everybody has a pretty short window in this sport, maybe like three years," Butler said. "And when you get your chance, you have to go for it. What have the Packers done to show you they're going for it?
"I know with our team, we kind of did it like the Jets are doing it right now. We mixed some veterans in with our other guys, but Ted just keeps sticking with those young guys. And the only way they're ever going to get over the top is to hit home runs in the draft."
Brooks has a slightly different take than Butler.
"I know we added some veterans to help us get over the hump," Brooks said. "But if you've got players who can step in and play, it doesn't matter if they're rookies or if they've been around a long time. Me personally, I'm really excited about this Packers team coming up."
So are the Packers themselves. In fact, after the recent draft, McCarthy gushed: "We're a better football team in 2010 today than we have been in the past in my opinion. . . . I really like the way our football team looks on paper."
The question remains, though, has Thompson done enough to catch teams like Minnesota and New Orleans in his own conference?
As Butler noted, the window for success in the NFL is small.
For example, the Packers went 37-11 from 1995-'97, played in three NFC title games, two Super Bowls and won a championship. Favre also was at the height of his brilliance, winning three MVP's during that time.
Then, free agency, coaching changes, age and injury took a toll. And it took until 2007 before the Packers reached another NFC title game.
Window is now
The window for these Packers appears to be right now. Rodgers is entering his sixth year in the league and his combination of physical skills and knowledge of the offense will never be greater. McCarthy has put his stamp all over this team. And barring anything unforeseen, Green Bay will return 21 of 22 preferred starters this season.
Fourteen years ago, Wolf decided players such as George Teague, John Jurkovic, Fred Strickland, Harry Galbreath and Anthony Morgan - all starters in 1995 - weren't good enough to be part of a Super Bowl roster. Wolf replaced each and every one during an aggressive off-season.
Thompson has done just the opposite and will bring back virtually the same team in 2010 that he had 12 months ago. His hope is there will be enough improvement from within to catch the league's elite teams.
Which way is right?
"I'll still take Ron's way because it's proven," Butler said. "Ted should have learned last year that you can't go into the playoffs with Jarrett Bush as your third corner. Your big move in free agency can't be Frank Walker.
"I'll give Ted a decent grade because his formula has worked as far as turning it around from 6-10 (in 2008). But how do you get to 13-3 now? That's the big question."
One Thompson must now prove he can answer.