Believe it or not, they will actually be playing football in 2011 (don't ask me how I know - I just know) and when they do, teams that have veteran coaching staffs and players that have been in established systems for a few years or more will have a distinct advantage over teams with either new coaching staffs or teams depending on new or untested quarterbacks.

The Packers, obviously, fit firmly into the former category. However, that doesn't mean hitting the ground running in that opening game won't be a chore for Mike McCarthy and company. The biggest challenge they will have on the offensive side of the ball is to find the timing and rhythm that Aaron Rodgers has repeatedly said is so vital to the offense. Some very respected NFL coaches, including Bill Belichick and Andy Reid, have indicated throughout the lockout that there may be a very real need to scale back their offensive playbooks, especially early on in the season.

McCarthy doesn't seem to see it that way. Back in early June, he was asked about the possibility of needing to scale back his playbook in light of the ongoing labor issue, to which he responded:

I’m looking more at an installation phase where you teach a system of football. I think that’s a general statement for me to make about our offense or defense and special teams. I think it’s important to conceptually carry what you need into the season to compete throughout a season. We’ll still stay with that approach. Once again, I don’t know when we’re starting. The start date will dictate exactly how much we do put in as opposed to how much we take out.

That last line is interesting only because it tells us, basically, that McCarthy plans on simply starting his install from the moment camp starts and will most likely continue that process until its time to play the first regular season game.

As Kevin Seifert pointed out back in May:

Most coaches "re-install" during the early days of camp but the intensity level is exponential. If a team is forced to install its scheme for the first time in training camp, coaches will have to slow down or risk entering the season with some confused players.

McCarthy's advantage will obviously be the fact that he's dealing with a group of veteran players that are all really well-versed in his scheme. Even spots in the lineup that could possibly be in flux, like left guard or wide receiver, are generally populated by guys that have been on the roster for a number of years. It's understandable that Reid might have to scale things back with Michael Vick at the helm. Vick, for all his brilliance at the position last year, is still a relative newcomer to Reid's brand of offensive football. While the veteran coach may obviously be engaging in a bit of gamesmanship by saying he'll possibly need to simplify his offense, don't doubt that there is some truth to those words.

As for Belichick and Brady - yes, it sounds crazy to think that a Brady-led offense would need to be scaled back in any way. But you have to remember that the Patriots won't be running out a set of skill position players that has grown together over several years the way the Packers have. Brady is working with some guys he knows quite well in Wes Welker and Deion Branch, and some guys he just started playing with last year in Brandon Tate, Rob Gronkwoski and Aaron Hernandez. There's no doubt Belichick and Brady will have the Patriots playing good offensive football in short order - but things may need to be pared down ever so slightly while the unit meshes together.

This is all not to say the Packers won't have any issues when it comes to the offensive install. Anyone whose ever watched training camp knows, even after a full offseason, those first few weeks can be brutal from a offensive cohesion standpoint for McCarthy and company. This tends to be due to McCarthy's incredibly diverse use of personnel and his multiple formations. The Packers head coach has been known to explode on guys, especially last summer, when mental mistakes are made on such simple things as which personnel group is supposed to be on the field.

McCarthy's job will be to know his guys - know how much they can take and then push them right to that point, maybe just beyond. A full installation might be asking too much but if there is a coach in the NFL who can get it done its the hyper-prepared McCarthy.