The 2003 Packers had a real shot at the Super Bowl.

They were playing as well as anyone in the NFC when they closed the season on a 6-1 rush to win the NFC North with a 10-6 record.

The regular season ended with the incredible moment at Lambeau Field where fans went nuts because of something that happened a couple thousand miles away in the Arizona desert when the Cardinals knocked the Minnesota Vikings out of the playoffs with a last-play touchdown.

Had that not happened, the Packers still would have missed the playoffs even with their 10-6 mark.

The idea that the Packers were a team of destiny grew even stronger a week later when Al Harris picked off a Matt Hasselbeck pass in overtime and returned it for a winning touchdown.

That ride to destiny crashed a week later in the infamous 4th-and-26 game against Philadelphia.

But there was reason to believe that the Packers were ready to build on their 2003 season and get better.

And then word came out in April that McKenzie was demanding a trade.

Rumors circulated as to what the reason was. Certainly money is always a factor.

But one of the rumors that surfaced was that McKenzie was extremely mad that Lionel Washington was not promoted from assistant secondary coach to secondary coach when Bob Slowik was moved to defensive coordinator. Instead, the Packers brought in Kurt Schottenheimer and Washington remained his assistant.

So why is this being brought up now?

Will the firing of Washington cause a problem this time around?

Washington's cornerbacks have always been extremely loyal to him. Last season, Harris gave accolades to Washington for his ability to coach and connect with the younger cornerbacks.

Although the Packers had a clearly disappointing season at 6-10, one of the brighter spots of the season was the play of cornerbacks Harris and Charles Woodson.

If the Packers are to rebound in 2009 under coach Mike McCarthy and new defensive coordinator Dom Capers, Harris and Woodson must remain on board.

Woodson is at the midpoint of a seven-year contract. Harris signed a contract extension that made him happy two years ago after an acrimonious season in 2006 when his contract was an issue. So money will not be the problem this time around.

In 2004, McKenzie skipped all the off-season camps and training camp and then finally reported after the season had begun. Mike Sherman then used his two top picks to draft cornerbacks. Maybe Sherman hoped that would back McKenzie into a corner. But when it turned out that neither Ahmad Carroll nor Joey Thomas could get the job done, McKenzie's hand just became stronger.

The Packer pass defense was shredded early on. When McKenzie came back, he ended up missing a game at Indianapolis with a strained hamstring, and Peyton Manning and the Colts creamed the Packers.

Green Bay started out the season 1-4, including an embarrassing 48-27 home loss on Monday Night Football to the Tennessee Titans.

The Packers recovered from that awful start, but only after McKenzie was finally shipped off to New Orleans.

And after their 9-2 run to reach the finish line, the Packers had nothing left for the playoffs.

After being dismissed in the wild-card round of the playoffs by Minnesota, the Packers went 4-12 in 2005, and Sherman was gone as coach and general manager.

In 2008, despite their disappointing record, the Packers kept a strong locker room. No visible dissension, no real distractions.

Cornerback was an area that was not a problem on an otherwise problem-filled defense.

If problems develop there because of resentment, it will be a setback in the efforts to get closer to the 2007 record of 13-3.

This may turn out to be a non-issue, but as the off-season programs begin in March, it will be something to keep an eye on.

Send e-mail to rbraun@journalsentinel.com

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