Even now, as some underpaid worker is still sweeping the confetti off the floor of MetLife Stadium, the 2013 season is completely over. It's done. All that's happened to this point no longer matters, and all efforts from this point forward are exclusively devoted to one thing: the 2014 season. The Packers, as you know, once again finished out in the cold. No fifth Lombardi trophy will be installed this off-season. No victory parade will wind its way through Green Bay and Ashwaubenon. No streets will be named or renamed in honor of this year's heroes. Once again, 1265 Lombardi Avenue has long been quiet as the lights go out at the Super Bowl.

But the efforts to get back are already underway, and we'll spend the four months between now and the opening of training camp in July chronicling the efforts of the Packers' front office toward restoring the team to title contention.

We'll focus on three areas:

1. NFL Draft - Who's coming aboard through Ted Thompson's favorite means of talent acquisition? We'll update the Draft Digest on a weekly basis and take a look at some of the prospects who may be in the Packers' plans.
2. Roster retention - The Packers will lose a significant portion of their roster to free agency this year, but they're sure to re-sign a few players. Who will they be and why? We'll examine each in detail.
3. Free agency prospects - The Packers have been loathe to dip into free agency in the Ted Thompson era, but watching Cliff Avril make huge plays in the Super Bowl should give even the ultra-conservative Ted Thompson pause. Surely a similar signing could help propel the Packers back to the top...so who could it be?

Play on the field will always ultimately decide the direction of a season, but the preparation for that play starts well before the first whistle. Stay tuned to The Packer Perspective now...and we'll be able to learn together why things happened the way they did later.

Are you ready?