Driver waited long time for Super Bowl

LOS COLINAS, Texas - Donald Driver thought this moment would come sooner. A lot sooner. Seven years sooner.

The 35-year-old receiver figured his Packers were headed for Super Bowl XXXVIII in his hometown of Houston when all of a sudden . . . fourth-and-26.

The infamous moment occurred on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2004, in Philadelphia, where the Packers seemingly were on their way to the NFC Championship Game - until Donovan McNabb hooked up with wide receiver Freddie Mitchell on fourth-and-26 to keep a late drive alive. The Eagles went on to knock off the Packers, 20-17.

Or how about three years ago, when the Packers were heavily favored to beat the Giants in the NFC Championship Game? Nope. They lost that one, too. The Giants made it to Super Bowl XLII, where they beat the Patriots.

Finally, Driver's moment has arrived.

"It finally hit when we didn't have to drive our cars to the airport," the Packers' elder statesman said Monday, moments after arriving at the Super Bowl for his first time as a player. "We took a bus this time, and that's when it really struck me. All you've ever dreamed about is coming true."

It has been well worth the wait, especially with the Packers' run of three straight road wins to get here.

"It's great," said Driver, who overcame leg problems late in the season to return to the lineup and help Green Bay reach Sunday's title game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. "It shows that hard work pays off. Every year, people say I'm going to be done, but I always seem to bounce back."

Driver is part of a brilliant receiving corps that includes Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson. He calls it the best group with which he's ever worked.

"We always talk about setting our goals high, and we've done that," said Driver, who starred at Milby High in Houston.

"They call me the old man of the group, so I have to lead it. But we have a bunch of guys who, if they left the Packers, would be starters anywhere else in the NFL."

This year's game may not have been the homecoming he dreamed about when the Super Bowl was in Houston, but it's a pretty close second. After all, Driver makes his off-season home near Dallas.

"To be coming home like this, to be with family, it's all you could ever want," he said. "That's why it's worth the wait for me. I thought it was going to happen earlier, but that's why it's so sweet now. The important thing now is to win the game. This is about your legacy."