PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Are you ready for some football?

In the Green Bay Packers' case -- and particularly for new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers -- the answer to Hank Williams Jr.'s infamous rhetorical question is yes, as life goes on following the retirement of Brett Favre.

The NFL announced Monday the Packers will open the 2008 season against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on ESPN 's "Monday Night Football" on Sept. 8. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. as part of a doubleheader, with the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders game to follow.

The game figures to mark Rodgers' first NFL regular-season start following Favre's March 4 retirement after 17 NFL seasons. The team has said it will retire Favre's No. 4 at some point during the 2008 season, but general manager Ted Thompson said the club won't necessarily do it on opening night.

"I think that's up to the Favres and the organization," Thompson said during a break in the annual NFL meetings at The Breakers resort. "I think they'll put their heads together and figure out the best time."

Rodgers, the Packers' first-round pick in 2005, has waited three years for the starting nod.

"We just lost a guy that's played every game for 16 years. So it's a new frontier. But I think Aaron has done everything he can to prepare himself for this day," Thompson said. "I know it's been excruciatingly painful for him, too.

"He's a very bright guy, and he's been able to do this the old-school way -- he's sat and watched for three years. That's the way it was back in the day. I'm not saying that was the right way, but that was the way, and he's been anxious to play."

Coach Mike McCarthy will be coaching in his first home Monday night game. The Packers' last three Monday nighters -- at Denver last year and at Philadelphia and at Seattle in 2006 -- were on the road.

"I think it's great. I think it's a reflection of the success we had as a football team last year," McCarthy said. "The last two years, we've been on the road on Monday night, so we're excited about it. (It's a) great way to start the season."

Asked if it makes for a difficult environment for Rodgers' first NFL regular-season start, McCarthy replied, "I'm sure from every angle it's not going to be easy on Aaron, so let 's jump into it. I'm excited about Aaron Rodgers' opportunity. He's really prepared himself for this time. ... It'll be good for him to play in a big-game environment. It'll be a great experience for Aaron."

New team president and CEO Mark Murphy said the game "certainly would be attractive" for retiring Favre's jersey, "but I want to see the full schedule before we really make any decision on that. And obviously Brett's going to be involved in the decision."

The announcement of the Packers-Vikings game was part of several games the league set for its opening weekend. The Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants play host to the Washington Redskins Thursday, Sept. 4 on NBC, while the Chicago Bears will visit the Indianapolis Colts for the grand opening of Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 7 for the first game of the "Sunday Night Football" season schedule.

The NFL had been expected to release the full schedule Thursday, but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the date for the release has been pushed back.

"It won't be Thursday. It probably won't be next week, either," Aiello said. The preseason schedule could be released later this week, however, Aiello said.

The Packers' 2008 opponents are set. In addition to facing their division rivals (Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago) in their home-and-home series, the Packers will play Atlanta, Carolina, Dallas, Houston and Indianapolis at home, and Jacksonville, New Orleans, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Tennessee on the road.

Despite Favre's retirement, the Packers apparently remain a strong national TV draw. Last season, when they went 13-3 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game, they were given three prime-time games: one on NBC's "Sunday Night Football," one on "Monday Night Football" and one Thursday nighter on the NFL Network. They also played at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.

"There's no mistaking, certainly from the public perception, the hole that Brett leaves. That's going to remain," Thompson said. "But the Packers are a very popular franchise, have always been good with television ratings and things like that. We've always had our fair share of prime-time games."