"Never" is a long word, especially when the Packers came within an eyelash of making it to the Super Bowl in Thompson's third year as GM. Also, they were one of the hottest teams in the league during the second half of last season, and they lost in overtime in the first round of the playoffs.

Thompson and McCarthy have been good overall, and I think they have earned at least another year or two to prove that they can be great. When I look around the league, there are very few teams whose coach/GM combo I envy. Thompson and McCarthy are right up there among the best of them. You could argue that the Steelers, Patriots, and Colts have better coach/GM combos, but after that nobody really stands out--and if those three are ahead of the pack, it's not by much.

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Don't forget the Saints.

But you're right. We're definitely up there.

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I'll stick to my prediction thet the Packers will never win a Super Bowl under TT.
The window is only open so long and after this year I think it is starting to close.
Woody is getting old, Driver as well. I think Finley will be highly sought and move on.
Barnetts best years are behind him and probably Grants too.
When you only build through the draft, I believe you are building year after year without alot of progress. Ted Thompson has been successful building a good core group via the draft but unless he steps outside the box I think there won't be much progress toward a SB.

Well, we'll see. The Colts and Steelers have made it to two Super Bowls apiece in recent years, winning three out of the four, plus they've gone deep into the playoffs several times, and they've done it with even fewer big name free agent signings than the Packers. So it can be done. But the drafting and the coaching have to be top-notch.

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Damn... I remember getting excused from the playoffs for a couple of years before 96.. good thing we didn't shit can that bunch the couldn't get past Dallas after 95.

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Yep, the fans were much more patient back then, mainly for two reasons:

1. The Packers had been down for so long that the fans were happy just to have their team back on the map again.

2. There was no Internet to get people all riled up.

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Or Greg, how about #3?

Internet has made attention spans really, really short.

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I think Ted's basic philosophy set him up to fail from the beginning, and if he gets the ax he'll drag Mike McCarthy down with him. I hope I'm wrong, cause I want the Pack to win the big dance again, but the vast majority of the time, the team that is willing to spend money at the right time (and yes that means FA's) add the juice needed to put them over the top.
Ted Thompson throws nickles around like they're manhole covers. He has stated that he prefers to rebuild through the draft, and he has added a few good player's through free agency, but the Packers are on the cusp of being great and he hasn't filled a few key positions.

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I can't see chopping either unless there's some sort of precipitous decline the rest of the season, and even then I can't see it. Thompson has built a team that should get to the post season on a regular basis - no, he doesn't do it in a sexy way, but I look at the fine lists other posters have made and it's hard to say anything but "thank you, Ted".

McCarthy has his flaws, but he got Favre to follow a gameplan and in so doing got the Packers to within a hair of the Super Bowl in '07. He's obviously helped turn Rodgers into a great NFL QB on top of that.

The teams that are successful year in and year out do not make knee-jerk moves. You can count the Steelers' coaches for the past 20-some years on one hand. Since Bellicheat's been with the Pats, they make it into the post season with regularity. Free agency has in effect killed the kinds of dynasties we used to know, where one team was almost a shoe-in for the SB for 3-4 years running, but in their place are teams like the Steelers and Pats, who by staying consistent with their coaches and F.O. manage to re-tool and continue to compete at a high level even as players move in and out. That's what I want for the Packers as a fan - a realistic expectation that they've got what it takes to compete at a high level every year and a high probability that they'll get into the post season.

And I truly don't believe you can attain that if you knock over the apple cart because the team didn't win the SB in a given year. I think it takes a calm commitment to stay the path.

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I like what ILike said. In today's free agent era, the best way to win a SB is to be a perennial playoff team. Look at the Pats for instance. They were in 4 SBs and won 3 of them by being in the playoffs almost every year of the 00s.

Fact - we were in the Playoffs 2 of the past 3 years. My opinion - unless Rodgers, CM3, or Woody get injured (knocking on wood as I type this), we'll be in the Playoffs this year.

Before we start calling for TT's or MM's dismissal, who is out there who is available? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?

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