This brings up a catch 22. We are (presumably) all upset with Ted Thompson right now because he won't make a move. We want him to step up and get a player that will make the difference for us. Not long ago however we all were praising him for his uncanny ability to bring players up through the organization and through drafting. It's tough because we can't have it both ways with him. He doesn't seem to live in the gray at all. It would be great if he were able to make big trades (like the Vikings ALWAYS do, which I hate more than anything), but lets face it, he doesn't want to ever pull the trigger because that means that he will be giving up his bread and butter: draft picks. So today we are criticizing Ted, and tomorrow we will be back to praising him. We all need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and realize that he is who he is, and that we cannot expect him to change every time something comes up. The reason he is a great GM is because he can bring players up so well, and that means that he will not be dropping draft picks for big names that may only last a year or two. He, unlike the Vikings, sees the big picture. So, again, lets all take a breather here, and realize that we ARE in good hands.

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We weren't "all praising him" by any means. A lot of fans have been steadily critical of Ted Thompson, even when the Packers have looked good on the field. (I'm not one of them. I like Ted a lot.)

Because Ted is so committed to his approach, I think most fans formed their opinion of him pretty early on and it hasn't changed much. I don't think it's unreasonable for fans to want Ted to modify his approach, even though I don't agree with them and I doubt that it's going to happen.

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I'll praise Ted Thompson on his drafting players not on the OL.
I'll praise Ted Thompson for not overspending on talent that doesn't merit it.
I'll praise Ted Thompson giving us a strong core of players.

As I give him that praise, I'll also point out that I feel he needs to plug in some pieces to our puzzle. However, with that feeling, it's hard to understand who is out there for the taking and also who would be a good fit for us and not a waste.

The more I think about how to do things, the more I think Ted Thompson has a plan deeper than my brain capacity. I want to trust him, he's the pro, not me.

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Actually, zero...the OL drafts have gotten consistently better. Colledge is a decent, if not spectacular player when allowed to concentrate on guard. Spitz, a top back-up and starter for may teams. Bulaga....seems poised to be the next guy at LT for a decade. TJ Lang....bruising, mauling tough guy who shows promise. Sitton, a borderline pro-bowler. Not too shabby.

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Perhaps I spoke too blindly in thinking that I knew what other fans thought, but I do feel that the general feeling about Ted when we're doing good is praise, and it is negative criticism when our backs are up against the wall (so to speak) like right now. I also would like to have big names come to the Packers every once in awhile (instead of very rarely, in the case of Woodson), but I feel that to come to that point, we need to give up what we were previously praising Ted for. As Zero said, which I completely agree with, I believe in Ted that he has a plan, whether I see it or not.

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When I evaluate Ted I have to go through a couple processes.

First, without any injuries to our roster at all, do I like the 53 man roster. Yes.

After that I look at what injuries we have had and did we have depth in place to at least attempt to stop the bleeding. Yes.

Where we still have depth/starter problems after said injuries, what moves and under what conditions would I myself expect something to be done. In the current case, without playing another couple games I find it hard to say which of our missing starters need the most attention. And if Ted gives that spot attention where on the team do we lose out if a move is made. At the moment I'm fine with the lack of moves. Hindsight is obviously quite clear, and look what would have happened if we up and dumped Hawk for Lynch like many people were clammering for. Now we would really be in a pickle at LB. Same goes for if Bigby had been traded away. Depth is a luxury as well as a commodity and needs to be in the equation at all times imho when a GM is evaluating potential moves. So for the moment I am behind Ted on this as well.

I have yet to have any problems with Ted this season.

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I have neither heaped great praise on Uncle Teddy nor condemned him for his actions or lack of informative sound bites. He is what he is.

When he came on board the Packers were trapped against the salary cap ceiling with no flexibility whatsoever. He was successful in giving the team more room to operate. Kudos for him. It wasn't easy. It wasn't always pleasant but it was needed.

Ted prefers to build the organization via the draft. Ok fine. I do not mind if he does that. What I would like to see at this point in time is for him to have a little flexibility in his approach. I would like to see him consider bring a player or two in through trades IF IT MAKES SENSE. You got me as to what that means. I have no idea at all what the market is for a 3rd or 4th round pick in the 2011 draft. I doubt very many fans do either.

It is possible that Ted & Co have been working the phones and they have not been able to come up with a deal that makes sense to them. It is also possible that they have been sitting back and not wanting to make a trade as they would be "giving away" their future picks. It could also be that they disagree with (Pardon me Rocky) the little Dutch boy who stuck his finger into the dike. They may feel that there are just too many holes to fill now and are willing to wait. I guess that is one of the drawbacks to having a GM who does not care to discuss the workings of the inner sanctum. Not that he really cares what we think anyway.

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While I have to give him props with his draft picks, I also have to say that I wouldn't mind seeing him dabble in FA a bit too. I think it would open up opportunity for some needed talent to come to Green Bay. We have places where we need depth, which in many cases cannot be found in rookies drafted fresh out of college.