Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson spoke to the media before practice Monday morning, discussing topics ranging from the offensive line to the league’s roster cut down. Here is the transcript:
On the difficulty of the week prior to cuts:
“I don’t enjoy it because a fair portion of the week will be taken up with having to do releases and that sort of thing. We’ve been with this group a short time – this 2011 team – compared to most years, but you have attachments and you like the kids. This is a good group of guys. A lot of these guys have been training for these moments for a long time, so when you have to say goodbye it’s a hard time.”
On if Thompson has players in mind for the 53-man roster:
“You never know. You can overcook this a lot of times and I know everybody wants to get involved in final releases, but we let it play itself out and go from there.”
On the performance of the offensive line:
“Pretty good. This is a group, more than any group, feed off each other. It’s all about repetition and getting to know each other and the little things that each player does. I think they’re coming. I think they’re doing OK. We gave up a few sacks, but I think the offensive line, as a rule, is probably the group that the more reps, the better they get.”
On balancing production vs. potential in selecting players to the 53:
“You try to look at everything. At the end of the day, you try to evaluate production and what they can do for the team, and second what they can do for the team over the long haul. You try to use your experience as evaluators and coaches to try and make the best decisions. I think we have a fair body of work, it’s not as large a body of work as you normally would have, but we’ve been with these guys for a while now.”
On the difficulty the late start presents to evaluating players:
“We’ve gotten to know all of our players pretty well. A fair number of them have been with our team for more than just the spring. Certainly, we have some young guys who we’re still getting to know, but we study that pretty hard in terms of how they assimilate with their teammates and get along, and compete, and all the things that you look for.”
On if more scouts from opposing teams are watching the Packers after the Super Bowl run:
“I wouldn’t have any idea if there’s more or less, or the same, but in general most teams watch other teams, and we do the same with other teams.”
On the potential of keeping five tight ends, making difficult cuts:
“There’s a million different scenarios the way the final 53-man roster could be made up. Again, I think I mentioned this last week, everyone focuses on the final 53 — it’s not a final 53, it’s a starting 53. We’re required by the league rules to be at the 53-man roster come next Saturday night. That 53-man roster will change throughout the season. Hopefully, not as much as it did last year, but history tells you it’s going to change. Nothing’s stagnant. The numbers aren’t stagnant, but there are a million different scenarios. Depends on how many of this, how many of this, how many of this.”
On restructuring Ryan Grant’s contract:
“We never talk about things like that.”
On how the NFL looks this preseason compared to past years:
“I think it looks normal. It looks like football. Sometimes people say it looks like preseason, but that’s normal. Preseason is preseason. A lot of guys trying hard and that short of thing. It seems like the teams and coaching staffs are doing a good job and getting ready. Our group has done a good job of getting ready. We’re prepared for it. Would you like to have more time? Sure, but that’s not the way it works.”
On if the team is where it needs to be:
“We’re where we are. I couldn’t guess as to where we’re where we should be. I think we’ve done a good job. I think our coaching staff was prepared for this. They worked well with our new guys, especially trying to get them prepared, which was an emphasis and has been as Mike (McCarthy) has said. I think our veterans came in in-shape and ready to go, anxious to get started playing again, which is probably the case with most teams. We’re ready for football. That’s the NFL slogan this year — something like ‘We’re back to football,’ and we’re back to it. It’s going to be starting pretty quick, so we’ll see what we can do.”
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