Ted Thompson's Biggest Mistakes· Page 2

Greg C.
Registered Topic Starter

13 years ago

Letting Wahle and Rivera walk was the right move. Neither earned their new contracts. Klemm and O’Dwyer were not the answer but they were relatively inexpensive flyers.

Originally Posted by: wpr

I was fine with letting Wahle and Rivera go too. Klemm and O'Dwyer were inexpensive, but they were just such a waste. Even so, that item barely made my list.

It really isn't much of a list, as others have noted. Thompson has made very few obviously bad moves. I only put a couple of draft picks on the list because it's so easy to have 20-20 hindsight on draft picks. GMs often take fliers on lower round picks who have potential but don't pan out--like Aaron Rouse, for example--so I didn't include any of those. But the Harrell and Brohm picks were unconventional moves in the first two rounds, which are more open to scrutiny.

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millertime
Member

13 years ago

#12

Yeah, that one is not looking good at all right now. On the other hand, if Neal comes back and plays well and Jenkins gets hurt, it could look like another genius move. Even if Jenkins has a solid year and Neal doesn't play, it could still pay off in the long run. But it sure would be nice to have Jenkins right now. I think Thompson burned his bridges with Jenkins because he assumed that Jenkins would command a monster contract. He probably did not anticipate that the market for him would be so soft.

Originally Posted by: Greg C.

I agree. Unfortunately, Jenkins deal with Eagles is essentially a 1 year $4 million deal because there is no guaranteed money after year 1. That's what kills me. Jenkins has already given $4 million in production to the Eagles through 5 games. It will most likely be best to evaluate this deal after the season.

Laser Gunns
Senior Member

13 years ago

#13

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1. Drafting Justin Harrell (2007) a HUGE mistake at 16, but I believe it was reported that 🇹🇹 tried to trade out. also, IMO, Harrell would have been a beast if he was healthy.

2. Ryan was cut(supposedly) because of his slow release time, I don't mind though, he's been murdering footballs here in SEA.

4. I miss Bubba

5. I don't think 🇹🇹 "lowballed" Grant, after all, Grant really only had an 8-game career and he was going after top RB money.

6. Drafting Brian Brohm (2008)there was no other QB on the roster aside from 🇦🇷 at this point, and Brohm was pretty much agreed on as a solid pro prospect. just for kicks, here are some "expert" opinions...

MintBaconDrivel
Dec, 11, 2012 - FOREVER!

beast
Select Member

13 years ago

#14

VERY good list. I just want to add my two cent to the mistakes. Also I think we might be able to add RB B-Jack and Pat Lee.... they haven't lived up to 2nd round picks...

1. I agree with nerdman that Harrell was a risk/reward pick... if Adrian Peterson and Justin Harrell didn't have injury concerns they probably would of been top 5 picks in a normal year... (one beat the injury label... the other did not) ... but they did have injury concerns and they fell (also the top of the 07 draft wasn't normal... it had more top talent than normal)

I wish youtube had Harrell college highlight tapes up still... he was unstoppable at times on the field and he did show flashes in the pros on being able to break through the lines easily at times. And all of his college injuries were ones that healed... what got him was his back injury which he got while lifting weights with the Packers (after the draft).

2. I noticed all those that complained about how inconsistent Ryan was still weren't happy when they got what they asked for... a consistent kicker.... which Frost was.... he consistent was bad...

Also I find the rumored back story to Jon Ryan being released very interesting. It's rumored that Jon Ryan wanted workout with some famous kicking coach (Coach Zauner) and wanted the Packers to pay for it. The Packers said no and the Packers ST coach was upset Ryan even asked, then the Redskins cut Derrick Frost and the Packers sign him and cut Ryan. The ST coach then talked about before coming into the NFL Frost (the now NFL VET) having one of the best work out he's ever been at. Frost stunk it up with the Packers.... and Ryan went to that famous kicking coach (payed for himself) and then 3 of his 4 best years have come since then.

3. My biggest problem with signing S Marquand Manuel was it held draft pick S Marviel Underwood down... (note I'm not talking about CB/S Brandon Underwood)... I felt like Underwood was outplaying Manuel... but Underwood was playing all that scub time in the preseason and he got seriously injured and never fully recovered from it.

4/5 Seem like Thompson is finally getting depth most places. One guy he shouldn't try low balling this year is Wells... I don't think the Packers have a decent back-up for Center and probably should draft one. Though Wells shouldn't get huge money ether...

6. The way the draft fell, I saw it coming and didn't like it... using a high pick on back-up when you got a young very good QB already starting... also I wanted Henne more than Brohm... just seemed like Henne had more physical tools for a potential mold.

Zero2Cool
Elite Member

13 years ago

#15

But he DID give Bubba Franks a big contract because Franks refused to play for less. Ted was over a barrel because there were no other decent TEs on the roster. It would've been easier just to pay Franks right away.

As for Grant, I think the original offer was too low, which led to Grant's refusal to attend training camp initially, which may very well have contributed to his injury.

You can't separate the cutting of Ryan with the signing of Frost. They cut Ryan at the end of training camp, when no good punters were available, and they immediately brought in Frost. It was a planned move. I think it was because the special teams coach, MIke Stock, had coached Frost in the past. Stock was forced into retirement at the end of that season. His decision to mess with Ryan's mechanics did not appear to be a good one. Also, I've always suspected that he lobbied to get Frost, since he had coached him before, so when Frost failed, his fate was sealed.

Originally Posted by: Greg C.

There is no question you can separate cutting Ryan and signing Frost. They were two separate transactions, period. If Ryan was allowed to kick how he was comfortable, Mike Stock would have had no reason to lobby for Derrick Frost.

Mike Frost did lobby for Frost. He said as much when they brought him in. Saying how he's so much "more" coachable. It came off (to me) as saying Frost was more coachable than Ryan. I don't know about Mike Stock being forced into retirement, I didn't read any thing that supported that. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he was told he was going to be let go and decided to retire.

beast
Select Member

13 years ago

#16

Originally Posted by: millertime

According to rumors Thompson hates one year deals because they're short run and he's always looking for more than a year. (which reported one big reason Randy Moss stop listening to Thompson while with Raiders... Moss wanted a one year only and then hit FA market)

But I agree it's too bad they couldn't work that into the 2nd or 3rd year and given Thompson to pull the plug in year 2 or 3 if it wasn't working out. Jenkins was the pass rush on the other side of Matthews... now they're just rolling the protection to Matthews since the other side is threatening them at all...

As for the offensive kinsmen, that was Mike McCarthy requesting the "smaller, quicker" guys for the zbs. Since he's been able to go for the "bigger, stronger" guys, he's had much more success.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann

I don't think the Packers went after the small guys... they went after normal/quick linemen. And now they're going after large/quick linemen and they're still running zbs.

Carlos Rogers too. Dude was supposed to be our return guy.
As far as Jon Ryan, he took off running on a fake punt that wasn't called. It cost us our long snapped one week before the season started.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann

You're thinking of WR Cory Rodgers... and Mike McCarthy has put the blame on himself this last off season for not keeping any of the return guys because he as the offense guy he should of found ways to work him into the offenses instead of forcing them to make the team at an offense position first.

Carlos Rogers is a CB who was drafted in the 1st round by the Redskins and now plays for the 49ers. He's gotten a lot of heat with the Redskins fans for dropping lots balls he got his hands on (like Collins did with the Packers fans for a couple of years) but overall he's pretty good in coverage. (also he can suddenly can catch INTs now that he's with the 49ers)

Jon Ryan got cut because he was inconsistent and upset the ST coach by asking to go work out with a very good kicking coach (which he later went to go work out with anyways and has been much betters since working out with that coach).

Greg C.
Registered Topic Starter

13 years ago

#17

VERY good list. I just want to add my two cent to the mistakes. Also I think we might be able to add RB B-Jack and Pat Lee.... they haven't lived up to 2nd round picks...

Originally Posted by: beast

I thought about including those guys, and possibly Darryn Colledge as well, but at least they've contributed SOMETHING, and it also helps that they were part of a Super Bowl winning team, even if they were bit players.

I think Brohm has been Thompson's only complete bust in the second round. Lee is close, but there is still a glimmer of hope for him. His best second rounder by far has been Greg Jennings, followed by Nick Collins and Jordy Nelson. We'll never know what would have become of Terrence Murphy (#58 overall in 2006), the WR whose career ended before it could get started, due to a spinal injury.

Thompson has drafted much better in the first round that Ron Wolf did, and he has still managed to hit paydirt on more than his share of players in rounds two through seven, just as Wolf did. Of course, Wolf signed more free agents. Right now, the franchise appears poised to have a better run of success than it did under Wolf, but we'll see how it plays out.

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Greg C.
Registered Topic Starter

13 years ago

#18

[Ryan was cut(supposedly) because of his slow release time, I don't mind though, he's been murdering footballs here in SEA.

Originally Posted by: RajiRoar

I thought it was peculiar that the coaching staff blamed Ryan for those two blocked punts in Chicago in 2007. The wind was blowing about 40 mph, and you could see on the replays that the ball was blowing a yard or two off to the side before it got to Ryan, forcing him to kick the ball when he was closer to the defenders. Things like that can happen in bizarre weather conditions.

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Greg C.
Registered Topic Starter

13 years ago

#19

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool

The story in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel at the time said that he was probably forced into retirement. Several assistant coaches were fired at that time, and it was an abysmal year for the special teams, especially with the punter fiasco, so it seems likely that Stock would not have been allowed to return.

I'm not sure why you're disputing me on the Ryan/Frost thing. Whether you consider them as one move or two separate moves, clearly there was a very bad move somewhere in there, considering that Ryan outperformed Frost by a wide margin that year. And if Thompson cut Ryan without having any idea who he would bring in the week before the regular season started, that would be even worse. I don't think he would've done that. Frost was the guy they wanted.

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Zero2Cool
Elite Member

13 years ago

#20

I'm not disputing Derrick Frost was a mistake. I said it a few times now.

I think the Packers have an abysmal year in Special Teams nearly every year, lol.

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