Mucky Tundra
11 years ago

One of our Packers contributors looks at two key off-season decisions general manager Ted Thompson made, and why they reflect the brilliance of the Packers' head of personnel.

WTMJ  wrote:


texaspackerbacker
11 years ago
In the case of Johnny Jolly, absolutely - Ted Thompson defied conventional wisdom and took a chance which is paying off big. In the case of Greg Jennings, however, Ted Thompson did offer him supposedly more money than the Vikings are paying him. If logic prevailed, he would be a Packer, and the current injury situation would be less of a problem. The cap situation might be a different story.

I'm not completely sold on Ted Thompson being a "great" GM. I just have to ask, what if Aaron Rodgers didn't fall to us? Honestly, Thompson has not put together all that great a roster otherwise. The team I am most familiar with other than the Packers - the Cowboys, for example, have loaded up at WR, TE, LB, DB, and D Line, and rebuilt their O Line with pretty fair success, mostly without high-priced free agents, and with not much different draft position from the Packers. Seattle also has come from way down to have a loaded team. Kansas City and Houston also. Sure, there are a lot of counter-examples, but the Packers don't need to be compared to those, rather to the best.

I would NOT want more signings of over-priced FAs; I acknowledge TT's success in the low rounds and UDFAs. I'm just saying he rates IMO good, not great overall in building a team.
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steveishere
11 years ago
I think the cowboys are already like 30 million over next years salary cap or something crazy like that
DakotaT
11 years ago
Anybody that thinks Ted Thompson is not a great GM is a moron. Nobody, with the kind of injuries we had in 2010, comes away with the Lombardi Trophy. That is incredible depth to be able to not only sustain a winning team, but to come away with the ultimate prize. Yeah, having the best player in the game really helps, but the Packers had no business winning that championship. That team will always be my favorite, unless the 2013 team can do the same thing.
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nerdmann
11 years ago

Anybody that thinks Ted Thompson is not a great GM is a moron. Nobody, with the kind of injuries we had in 2010, comes away with the Lombardi Trophy. That is incredible depth to be able to not only sustain a winning team, but to come away with the ultimate prize. Yeah, having the best player in the game really helps, but the Packers had no business winning that championship. That team will always be my favorite, unless the 2013 team can do the same thing.

Originally Posted by: DakotaT 



Aaron wasn't the best player in the league when we drafted him.

I do believe Ted is a great GM. But part of that is acquiring the staff to develop these players. Sam Shields, for example. Look at the guys this year who have developed. Jamari Lattimore.

Every year we've got guys coming out of nowhere and becoming players. That's on Ted, not just for acquiring them, but for developing a quality staff as well. It's a winning formula.
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”
Tezzy
11 years ago

Aaron wasn't the best player in the league when we drafted him.

I do believe Ted is a great GM. But part of that is acquiring the staff to develop these players. Sam Shields, for example. Look at the guys this year who have developed. Jamari Lattimore.

Every year we've got guys coming out of nowhere and becoming players. That's on Ted, not just for acquiring them, but for developing a quality staff as well. It's a winning formula.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 



I go back to TT's comments regarding the GM and Coach(staff) being a true partnership. And after years of continued success there isn't another GM in the league that I would switch Ted Thompson with.


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sschind
11 years ago
Pretty lame article if you ask me. Another fan who feels personally rejected by Greg Jennings so she can't resist taking shots at him. GMs can't show loyalty but if a player doesn't he is a pariah and needs to be moved off the team ASAP. A players off season activities is proof that it was a good thing he was let go but had he not been let go those off season activities would not be an issue (note, they aren't an issue but like I said some people can't resist)

The decision to let Jennings go came down to simple dollars for the Packers If he would have agreed to stay here for... lets say... 5 million a year he would still be here. Since it is such a good thing that he is gone it stands to reason that Brenton thinks it would be a bad thing if he would have stayed. I'm sure he would have been a locker room cancer given his off season behavior.

The more I read about the situation the more I get the feeling that Jennings wasn't happy here. Maybe his turning down the 10 million or whatever it was it was that was supposedly offered had nothing to do with him wanting more. Maybe he just wanted out.

Like I said in a previous post, some Packers fans simply can't take this as a fact. They can't believe anyone would want to leave this Shangri-La that Ted Thompson has built. If they want out it must be because they are greedy for more money or more playing time.

Much like Brett Favre, Greg Jennings is becoming one of my favorite Ex Packers. I love the Packers and I can't fathom anyone wanting to leave this organization that I would give almost anything to be a part of but when I see players with the guts to speak their mind when they know it will hurt their reputation I find it somewhat refreshing. So many people toe the company line when they don't really mean it that it can get sickening.

I realize that in a lot of cases toeing the line is the only or certainly the best option and I can understand it in those cases but with athletes it is rarely the case. They are one group of people who, for the most part, can afford to be honest. Its just a shame when fans hold that honesty against them if it involves anything negative about their favorite team. Player A leaves team A and says that it was a poor atmosphere to play in and fans of team B applaud him. Now player B leaves team B and says the same thing and that player is shunned by the fans of team B. I guess a lot of it can be chalked up to human nature, or perhaps nature in general. Its a good thing to protect your own. But when protecting your own makes you sound like a hypocritical broken record of a parrot I have a hard time taking you seriously.

And before anyone jumps down my throat screaming that everyone is entitled to their opinion let me just say that I agree with you. My comments are just that, they are my opinions. I realize that not everyone will agree with them and I am OK with it. I also realize that my posts may seem to stray as far in one direction as those of others stray in the opposite direction. I can see the merit in that argument as well. I certainly don't claim to have any more insight than anyone else into the Jennings/Packers situation and so I realize that your opinions are just as legitimate as mine. Its just that I can't let some opinions go unchallenged. So challenge away if you like.
sschind
11 years ago
Man I will be happy when tomorrows game is over and we can settle down into the calm relaxing atmosphere of a regular game.






WHAT? next week is BEAR week? goodbye calm and relaxing.
steveishere
11 years ago
I think many people when deciding how good a team is only care about the starters (understandable since few would bother learning another teams back ups lol) but that doesn't seem to matter as much, especially this year. Chicago for example with all of their starters have a phenomenal defense but down a few starters they are atrocious. The rest of those players on the 53 become pretty dang important. That's where Ted has seemed at his best IMO. Getting guys to fill out that 53 who can step in and still play NFL football even if they aren't each world beaters. Not necessarily getting a huge amount of pro-bowl or all-pro players.
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