I couldn't have said it better myself.
You're free to rely on your feeling that this team is going in the wrong direction, of course, but the reality is I haven't the faintest clue either way. The fact is, I don't know a damn thing about football. My parents never allowed me to play, and I don't have TV, so I don't get to watch much of it either (which is why I came to this site in the first place). In the heat of the moment, I don't know whether I'm watching a draw or a screen. I couldn't tell you whether I'm seeing the linebacker or the cornerback flying toward the ball. I doubt I could point out the right tackle versus the right guard, even under the threat of torture and dismemberment. I don't watch football to dissect plays and analyze angles. I watch it purely for the excitement, the action, the adrenaline. The thrill of the yard and the agony of the inch.
Like I said, I know next to nothing about the mechanics of football. If I thought I could manage a football team, you can be sure I'd be clamoring for a position, but I freely acknowledge I don't. What I am is a student of history, however, not to mention a two-time war vet (though nothing compared to
dfosterf), so I have at least an intuitive understanding of tactics and strategy. I know that in war, the most crafty and aggressive man tends to win, and that when you circle the wagons, it's usually the beginning of the end.
I couldn't care less whether Mike McCarthy calls a post or a buttonhook, a curl or a fly (and I couldn't tell you which is which, anyway). All I know is that when our team is steamrolling down the field, and he reins them in to promote "balance," it disrupts the flow of our team. I know that when we have one of the best red zone quarterbacks in the league and we settle for field goals instead of touchdowns, we're probably going to lose. I know that when we settle into a prevent defense instead of going for the kill, the other team is probably going to march down the field on us.
Do I know whether Ted Thompson's doing a good job? No, but I'm a pragmatist. I prefer to see the results on the field. When I see a first-year starting quarterback throw for over 4000 yards and score 32 touchdowns, I figure Ted Thompson made a good choice. When I see a receiver come out of nowhere to be one of the most electric players in the game today, I give Ted Thompson credit. When I see a free agent that no one else wanted turn into a stud who plays entire seasons through injury, I figure Ted Thompson has foresight. When I see our offense put our team in a position to win week after week, only to see a defense decimated collapse in the waning moments, I'm inclined to give Ted Thompson the benefit of the doubt.
Is Ted Thompson taking this team in the right direction? That remains to be seen. But until I know how to perform his job better than he does, I'm going to leave the managing to the manager and just root my heart out for the team he puts on the field every single week. Whether that means I'm pumping my fist in jubilation or sobbing in despair at the end of the game, the Packers are still my team -- and it's still just a game.