I do not know if this has been posted yet, did not find it. What you guys think? I'd say this guy makes a pretty good case for failure but then again I don't know his bias and he could have hated Ted Thompson all along.
Plus it would be nice to look at another team and see how they have drafted. To see how this 30/50 draft picks remain, 13 rating as adequate or above with one Pro Bowl pick compares to a good drafting team (i.e. Pats).
Maybe Ted Thompson Is Not Such A Draft Genius After All
By Todd Welter
Story Created: Oct 6, 2009 http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/llama/63635132.html "It is easy to second guess Ted Thompson after the legend he chased off wiped the floor of the team Thompson built. To the Favre zealots, I am starting to agree with you that Ted Thompson may be the most evil man to enter Wisconsin since Jim McMahon wore a green and gold jersey. Evil is a little harsh but I am starting to see why it might be time to drum up the let's run Ted Thompson out of town tune.
It is not because he ran off Brett Favre. Do not let ESPN fool you that he ran off Favre. Thompson moved on but handled it very badly. Thompson wanted a decision in a timely manner, not say mid-July. Favre said he was retired back in March 2008 and when he wanted Ted to kiss the Super Bowl ring, Thompson declined. Not exactly chasing him off. Sorry, but Ted did the right thing by putting the franchise before Brett. So please stop using the whole he ran off Favre as the war cry for wanting Thompson's demise.
Instead, use some rational, simple reasons for questioning his leadership. With the way the Thompson administration has been running things, there is plenty to question.
This is a man who is sitting on a surplus of salary cap cash and yet refuses to spend it. Only my grandma is cheaper than Thompson. This is a guy that was probably an Alan Faneca, Randy Moss and maybe a few other decent free agent parts from putting the team over the Super Bowl hump. Instead, he upgraded a 13-3 team by signing Brandon Chillar and the rest is 6-10 disappointment history.
I understand that he believes free agency is dangerous waters. Allowing this team to get younger and younger by the day, especially at the offensive line is like swimming through hurricane waters.
Should he spend the Packers' money like a drunken sailor? No, but this constant stubbornness to build through the draft has left this team exposed at critical areas. Most importantly the trenches and the general depth of this team. I got some good advice once (credit Bill Michaels) that told me that the best general managers should hit on 50% of their picks. The rest of the team then needs to be addressed through free agency and trades.
Just look at how the Vikings carved up the Packers yesterday. It was with a team built through solid drafting (Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Bryant McKinnie, Kevin Williams to name a few) and then free agent additions (Bernard Berrian, Brett Favre, Steve Hutchinson, Chester Taylor, and Antione Winfield) and a shrewd big trade (Jared Allen) to round out the rest. They addressed their depth with getting solid veterans when a rookie would not suffice. Thompson just keeps on plugging up the Packers' holes with more hopes and dreams.
Lately, he is drafting more nightmares. If you look at this so called draft guru's record, it is not so stellar that one might think. Just look at the track record (still on the team in bold, italics on IR).
2005
1st-Aaron Rodgers, QB (best pick so far)
2nd-Nick Collins, DB (top five of his picks)
2nd-Terrence Murphy, WR (bust)
4th-Marvel Underwood, DB (bust)
4th-Brady Poppinga, LB (solid player/starter)
5th-Junius Coston, OL (bust)
5th-Mike Hawkins, DB (bust)
6th-Michael Montgomery, DL (great in the preseason, bust in the regular season)
6th-Craig Bragg, WR(did not even make the team)
7th-Kurt Campbell, LB (did not even make the team)
7th-William Whitticker, OL (bust)
That is eight busts out of 11 picks and just four players out of 11 picks that are still on the team.
2006
1st-A.J. Hawk, LB (solid but should be the defensive face of this franchise)
2nd-Daryn Colledge, OL (decent guard but not a tackle)
2nd-Greg Jennings, WR (second best pick of the Thompson administration)
3rd-Abdul Hodge, LB (bust)
3rd-Jason Spitz, OL (adequate)
4th-Corey Rodgers, WR (did not make the team)
4th-Will Blackmon, DB (can not stay healthy, out for the year, time for the bust label)
5th-Ingle Martin, QB (still can not believe he actually drafted somebody named Ingle)
5th-Tony Moll, OL (Aaron Rodgers might have been crippled if they did not trade Moll away)
6th-Johnny Jolly, DT (solid)
6th-Tyrone Culver, DB (really got nothing out of him)
7th-Dave Tollefson, DE (never made the team)
That is seven busts out of 12 picks and only one star out of the class. 12 draft picks and one star, two solid players and two decent players. You should expect more out of that many picks.
2007
1st-Justin Harrell, DT (has spent more time in the trainer's room than the field=bust)
2nd-Brandon Jackson, RB (good on 3rd downs, but this guy was supposed to be better)
3rd-James Jones, WR (solid but has yet to take that step forward from his solid rookie year)
3rd-Aaron Rouse, DB (playing him at safety was a bad idea from the beginning)
4th-Allen Barbre, OL (has played better but is still one of the reasons Aaron Rodgers is running for his life)
5th-David Clowney, WR (never made the team)
6th-Korey Hall, FB (solid)
6th-Desmond Bishop, LB (should be on the field but for some reason they do not allow him)
6th-Mason Crosby, K (solid kicker)
7th-DeShawn Wynn, RB (decent at best)
10 picks and nobody looks like they are heading towards a Pro Bowl career. Plus, the first rounder of that class should have never been taken in the first place.
2008
2nd-Jordy Nelson, WR (solid WR, should turn into a really good third WR)
2nd-Brian Brohm, QB (on the practice squad but just looked awful when he was on the roster)
2nd-Pat Lee, CB (on IR, so gets a pass)
3rd-Jermichael Finley, TE (looked like he was going to be a bust, now looks like he might revolutionize the way TE is played)
4th-Jeremy Thompson, DL (not ready to be a backup but is counted on to be one)
4th-Josh Sitton, OL (committing too many penalties and helping in killing Rodgers' career)
5th-Breno Giacomini, OL (cut last year and now inactive through four games)
7th-Matt Flynn, QB (got the backup job but if Rodgers goes down, so does this season)
7th-Brett Swain, WR (did not make it last year but snuck on the roster this year)
Nobody at this point can be labeled a bust except Brohm. Still, only Finley and Nelson have shown they are ready for prime time. Yet the rest of the class is counted on to do the same and clearly they are not ready.
2009
1st-B.J. Raji, DL (been hurt to start the year)
1st-Clay Matthews, LB (looks like he will be the LB that A.J. Hawk should be)
4th-T.J. Lang, OL (watched Jared Allen blow past him, not even close to being ready to handle significant snaps)
5th-Quinn Johnson, FB (looked good in the preseason, then they started to play for real and he has been inactive for that)
5th-Jamon Meredith, OL (Packers thought they could sneak him onto the practice squad, they were wrong)
6th-Jarius Wynn, DL (has he even seen the field yet?)
6th-Brandon Underwood, DB (same goes for him)
7th-Brad Jones, LB (and the same goes for him)
Can not really evaluate this draft class as it is the first year and Clay Matthews looks like he will be a stud. Plus, this was the first draft that Thompson got aggressive and moved up. The one problem, he drafted just two offensive lineman and one made the team.
When you look at his draft record, for a guy that is supposed to be a draft madman, he has really not hit a lot of home runs. 50 draft picks, 30 remain and I would say only 13 would rate as adequate or above with only one making the Pro Bowl (Jennings was named an alternate). Not exactly building a Super Bowl through the draft. Plus, this guy has shown he can not build up the trenches (where games are won and lost) through the draft. That is why Ted Thompson needs to start looking beyond the draft to build this team into a legit Super Bowl contender and not a preseason tease. If not, the drum beat for his dismissal will grow louder."