Zero2Cool
14 years ago
http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110205/PKR01/110205031/Packers-foundation-for-success-follows-1990s-model 

DALLAS Theres the general manager who sticks to his convictions, the head coach who turns quarterbacks into stars, the quarterback with the rocket arm and the defensive star who makes game-changing plays.

They are the foundation of the Green Bay Packers then and now.

In the 1990s, it was Ron Wolf, the cutthroat general manager; Mike Holmgren, the coach who brought the quarterback-friendly West coast offense to the Midwest; Brett Favre, the gunslinger quarterback; and Reggie White, the free-agent savior of the defense. That combination won a Super Bowl, lost a Super Bowl and resurrected a franchise before one major decision by a key member of the foursome derailed what could have been a dynasty.

Those were our cornerstones, said Bob Harlan, the Packers president from 1989 to 2008. That was huge for us through the 90s with those four as the foundation.

Now, with the Packers back in the Super Bowl today against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium, its another quartet of power players leading the franchise. Its Ted Thompson, the general manager who studied under Wolf and steadfastly holds to his belief of building through the draft; Mike McCarthy, the coach known for his work with quarterbacks; Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback with MVP-like production; and Charles Woodson, the free-agent defensive star.

Its pretty darn close, Thompson said. Most of the things we do, the attitude we take, the way we draft is all exactly (the same). We were all trained by Ron Wolf.

In many ways, Harlans fingerprints can be found all over both eras. When he hired Ron Wolf in 1991, he knew the organization needed a major structural change. Less a month after Wolf took over, he fired coach Lindy Infante and hired Holmgren, who was the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator. A month later, Wolf traded a first-round draft pick to Atlanta for Favre. A year later, he lured White in what at the time was the biggest free-agent signing in the NFL.

When sweeping changes were needed more than a decade later, Harlan turned to Thompson, who had followed Holmgren to Seattle to run the personnel department with the Seahawks. Thompson, in turn, fired coach Mike Sherman as coach a year later and hired McCarthy, who was the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator. Two years later, Thompson and McCarthy made the decision to dump Favre and go with Rodgers, who Thompson picked in the first round of the 2005 draft.

I admire that organization, said former Dallas Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt, who now works for NFL.com. They dont sit still.

A dynasty destroyed

When the Packers went to back-to-back Super Bowls following the 1996 and 1997 seasons, winning number XXXI over New England and losing number XXXII to Denver, the Packers seemed to be built for the long haul. Wolf still had a zest for the job, and Favre had another decade-plus of football in him. Though White was nearing the end of his career, there were a number of younger defensive stars on the rise.

Ron and I used to talk about what happened in the 90s and he and I agree, that team in the 90s was good enough to win two and maybe three (Super Bowls), Harlan said. We should have beaten Denver, and we should have gone back to another one, and we didnt.

Holmgrens desire for more power rocked the organization. After the 1998 season ended with a first-round playoff loss at San Francisco, Holmgren jumped at the chance to be both a coach and general manager and took $8 million a year to do so for the Seahawks.

We were very surprised when Holmgren made that move, Harlan said. I didnt see that coming, and I dont think Ron Wolf saw it coming. But to lose Holmgren was a big factor. That was a separation in the organization that we didnt need.

A dynasty in the making

Theres no way to know how success will change the key parties involved in this run to the Super Bowl, but Thompson is a youthful 58, and Harlan believes he will finish his career in his current job. Barring injury, Rodgers looks like a top-five quarterback for another six, eight or 10 years. While Woodson, the 2009 NFL defensive player of the year, will turn 35 in October, the Packers have another budding superstar on that side of the ball in second-year linebacker Clay Matthews, who was defensive player of the year runner up this season.

Then theres McCarthy. Hes 47 years old and married to a Green Bay girl. He and his wife, Jessica, are expecting their second child together on Aug. 4. He doesnt appear to seek the attention or the organizational power that Holmgren did.

I dont see him making the same move that Holmgren made, Harlan said. Thats a tough thing to do. That really is taxing. Just being a head coach is difficult enough. I just dont foresee that coming with Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy came up differently than Holmgren, who was perhaps the hottest coaching commodity when Wolf hired him. McCarthy, on the other hand, wasnt a household name and had interviewed for only one other head coaching job before Thompson hired him.

I told Ted, I really thought you could make a better choice than that, Brandt said. I wasnt really sold on McCarthy. Then I went to (training) camp up there for three days and about the second day I was there, I said, You know what, you made the right choice.

Both McCarthy and Thompson have two years remaining on their contacts. Team president Mark Murphy, who hired neither of them, said he preferred to wait until after the Super Bowl to discuss whether extension are possible. If the Packers are to keep their core together, such deals will be essential.

The two eras were built similarly, Harlan said. Its always great when the GM has picked his own coach. That was huge with Ron, and thats huge with Ted. When he hired Mike McCarthy, he said he never wanted to go through another coaching search again.

"ROB DEMOVSKY" wrote:


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Fan Shout
Mucky Tundra (17h) : And James Flanigan is the grandson of Packers Super Bowl winner Jim Flanigan Sr.
Mucky Tundra (17h) : Jerome Bettis and Jim Flanigans sons as well!
Zero2Cool (6-Jul) : Thomas Davis Jr is OLB, not WR. Oops.
Zero2Cool (6-Jul) : Larry Fitzgeral and Thomas Davis sons too. WR's as well.
Mucky Tundra (5-Jul) : Kaydon Finley, son of Jermichael Finley, commits to Notre Dame
dfosterf (3-Jul) : Make sure to send my props to him! A plus move!
Zero2Cool (3-Jul) : My cousin, yes.
dfosterf (3-Jul) : That was your brother the GB press gazette referenced with the red cross draft props thing, yes?
Zero2Cool (2-Jul) : Packers gonna unveil new throwback helmet in few weeks.
Mucky Tundra (2-Jul) : I know it's Kleiman but this stuff writes itself
Mucky Tundra (2-Jul) : "Make sure she signs the NDA before asking for a Happy Ending!"
Mucky Tundra (2-Jul) : @NFL_DovKleiman Powerful: Deshaun Watson is taking Shedeur Sanders 'under his wing' as a mentor to the Browns QBs
Zero2Cool (30-Jun) : Dolphins get (back) Minkah Fitzpatrick in trade
Zero2Cool (30-Jun) : Steelers land Jalen Ramsey via Trade
dfosterf (26-Jun) : I think it would be great to have someone like Tom Grossi or Andy Herman on the Board of Directors so he/they could inform us
dfosterf (26-Jun) : Fair enough, WPR. Thing is, I have been a long time advocate to at least have some inkling of the dynamics within the board.
wpr (26-Jun) : 1st world owners/stockholders problems dfosterf.
Martha Careful (25-Jun) : I would have otherwise admirably served
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Also, no more provision for a write-in candidate, so Martha is off the table at least for this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : You do have to interpret the boring fine print, but all stockholders all see he is on the ballot
dfosterf (25-Jun) : It also says he is subject to another ballot in 2028. I recall nothing of this nature with Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy is on my ballot subject to me penciling him in as a no.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : I thought it used to be we voted for the whatever they called the 45, and then they voted for the seven, and then they voted for Mark Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Because I was too lazy to change my address, I haven't voted fot years until this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : of the folks that run this team. I do not recall Mark Murphy being subject to our vote.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy yay or nay is on the pre-approved ballot that we always approve because we are uninformed and lazy, along with all the rest
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Weird question. Very esoteric. For stockholders. Also lengthy. Sorry. Offseason.
Zero2Cool (25-Jun) : Maybe wicked wind chill made it worse?
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : And then he signs with Cleveland in the offseason
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : @SharpFootball WR Diontae Johnson just admitted he refused to enter a game in 41° weather last year in Baltimore because he felt “ice cold”
Zero2Cool (24-Jun) : Yawn. Rodgers says he is "pretty sure" this be final season.
Zero2Cool (23-Jun) : PFT claims Packers are having extension talks with Zach Tom, Quay Walker.
Mucky Tundra (20-Jun) : GB-Minnesota 2004 Wild Card game popped up on my YouTube page....UGH
beast (20-Jun) : Hmm 🤔 re-signing Walker before Tom? Sounds highly questionable to me.
Mucky Tundra (19-Jun) : One person on Twitter=cannon law
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Well, to ONE person on Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : According to Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Packers are working on extension for LT Walker they hope to have done before camp
dfosterf (18-Jun) : E4B landed at Andrews last night
dfosterf (18-Jun) : 101 in a 60
dfosterf (18-Jun) : FAFO
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : one year $4m with incentives to make it up to $6m
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Or Lions
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Beats the hell out of a Vikings signing
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : Baltimore Ravens now have signed former Packers CB Jaire Alexander.
dfosterf (14-Jun) : TWO magnificent strikes for touchdowns. Lose the pennstate semigeezer non nfl backup
dfosterf (14-Jun) : There was minicamp Thursday. My man Taylor Engersma threw
dfosterf (11-Jun) : There will be a mini camp practice Thursday.
Zero2Cool (11-Jun) : He's been sporting a ring for a while now. It's probably Madonna.
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : We only do the tea before whoopee, it relaxes me.
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