MintBaconDrivel
10 years ago
Archive.

Green Bay — Down in Florida, Ron Wolf is hundreds of miles removed from the furor.

He takes in spring training baseball games. Kicks back. He's not immersed in excruciating, on-the-clock negotiations. He's not perusing Twitter for the pulse of the Green Bay Packer fan base.

There's discontent, he's told last Friday. Fans are angry.

The former Packer architect can't help but chuckle.

"If they're complaining about the Packers, then that's ridiculous," Wolf said. "How could you complain? Three straight divisions. How could you whine about that? It's not by style points. It's by wins or losses."

Free agency, by design, is overrated. Through the NFL's quest to make its product a 365-day attraction, free agency — Free Agency Frenzy! — has skewed reality. Every year, this is the most overhyped 48 hours in the football calendar year. Again, Ted Thompson started the party by re-signing his own. He let others spend.

Thompson did send a tremor through the state by signing 34-year-old Julius Peppers, but even this came at a reasonable price.

Peppers or no Peppers, Green Bay operates the Ted Thompson Way. He'll rely on the draft, on his own players' growth. Take it, leave it.

Wolf says that isn't so bad.

"When I was there," Wolf said, "they had three winning seasons in 24 years. That's a little different. And now, it's not just about winning the division. I'm not sure what it's about.

"I think they're really doing a heck of a job there."

Expectations are different in 2014 than 1992. Any anxiety reflects how much times have changed post-Wolf.

Since Thompson's 4-12 cleansing his first year on the job, Green Bay is 88-50-1 with four division titles and a Super Bowl. Most teams that wildly spend at the opening bell — with this year's Denver anomaly — are usually 4-12, 5-11, starving for a shock of energy.

"It's about winning," Wolf repeats. "It's not about all the other avenues or other agendas that people want to incorporate into a team. If that were the case the Washington Redskins, every year, would be in the Super Bowl. It's about winning. And you'd be hard pressed to find a team in the NFC with a better won-loss record than the Packers since he's been there.

"There's one stat and one stat only. And that stat is W's and L's. And in that bracket — he and that entire operation — have done a heck of a job in my estimation."

Wolf did refuel through free agency beyond Reggie White in the 1990s. One can certainly argue that Thompson should take this page out of his old mentor's playbook. More veterans would help. One offensive player said last month that the defense needed more "dogs," more threats that put fear into opposing quarterbacks.

This may be true.

Still, as Wolf notes, free agency is different today. It operates at warp speed. Brett Favre, he laughs, was once a free agent for a full week. In 2014, that'd never happen.

The G.M. admits he was "stumbling around" just trying to figure out free agency. In time, he realized it was overrated, too. The risks outweighed reward.

"What we eventually came around to realizing was rather than run amok in free agency — now these are my words — is you better keep your own players and pay a little bit more for them," Wolf said, "because you know everything about them than to bring somebody new in that you don't know anything about. Through trail and error, that's more or less what we decided to do.

"That doesn't mean, however, that you don't lean in there."

He quickly adds that Charles Woodson, after Reggie White and Deion Sanders, is the best free-agent signing ever. Paying up paid off.

Maybe Peppers is the player who gets Green Bay over the hump. He could flop, too. That's why his 2014 cap number is a friendly $3.5 million.

Above all, this first week of free agency was a reminder that the Packers go as far as Thompson's philosophy takes them. He used a combined $54 million on Sam Shields, Mike Neal, Andrew Quarless, B.J. Raji. Money that could've been spent on outsiders was spent on his own.

Years ago, Wolf told Thompson to never read the newspaper, never watch the local TV and never listen to talk radio. If Thompson didn't have thick skin, he certainly did after the summer of 2008.

Don't bet on the GM who shunned Brett Favre listening to any noise.

He's signing his own.

Wolf believes a deep breath is in order.

"I think the test of time bears out that they know what they're doing," Wolf said. "The object — and I don't mean to overemphasize it — it's whether you win or lose. If you lose, you don't keep your job.

"I'm sure their formula works — certainly in the NFC — a lot better than anyone else's."

Tyler Dunne  wrote:


Cheesey
10 years ago
It's true. Look around and see how many FA's have been busts. Usually they become FA's because they are over priced or past their prime.
Reggie White and Charles Woodson were a couple that were "cherry picked" by the Packers and paid off big time.
But if you check out other teams in the past, many FA's were over paid and didn't pay off for the teams.
UserPostedImage
uffda udfa
10 years ago
Ron's statement is similar to water is wet. Yes, most don't work out. There are a lot of guys who have no business getting big FA money but do. There are those players who are excellent who do deserve big money. We were fortunate to choose Reggie and Woodson. Two hits.

I wonder what he meant when he said:

"When I was there," Wolf said, "they had three winning seasons in 24 years. That's a little different. And now, it's not just about winning the division. I'm not sure what it's about."

---He doesn't know what the Packers are trying to accomplish now? Long term stability, maybe, over winning SB's? Would really love a clarification of that statement.
UserPostedImage
Ted Thompson sits on his hands per former GM: "because they’ve had 25 fricking years of great quarterbacks. Of course it works. Try it without a special quarterback."


buckeyepackfan
10 years ago
Your guy just shot you down!

Everything everyone has been trying to tell you, he just said it.

Gonna be fun watching you spin this one!

😂 😂 😂

I was addicted to The Hokey Pokey, but I turned myself around!
uffda udfa
10 years ago

Your guy just shot you down!

Everything everyone has been trying to tell you, he just said it.

Gonna be fun watching you spin this one!

😂 😂 😂

Originally Posted by: buckeyepackfan 



You might want to read my post above yours. A day late and a dollar short...again.

He didn't at all... he just stated a truth. MOST of the time it's not worth it. That doesn't mean ALMOST ALL THE TIME like it does for TT. That is what you do...you don't think about things very long. You see something you think makes a point for you and rush to type and press 'ENTER'.

Would you pay good money to guys like EDS, Erik Walden, Darryn Colledge, Tramon Williams, AJ Hawk, Davon House? Nope...clowns like that aren't worth it but stupid teams pay big money for garbage. The FA I speak of is of the gamechanging variety but, again, you don't think and ponder long enough to ever get it. Surface...always the surface with you, Buckaroo.

EDIT: Buck, you obviously missed this quote: Regarding the use of FA..."That doesn't mean, however, that you don't lean in there." Yes, ol' Ron surely set me straight, there, Buckaroo Banzai. To me, that's RW taking a veiled shot at TT.
UserPostedImage
Ted Thompson sits on his hands per former GM: "because they’ve had 25 fricking years of great quarterbacks. Of course it works. Try it without a special quarterback."


Wade
  • Wade
  • Veteran Member
10 years ago
Hehe...methinks this illustrates another difference between Thompson and Wolf.

When asked these kinds of questions Thompson just says nothing in polite and empty language. WHen Wolf is asked these questions, he says whatever he thinks will cause the others to pick the way he wants them to pick. In short, you can never tell what Thompson really thinks because he never says anything; and you can never tell what Wolf really thinks because spreading misinformation is second nature to him.

Wolf's approach is probably more entertaining -- which is why he keeps getting asked these sorts of question -- but IMO the only way you're going to know what he thinks about free agency these days is make him a general manager and see what he does.

Both approaches to answering questions work. They're both masters at their chosen approach.

This is part of the reason I think I'd pay to see them play poker against each other (there's no way I would play against either of them, though). And I generally *hate* watching other people play unless I'm studying them for future games.


And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
buckeyepackfan
10 years ago

You might want to read my post above yours. A day late and a dollar short...again.

He didn't at all... he just stated a truth. MOST of the time it's not worth it. That doesn't mean ALMOST ALL THE TIME like it does for TT. That is what you do...you don't think about things very long. You see something you think makes a point for you and rush to type and press 'ENTER'.

Would you pay good money to guys like EDS, Erik Walden, Darryn Colledge, Tramon Williams, AJ Hawk, Davon House? Nope...clowns like that aren't worth it but stupid teams pay big money for garbage. The FA I speak of is of the gamechanging variety but, again, you don't think and ponder long enough to ever get it. Surface...always the surface with you, Buckaroo.

Originally Posted by: uffda udfa 



Abd the spin begins.
.why don't you shoot for a New personal goal of 20 pages of nothing.

Plenty of old articles, quotes from "online experts", and just plain bullshit you can dig up a post.

PLEASE BEGIN!
I was addicted to The Hokey Pokey, but I turned myself around!
earthquake
10 years ago

Ron's statement is similar to water is wet. Yes, most don't work out. There are a lot of guys who have no business getting big FA money but do. There are those players who are excellent who do deserve big money. We were fortunate to choose Reggie and Woodson. Two hits.

I wonder what he meant when he said:

"When I was there," Wolf said, "they had three winning seasons in 24 years. That's a little different. And now, it's not just about winning the division. I'm not sure what it's about."

---He doesn't know what the Packers are trying to accomplish now? Long term stability, maybe, over winning SB's? Would really love a clarification of that statement.

Originally Posted by: uffda udfa 



Brilliant, the work of a true master. You took the one ambiguous sentence in the entire article and use that as a basis for sticking to your ridiculous bias. Yes, let's ignore the rest of the article, the many quotes which not only do not support your viewpoint, but directly contradict it.

"If they're complaining about the Packers, then that's ridiculous," Wolf said. "How could you complain? Three straight divisions. How could you whine about that? It's not by style points. It's by wins or losses."



"When I was there," Wolf said, "they had three winning seasons in 24 years. That's a little different. And now, it's not just about winning the division. I'm not sure what it's about.

"I think they're really doing a heck of a job there."



"It's about winning," Wolf repeats. "It's not about all the other avenues or other agendas that people want to incorporate into a team. If that were the case the Washington Redskins, every year, would be in the Super Bowl. It's about winning. And you'd be hard pressed to find a team in the NFC with a better won-loss record than the Packers since he's been there.

"There's one stat and one stat only. And that stat is W's and L's. And in that bracket — he and that entire operation — have done a heck of a job in my estimation."



Still, as Wolf notes, free agency is different today. It operates at warp speed. Brett Favre, he laughs, was once a free agent for a full week. In 2014, that'd never happen.

The G.M. admits he was "stumbling around" just trying to figure out free agency. In time, he realized it was overrated, too. The risks outweighed reward.

"What we eventually came around to realizing was rather than run amok in free agency — now these are my words — is you better keep your own players and pay a little bit more for them," Wolf said, "because you know everything about them than to bring somebody new in that you don't know anything about. Through trail and error, that's more or less what we decided to do.

"That doesn't mean, however, that you don't lean in there."

He quickly adds that Charles Woodson, after Reggie White and Deion Sanders, is the best free-agent signing ever. Paying up paid off.



"I think the test of time bears out that they know what they're doing," Wolf said. "The object — and I don't mean to overemphasize it — it's whether you win or lose. If you lose, you don't keep your job.

"I'm sure their formula works — certainly in the NFC — a lot better than anyone else's."


blank
Barfarn
10 years ago


Hehe...methinks this illustrates another difference between Thompson and Wolf.

When asked these kinds of questions Thompson just says nothing in polite and empty language. WHen Wolf is asked these questions, he says whatever he thinks will cause the others to pick the way he wants them to pick.

Originally Posted by: Wade 



I'm sure that once Ted Thompson is several years removed from GMing; he'll be more candid too. And Wolf only became more guarded later in his career just after Gore invented the Net and everyone got a computer and became experts. Also, this was the time that one faux pas w/ a word or two could be taken out of context by a nincompoop and have it go "viral."

Of course, it's possible Ted Thompson wont be available for comment as he'll be playing the Robot in Lost in Space 1V. LOL

This article as well as Wolf's book indicate that he and Ted Thompson think pretty much exactly alike. And of course Ted Thompson was trained by Wolf and Wolf's kid works hand in glove with TT.

The only difference I can detect is that Wolf was a little more tolerant [just a little] of players w/ negative lockerroom or off-field stuff.

Just as Wolf says, as FAs became more problematic/risky and he did less later in his career, this of course coincided w/ the Cap taking more of a grip.

Oh and Buckeye...Can you please provide us w/ your Powerball pick each week, since you have become so good at predicting the future...LOL
uffda udfa
10 years ago

Brilliant, the work of a true master. You took the one ambiguous sentence in the entire article and use that as a basis for sticking to your ridiculous bias. Yes, let's ignore the rest of the article, the many quotes which not only do not support your viewpoint, but directly contradict it.

Originally Posted by: earthquake 



You have got to be kidding me? Ron Wolf says something vanilla in support of the Packers and that means he's fully onboard with the way Ted Thompson is running them? Did you expect him to be critical even if he hated what Ted Thompson was doing and thought he was squandering Rodgers career? You just don't get it. I worked in media and got quotes from guys like Ron for years...got some from him in the bowels of Lambeau with Favre and Holmgren many moons ago.

What you've done is EXACTLY what I've said you enjoy here. You love your ears being tickled. Ron Wolf's quotes are repeated by many on a daily basis in similar situations. It's like Jon Gruden talking about QB's...he rarely says a bad word...he just loves them all. Do you honestly think Gruden loves all the QB's he says he does on MNF, or do you think he's grandstanding? Go work in media for any length of time and perhaps you'd understand.

I pulled more than just one thing from the article...the ambiguous statement was very curious. He also didn't sign off on TT's free agency approach even though some of you think that he did. Read with OBJECTIVITY and you will see he clearly didn't but that is too much to ask of you. You want that feather on the earlobe gently stroking back and forth.


UserPostedImage
Ted Thompson sits on his hands per former GM: "because they’ve had 25 fricking years of great quarterbacks. Of course it works. Try it without a special quarterback."


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