The bye week. Oh, how I loathe it.

Just when things were getting exciting, a week depraved of Packers football is forced upon us. I guess I can look forward to watching the Irish embarrass their ex-coach (in a non-racial, purely football motivated manner), but even that won't bring the same level of satisfaction as a Sunday afternoon featuring the Green and Gold does. Needless to say, I despise the bye week.

But I know (well I don't actually know them) 52+ fellas who are greatly anticipating the relaxation and reprieve that this weekend's inactivity brings.

In case you haven't noticed, the Packers are pretty banged up. A football-less Sunday brings a well deserved break to several key players and gives a few guys an additional week of rest/spleen-healage before they attempt to reenter the lineup. Chuck Woodson's toe in particular deserves a spot of respite, after it's propelled the wily veteran to a collective Defensive Player of the Year-esque performance (and the stat line to back it up) throughout the first seven games.

Additionally, the bye week is an opportune time for introspection and self-analysis, as the players and coaches examine what's worked and what hasn't. And it's a chance to figure out how the hell our raggedy run defense is going to contain the most dominant backfield duo in the league,  known as the Ying Yang Twins.

Besides this immediate, week-to-week type analysis engaged in by players and coaches, a bye at week 8 is perfectly situated to give Ted Thompson a chance to reflect on his personnel moves and transaction strategies. But, more importantly, it gives back-seat GM's like myself an opportunity to evaluate the decisions that have occurred since last March based on how they've played out on the field.

Here's how TT grades out at the mid-season break:

Quarterbacks: B

Obviously, Thompson's decision to stick with Rodgers has been vindicated by #12's stellar performance week in and week out. In fact, Rodgers is playing beyond most everyone's wildest expectations. He looks like a savvy vet out there, as he calmly dissects opposing defenses. If we had a semblance of a rushing attack, we could very well be 6-1 right now.

However, Thompson's manging of "The Favre Situation" should not go without reproach. The circumstances definitely didn't provide the Packers with a winning option, but TT allowed it to degenerate from bad to worse, possibly leading to a severance of all ties with the greatest player in our franchise's history and creating deep cleavages throughout Packer Nation (seriously, look at some of these comments). Give him credit though, as he stuck to his guns and managed to salvage a decent draft pick out of it.

And what is with his decision not to bring in a competent back-up? I love Rodgers and all, and I think he's tough as nails, but if he goes down, I really would not be content with entrusting our season to Flynn/Brohm, especially with little to no help from the ground game. Honestly, even someone like Harrington, Simms, or Leftwhich would make me sleep a little better at night.

Runningbacks: C+

Ryan Grant's significant drop-off this year makes TT's decision to give him a significant pay raise look like a poor move. The situation is similar to the Javon Walker hold-out a few years ago: a young player demands more money after a breakout year and refuses to come to camp until then. Except the Pack stuck to their guns back then, and Walker ended up coming to camp anyway. Packers management looked like they made the right decision, as Walker subsequently shredded his knee and turned into a prissy prima donna. This time around, however, TT prematurely rewarded Grant for his half-season of magnificence, only to have the running back noticeably decline once he got his pay day. TT would have been better off holding fast.

Additionally, his decision to cut Vernard Morency was a head-scratcher at the time and looks like a mistake at this point in the season. Morency was the best running back on the team in August, showing incredible burst and running ability in the preseason, and was a capable receiver and blocker in the passing game. With Grant's slow start, a player like Morency could've stepped in and provided a steady rushing attack. I like Kregg Lumpkin a lot, but perhaps he would've been better suited for the practice squad.

The DeShawn Wynn ploy was a brilliant move by TT. He decided to cut the HB before pre-season began in order to make teams think the second year back really did stink. This allowed Thompson to stick him on the practice squad with little interest from around the league. With Lumpkin out, Wynn has stepped in as a decent contributor.

I love Thompson's commitment to keeping two fullbacks on the roster. Korey Hall and John Kuhn have consistently shown that they are integral parts of our offense.

Receivers: A

The Packers didn't need to make a whole lot of changes to the best WR corp from 2007. But, nonetheless, Ted Thompson was committed to improving this unit. I was a bit puzzled when we took WR Jordy Nelson with our highest pick back in April, but TT's call has proven to be the right one. Nelson has stepped into his role with ease, and although he isn't a stud yet, he's been a consistent producer. His stat line isn't exactly impressive, but his ability to do the little things, like execute crisp routes and run block efficiently, has made him a solid contributor in his first season, a feat hard to come by for a rookie wide receiver. With James Jones out, Nelson is making a push for the 3rd spot on the depth chart.

TT also brought in several other rookie WR's in an attempt to discover a gem. Although most of them didn't show much, and were either cut or put on the practice squad, this is the type of approach necessary to keep a competitive group of receivers in this day and age.

Thompson's decision to cut Koren Robinson was an unfortunate, but necessary step. I, like many other Packer fans, had been pulling for Robinson, who had made great strides in turning his life around. I'm glad we helped to resurrect his career and that he's been given a second chance, and of all places in Seattle.

Jermichael Finley, although he hasn't done much, really can't be factored into our assessment, as he was drafted based purely on potential and is a developmental prospect. Tory Humphrey has managed to stay injury free and has been a decent contributor for the Pack, making TT's decision to keep him on board the right one. But despite his best efforts, he was unable to keep TE Joey Haynos a secret, and the 6'7" rookie was snagged off our practice squad by the Dolphins.

Well, that's it for now. I'll do o-line, defense, special teams, and a preview of this upcoming off-season tomorrow.

Here's a poll for you in the meantime.