I am curious...
by TrevorR on Sep 9, 2010 8:39 AM CDT
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A lot of people were on this site early last year and there was a lot of hatred toward Ted Thompson for various reasons:
- The Favre decision
- Drafting Harrell
- Letting go of our Guards back in the day
- Not signing more FAs (Moss)
Now another season has come and gone and the Packers have risen to the top of the charts again...where is everyone on their feelings toward TT? Mine haven't really changed. I never liked his personality, the way he addresses the media, etc but I think he's building the team the right way. I wouldn't mind an occassional FA pickup (not a big name but something bigger than a reserve S or something) but I've been a supporter and I feel like he's come through for me. Where is everyone else at? Do you like him more or less than you did 1 year ago? or 5 years ago? Do you have full confidence in him as the leader of this franchise? How about McCarthy, do you think he can lead the packers to the promised land?
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I sometimes find it frustrating when we don’t go into the free agent pool, but at this point TT deserves our faith. Often his moves are criticized but they often work out. For instance, I couldn’t believe we spent a 3rd rounder on some Texas TE I never heard of a few years ago. Now JerMichael is a top TE in the league.
He’s put together a good, young team. You really can’t argue that.
I don’t like the way he drafts all the time, and I hate that we don’t go after free agents. I don’t like the way he is all hush hush with everything. To Bill Belichek for my taste. But I do have to say that he has put together a great team this year. If he went after a few free agents and would get over himself and cut a few of his draft picks who are just sucking money away from the team I would like him more. I like McCarthy, and I feel that he can win it all, he just needs the team to do it. That could be this team, but going into this year, we have some of the same issues as we did last year. Although, almost every team can say that, so it’s hard to blame TT.
"A ringing single for David Eckstein who, in my view, is the perfect size for an American male." -Bob Costas
No complaints here
I laugh whenever I hear people complain about TT with the media or his personality. Are we going to have a beer with the guy? No! I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t need a warm and cuddly GM up there. We had that, his name was Mike Sherman…he got all us all of no where. I want a guy who will assemble a team that will get us to the Super Bowl. So far it’s looking like TT will do that.
I think TT has made the right calls generally. Now there are some things that he has done in the past that have not been right (cutting Jon Ryan and Mike Whale being the most prominent) he has built this team to be a power a good time to come. This is especially apparent when you contrast against a few of the other teams in this division who are betting all on this year and hoping that they can line up the talent to make another run after that team just wears down (see the Vikings and the Bears here).
Wahle
Had to be released to get under the salary cap. He was under contract and had a 10M bonus due that the Packers couldn’t pay cuz they were already over the cap. THey tried to negotiate a new contract that would keep him in GB, but he wouldn’t accept it and got a huge new deal w/ Carolina. It couldn’t be helped
I understood and agreed with the release of Rivera, but the Wahle release wasn’t forced by the cap in my opinion. It was a mistake made by Thompson, which was then compounded by his inability to find guys who could replace both guards and play at an adequate level. It took almost three years to patch that self-inflicted wound, in part because he refused to explore veteran alternatives available in the free agent market. Classic Thompson right down the line.
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by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions
Rivera
Became a FA, his contract ran out. He wasn’t released. Cowboys vastly over-paid for him anyway.
As far as Wahle it WAS a cap release due to the rediculous roster bonus he was due, from a contract Sherman gave him! Back when it happened, on GBPG site there was alot of discussion about it. One guy got all the Packers salary data, calculated the signing bonus and roster bonus’s and everything he could find on the subject. He found there was literally no way to keep Wahle w/o releasing someone else who had a big contract number and was still a top performer! Favre, Clifton and KGB beign the only real candidates.
When the draft picks were needing to be signed we also had to release Sharper to have room to sign them!
But Rivera could have been re-signed...
… so it’s a distinction without a difference. He wanted to stay here. They let him go. And it was probably a good move based on his performance in Dallas after he was released.
Wahle could have been kept if they wanted to keep him. Not saying there were no cap issues, but they chose to let him go when they had options, and they replaced him with inadequate players.
If I add some exclamation points and all caps, would you find that more persuasive?
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by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Rivera was used up... DONE!
He had given the Packers everything he had already. If they sign him he gets injured in training camp just like he did for them and we wouldn’t have gotten a thing out of it. Except a big hole in the lineup!
Read my comment again.
I didn’t suggest otherwise.
Oh and, !!!!!
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by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions
THey Had to release Wahle to get under the cap
Once he was a FA, he got bids that were beyond the Packers ability to match, due to the cap.
Oh and don’t be a dick!!!!!!!!!!
Open your mind...
… be less dismissive, less abrupt, less contemptuous, and I’ll stop giving you crap about the exclamation points. I’m trying to have a conversation and you’re trying to shout down those that disagree. There’s a difference between the two.
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by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:42 PM CDT up reply actions
closed minded
goes both ways… Obviously your not open to dialogue either! Packers tried to renegotiate a new contract w/ Wahle. HE wasn’t interested and wanted to test the market. Whats so hard about that to understand?
ok thanks.
Later.
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by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 10, 2010 4:14 AM CDT up reply actions
Not really. Rivera wanted his last big deal…they couldn’t give it to him so they let him go where he could get it. I guess i see it kinda like what they did with Kampman, they didn’t want him at the money that he wanted so they let him move on. Sure we were ill equipped to move on without him but we also couldn’t afford to keep him so what other decision could you make. The Guards are one thing I really don’t hold him for. They brought him in here to clean up their financial mess and that was the first step in doing that.
myth----financial mess?
the reason the packers got out of “cap hell” in just 1 short year—-it has nothing to do with thompson——is the fact that in 2006 the cap went up 20 million that year. usually the cap goes up 8-9 million per season.
how do you think the packers were able to sign woodson and pickett that year to big contracts if the packers were in “cap hell”—————by releasing wahle the previous year?
That was still a year after the decisions w/ Wahle and Rivera.
Packers in 05 had to get below the cap. And it took releasing Wahle and letting Rivera walk to do it. They tried to keep Wahle but he wanted and desererved a large pay raise the Packers couln’t give him. So we had to get thru 05 under the cap before we could sign Woodson and Pickett.
rivera?
had nothing to do with the cap————he had no contract, it had expired, so he didn’t count against the cap anyway in 05.
read the post again——-thompson released wahle in 05, but the the increase in salary cap from 05 to 06 was 99.999% of the reason we got out of “cap hell”———-YOU can’t even argue that fact———unless you want to.
doesnt matter
The Packers still had to get out of cap hell BEFORE the 05 season!!! And like I said earlier in this thread Rivera was a FA… Maybe you should read too. It was prior to the 05 season we are talking about not prior to the 06 season! We still had to get under the cap before the 0-5 season! 06 may have helped, in 06 buyt it doesn’t change the fact that we had to comply prior to the 05 season!… YOU can’t even argue that fact…. Unless you want to.
facts
2005 the packers were 4 million under the cap. 19 other teams were under by less. march of 2006 the packers were 35 million under the cap, the best in the nfl time. so by your logic, by releasing wahle that gave thompson the cap relief to sign woodson.hmmmmm, i didn’t realize that wahle made that kind of money.
thompson, figured out the myth of “cap hell” by just releasing 1 player. he’s a genious. it has nothing to do with the cap money going up 18 million that year instead of the normal 7-9.
but please, let your logic get in the way of the facts.
doesn’t look like to me that the packers were in “cap hell” afterall, since in 2006 they began 35 million under to start free agency signing and all they did was release wahle.
sidenote
in 2006 the packers dished out over 13 million in 1st year contracts to woodson and pickett.
woodson received 10.5 million and picket 2.8 million, but that has nothing to do with the extra 10 million the teams were aloud to spend—— it was all thompson releasing of wahle that took us out of cap hell———lol!!!!!!
we were in cap hell
so in 2005 we didn’t sign wahle for 10 million, but in 2006 we give woodson 10.5 million. yep the packers were in “cap hell”. anymore conspiracy theories you want to throw out there, like who really shot JFK or aliens really do exist.
Now you know why I left this thread.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 11, 2010 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions
2005 = over cap
2006 = lowest team salary in the league.
You think it happened by accident? If you argue the packers weren’t in cap hell going into 2005 you are clearly not looking at the numbers or using logic. The 2006 number doesn’t affect the 2005 number. The fact is that bloated contracts were shedded each year to allow the team to bring in guys like woodson and pickett. The cap hell argument is not a conspiracy it was 100% fact.
By the way, here are the numbers for 2005:
http://members.cox.net/cappage/2005capMoz.htm
Here are the numbers for 2006:
http://members.cox.net/cappage/2006cap.htm
After losing Sharper and Wahle, we were still only $6 mill under the cap…no cap hell huh?
stop regurrigatating(sp) what i just explained
you just strengthened my arguement. 19 teams had less money under the cap than the packers did in 2005.
by just cutting a gaurd that was supposed to make 11 mill and sharper. you might as well as throw in longwell that got cut as well. he was supposed to make 1.5 million.
the 10 million more that each team was allowed to spend in 06 took the pack out of cap helll and allowed them to sign woodson and pickett. simple concept.
so thompson just had to release wahle and sharper to get out of cap hell———pure genious.
05
They were 4M under the cap AFTER releasing Wahle and Sharper! They would have been some 14M over the cap w/ both those contracts. I don’t care about the 06 numbers, they are irrelevant to the 05 cap number. Woodson and Pickett likely wouldn’t be here if we didn’t make those decisions.
When you get over figuring out how the 06 cap numbers don’t mean squat in the 05 season your logic might clear! End of discussion!
not even close
the salary cap going up 18 mill instead of 7-9 made the difference———————nice try.
everything i posted is fact——look it up,you obviously have time.
i'm sorry
to break your hearts, but by releasing 2 players takes you out of “cap hell” is the story out their, but that’s not the story in GB————-i guess it’s true, that the the farther you are away fram the situation the more mis-informed you are,
prediction----
the packers beat the bills 41-3——-
you can continue the rodgers for mvp talk as he throws 4 td’s next weekend and 290 yards.
i was off by 4 points this weekend.
psst. don’t forget about that guy named Sharper who was also released. And then they also traded some cat named Javon Walker too.
The Packers went from being over the cap going into 2005 to being the most under the cap going into 2006. So this happened by the cap going up? hmmm I think that would have affected EVERY team. They entered 2006, $32 mill under the cap…yeah Thompson had NOTHING to do with that, you are right.
psst javon walker?
his cap number was 515,000 big cap hit lol!!!!!
so thompson turned cap hell around because he released a gaurd at the time was supposed to make 10 million((hard decision) and sharper who was supposed to make 6 million.
sharper was the only tough decision to make, nobody would pay wahle 11 million. give credit to sherman for that contract. wahle got paid 7.5 million in the first 3 years of that contract for an all-pro gaurd, which he achieved 2 years in a row after he left green bay.
the increase in salary cap was why the packers got out of cap hell. not thompson——who would pay a gaurd that never went to a pro bowl 10 mill——advantage sherman. wahle signed a bad contract.
the psst was for Sharper...did that go over your head?
So he got rid of $16-17 million of cap and you don’t give him credit for that? Not to mention, Walker wanted a payday so he was due a HUGE contract.
The cap hell was over before the increase happened. The cap hell was 2005 yet you bring up 2006 over and over and its not even part of the argument.
apparently
you don’t read well. i explained why thompson was able to cut 17 mill of the cap. nobody was going to sign wahle for 10 mill a year and give credit to sherman for that contract. as much as you guys paraphrase what you read, you should have read that wahle would never get to year 4 of that contract———ala aj hawk—-when his salary, doesn’t compensate his play.
moreso————hawk, obviously.
pssst!!! same 2 sentences------walker and sharper
you must have been proud of those——-but you failed to look up walkers cap number, which we traded him for a #2 pick which made more than 515,000 that year in 2006.
nice try on recovery, but it’s all their to see———-
"And then"
So you eliminate the one that kills your argument and then bring up the one that doesn’t hurt it as much. Wow…nice work, are you a lawyer?
Hey how much was Walkers new contract for after he left the team? Oh you mean would would have had to pay him that money?? oh shoot I guess that would have counted toward the cap huh?
nice work, are you a lawyer?
actually i was———am retired now, tks for asking.
First it was $17 million, not 20 going into the 2006 season..
Second, its a known fact that the Packers were over the cap going into the 2005 season. To get under the cap, he released a guy named Sharper and Wahle and didn’t resign Rivera. THIS is what got them under the cap…then the rest of the work happened.
Sure the big increase helped but you are an idiot if you think that was the thing that got them under the cap. You can argue it if you want but its not true.
name calling?
Sure the big increase helped but you are an idiot if you think that was the thing that got them under the cap. You can argue it if you want but its not true.
i thought yoy were policing this?
i know you are nobodys fool——-but maybe somebody will adopt you.
perhaps
your whole purpose of life is to be a warning to others.
Refused to explore veteran alternatives?
The 2005 offseason brought in veterans Adrian Klemm and Matt O’Dwyer at guard. It was the failure of those veterans that brought upon their replacements that still remain with the team today.
Classic Thompson.
Godspeed...
And those "replacements" took nearly 3 years to reach the level of play of the guys they replaced.
Way to go, Ted.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions
What a shame...
to merely replace all-pros at a position of relative unimportance with adequate starters.
Godspeed...
What a shame to HAVE to replace them.
Too bad Sherman left Thompson a messed up cap situation. Otherwise we would have been able to keep them!
They weren't adequate for 3 years.
That’s the problem.
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by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Yup...
Spitz and Colledge sure were terrible in that 2007 season. The single biggest reason they didn’t beat the Giants, in fact…
Godspeed...
They weren't good, that's for sure.
And you’re ignoring 2005 and 2006, Mr. Thompson. But hey, why admit the truth when selective memories are so much easier?
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 11, 2010 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
I find it funny.
That the same people for the most part who hated him last year are nowhere to be found or have changed their tunes! I have noticed the same thing alot recently. In fact I mentioned it in a comment somewhere! For the record, I’ve been a fan of Thompson’s from the beginning… Could he be more aggressive in FA? Sure… He could be alot of things, but what he is is exactly what he’s been from the beginning. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t bother to much to question his moves, cuz even when I do, they have almost always turned out for the best, or had very good reasons behind them!
I am with you. Most of the decisions he makes are pretty good. There are always bad ones with every GM but I think what he’s done: Flipping the entire roster without some awful drought of playoff appearances is nothing short of brilliant. We could have gone into some kind of 49ers like drought after having to rebuild but instead here we are ready to compete again and we even had a few runs in the middle of it all!!
I like him less than I did a year ago.
My fondness for Thompson peaked with the way he handled Favre’s comeback. I thought he was given a nightmare circumstance and did a very good job of minimizing the negative impact and maximize return my sending Favre out of conference for the best pick he could get.
I disagree with the notion that he’s been exactly what he’s been from the beginning. The beginning, or close to it, included significant free agent and trade acquisitions in Woodson, Pickett, Chillar and Grant. The last two years his acquisitions via those methods are limited to Charlie Peprah and Derrick Martin. I understand the fact that you have to build the bulk of your team through the draft and I think he drafts pretty well. I dislike his passive approach to the other methods of improving the roster, particularly in an offseason like this one where the offense is good enough to win a title if the defense doesn’t hold them back. I suspect his inability to improve the depth on the DL and find another outside pass rusher this offseason, coupled with the failure to adequately replace Al Harris, will prevent this team from fulfilling the potential the offense has shown. If that’s what happens Thompson will have no one to blame for the lost opportunity but himself.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 11:08 AM CDT reply actions
Was there a Woodson or even Pickett type player available recently?
Robinson this year was the best CB, but he was never that good and got a ton of $$$ to go play for his hometown team. Haynesworth wasn’t a Pickett type. He got overpaid and underperformed. Quite the opposite of Pickett! Thompson wanted to bring in Chris Canty in FA but Canty wanted some kind of contract offfer before even visiting. One he could use to go back to the Giants and use for leverage. Thompson wasn’t going to play that game. Canty wasn’t going to sign in GB anyway. He was going to get more money from the giants and that was where he was from (NY state).
That's a false choice.
They don’t have to be Woodson or Pickett to be worth acquisition. But recently we know that Revis was available in trade, and he wasn’t the only CB available. We know that Seattle acquired a 3-4 sized DE via trade a couple of weeks ago while we kept CJ on the roster.
You use Canty as a counter-example and you say a lot of things about what he would have done and wouldn’t have done. Maybe you know things I don’t. I’ll concede that we don’t know who might have been available by trade, and I’ll concede that it seems unlikey there was a bourgeoning star availble in free agency, but I won’t concede the fact that Thompson explored all of the optionts to make the defense better than it is. He all but admits he hasn’t when he talks about how he builds the team.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions
We know Revis was available in trade?
Not hardly! THe Jets were never going to trade Revis! You’ve been listening to too many fans! I never heard a thing reported ANYWHERE that Revis was available in trade.
Balmer was the DE Sea acquired… What has he done in the NFL to warrent being traded for? Anything at all? At least CJ showed in college he has pass rush ability! Balmer has proven in the NFL that he can’t. SO lets trade for an NFL player who has accomplished absolutely nothing and give up on a productive college player… Good thinking!!! LMAO
The Jets shopped Revis.
Period. They didn’t end up trading him because they didn’t like the offers they got and he backed off his salary demands.
You said above that you found it funny that the people who don’t like Thompson seemed to have vanished. Maybe they haven’t vanished. Maybe they just realize that trying to have a rational conversation with you is a pointless endeavor. Open your mind a little bit to the possibility that someone can disagree with you and actually have a rational basis to do so. Otherwise your just a ranting buffoon with a sticky exclamation point key.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions
I think your on Crack
If you actually think Revis was on the block! It would have made it to the news outlets if he was…
Oh and Period…
It did.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Even though the Jets tried to bury it.
Even when they tried to debunk it, their owner said a trade was possible. If you think they didn’t talk to teams about a deal, I think you’re nuts. Or do you have inside information suggesting otherwise?
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by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Possible
Just cuz the owner says a trade is “possible” doesn’t mean they were trying! Or for that matter that they were fielding offers! No owner is gonna say a player isn’t tradable. Even P. Manning is tradable, but are they trying or even taking offers? No…
And, Crack is bad, mmmkay?
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:43 PM CDT up reply actions
its called leverage
They weren’t going to actually trade him…its all part of the game. On top of that, it would have taken something sick 1-2 first rounders and then a MONSTER contract for revis. You really wanted him to do somehting like that??
Balmer
has apparently gone out of his way to screw his college team.
Look up Marvin Austin and suspension. It’s ridiculous what Austin has done, but Balmer’s involvement definitely compromised Austin’s eligibility at UNC.
The Swamp's home field advantage is so devastating, it stifled the Florida offense as well as the other team's...
"Because one of the great minds of the 21st century is raising glow-in-the-dark fish and weaving serapes..." -Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory
For all the crap we give Wil Wheaton, he can still tackle better than Asante Samuel...
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 10, 2010 9:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Ted the Sledge
I am a big Thompson fan, and wasn’t always. Living here in the Chicago area opens my eyes to what a disaster an NFL franchise could be, and the futility of trading for and/or signing other teams unwanted players.
Chicago paid dearly for Jay Cutler…or maybe they didn’t. If you look at Jerry Angelo’s draft record compared to TT, the draft picks Chicago gave up didn’t really mean much. What was the last Chicago draft pick that was really any good? I guess you could argue Ced Benson..
Now they are trying the free agent route with Peppers. Problem is they let go their other end (Alex Brown) who is a good player and replacing him with question marks.
Ted is doing a good, if not great job. The transition from the Favre era is going about as well as you could reasonably expect.
Sometimes nothin is a real cool hand.
It is going well.
And I commend him on that. But I wish he was as aggressive as Wolf was now that his team is nearing a championship level of talent. Shields might have ended up the nickel back under Wolf, but he would have been competing with more worthy talent than the timid Pat Lee and the limited Jarret Bush to win the job.
Yes, I know Wolf is retired and I have to “get over that” (as I’ve been told by others recently). I’m over it. But that doesn’t make the comparison invalid, particularly since Thompson idolized Wolf and claims to have learned how to be a GM from him. He didn’t distill all the lessons he could have. Today in the JS he says he’s always looking to improve the team, and points out the Andre Rison signing as an example of the kind of move he’s talking about, but “Andre Rison isn’t always available.”
No kidding. But a GM looking for that move makes more UFA signings than the one (Peprah) Thompson has made in the last year. We don’t expect you to find Andre Rison every year, or Woodson or Pickett. We do expect you to try, Ted, and a guy who’s trying those fronts makes more than 1 move in 24 months.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
agrument is invalid
Cuz as Wolf pointed out when he retired FA is worth crap now and trades are extremely difficult to make!
technically that is not an invalidation of the argument
It is a very valid counter argument though.
Really there are a few more gambles that TT could be making, but I just generally think that it’s unfair to compare him to Wolfe. Wolfe retired from the NFL because there was less opportunity to make a deal and move players around. Really it’s a different place. Most of the great teams rarely use trades and FA to bolster their ranks. Those that have used it effectively tend to be fairly medicore.
The great exception that may prove me wrong this year is Baltimore. They have used some daring trades and FA pick ups to bolster their passing attack. I could also highlight the Jets as well, but I think that they are more likely to implode and tank than really do something special.
by PackApologist on Sep 9, 2010 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
yes..
I maybe would like to see some calculated gambles…secondary depth, D-line depth, or maybe halfback depth. Really though these would just be marginal additions.
The fact Ted doesn’t have to make these type of deals just highlights what a position of strength he is dealing from. Teams like the Redskins, Bears, and Raiders that are constantly exploring free agency and/or trading guys are the ones dealing from weakness. Their woeful drafting records make it necessary.
Sometimes nothin is a real cool hand.
+1
I’d look to see some as well but if he doesn’t see anybody worth signing then that’s that. I don’t really question him as he’s done a great job rebuilding our team, and when he has signed FA’s or made trades many of them have been successful.
by packallday555 on Sep 9, 2010 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions
The exception is New England
They have averaged about 7.5 free agent per year over the last 10 years. I looked it up the number suprised me.
That doesn't matter though, because Ted doesn't do things that way.
The possibility of filling in the gaps on your roster via trade or UFA only exists when Ted does it. When he doesn’t, then it was impossible to do. Just ask Strohman, who’e either Ted’s close relative or his agent, apparently.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions
I think part of the issue he has to contend with is pressure from the board to keep well under cap. Its no big secret that the packers don’t have the ability to dig deep and go into the red like a team supported by an owner could. I would imagine there is a lot of pressure to very closely monitor the cap and therefore FAs become more and more unlikely as they come at inflated prices…
Yawn.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:04 PM CDT up reply actions
There is no way on earth Cedric Benson was a great draft selection for the Bears...
The Bengals have recovered the fruits of the Bears’ labor…
The Swamp's home field advantage is so devastating, it stifled the Florida offense as well as the other team's...
"Because one of the great minds of the 21st century is raising glow-in-the-dark fish and weaving serapes..." -Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory
For all the crap we give Wil Wheaton, he can still tackle better than Asante Samuel...
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 10, 2010 9:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Right..
When the Bears do happen to draft decent players, they rarely have the staff to develop them. My point is that Benson is a good back and could have been a good pick for the bears if they could develop players.
The coaching staff is also something TT should get lots of credit for. I was upset with the way Sherman was handled (because I thought he was a decent coach), but McCarthy has been really good. TT rarely gets credit for hiring McCarthy when at the time no one knew who the heck he was.
Sometimes nothin is a real cool hand.
McCarthy unfortunately was coming off a disastrous 2005
when the 4-12 49ers were dead last in scoring and offensive yardage.
Most teams would overlook a guy like that. Not the Packers…
The Swamp's home field advantage is so devastating, it stifled the Florida offense as well as the other team's...
"Because one of the great minds of the 21st century is raising glow-in-the-dark fish and weaving serapes..." -Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory
For all the crap we give Wil Wheaton, he can still tackle better than Asante Samuel...
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 10, 2010 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Loved Ted Thompson since day one and never understood the negativity. A friend who is now Seattle’s GM told me when we hired Ted there is no one better and I believe he is right. Ted will get us the talent and he will keep it. We are not in the position the position that a Minnesota is in the window is going to close if it already hasn’t. If we don’t win it this year it is my belief we will be better next year and have a opportunity for the forseeable future. Keep the course Ted.
Yep, by no means are we in a “win now mode”. I think it’ll be easier to do while Woodson is still around (which will probably be 2-3 years I think) but even after he is gone we’ll still have guys who will either be entering or in their prime. He’s put together a really talented team.
by packallday555 on Sep 9, 2010 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
That's a crucial point.
My concern about the defense is that there appear to be 3 stars or impact players on the squad. One is Matthews (and that was a brilliant move on Ted’s part; aggressive, smart, and it filled a need too!). The others are Collins and Woodson. I like Barnett and Jenkins too, but they don’t really make anyone around them better than they otherwise would be. Woodson is aging, great, but aging, and you have to wonder how much longer he can play at this level. Some of the players around them are barely adequate in my opinion (Williams, Hawk), and the only way to make them better is either to replace them or surround them with more talent, because these guys are as good as they’re ever going to be. The development phase of their careers is over.
It’s a young roster. Offensively, with Rodgers, Jennings, Finley, and maybe others, there’s no reason to believe this team can’t survive the upcoming departure of Driver. There’s reason to believe that Bulaga can take Clifton’s place at LT without much dropoff in about a year or so. So the offense is fine for the next few years. The defense, however, needs an influx of talent to move from the good but flawed level they’re at right now to a championship level squad. No disrespect to Neal or Shields, both of whom could turn out to be significant additions as they learn and develop, but that influx of talent didn’t happen on the defensive side this year.
Hopefully a couple of the kids entering their second years (i.e., the sophomores at NT and OLB) will progress. If they do, then Ted was right and I’m wrong and the defense should take a step forward. But the DL is thin enough that they’re a Jenkins injury from a disaster, and if Matthews goes down, we’ll probably be one of the worst pass rushing teams in the league. Thompson deserves praise for finding Matthews and putting together a young, talented roster, but he also deserves criticism for the thin, flawed defensive unit he’s saddled Capers, McCarthy and Rodgers with. Hopefully, it’ll be good enough.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t think Williams is done developing. I believe he’s only entering the fourth season of his career, and he’s spent the majority of it so far as a nickel back. I think he’ll continue to improve, especially as he get’s more time as a starter.
I think your right about our defense. There’s no doubt we need to add more talent too it. I’m confident we will too. If you look at what Thompson’s done in our last few drafts defensively, I think it shows that he realizes we still don’t have all the personnel that fits this defense. Raji, Matthews, Jones, Neal, and Burnett were all needs, and all really fit in the 3-4 defense. I think part of our problem defensively is that we still have a lot of 4-3 type players in it (Hawk, Pickett, Jolly, and Bigby). Most of those guys are talented enough to make the 3-4 work for them but I think all of them are definitely more ideal fits for a 4-3 defense.
So hopefully he continues to address positions on defense for us. Firstly, he needs to get our outside linebacker situation taken care of. And while some may say secondary next, I think he really needs to draft a guy who can play ILB to replace Hawk, and eventually Barnett. It’s crucial for those guys to be good in coverage. Hawk isn’t good whatsoever, and Barnett is probably no more then average.
Overall, I agree with a lot of the things you say. We definitely have some holes, particularly on defense. Hopefully he can address all those, and hopefully if the opportunity presents itself to address those needs through FAs or trades he’ll ditch his stubborn ways and pull the trigger.
by packallday555 on Sep 9, 2010 5:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Hope you're right about Williams.
I thought he regressed in the second half last year. The games haven’t been for real thus far so it’s possible that he’ll step up this year, but I don’t like what I saw against the Colts at all. Not at all.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Colts
Remember that was Payton Manning and Reggie Wayne the do that to everyone except maybe Revis and I’m sure they’d get a play or two on him also.
Yeah, but that's kind of the point.
We know the defense is good enough to beat bad and average defenses. What they haven’t shown any ability to do is shut down top 5 QBs or offenses in games that count. They aren’t going to be able to do that unless Williams covers better than he did in that game.
But it was a fake game, so who knows. Maybe he’s better than he showed.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions
bad and average offenses, I meant...
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, I can see that but you have to take into account that he was in a different situation this past year with Capers as coordinator. Woodson was used in the slot the majority of the time, so when Williams came in he was forced to cover pretty much all the #1 receivers. As opposed to him coming in, in 2008 for Harris and playing mostly #2 receivers because of Woodson lining up outside on #1 receivers.
I think he was so-so last season, and I agree he’ll have to be better and I think he will be. I’m convinced his problems have more to do with technique/schematic issues and not necessarily just not being able to cover guys. You can always improve technique, and hopefully he will.
by packallday555 on Sep 9, 2010 8:45 PM CDT up reply actions
before i weigh in
the site is, well, the same as usual. now for weighing in————-
two-hundred and forty-six pounds………sweet———-anyways.
i’ll clear up a myth or two that have been suggested. imo- not a mistake to let rivera go or wahle. rivera was old and wahle wanted too much money. the problem was not replacing them with anyone. i mean when you start adrian klemm and will whitacker that year, the season was a failure before it started.
it’s nice to use the draft to find your core guys, but imo, if a gm doesn’t utilize all the tools to be build a super bowl team, than your cheating the organization. a gm has to know when the team is close and go get that final couple of pieces to take you over that hump.
it’s nice to have all the regular season wins, but if you don’t get to the “big show”, who really cares———-just ask the colts.
the window closes fast in the nfl and imo, next year will be the packers year. cliffy, tausch, barnett, woodson and jenkins aren’t getting younger and will have to be replaced sooner than later. i know, i know we have depth at all those positions, but are they better than the starters they will be replacing? i hope they are, but if they’re not we might just be wasting opportunities to raise the Lombardi Trophy once again.
prediction——-tonight’s game——-take the saints -5.5 and the under
pack vs. eagles————-27-16 green and gold
i’ll clear up a myth or two that have been suggested. imo- not a mistake to let rivera go or wahle. rivera was old and wahle wanted too much money. the problem was not replacing them with anyone. i mean when you start adrian klemm and will whitacker that year, the season was a failure before it started.
it’s nice to use the draft to find your core guys, but imo, if a gm doesn’t utilize all the tools to be build a super bowl team, than your cheating the organization. a gm has to know when the team is close and go get that final couple of pieces to take you over that hump.
it’s nice to have all the regular season wins, but if you don’t get to the "big show", who really cares———-just ask the colts.
I couldn’t agree more. And you said it better than I did too. (Though I still think they could have and should have found a way to keep Wahle.)
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, he’s right. I especially agree with his last paragraph.
by packallday555 on Sep 9, 2010 5:18 PM CDT up reply actions
the site is, well, the same as usual. now for weighing in————-
This is getting really old and cliche from you. Time for a new lead in man. There are plenty of detractors plenty of homers and plenty of people who can see the good and the bad just fine.
how bout this
quoting Ron White———" oh yeah, well——f@ck you!!!!"
or
that’s the best comment you can make about my post
translation————-it might have made sense and you have no other rebuttle.
He's basically doing a good job......
…. aside from completely ignoring special teams.
Stats Are Wack.
McCarthy's never made them a priority until this year either.
BCB free since 8/24/10 and happier for it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 9, 2010 6:48 PM CDT up reply actions
They better be better this season. How we consistently have the worst special teams in the league is just embarrassing and puzzling.
by packallday555 on Sep 9, 2010 8:46 PM CDT up reply actions
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