Ed Policy named as Murphy's successor
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Pokerbrat2000
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Just saw this myself. Reading up on a guy that I don't know much about just yet.
I wonder if I will get through the first article before someone starts the "Fire Ed Policy" thread?
I wonder if I will get through the first article before someone starts the "Fire Ed Policy" thread?
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El Guapo
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I haven't seen any of the articles yet, but he's been pretty involved in the Packers for years. IIRC he is the son of Carmen Policy (SF 49ers) so there is good pedigree. This seems like a solid and natural choice. I don't see any reasons to shake things up organizationally, as I think that the Packers organization has been on a good path for the past few decades.
As I wrote in the original thread about Murphy's forced retirement, my only hope was that someone took a fresh look at the decision-making triangle in place with the GM, Head Coach, and the VP of Football Ops. Maybe some of this changes if Russ Ball decides to leave. My sense was always that he was angling for this job, so losing out, maybe he will move on???
As I wrote in the original thread about Murphy's forced retirement, my only hope was that someone took a fresh look at the decision-making triangle in place with the GM, Head Coach, and the VP of Football Ops. Maybe some of this changes if Russ Ball decides to leave. My sense was always that he was angling for this job, so losing out, maybe he will move on???
OP
OP
gonzozab
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If he's half as good as his father was, there will be no need for a Fire Ed Policy thread.
Thirteen Below
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That's what I like about it too, as my first reaction.
Too many times, when a new top dog comes in to an established, stable, and successful organization, they feel the need to make substantial structural changes just to show that they're the new alpha. It's their way of pissing on every fire hydrant just to make sure everyone knows they're all their fire hydrants now.
I feel there are only a handful of organizations in the NFL that have been better organized and managed since the day Ron Wolf sat down behind that desk, and I truly believe Gutekunst is right on the cusp of taking this team a full level above every other club in the league.
The worst possible thing that could happen to the Packers right now would be for some new CEO to come in and make radical changes sinply for the sake of making radical changes. I think that would be a disaster; that sort of thing has killed a lot of successful businesses. Turning the keys over to an internal candidate who's spent years learning why our organizational culture works so well the way it does is the smart move, and should insure continuity and a sdmooth transition.
I can't say I know much about this guy yet, but from what I do see I think he was a very natural choice - and I think this has been his intended path for probably several years.
Russ Ball seems like a good candidate. It sounds though like Policy was selected a while ago as the heir apparent to Murphy. I don't know anything about the guy. My guess is that he has a better-rounded resume than Russ Ball. That, and Ball is very good at what he does. If he gets paid enough money, I'm sure he'll be happy to stay.
Packers top management has been pretty solid for 30 years now. This moves seems consistent with that.
Pokerbrat2000
Opinions are like A-holes, we all have one.
I'll just leave Exhibit A right here, which was posted on 10/29/2023 .....
Sanguine camper
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Interesting that he's a lawyer with no playing or coaching experience. Is that important? His primary job as I see it is to be the supervisor of the GM position with that indirectly impacting the HC. His role is similar to a team owner compared to the rest of the league. Owners come from non- football backgrounds. The smart ones are rather hands off while the dumb ones like Jerry Jones think they know better. Time will tell. No other way to know if he's really qualified because it's his first try at leading an NFL franchise.
I don't mind that he doesn't come from the ranks of the NFL - player, coach, GM, etc. To your point, most owners don't. And that's probably for the better. They are supposed to take a wide view of the entire organization. I'm no Murphy fan, but he did oversee a sizable and quality expansion of the Packer Experience, or Titletown, or whatever - making GB more of a year-round destination, or at least a destination that goes beyond just football games. And I think he played a role in the expansion of Lambeau Field stadium as well.
I've always been a little leery of lawyers taking these gigs though. Corporate lawyers do get a look at an entire organization, but the perspective is legal and not necessarily operational.
That's not disqualifying by any means. And I don't think it will be hard to improve on Murphy, who is just too self-centered for my liking. But he certainly didn't harm the organization. Yeah, not a glowing report but after Bob Harlan, another lawyer BTW, anyone would look worse. Bob Harlan was special.
Packer Fan in SD
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Wow, you are joking with us, right? Murphy has enabled the Packers to compete dollar for dollar with any team in the NFL. Titletown is and will be so important for the future of this team. Without a deep pocket owner, how would we be able to place enough money in escrow to cover all the guaranteed money in the contracts? The CEO is less a football mind and so much so a business mind.
El Guapo
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I work with A LOT of lawyers. The only general statement that I'll make about most lawyers is that they generally act like they know everything. The key is working with the ones that actually do....
One corporate lawyer who is lead council for a multi-billion dollar corporation is a complete moron about running a business. He's got an arm and a leg on that side of the business and I lock horns with him routinely, well because as I stated he thinks that he knows everything and makes dumb decisions that affect the organization negatively. Great lawyer - bad business man. On the other hand, I work with a real estate attorney who really does know his stuff. He's already got you in check before you've entered the room and just let's you make the first few moves before putting you in checkmate. I would turn over any business to that guy in a heartbeat.
Policy may be the guy. I won't hold it against him being a lawyer. Like everyone, he's got to show us that he knows his stuff. As Packer Fan in SD perfectly stated, his most important job will be ensuring that we have enough cash stashed away to escrow the guaranteed contracts. This could easily have been the death of Green Bay over the past 20yrs, but Packers leadership positioned us perfectly to compete financially. Policy needs to continue that effort and anticipate the next cannonball headed our way.
Excellent summary of lawyers in high places. I've worked with a lot of them too when I was with at&t. We had one lawyer assigned to a product I was managing. The smartest thing was to never ask him yes or no questions because he would reflexively say no. What I found to be successful - tell him about an outcome I wanted to achieve and ask for his help, legal help, in getting there. That made him feel more engaged as a team member trying to achieve a common goal, rather than a meddler. Just human nature I suppose, but we got things done on time. And in fairness, he was a good guy. Lawyers are just defensive by nature - not all, but certainly most.
I worked for another large, national brokerage company and they whacked their CEO, shook up the executive suite and promoted the General Counsel to CEO. I never met the guy, but let's just say he was a disaster. Just no basic business sense. I don't know how else to describe it but I'm guessing you know from your own experience.
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I agree with your last sentence and I specifically mentioned the good that Murphy had accomplished. Maybe it's personal, but I find him to be too self-centered to be an effective CEO.
And Pete Rozelle's parity is mostly what allows NFL teams to compete with each other, not the owners. That said, I acknowledge the role he played in increasing revenues locally. As I said, Lambeau is much more a year-round destination now, something that has been ongoing for many years now.
(FWIW, I disapprove of the way you cherry-picked my comments. Other people do that too and it is intellectually lazy and dishonest.)
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Firethorn1001
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Generally I think MM has been pretty successful over the years. Local revenue is up, Titletown district is on a good path, the team has been successful on the field. Personal knocks against him is that I think he took too long to react to Ted Thompson and not a fan of the restructure of GM/Coach/VP dynamic, but even that seems to be working out. That and if I could go back in time I'll tell him not to sled down the hill...
As for how Policy will be? No idea. Just don't F up the last 30 years.
As for how Policy will be? No idea. Just don't F up the last 30 years.
El Guapo
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Too bad they don't have the "Winner" icon to post anymore. Great post and sums up my thoughts exactly.
Like you, Heyjoe4 also mentioned not being a huge fan of Murphy's personality. I get that and have had the same reaction to him at times. I balance what I saw and read in the media with what I saw with my own eyes at least twice in the Packers HOF. Murphy would just come down and chat with fans casually. Most CEOs don't do that these days, tending to stay up in their ivory towers. He seemed engaged and interested in the questions and comments fans were throwing his way. Charming I dare say???
The easy thing to do as a CEO is get bogged down in meetings and emails all day long. Engage the people. Engage with your employees.
Curly Calhoun
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On the face of it, it seems like a logical hire:
5 things to know about future Packers president Ed Policy
5 things to know about future Packers president Ed Policy
Five things to know about Ed Policy, the elected successor of Mark Murphy as Packers president, CEO and Chairman.
packerswire.usatoday.com
Firethorn1001
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Actually I don't mind his personality. The 2 items I disagreed with (TT and restructure) were management things. The sled things was a joke in that I'd go back in time and tell him not to do that because seems like that picture is used as a hammer to clown on him. I'm pretty sure I've even used it jokingly. Unfortunately most of the time its used to give the appearance that he is an idiot which I believe is far from the truth.
Pokerbrat2000
Opinions are like A-holes, we all have one.
I have to wonder how Russ Ball feels about this. Did he have his sights on the job? He is only 5 years away from hitting 70 himself, so maybe not. He's been a key cog in the Packers franchise when it comes to cap management, so I am hoping he sticks around until he decides to retire.
Anyone know who else was in consideration for the job?
Anyone know who else was in consideration for the job?
Firethorn1001
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Pass. Skimming over quick research seems like there were articles about Washington moving on from him. I sure wouldn't have been going to the Commanders looking for people to run things. That place has been a dumpster fire. Now, was it all a Snyder induced dumpster fire? More than likely, but not sure I'd want to figure that out.
I'm guessing Ball didn't want the job. He may have in the past, but as you point out, he's close to hanging it up anyway. If Policy is successful, as I'm sure he will be, he could be in that job a long time.
They said they looked at 90 candidates, but I'm guessing the fix was in for Policy a long, long time ago.
Agree. I think Policy would have already been CEO except for his age and projects like Titletown where he was very engaged. Ever since Bob Harlan, GB seems to have discovered the importance of continuity at the top. And for 30 years, who's to argue?
And let's face it, Green Bay is probably not tops on everyone's career destination list. That's not a jab, just the reality that top talent at the executive level usually seek out high profile jobs and locations. Certainly the CEO gig in GB is very high profile. But living in Green Bay? Probably not a first choice for a lot of people.
And it doesn't matter. The city has always managed to attract top talent and keep them. Even the players tend to stay as long as possible/practical.
El Guapo
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Good points. I'll add that another thing to keep in mind is how much further your dollar goes in Green Bay. The Packers have to pay the going rate for a CEO (+/- what is negotiated). You can get one heck of a house in Green Bay versus what you get in NY, FL, or CA. You can also feed your family a whole pile of Gilbert burgers for pocket change.
We lived for 20 years in Nor Cal. You couldn't find a house like the ones in GB because the lot sizes are so small, well unless you've got $5 mil, for starters. But yeah, I'd say quality of life and value score high in GB. And hell, it's not like the players have to live there year round. With the weekly rigors of NFL life, probably better to be somewhere with fewer distractions anyway.
