How did we get Gute and Pettine?

[gopkrs]

I have been wondering how we ended up with Gute and Pettine. Was Gute what Murphy wanted and then he went to the board with it? Or did the board tell Murphy to make a change? Or did TT maybe start it rolling himself?
And then did Gute pick Pettine on his own? I doubt MM would ever have gotten rid of Capers so...

 

[PackerDNA]

I wonder if Rodgers didn't get hurt and we didn't end up with the season we had, would there have been any changes at all?

 

[Mondio]

I think the succession plan was put in place a while ago and the details came into focus more in the past 2 seasons. I don't think this was a knee jerk type decision based on the season we had. and how did we get Gute? He's been working his way up for a couple decades now and in the past 5 years him and 2-3 other guys have been linked as possible GM's to take over as internal candidates. I know fans were all "Wolf, Wolf, Wolf" for a few seasons, but Gute was linked right there with him. They gave them their shot and picked the one they thought would be best.

I think the season did play a role in a new DC obviously. Capers, for me anyway, has been difficult to figure out. He's not dumb. He can coach a defense. There have been different reasons for not having the success they wanted. But the past 2 seasons have been a lot of the same. Busted plays, busted coverage, big 3rd down plays, over and over. Sure they had some stops along the way, but it was consistently bad and with different players. But now had the defense been in the top 12 or so and done better, i'm not sure we would have seen the change. But a new GM? I think that was coming and in the works for a couple seasons now. Maybe it got bumped up a season, but i don't think it was a decision made because of how last year finished at all.

 

[PackerDNA]

My impression from interviews that Gute and Wolf had elsewhere was that teams were more impressed with Gute.
In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Gute the only one of the two to get offered a GM position?

 

[Mondio]

My impression from interviews that Gute and Wolf had elsewhere was that teams were more impressed with Gute.
In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Gute the only one of the two to get offered a GM position?

I'm not sure he was offered a position, I think he withdrew his name once from consideration 1 season and then was on his way to another team this year when the Packers named him their new GM

 

[Mondio]

I just found this https://www.packersnews.com/story/s...kunst-part-ron-wolf-scouting-tree/1008791001/

9. Not his first interview: When Gutekunst interviewed with Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy for the GM vacancy, he had plenty of experience with the process. In the past year, Gutekunst interviewed for GM jobs with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. He was thought to be on the short list of candidates in San Francisco before removing himself from consideration, a sign that he was not going to get the job. The 49ers ultimately hired John Lynch, while the Bills hired Brandon Beane.

10. In demand: If the Packers hadn't hired him, Gutekunst still could have gained a GM job this offseason. While there are fewer openings than a year ago, the Houston Texans were set to interview him for their opening Sunday.

 

[PackerDNA]

I'm not sure he was offered a position, I think he withdrew his name once from consideration 1 season and then was on his way to another team this year when the Packers named him their new GM

Ah, that was it. The Texans were set to offer him the GM job- he was in Houston- when the Packers called him to tell him the job here was his.

 

[Dantés]

I think one thing that was overlooked in the Gute/Wolf debate was simple experience. Gutekunst (44), has been in the organization since 1998. Wolf (36), didn’t come on until 2004. He would have been the youngest GM in the league by a wide margin. It just wasn’t his time yet.

 

[AmishMafia]

I believe Rodgers directed the Board to force Murphy to demote TT and fire Dom.

Let me ask you, do you think MM is the kind of coach you dictate things to?

What I believe happened is TT has health issues and can no longer take the full time GM duties.

Murphy hired Gute as he was clearly a better choice over Wolf or Highsmith.

MM had talks with Murphy and did not want a new boss as gm and Murphy restructured the organization so he was directly over the HC. Murphy may very well have encouraged moving on from Don, but I think it was MMs choice.

 

[Dantés]

One thing about Capers-- it's harder to replace a coordinator if you're finishing the season 1-3 weeks after the majority of the league. A lot of candidates are gone or committed elsewhere by that time. Until this most recent season, the Packers had never missed the PO's with Capers. Doing so gave them a much easier window to move on and find someone else. We will never know, but it could be that Capers would have been gone already had they missed the playoffs earlier.

 

[longtimefan]

Ted stepping down was discussed a while ago internally.

 

[PackAttack12]

I wonder if Rodgers didn't get hurt and we didn't end up with the season we had, would there have been any changes at all?

The change from TT to BGK probably would have happened, since apparently it was in the planning stages for a while. But I'm a firm believer that Capers would still be here had Rodgers have not gotten hurt. We would have won 10+ games again and got bounced in either the divisional round or NFC Championship game, we would have lost something along the lines of 34-24, and the narrative would have been if only we had been a little more healthy on defense we could have made a run.

The hit on Rodgers was unfortunate at the time, but it absolutely facilitated in the changes that were made, in my eyes.

 

[GleefulGary]

We got lucky that Pettine went to Cleveland and then took time off. Really lucky.

 

[PikeBadger]

I believe Rodgers directed the Board to force Murphy to demote TT and fire Dom.

Let me ask you, do you think MM is the kind of coach you dictate things to?

What I believe happened is TT has health issues and can no longer take the full time GM duties.

Murphy hired Gute as he was clearly a better choice over Wolf or Highsmith.

MM had talks with Murphy and did not want a new boss as gm and Murphy restructured the organization so he was directly over the HC. Murphy may very well have encouraged moving on from Don, but I think it was MMs choice.

That’s an interesting take. I didn’t realize that Thompson was having health problems. I always figured he was looking for a proper time to step down and scale back his involvement.

The DC problem I always assumed was McCarthy’s call. I didn’t really jump aboard the Fire Capers train until I saw both Hayward and Hyde make all pro with their new teams. That led me to believe he was totally misusing the talent available. I will be keeping an eye on Randall this year.

 

[XPack]

DC sucked beyond everyone's threshold and that was inevitable after AR12 got injured.
TT...it just was the right time for a broader reshuffle.

 

[RicFlairoftheNFL]

I wonder if Rodgers didn't get hurt and we didn't end up with the season we had, would there have been any changes at all?

I think there had to be changes no matter what happened last season. Remember during the 2017 1st round they looked in on the War Room? Remember Ted wasn't walking well and seemed out of it? I'm wondering if Ted didn't quietly "retire", I'm also wondering if there weren't health issues that led to him not being GM anymore no matter how it happened. I do question Ted's 1st 2 rounds in 2016 now with what we've seen of Rollins and Randall, and that Gute had to do the same thing Ted did in 2016. Capers has needed to go for 5 years so no surprise there at all.

 

[weeds]

I too believe that Ted taking a reduced role was of his choosing ... and I agree that he could have been having health problems. I don't KNOW that ... but I know that - if you will. Let me explain.

At last year's Shareholder's meeting. All of the usual suspects (plus a few I didn't know or recognize) were up on the stage. Ted among them. Ted was seated at one end of the stage ... maybe 15 feet from the lectern. I found it unusual if not strange that Ted had turned his chair 45-degrees and appeared to be watching the speaker on the jumbotron in the north endzone's scoreboard.

Perhaps it was just Ted's quirky nature or maybe it was something else - but I noted that he looked haggered, frail and almost translucent. It's my understanding that Ted was a football guy. Doesn't have many interests outside of Lambeau and that might explain the "whiteness" of it all but, he just did not look like a healthy man. I mentioned to my son that in my opinion and, I was only guessing, that last year would be Ted's last as EVP/GM.

Unlike a lot of "what have you done for me lately" type of fans that seem to be on the increase year-in-and-year-out, I thank Ted for his service to the Packers. He was instrumental in bringing a "surprise" Lombardi back to Lambeau. Wonder what the percentage of GM's during his tenure can claim a Lombardi? I'm a Ted "appreciator" if you will. I'm a Wolf fan and apologist as well in case you can't tell.

As for Dom ... thanks for your far-too-lengthy service.

I think that Aaron's injury had EVERYTHING to do with Capers' leaving (or whatever it was). It just put color to the pencil illustration we all knew would happen if Rodgers went down. Rodgers may have been capable of out-running his own defense, but, the camp arm replacing him didn't stand a puncher's chance. If Rodgers' injury hastened Ted hanging it up earlier than he wanted to (which I don't think is the case) that would be understandable as well.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Unlike a lot of "what have you done for me lately" type of fans that seem to be on the increase year-in-and-year-out, I thank Ted for his service to the Packers. He was instrumental in bringing a "surprise" Lombardi back to Lambeau. Wonder what the percentage of GM's during his tenure can claim a Lombardi? I'm a Ted "appreciator" if you will. I'm a Wolf fan and apologist as well in case you can't tell.

There's absolutely no doubt Thompson deserves a ton of credit for the Packers winning another Super Bowl in 2010. It was time to move on from him as some lackluster drafts and his reluctancy to use free agency resulted in the roster lacking talent for too long.

 

[Mondio]

There's absolutely no doubt Thompson deserves a ton of credit for the Packers winning another Super Bowl in 2010. It was time to move on from him as some lackluster drafts and his reluctancy to use free agency resulted in the roster lacking talent for too long.

If you want to amend that to lacking in available talent, I can agree with that. But an overall lack of talent? I will red X that all day long. They won in 2010, had a few shots after, and then were stacked in 2014 to win again. If anyone thinks that roster in 2014 wasn't absolutely built to win and capable of winning a super bowl, they can just quit offering opinions on rosters because they obviously don't know what they're talking about

and 2014, '15 and '16 saw largely the same rosters and contracts. Of course all other sorts of things happened and the talent on the roster wasn't always available. Not every draft was great, but this roster wasn't devoid of players to get to and win a super bowl either. A couple times in Ted's tenure as GM.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

If you want to amend that to lacking in available talent, I can agree with that. But an overall lack of talent?

I'm definitely talking about an overall lack of talent. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl with their starting quarterback being lost for the season should prove that it's possible to have depth to overcome injuries.

Unfortunately while the Packers starters were talented enough to compete with every team in the league the roster lacked quality depth for way too long.

 

[Mondio]

so your contention is they didn't have a super bowl capable roster in 2014?

and had the Eagles started Foles all year, I have a feeling they would not have been Super Bowl champs. But kudos to them. They've won 1 lets see how the next decade goes for them.

 

[Wi. Mike now in Florida]

I wonder if Rodgers didn't get hurt and we didn't end up with the season we had, would there have been any changes at all?

Great comment, imagine things staying the way there were.

 

[GleefulGary]

I'm definitely talking about an overall lack of talent. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl with their starting quarterback being lost for the season should prove that it's possible to have depth to overcome injuries.

Unfortunately while the Packers starters were talented enough to compete with every team in the league the roster lacked quality depth for way too long.

It is immensely easier to spend money and accumulate depth when your QB is on a rookie contract. Not everything is as black and white as you want it to be.

 

[gopkrs]

All of the answers are very interesting. What I was actually looking for in the original question was how the changes happened. Who do you think were the catalysts at each stage? Murphy...the board...TT...or less likely imho MM. For getting both Gute and Pettine. And for the firings.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

so your contention is they didn't have a super bowl capable roster in 2014?

Well, the Packers didn't win the Super Bowl that year, so no.

It is immensely easier to spend money and accumulate depth when your QB is on a rookie contract.

That's definitely true. On the other hand the Vikings had a much more talented roster than the Packers last season while allocating more cap space to quarterbacks compared to Green Bay.