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Green Bay - You'd probably have to return to Lindy Infante and the dark days of the early 1990s to find the last time that expectations entering a season were as low as they are now for the Green Bay Packers.
Mike Sherman is gone, essentially the victim of his own mistakes in personnel during a four-year run as general manager. His successor, Ted Thompson, dumped Sherman as coach in early January, then put his personal stamp on the organization by hiring Mike McCarthy as the 14th head coach in the club's 88-year history.
Thompson is in the midst of a rebuilding campaign that he discussed at length Friday afternoon in a telephone interview with Journal Sentinel beat writer Bob McGinn. He spoke with guarded optimism on the chances of a turnaround, the rationale behind some of his major moves in the off-season and what the Packers must do to erase the sting of 4-12 in 2005.
Q. Considering 2005 was the worst collapse from one year to the next in franchise history, did you feel like a failure after going 4-12 in your first season?
A. I felt disappointed that we didn't fare better. I've said all along that I think we all share in it. We are what we are. Ron (Wolf) always said that. But we're moving on.
Q. You inherited a team afflicted by many personnel decisions that went awry. When you judge yourself, are you able to reflect on the mistakes of others that you had no control over?
A. You factor everything in. You just try to assess your team as well as you can and go about improving it any way you can. I don't think you worry about how your team got to be that way.
Q. When you examine your pro board and all the depth charts, just how far are the Packers behind the Pittsburghs and New Englands and maybe Carolina and Seattle just in terms of personnel?
A. It's hard to tell. That fluctuates yearly as you've seen from some teams recently. You just never know. Certainly in terms of brand names of players, I think we're a little bit behind in some areas. But that doesn't mean some of our new fellas or some of the fellas we're developing on our team don't step in and raise that level. That's what we're hoping for.
Q. I'm sure you and Ron would look at the Packers' board a decade ago and it looked pretty darn good, didn't it?
A. Yeah. I remember sitting with Ron in New Orleans where we had all week waiting for the Super Bowl game. I think it was on Thursday or Friday that week. He was sitting at his desk in this huge ballroom, which was his office. We kind of walked down our roster and I said, "This is one hell of a team you put together." And it was. It was a remarkable team. That's a pretty high standard, but we're giving it a shot.
Q. I understand you have to be positive for the sake of fans and the morale of the team. But can you come up with a scenario in which Green Bay is a playoff team in '06?
A. Sure. Certainly it can happen. You see it every year. There's a few teams at the top that probably will be successful no matter how the ball bounces. I think we're one of those teams that needs to catch a break, needs to stay healthy. Some guys need to show fruit from their development. All the positive things that start to happen when you get it going. I think it's important to understand you have to be a little bit lucky in this game, too.
Q. What is the winning equation in the NFL? There's players, coaching, front office, chemistry, intangibles. How do you see it?
A. It's so all tied together that it's hard to separate. I guess if you had enough great players, you could function without the other things. But how do they work together if you don't have a really good coaching staff? How did you assemble those guys if you didn't have a good personnel staff? No. 1, you need the players. But I think they need an environment to perform well. They need to be instructed properly. Organizationally, you have to have a base and an understanding for players that this is solid ground.
Q. During your first year on the job, was the feeling within the building a plus?
A. When you lose some games and things start going bad, it's sort of easy to get into that desperation mode. I think that happens with any team, certainly with one that's not accustomed to losing.
Q. On offense, I'm not sure it adds up. You have an all-time quarterback but he's also an aging quarterback. You've got a couple beat-up running backs. You've got three new interior starters in the line. You've lost an impact wide receiver. And you don't have a whole lot of veteran replacements. How are you going to put up a sufficient number of points?
A. Well, if you recall, when Sterling Sharpe was injured it was like the world's coming to an end. And Robert Brooks stepped in and he became the guy. Then he got hurt early during our Super Bowl season and Antonio Freeman stepped in. One of the good things about a, quote-unquote, West Coast offense is you can put people in and they can perform even though you don't know what their names are. I'm not saying anybody can do it. I am saying people step up, and we'll have to have some people step up.
Q. On defense, it seems to make more sense. The defense last year was somewhat soft but still ranked a misleading seventh because all the stars were aligned right. But you've imported more players there. Do you see this unit as perhaps being very stout?
A. We have a chance to be pretty good as a group. We have some individual players that are good. But I think the group is sometimes better than the sum of the parts. On defense, we have a chance to be pretty solid at defensive line, linebacker and the secondary.
Q. The special teams ranked last in the league a year ago. Your kicker and punter are unproven, you don't have a return guy you can count on, your long snapper is good and your holding situation is up in the air. Could it be a real problem?
A. I don't necessarily think we were 32nd in special teams based on just the kickers. A lot of that had to do with suffering through so many injuries. It's overlooked, but I think injuries affect special teams more than any other facet. Guys that weren't on the team end up playing on special teams. There will be competition at all those spots. We think we've got some talented guys at kicker and punter. We also think we have some interesting young fellas to lend a hand on the return thing. But the proof's in the pudding.
Q. Brett Favre is coming off his poorest season. He said in May that he doesn't regret the way he plays and doesn't feel he could change. Later in the summer, he questioned his own confidence level. Does he still have to carry this team? What kind of player can he still be as he approaches his 37th birthday?
A. He has to lead this team. He doesn't have to carry this team. The fact he's 37 is almost immaterial. I don't see any real physical drop-off. I see gray whiskers in his beard but I don't see that his physical ability to play the game has diminished. Brett, like myself and everyone else here, had a tough year. And we're hoping to bounce back.
Q. Charles Woodson is an older cornerback and has had significant injuries. It seems like there should be red flags waving all over this player. I know you had a ton of cap room but I doubt that's why you signed him. What did you see of him on tape that led you to do this?
A. Anybody can have injuries from time to time. The tape that we watched, Charles Woodson is a very good player. He's physical. He's crafty. He's a good tackler. He's that caliber of player. Sure, there's a risk. It's a violent sport.
Q. Kenderick Allen has ideal size. The coaches appear extremely high on him He didn't play much in New York but perhaps he could be the key to your defensive line. What did you see in him? Could he perform to the level that, say, Dan Wilkinson did last year in Detroit?
A. I saw a big man that can play big. He has instincts on the interior. Plus, he's a good guy. It's difficult to say he will be exactly like Dan Wilkinson. I think we have a pretty good group of defensive linemen and he'll be a good addition.
Q. In March, you said that you wanted Ryan Pickett more than any other defensive tackle in free agency. Why did you take him over guys like Gerard Warren and Maake Kemoeatu and Rocky Bernard and Larry Tripplett and Sam Adams and Kendrick Clancy?
A. We felt he was still young and had a good year. He's got the ability to get down the line of scrimmage. He can make tackles outside his immediate area.
Q. You tried last year at guard with two second- or third-tier UFAs (unrestricted free agents) and a couple mid to late draft choices. The pressures allowed by the guards in 2005 tripled what the total was in '04. Was it more your fault for who you brought in or for finding a way to retain Mike Wahle?
A. I don't know. You could just say it was my fault. You can decide. That didn't work out the way we wanted it to.
Q. This year, you could have spent a lot of money on a guard like (Steve) Hutchinson or LeCharles (Bentley). There wasn't much out there after them. Did you simply not want to do that at guard?
A. I drafted Hutchinson. I think he's a great player. I wish he was somewhere besides Minnesota. That was kind of a funny little deal they did there. With the other fellas, we felt they really weren't good fits in terms of salary and their ability to play.
Q. So then it got late and you knew you had to do it in the draft. You took Daryn Colledge, a good athlete who played tackle at Boise State, and Jason Spitz from Louisville. Do you feel you have a better chance to solidify the guards this year than last year? Can they play well this year in conjunction with (Junius) Coston?
A. Oh sure. We've added a lot of young guys to our offensive line. I think we have a chance to have a pretty good foundation going forward. By the time we get to the regular season we'll have a pretty good group of guys.
Q. This organization could have gotten Ryan Longwell done a couple years ago. When it came down to it, he got a $3 million signing bonus from the Vikings and left. You must not have thought he was really worth that kind of money. Isn't that true?
A. No, I wouldn't say that.
Q. The Packers have had Chris Jacke or Ryan Longwell kicking since 1989 and the results have been exceptional. There were a couple really good kickers available after Longwell departed; they're not in Green Bay. Is this going to be a problem this season?
A. We don't know. We like the way our two guys have kicked this spring, but you never know how it will work out. As with every other position, we're watching where there's going to be good competition on other teams. We have high hopes for these guys.
Q. You may not like comparisons but they're a fact of life. Why is the change in head coaches going to be beneficial for the Green Bay Packers?
A. The change in head coaches is a complicated matter. I just felt like we needed a change. I feel very confident in Mike McCarthy and his staff. They have good energy. I think the players have responded well to them. Every head coach at one time was in his first year. So we're not concerned with that.
Q. McCarthy, a first-year head coach himself, hired Bob Sanders, a first-year defensive coordinator, and Jeff Jagodzinski, a first-year offensive coordinator. When he did that, did you blanch a bit and wish he would have hired at least one experienced NFL coordinator?
A. No. They don't have experience as coordinators in the NFL but these are both experienced coaches. I have an extremely high regard for Bob Sanders and how he approaches his business. I actually worked with both of them.
Q. From a schematic standpoint, would you expect the offense to be better because of the zone run game or McCarthy's play-calling or his total influence on the attack?
A. I think we were a little bit underachievers last year on offense. Now we had some injuries, granted, but we could and should play better. I think all our players would say they played below their standards. Right there it makes you a better team. I think there's a lot of room for improvement there. I don't think any of us did as well as we should have last year.
Q. The Packers made a long, hard run at LaVar Arrington in April. From your perspective, why isn't he in Green Bay? Would you rather have had Arrington or Woodson? And did you offer him more money than what he took from the Giants?
A. Well, we pursued several free agents that didn't work. But that's free agency. The reason given to me was that LaVar decided to go there (New York Giants) because it's closer to his home and for his family. I wouldn't know the money to be sure. That's water under the bridge, but we were in there pitchin', I'll say that.
Q. It might be before your time, but some people know what it was like around here in the 1970s and 1980s when some players either didn't want to stay here or come here. There's been a Mike McKenzie, a Javon Walker, Arrington if you will. Have those been hits to the Packers' reputation and are you always on-guard in this area?
A. I don't know about being on-guard. We try as an organization to make this as player-friendly a place as is humanly possible. I think when you're winning and you're rolling it makes it a little bit easier to recruit free agents. When you have an off year like we did, it makes it a little more difficult.
Q. You've acquired one player via trade, linebacker Robert Thomas, in your 18-month tenure. Wide receiver Eric Moulds went from Buffalo to Houston in early April for a fifth-round pick. You needed a wide receiver. Why aren't you more active? Was the Moulds deal one of many you've considered and just didn't do?
A. We talk to people all the time about trades. We talked to people today about trading. You make 150 phone calls and you might do one trade. You've got to find the right match. We don't like to trade picks as a rule. We will do it. We treat our ability to draft as something that is very valuable. I'm sure we had some conversations on him (Moulds) but I don't know if we were ever in the ball game.
Q. You spoke quite highly of Aaron Rodgers at the stockholders meeting. What evidence is there from your perspective to think he will be a solid starter?
A. He has visible requirements. He throws the ball very well. He handles himself well. I think he's very bright. I think he understands his place in the world. He wants to be good and he thinks he can be good. And he has always been a good player. I have no reason to think he's not going to be a good player.
Q. Some scouts said what A.J. Hawk would give a team around the building and off-the-field will almost be as important as what he does on the field. Are you hoping with a smart, tough and committed player that he could change some of the culture in your building?
A. It's not only him. Certainly with his pedigree and his upbringing and the kind of kid he is it should be a positive influence among our players.
Q. Do you read the riot act at times to people who work for you?
A. I don't know if that would be proper to say. If I have a problem with somebody I bring it up. I don't let it sit and we get it fixed right away. I'm not a vicious taskmaster, though. If something gets out of whack we try to get it back in whack so there's no festering.
Q. Can you ever have a good relationship again with Mike Sherman?
A. I would like to think so. Certainly we did before and certainly last January put a big hole in it. But we still speak when we see each other in Indianapolis or the Senior Bowl or wherever.
Q. Fans in Green Bay had a 13-year run that included 10 trips to the playoffs. Is it time now to dig in for some tough times?
A. I don't know that. I wouldn't necessarily assume that. I'm not a predictor. I think we have the makings of a group that might come together a little bit faster than what people think. I also think last year was a little bit of an aberration. We were 4-12, but we're done with that. We're moving on and looking forward to the future.
Q. When you look at your board, which clubs in the NFC are those to watch?
A. It looks like everybody in our division has improved. A lot of people like Carolina. Seattle is a very good team. The NFC will be pretty good this year. Everything I read leads me to believe our division will be tougher. And it was pretty tough last year for us.
Q. This team was minus-24 in turnover differential, the worst in club history. It also had 119 penalties, the most since '87. Turnovers and penalties make for ugly, almost unwatchable football. Did that get you last year right where you live? Will the Packers play better football this season?
A. Well, we're putting a lot of energy into doing that. Sometimes you just have a bad run of luck. But you certainly can't win in the NFL losing the turnover battle every week. You can't win consistently by beating yourself with penalties. Our coaching staff has been stressing that from the get-go.
