TT needs to go

[Carl]

Thompson inherited a team in cap trouble but taking a look at Packers roster in 2004 I don't agree overall the current squad is loads better than it was 11 years ago.

The team went 4-12 in his first year. It's obvious the team was worse then.

 

[RRyder]

They did, however, get to two more, and only two once-in-a-lifetime catches by Giants receivers kept them from winning 6 in 14 years.

Fair enough. But they're also only a few plays not going their way and they're down to possibly only one SB win in 14 years also.

 

[Patriotplayer90]

Nobody is saying he should be perfect, but people do want him gone for not being as good as the one of the team runs in NFL history.

Because his stubbornness is hurting the team. If he were bringing in more FAs, it would be tougher to fault him. But the ILB situation was terrible and the draft didn't help, and now we are terrible against the run, which could be our downfall if we fall behind.

 

[GreenBaySlacker]

This is dumb.

 

[TJV]

Exactly. My example was that he did not do that this year and it showed just how deficient the Packers are.

I think it's more indicative that Rodgers is part of the problem this season. As Mondio and many others have posted, we've seen him miss open receivers like never before. Do you think Rodgers bears no responsibility for the struggles on offense this season? Is it entirely on his surrounding cast in your opinion?

 

[Sanguine camper]

Today's move was baffling. The team is down to two tight ends and 4 WR and he brings up a 7th CB. What happens if they get more injuries tomorrow? Throw out part of the playbook? Bizarre.

 

[Patriotplayer90]

I think it's more indicative that Rodgers is part of the problem this season. As Mondio and many others have posted, we've seen him miss open receivers like never before. Do you think Rodgers bears no responsibility for the struggles on offense this season? Is it entirely on his surrounding cast in your opinion?

Rodgers has been sacked more since Week 9 than any other QB in the league, and the receivers inability to get open has been well documented. Add some key drops and ineffective run game on top of that, how is a QB ever supposed to get into a rhythm? If the QB position were simply about just throwing balls to people and nothing else, then a lot more would be good at it.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

You're right again, the team was in such great shape, from the front office to the staff, they decided to just keep going with what they had, LOL It's too bad we couldn't be aged, declining, hanging on by a thread and with no money to spend again, LOL I gotta hand it to you, you're good. Really good. Ignore the point right in your face, and find the angle you can "win" at.

i'm going back to the old way, it was better. later

Let me give you some advice, putting an LOL after every single sentence doesn't make you look any smarter or any of your points valid.

The team went 4-12 in his first year. It's obvious the team was worse then.

Thompson took over a team that finished 10-6 and won the division. This year's team finished with the same record.

I think it's more indicative that Rodgers is part of the problem this season. As Mondio and many others have posted, we've seen him miss open receivers like never before. Do you think Rodgers bears no responsibility for the struggles on offense this season? Is it entirely on his surrounding cast in your opinion?

There's no doubt Rodgers deserves some of the blame for the team's struggles this season. That's exactly the point some of us are trying to make though. If Rodgers doesn't play on an elite level the Packers are mediocre at best while other teams are capable of winning starting just above average QBs. The lack of talent to do that as well is on Thompson.

 

[rodell330]

One of the most ridiculous comments on the board. There's absolutely no reason for anyone to trust you, particularly on the subject of Thompson. Oh ya: haha.

Yet I've had some take the same stance as me in regards to TT, and even agree. Time to put you on ignore...maybe you "trust" that works. ha! and haha!

 

[weeds]

The 2011 defense was terrible for the entire season, that's on the GM.

Shoot cap, it was essentially the same unit minus 77, that ostensibly won the Super Bowl the year prior

 

[weeds]

I'm reminded of that period in Packers history when Mike Sherman was handed the keys to kingdom by Bob Harlan -- and Pack fans were then divided into several different camps... the Shermanistas and the Favreites ... and we had a first-ballot Hall of Famer QB being wasted in his prime by a VP/GM who wasn't putting talent around him ... giving rise to the anti-Favreites who would point out his flaws and tendency to throw away big games while claiming that nobody held him accountable... yeah, the old becomes new again....

The thing about getting older is that the same ol' stuff ... becomes new again. In much the same way that my 25-year-old son just claimed my 30-year-old stereo system (wife wouldn't let me play it because things would fall off walls 3 stories up) and all the vinyl that comes with it. It's new to him and by gosh, those pristine Doobie Brothers 33 1/3 "albums" do sound different than CD's ... and hey, he's discovered that there was good music in the 70's and 80's before he was born ... and hey, "Captain and Me" could be one of the best "albums" ever recorded and he made this astounding discovery that nobody EVER knew before he made said discovery, and now all of his friends are being schooled in what he discovered (the run-on sentence was intentional).

 

[thequick12]

Clearly the trade for lynch was a no brainer. Rodgers was pushing for that trade as he knew lynch from Berkeley. Wonder if that's why TT didn't pull the trigger. He seems like a if its not my idea it's not a good idea type of guy. Which is no way to live life or run a football team. It reminds me of the Randy moss almost trade when Favre was heavily pushing for the trade and he ended up going to the Patriots and setting all kinds of records with Brady. No one can say for sure but one can assume he would have been as good or close to as good with Favre.

 

[Mondio]

Today's move was baffling. The team is down to two tight ends and 4 WR and he brings up a 7th CB. What happens if they get more injuries tomorrow? Throw out part of the playbook? Bizarre.

While I would like to have a 6'3" fast receiver with good hands and some speed be activated to this roster today, I don't really think this move is that much of a headscratcher. We've had opportunities for a WR to step up and run with a position all year and nobody has really done that. If Janis can't see the field and a couple guys can't beat him out off the practice squad to get on the field, why do we think activating them now would do anything? This offense is what it is and if our passing game with who have isn't working, I'm much more inclined to think we should and will lean on the run game to try and get it done.

I'm not saying it will work, but a WR off the practice squad that hasn't been able to work his way on to the field by now, despite our need for someone to do that probably isn't going to out perform Starks/Lacy in terms of what they can bring to the offense. Losing any WR at this point will result in a change of the playcalls, having a PS player available won't change that.

On the other hand, our defense has been the strength of this team all year and we're facing a team that is very balanced and we'll need all hands on deck. I'm guessing Shields and Rollins are both on the verge of being out again. A DB on the practice squad that hasn't been able to work up might still be fairly productive, I have no idea, but he's had some pretty good guys ahead of him that have played a very solid game up to this point. That's in stark contrast to the WR group who has been begging for someone to step up all year yet nobody really has.

 

[PackerDNA]

Rodgers has been sacked more since Week 9 than any other QB in the league, and the receivers inability to get open has been well documented. Add some key drops and ineffective run game on top of that, how is a QB ever supposed to get into a rhythm? If the QB position were simply about just throwing balls to people and nothing else, then a lot more would be good at it.

Rodgers mechanics have suffered noticeably. That's the first place you go to figure out a decline in accuracy.

 

[PackerDNA]

While I would like to have a 6'3" fast receiver with good hands and some speed be activated to this roster today, I don't really think this move is that much of a headscratcher. We've had opportunities for a WR to step up and run with a position all year and nobody has really done that. If Janis can't see the field and a couple guys can't beat him out off the practice squad to get on the field, why do we think activating them now would do anything? This offense is what it is and if our passing game with who have isn't working, I'm much more inclined to think we should and will lean on the run game to try and get it done.

I'm not saying it will work, but a WR off the practice squad that hasn't been able to work his way on to the field by now, despite our need for someone to do that probably isn't going to out perform Starks/Lacy in terms of what they can bring to the offense. Losing any WR at this point will result in a change of the playcalls, having a PS player available won't change that.

On the other hand, our defense has been the strength of this team all year and we're facing a team that is very balanced and we'll need all hands on deck. I'm guessing Shields and Rollins are both on the verge of being out again. A DB on the practice squad that hasn't been able to work up might still be fairly productive, I have no idea, but he's had some pretty good guys ahead of him that have played a very solid game up to this point. That's in stark contrast to the WR group who has been begging for someone to step up all year yet nobody really has.

This. And the lack of a passing game has had an impact on the run game.

 

[weeds]

Clearly the trade for lynch was a no brainer. Rodgers was pushing for that trade as he knew lynch from Berkeley. Wonder if that's why TT didn't pull the trigger. He seems like a if its not my idea it's not a good idea type of guy. Which is no way to live life or run a football team. It reminds me of the Randy moss almost trade when Favre was heavily pushing for the trade and he ended up going to the Patriots and setting all kinds of records with Brady. No one can say for sure but one can assume he would have been as good or close to as good with Favre.

Except that Moss didn't want to come here and used the Packers as leverage to get to New England.

 

[RRyder]

Clearly the trade for lynch was a no brainer. Rodgers was pushing for that trade as he knew lynch from Berkeley. Wonder if that's why TT didn't pull the trigger. He seems like a if its not my idea it's not a good idea type of guy. Which is no way to live life or run a football team. It reminds me of the Randy moss almost trade when Favre was heavily pushing for the trade and he ended up going to the Patriots and setting all kinds of records with Brady. No one can say for sure but one can assume he would have been as good or close to as good with Favre.

Seriously how can people refer to the Lynch trade at this point as a no brainer with the benifit of hindsight. We won the SB that year. How exactly is it a no brainer that we end up a better team? If anything the possibility exists that we end up worse

 

[PackerDNA]

Seriously how can people refer to the Lynch trade at this point as a no brainer with the benifit of hindsight. We won the SB that year. How exactly is it a no brainer that we end up a better team? If anything the possibility exists that we end up worse

Forget hindsight. At the time there was a split consensus on whether Lynch would be a very good back or run himself out of the league with all of his crap. IMO, not trading for him was the right move.

 

[milani]

You have to go back a number of years on Packers.com for some of the personal interviews with TT. Rivera signed with Dallas in 2005 after 3 Pro Bowl selections. Wahle WAS a free agent in 2005 and signed with Carolina and went to the Pro Bowl that year. Because we had some dead money tied to some draft busts the previous 3 years TT had to make some adjustments to make the cap. No way could he have signed both players. Wahle was 5 years younger and would have been the logical one to sign. It could have been done but it was TT's first season and the continual retirement rumors about Favre forced him to sign Rodgers and forget the rest of the roster. Just a major blunder by TT. Despite Mike Sherman's ineptitude at trying to be a GM AND a coach he never would have let both players go. Nor would Ron Wolf. Favre did his best to control his anger about this but he knew it could only make his life miserable for that season.

 

[milani]

So how has TT failed at getting the Packers into the Playoffs? If, this is how you are measuring his success?

The years he failed were 2005, 2006, and 2008. 05 and 08 were the disappointing ones. And we could have gone farther in several of the other years if he had just gotten us that one or two players short term. The obvious blunder was not getting Tony Gonzalez from KC in 2008. Finley was just learning the role and a reliable 3rd down TE would have changed a number of those close losses to bad teams. We already discussed his failure to sign ether Mike Wahle or Marco Rivera in 2005. Then when Ryan Grant goes down in 2010 the first week he puts the running game all on Brandon Jackson???? Yes, we won the SB somehow but a wiser GM would have easily acquired Marshawn Lynch from Buffalo and taken some of the load off Rodgers. Recall the concussion he suffered in Detroit.
Great GMs make moves in every sport. They don't just stand pat, ALL the time. Look how Ron Wolfe signed Andre Rison and Desmond Howard in 1996. Paid dividends for that year. The best example I saw was in the NHL last season. The Chicago Blackhawk signed 3 veteran players late in the 2015 season and they figured critically in the playoffs. The result.....3rd Stanley Cup in 6 years! Now that is a GM, Stan Bowman. That is an organization!

 

[TJV]

Yet I've had some take the same stance as me in regards to TT, and even agree. Time to put you on ignore...maybe you "trust" that works. ha! and haha!

IMO you are far out on the ‘Thompson is an ego maniac’ limb pretty much by yourself. And again IMO anyone who agrees with that doesn’t care about evidence or common sense – like you. Time to put me on ignore? I’m trying to think of something more insignificant. …. …. Nope, can’t think of anything.

 

[TJV]

You have to go back a number of years on Packers.com for some of the personal interviews with TT.

So do you have a link or not?

Rivera signed with Dallas in 2005 after 3 Pro Bowl selections. Wahle WAS a free agent in 2005 and signed with Carolina and went to the Pro Bowl that year. Because we had some dead money tied to some draft busts the previous 3 years TT had to make some adjustments to make the cap. No way could he have signed both players. Wahle was 5 years younger and would have been the logical one to sign. It could have been done but it was TT's first season and the continual retirement rumors about Favre forced him to sign Rodgers and forget the rest of the roster. Just a major blunder by TT. Despite Mike Sherman's ineptitude at trying to be a GM AND a coach he never would have let both players go. Nor would Ron Wolf. Favre did his best to control his anger about this but he knew it could only make his life miserable for that season.

Apparently you don’t know the situation with Wahle’s contract in 2005. To say signing their first round pick forced Thompson to forget about the rest of the roster is ridiculous. Perhaps the Packers should have passed in the first round of the 2005 draft in order to re-sign one of their OGs?

According to you, letting two OGs go and drafting Rodgers was a “major blunder”. Let that idea sink in: According to you, drafting Rodgers was a major blunder. Why in the world would a Packers fan post such a thing?

The years he failed were 2005, 2006, and 2008…

Aint hindsight great?! BTW, since you sing the praises of Wolf in another post, how many Super Bowls did he win? Do you have some hindsight suggestions for him, too?

 

[PackerDNA]

I think Cap makes a very good point, TJV. If you want to point to one game, fine, but I'll bet Cap can find more to support his .
I agree with you on Rodgers, TJV. Watched NFL Matchup this morning. They showed plays in regards to the 'structure' of the offence. Rodgers would continuosly pass over wide open receivers looking for...what?
His problems all begin from the neck up, and he's gotten into some bad habits because of it.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

The years he failed were 2005, 2006, and 2008.

Great GMs make moves in every sport. They don't just stand pat, ALL the time.

So you are saying TT is a terrible GM because he failed in 2005, 2006 and 2008, failed to make the playoffs. So I assume you feel he took over a playoff caliber team in 2005 and thus the Packers should have immediately been a contender? If you recall, Mike Sherman was relieved of the GM job in 2005 and TT was brought in to try and fix the mess Sherman had made. Mike Sherman was then fired as head coach after the 2005 season due to what most people felt was not only poor coaching, but questionable decisions as a GM. So to blame 2005 and 2006 on TT is way off base. 2008 was the year that AR took over as QB and the Packers struggled with their new starting QB.

Your other comment: "Great GMs make moves in every sport. They don't just stand pat, ALL the time".
How has TT stood pat ALL the time?

http://espn.go.com/blog/green-bay-p...kers-free-agent-history-under-gm-ted-thompson

Maybe TT hasn't made as many free agent moves as some GM's have, but making more doesn't actually guarantee success. I am sure that for every GM you tell me made "brilliant FA signings" I can give you the names of 2 that made signings that were not so brilliant. Also, keep in mind that FA signings are not just about signing other teams FA's, its also about signing your own. Something I feel TT has done well.

Sure, we all want to win Super Bowls every year, but so do the other 31 other teams in the NFL. How would you grade TT in comparison to the jobs that the other 40+ GM's have done since TT took over the Packers?

 

[TJV]

I think Cap makes a very good point, TJV. If you want to point to one game, fine, but I'll bet Cap can find more to support his.

Before I get to my main point: I have advocated Thompson use free agency more than he does for longer than I’ve been participating on this board. I think Thompson is very good and disciplined in directing drafts and near the top of his field in that area. But like all GMs who have had multiple drafts, he’s also had bad drafts like 2011. So by no means do I think Thompson is “perfect” or the best GM ever, etc. But those who believe his only accomplishment is drafting Rodgers and/or that Rodgers has been surrounded by below average talent go way too far in the other direction. And while the NFCCG is one game it’s an extremely important one since winning it would have meant a Super Bowl appearance against a team they had the talent to beat in the regular season. And in their most important game since Super Bowl XLV, Rodgers played poorly ("aided" by a very good Seattle defense and an injury of course) yet the Packers had the talent to win that game. As I’ve posted multiple times, I think it’s ridiculous to blame Thompson for Burnett’s “surrender”, Bostick’s incredibly stupid brain fart, etc.

Thompson is not perfect or the best ever. The probable consensus here (with which I agree) is he should use UFA more than he does. But he provided the talent to beat the Lions in game 16 for the division with a hobbled Rodgers playing most but not all of the game. He provided the talent to beat the Cowboys in the divisional round with a hobbled Rodgers. And he provided the talent to get to, and compete in Super Bowl XLIX. So Thompson did his job in 2014. IMO to ignore that is, to be kind, misguided.