Aaron Nagler @AaronNagler 11h11 hours ago
Ted Thompson, who drafted Aaron Rodgers, is lucky to have Aaron Rodgers. My timeline.
TIME IS A FLAT CIRCLE
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Aaron Nagler @AaronNagler 11h11 hours ago
Ted Thompson, who drafted Aaron Rodgers, is lucky to have Aaron Rodgers. My timeline.
TIME IS A FLAT CIRCLE
Luck is the explanation people give for the success of those they don’t like or understand.
Was Ted lucky Rodgers was available? He had the unique vision to accurately recognize an opportunity, and the significant will to take advantage of it in the face of what he knew would be vocal opposition.
None of the GM's who selected before him - almost all of whom had stronger needs at the QB position - possessed any of that. And has been mentioned before, very few pundits/fans/etc. did either. He was roundly criticized but stuck to his vision in spite of overwhelming public pressure and criticism.
Lucky indeed.
If Ted wasn't so good, he'd be bad. Therefore he's bad.
That's exactly the point; Nobody, including Ted, wanted a QB in the first round or anywhere near it. However, when you're at #21 (or near it) and one of the two guys projected to be the best player/top pick in the whole draft falls to you, it's 1. a fortunate circumstance and 2. an obvious decision to make.
True, none of the GMs picking earlier chose him - that's fortunate for us. It's also possible those other teams had more pressing needs and the Packers really didn't.
It's also possible that it really wasn't a very good decision to make, but Aaron Rodgers just turned out to be so damn good - better than anybody expected - that it became a super decision.
Anyway, my original point was, being a good GM is a lot more luck and circumstance than skill and wisdom.
More pressing needs then the best player in the draft. More pressing needs than a hall of fame QB. If the draft were held tomorrow and ARod entered it, would he go #1 no matter who was holding that pick? Since the answer is YES, what you mean is that nobody thought he was good enough to draft ahead of their pressing needs. (since no one ever has more pressing needs than a 10+ year starting hall of fame QB)
Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. Obviously when I say pressing needs, I'm talking about positions. I'll give Ted credit for drafting Aaron Rodgers; I'll even say he hasn't been a bad GM - records don't lie. If one of those other GMs did grab Rodgers earlier, though, or if he hadn't turned out to be so damn good, either Ted would be long gone or else life would be long term depressing in Packerland - kinda like the 80s.
The fan reaction was extremely negative. Extremely. The same complaint people are making now about the Rodgers-era teams: we have a HOF QB! Why isn't Ted doing more while the Packers have this window? Why doesn't he draft someone to help his QB now/sign someone?
And yes, hindsight is 20/20. So remember that when Thompson drafted Aaron Rodgers, he was thought of as a Ted Telford "system" QB, and the knock was that Telford's QB's had a bad track record in the pros. He was no sure bet. The longer he fell, the more the doubts piled up. 23 GM's had rendered their verdict on this college prospect by the time it was Thompson's pick.
It was a helluva smart pick. And not an easy call to make, given that he was not yet the Aaron Rodgers that colors our view now when we look back. And given that if he didn't pan out, Thompson would've wasted a first round pick on a position not seen as a need at a time he had a HOF QB and a team that needed help at other positions to make a run.
Gutsy call. When anyone says it was an "easy" call, they're using hindsight.
There must be a little luck in most of these good picks.
Mike Wells
ESPN Staff Writer
The Colts announce six candidates will interview for the vacant GM job. Chris Ballard (KC) Scott Fitterer (SEA) Trent Kirchner (SEA) George Paton (MIN) Jimmy Raye III (IND) Eliot Wolf (GB)
I find it interesting Ballard agreed to be interviewed here. Didn't he turn down that opportunity for the 9ers?
Ballard to Colts. Is keeping Pagano for at least a year.
Eliot Wolf's ascension to the rarified air of football immortality has been delayed again.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet 25m25 minutes ago
The #Colts have hired GM Chris Ballard, formerly of the #Chiefs.
I must have been in the minority. I couldn't believe Aaron was still sitting there and didn't think Ted would make the move because we didn't need him at the time. That move is the poster child for those who believe in taking the BPA no matter what your needs are. I got very excited when we took Rodgers that day. Thanks Ted. :glug:
49ers to hire John Lynch as GM. Hiring the Player turned Announcer as GM always works. Just ask the Lions.
I live near SF. When the 49ers ran over the Packers two years in a row, the fans who knew I was a Packers fan couldn't stop crowing about the victories. My only response was: "Let's see what this looks like in 3 years. The 9ers will fall and GB will still be in the hunt."
My prediction came true, but 49er fans are such fair weather fans it's no fun rubbing their faces in it.
How dysfunctional are the 49er's? Hiring John Lynch as the GM with no experience sounds like a disaster. No wonder Eliot Wolf didn't get the job. He probably gave an interview to Jed York that would be consistent with a sane GM.
One of the Detroit papers actually hunted Matt Millen down to get his reaction to the Lynch hiring. It was almost painful to read.
But in a world where a failed TV host with zero political experience can be elected president of the United States, what the hell?
At this rate, Tank could be selected as the next Packer GM.
has a pretty good sense of humor. cracked a couple of jokes during his pressers that had guys laughing.
Bump.
So, is Eliot out the door now? He's still under contract. Do you think Dorsey or McKenzie might try and get him to move on (assuming the Packers let him out of his contract)?
The tricky part of hiring the HOF GM's son is that while he might have the same type of aptitude his father has for football operations, this moment always loomed. Will they hire Eliot (partially) because he's Ron's son and Ron was instrumental to the re-birth of the Packers? If those were ever the expectations, that's tricky. If he's the best guy for the job, that's one thing, but nothing should artificially give Eliot the advantage, even if Ron is so important to the Packers.
I hope he's not upset with the current Packers brass. You want your son to be successful in his own right, not because you paved the way for him.
i hope he stays but can't blame him if he leaves later when something else comes up.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/inde...ml#incart_2box
Eliot Wolf, interviewing with the Browns today, also has a Raiders offer, per report
Updated 5:33 PM; Posted 4:26 PM
VERY DISAPPOINTING THREAD
When I jumped in I actually believed it was real time news
http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=2...910031910569-4
Eliot Wolf, who is in Cleveland interviewing with GM John Dorsey today, also has an offer to join Reggie McKenzie/Jon Gruden in Oakland, per a source. That's on top of the Packers' offer for him to be new GM Brian Gutekunst's right-hand man in Green Bay.
Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer
You thought Eliot Wolf would stay in Green Bay !?
I didn't dig for this Thread. It was already up on the 1st Page with (his name on it). Rather than creating a new Thread I just dumped the LINK on it.
How much would you bet that Eliot Wolf would stay in Green Bay?
I'd lay 3-1 on $1K American he leaves for Greener Pastures one time, with anyone I know.
2005 NFL DRAFT:
http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=2005
https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...5-draft-060816
How a 2005 NFL mock draft helped the Packers get Aaron Rodgers
It doesn't look like anyone is interviewing Wolf for GM. But maybe he needs to leave anyway to get out of GB, get some varied experience so he looks more attractive for a future GM spot.
Sometimes people interview laterally like this to increase the offer from back home...