DOES FAVRE NEED MORE PLAYMAKERS?
YES 67%
MAYBE 18%
NO 10%
OTHER 2%
DOES FAVRE NEED MORE PLAYMAKERS?
YES 67%
MAYBE 18%
NO 10%
OTHER 2%
When is TT responsible for the results of this squad?
Day 1: The 4-12 season was all TT fault. 12-4 with MS 3 votes
Year2: 8-8 was all on TT 1 votes
Year3: 2 drafts, Now it is fully his team 49 votes
Year4: Hey, if it works for the Lions, it works for me. 19 votes
http://bratsandbeer.com/
Just Selling Papers
By now you’ve all probably heard or read the rumor that Brett Favre asked the Packers to be traded after the Randy Moss deal fell apart. The amazing part of the story, to me anyway, is that it was FOX Sports and not ESPN that got the scoop on this one. Was Mort Anderson taking a nap or on vacation? So is it true? Obviously Jay Glazer at FOXSports.com thought it was substantial enough to pen a lengthy article on it, though there at no direct quotes from anyone backing up the claim. The Press-Gazette, on the other hand, says it was just No. 4 blowing off steam, quoting someone close to the three-time MVP as saying “he was mad — but he wouldn’t be busting his (butt) like this.” Which leaves us to wonder, is it true? Maybe. I bet Favre was upset that the Packers didn’t follow through and trade for Moss — why he’s so convinced the Randy Ratio still can play I’m not sure — and maybe he said something like “maybe I’ll ask for a trade.” Maybe his agent Bus Cook did call Ted Thompson and told him Favre was upset and thinking about asking for a trade. But was anyone serious about this plan? I just find it hard to believe.
On the other hand, a major sports franchise GM generally should not piss of his marquee player to the point of trade rumors getting tossed around in the press. It seems like there needs to be a little better communication between TT and his star veteran. As Jib at the Wisconsin Sports Bar puts it, “It was a piss poor piece of people managing on Thompson’s part.” I’m sure this will all blow over in a week or two, and by the time trainging camp starts Favre will be talking up his team like they are the second coming of the Lombardi era. In the meantime, though, this story should keep all the pundits at ESPN busy.
TOP HAT: ISN'T THAT THE POINT?
According to the article in the Journal Sentinel (dated 05/14/2007), Favre outright denied asking to be traded. Fox, NBC, and other news networks ran with the story based on anonymous sources.
Here is a clip from the article:
"But that does not mean Favre is holding out to force a trade. In fact, he denies ever asking for one on the Biloxi Sun Herald Web site.
"I did not say that, or anything about a possible trade," Favre told the paper.""
and this:
"According to a FoxSports.com report Sunday, Favre was so incensed over the failure to obtain Moss that he had his agent, James "Bus" Cook, call the Packers several days after the April 28-29 draft and ask for a trade. The Wisconsin State Journal cited two sources that confirmed the trade demand, albeit as an emotional reaction on Favre's part."
It's rather obvious that this was not a real demand for a trade, the way it was portrayed in the media. This was Favre making a pissed off comment that some news sources decided would be a nice way to make headlines and $$$$. I'd guess ESPN didn't run with it because it wasn't credible. They knew it would be shot down.
Life is a puzzle. Every day you get up and pick up the pieces from the day before.
and
You can't keep idiots from being idiots. You can only hope to contain them.
and
Idiots DO exist. I've seen them.
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/
He never ever wanted to be traded, honest: I was frustrated a couple weeks back when Randy Moss was traded to New England. I never wanted to be traded and I don't want to be traded. I want to be in Green Bay. I want to finish my career as a Packer. Sometimes when I get frustrated I let my emotions get the better of me.
As I said in February when I announced that I was coming back, I am excited about the young talent on our team and the improvements we're going to see from one year to the next. I really enjoy the young guys I'm playing with. I'm working hard down in Mississippi right now, rehabbing, and I plan to be in the best shape of my life.
I look forward to playing with this team and seeing what we can do. I think we can be pretty good. He really doesn't deny asking for a trade in the above statement, but he told Al Jones that he never asked for a trade. It sounds like this story is all over and there is no where else for it to go. Now QB Brett Favre and GM Ted Thompson can go back to hating each other in private.
http://pu2006.typepad.com/packerupdate/
PACKERS STILL DOING IT WOLF'S WAY
While Brett Favre rails against his team’s inability to land wide receiver Randy Moss, it’s high time to put to rest the idea that Ted Thompson has ignored the offense since taking over as general manager 28 months ago. True, he hasn’t bolstered that side of the ball with any notable free agents, but he’s selected one quarterback (Aaron Rodgers), one running back (Brandon Jackson), three wide receivers (Terrence Murphy, Greg Jennings and James Jones) and two linemen (Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz) on the first day of the past three drafts. That’s certainly not a case of ignoring the offense. It’s simply a matter of philosophy.
“Thompson, like Ron Wolf before him, believes that you build an offense primarily through the draft,” said a person familiar with the situation. “Ideally, you want the skill players to grow up together. Wolf had Favre, Edgar Bennett, Dorsey Levens, William Henderson, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks and Mark Chmura in the mid-90s. Thompson is hoping to have similar success with Aaron Rodgers, Brandon Jackson, Greg Jennings, James Jones, etc. in the years to come.” A strong defense, at least according to this philosophy, is much easier to put together by piecemeal. “Wolf acquired veterans Reggie White, Sean Jones, Santana Dotson and Eugene Robinson,” added the source. “And Thompson has brought in Ryan Pickett, Charles Woodson and Marquand Manuel. It’s the same basic blueprint.” The big difference, of course, is that Wolf had a 25-year-old Favre and one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the league to help speed the process along.
Critics of Thompson will point to Wolf’s daring acquisition of Pro Bowl tight end Keith Jackson prior to the start of the 1995 season as a major difference between the two men. And while there’s no question that the teacher was more aggressive than the pupil appears to be, there’s also one big caveat. Wolf knew how close those Packers were to winning it all and he believed that Jackson could be the missing piece to the puzzle. Meanwhile, the current team is nowhere close to being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. “I can certainly understand Favre’s growing frustrations, but he’s not really part of the equation,” said the source. “This team is being built for the long haul, and right or wrong, Thompson is doing it his way.” And as it turns out, he’s also doing it Wolf’s way. Whether the payoff is the same remains to be seen.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=605987
Coming to Favre's defense
According to Steve Young, the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre are working on different agendas: Favre wants to win tomorrow and the Packers are building to win beyond tomorrow. Young made his comments Tuesday afternoon on ESPN Radio. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback said Favre was not being selfish or putting himself above the team for expressing frustration about not getting help to make Packers a championship contender before he retires.
"He's a made man," Young said of Favre. "In a way he's like Jerry Rice, who many times would complain and moan. But because he works so hard and has accomplished so much that instead of being selfish, was (perceived as) all I want to do is win. . . . In that way he is a little bit protected." Young said the Packers started retooling two years ago and "were moving on" to build for the future. "As an organization, I think they are fundamentally looking to build a championship football team, not necessarily building a team for tomorrow to help Brett Favre win a championship," Young said. "So those two things don't meet. It's not against anybody. It's just that they are not going to meet. When I found that out with the 49ers in 2000, I retired. If we weren't going to go for a championship, I was at an age where that's not what I wanted to do. Brett decided differently, like Jerry Rice."
Perhaps clear communication about these matters has not taken place between Favre and the Packers. "(Favre) is one of the best players in professional football history," Young said. "It's his career. If he is going to stick around and he has done so much for his team, it's not selfish to say, 'Look, I want help, if we are going to go for a championship.' Or the Packers need to say, 'We are not playing for championships; we are building a team over a period of time.' They do this little dance step where neither of them says what they really mean. Unfortunately, it's put them in a little bit of a jam with each other and that's why I think Brett reacted.
"I think he thought, 'Look, I'll come back. We had a nice finish to the season. We get a couple of nice pieces, including Randy Moss, look, we can win it.' I know what Brett's thinking. 'I can sneak one in and leave like John Elway on the horse. Leave and be a champion. But I need a couple of weapons.' When they let it pass and they didn't get him . . . I think it left him empty." The two sides are looking at winning in different ways.
"To me the Packers are doing what they think is best," Young said. "Totally fine. Brett is doing what he hoped would be best. That's fine. There has been some miscommunication or some expectations that weren't met. That's the reaction. I think you are in a tough spot with a Hall of Fame football player playing late into his 30s and the team is thinking, 'We are a long way from a championship and we will do something different.' Philosophically they are in different places. They are going to have some rough patches."
Better of arms race
Boomer Esiason of CBS-TV said the New England Patriots had done for Tom Brady what the Packers had failed to do for Favre: give the quarterback better weapons to win a championship now. "From a guy who used to sit in a seat quite like his I can understand his frustrations," Esiason told Sirius NFL Radio, referring Favre's comments last weekend. "The older you get the more help you need around you. It's not that they don't have good young players in Green Bay. There's just no sizzle… "The unfortunate thing for him is that he's a thoroughbred - now, he's rounding that final turn - but he takes a look and sees what New England is doing for Tom Brady. And look at New England and how they went out and they've actually this off-season tried to get their thoroughbred some really good players to play around him because Tom Brady has been playing with less-than-stellar players at the wide receiver position." Esiason said Favre was "going to have to fight through another hard year in Green Bay because they just don't look like a team that's going to be able to make the playoffs."
Green not surprised
Houston Texans running back Ahman Green said the frustration that Favre expressed in recent days was to be expected. Green, who played for the Packers from 2000-'06, made his comments during an interview Tuesday night on Sirius NFL Radio. Green was asked about Favre's frustration after Moss was acquired by the Patriots. "Wasn't surprised at all," Green told Sirius NFL Radio, referring to Favre's publicly expressed dissatisfaction. "With the stuff that had transpired the last several months with me leaving, David Martin and William Henderson exiting, that basically brought on what happened this past weekend. It doesn't surprise me. The only thing I'm surprised about is it didn't happen any sooner."
"The things that he works with on the offense are kind of gone, myself as a runner helping him with the running game, Will blocking, David Martin one of the tight ends catching balls. Randy Moss, bringing him to Green Bay would have been another weapon for his arsenal. With him not being there that just kind of added to the frustration."
HOFer
I think Steve Young said it best among the national media right here. I've echoed his sentiments on this forum.Originally Posted by TopHat
http://www.620wtmj.com/_content/spor...aels/index.asp
Final 4?
Randy Moss isn’t a Green Bay Packer. The majority of us found out that fact on day two of the NFL Draft. Brett Favre and Bus Cook apparently found out a week to ten days earlier. According to a source, close to both the team and Brett, Bus Cook was informed of the Packers lack of interest in acquiring Moss prior to the draft. Cook then informed Favre of Ted Thompson’s choice not to pursue the controversial wide receiver. Upset at the lack of interest in bolstering the offense, but unwilling to believe that the Packers wouldn’t at the very least make a “play” for Moss, Favre decided to keep his feelings confined to those around him until draft day. After the announcement was made that indeed Moss was a Patriot and that it only took a 4th round draft pick to garner the services of the veteran receiver, Favre spouted to Cook that he ”wanted out”. He wanted to be traded to a team that would give him the opportunity to be a serious post-season contender.
Cook contacted Thompson and Brett’s displeasure was conveyed to the Packers GM. It took Mike McCarthy to calm the waters, so to speak. McCarthy, after a week of trying to contact Favre, finally received a return phone call from the Packers signal caller. Favre told McCarthy that he’d be a man of his word and return to the Green Bay Packers. Favre admitted that he really didn’t want to part company with the storied franchise but that he’s more than frustrated with the team for not supplying him with the offensive talent to give him another legitimate shot at an NFC title.
Favre’s demands and discontent leaked to the media and that’s when the spin went into effect. In a statement released on the Packers website Favre stated, “I was frustrated a couple weeks back when Randy Moss was traded to New England. I never wanted to be traded and I don't want to be traded. I want to be in Green Bay. I want to finish my career as a Packer. Sometimes when I get frustrated I let my emotions get the better of me. As I said in February when I announced that I was coming back, I am excited about the young talent on our team and the improvements we're going to see from one year to the next. I really enjoy the young guys I'm playing with. I'm working hard down in Mississippi right now, rehabbing, and I plan to be in the best shape of my life. I look forward to playing with this team and seeing what we can do. I think we can be pretty good.”
According to 2 separate sources, their opinion is that if Favre plays well this season (2007) then he’ll return for another year but it will NOT be with the Green Bay Packers. If Favre doesn’t play up to his own expectations, he’ll walk away from the game, to his tractor in Hattiesburg and ultimately to that anticipated day when he slips on that gold jacket and unveils his bronze bust on the historic stage in Canton.
Enjoy this year Packers fans, this appears to truly be Favre’s last hurrah. Question, if the Packers finish the 2007 campaign 11-5 and play deep in to January, would that convince #4 to don the green and gold once again? We’ll have to wait and see.
Note: Lance Allan of Today’s TMJ4 is reporting that a spokesman for the Packers has stated that the upcoming mini camp is mandatory and that anyone not in attendance is subject to fine. As we all know, Brett has stated that he will NOT be attending the mini camp this weekend. He’s rehabbing his surgically repaired ankle and he’ll be attending the high school graduation of his oldest daughter.
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.../70515211/1989
Packers: Favre not excused from minicamp QB plans to skip mandatory practice
Though Brett Favre told a newspaper in Mississippi he won’t attend the Green Bay Packers’ minicamp this weekend, it appears he and the team haven’t made that decision yet. The Biloxi Sun Herald reported on its Web site Tuesday that Favre said he’ll miss the camp because his recovery from offseason ankle surgery won’t allow him to participate in practice. He prefers to remain in Mississippi to work out, rehabilitate his injury and take part in activities surrounding his oldest daughter’s graduation from high school. Coach Mike McCarthy was unavailable for comment Tuesday but through a team spokesman gave no indication that Favre has been excused from the mandatory camp, at least not as of Tuesday evening. All signs suggest Favre and McCarthy will talk before making the decision. The minicamp runs Friday through Sunday. “As far as (McCarthy) is concerned, it’s a mandatory minicamp,” said Jeff Blumb, the Packers’ director of public relations.
[quote="HarveyWallbangers I think Steve Young said it best among the national media right here. I've echoed his sentiments on this forum.[quote]
I AGREE.
http://packerfansunited.blogspot.com/
Report: Favre Says This is It...At Least in Green Bay
We know that Brett Favre was not happy with what transpired with the Packers' most recent draft. He was frustrated with the lack of the Pack's ability to trade for Randy Moss. Now he says he's not going to attend this weekend's mandatory minicamp because he'd prefer to continue his ankle rehab in Mississippi. Only problem is, Coach McCarthy hasn't excused him from participating. Hmmm...
Tonight, according to a report on WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, its sister radio station 620WTMJ-AM is reporting (follow that, folks: this is a report of a report of a report!) that Brett has told Coach McCarthy that this will be his last year with the Packers; either he will retire or he will ask to be traded at year end because he can no longer play for Ted Thompson. Oh boy. This report flies in the face of the upbeat "statement" by Brett posted on the Packers website yesterday in the aftermath of all the Moss hubbub. Something doesn't fit. They both can't be correct. Brett is already starting to lose some of his luster among national sports pundits. On a number of sports talk shows yesterday, when the question was raised as to whether Brett was a selfish player, some of those answering came to the conclusion that it seems so based upon his on again-off again retirement dalliance last year, and the Moss situation now. Others say that after all Brett has given and meant to the Packers organization they should do what they can to accommodate him; it's not about being selfish, it's about putting players around Brett so the team can succeed.
Fans are also turning more and more against Thompson. In an online poll reported yesterday at WTMJ-TV, when asked how to respond to the most recent situation, more than half the respondents answered "Fire Ted Thompson" over "Trade Brett Favre" and "Do Nothing". Things seem like they are getting messier rather than better. There might be some indication as to whether it is going to get better or worse as the weekend minicamp draws near. Stay tuned.
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/
Don't They Have A Phone?
The pissing match between QB Brett Favre and the Packers just keeps on trucking. Now Favre isn't excused from minicamp although he won't be able to participate anyway. Favre has rarely participated at minicamp over the last ten years because he is often recovering from some injury or surgery. I'm certain he has skipped minicamp in previous years. Favre isn't a mentoring type of guy, so the Packers lose nothing if Favre skips out. It's surprising to see so much back and forth going on in the media. Usually players and coaches give each other a call, but GM Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have been pretty bad at media and star player relations over the last week.
http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05...arefully/#cont
Counterpoint: Packers Should Choose Battles Carefully
Earlier, the great Michael David Smith penned yet another Brett Favre piece for the FanHouse. In it, he makes the case that the Packers should fine their veteran QB if he ends up skipping the team's minicamp this weekend. It's a compelling argument, really. But it's wrong. Why is it wrong? Well, let's first make something abundantly clear. This isn't news to the Green Bay Packers. They bumped the minicamp back in an effort to get Favre fully recovered from his February surgery before the camp. Secondly, it's not set in stone that Favre will skip the camp, or that head coach Mike McCarthy won't excuse Favre from attending. As reported in this morning's Green Bay Press-Gazette, it appears that Favre and McCarthy will communicate before any decision is formally made by either side.
The crux of the "Don't fine him" argument is centered around the idea that Brett Favre couldn't give the Packers organization any more than he has given them. He's been the face of the franchise since that fateful touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor that beat Cincinnati way back in 1992. He became a sympathetic figure of sorts when he revealed his painkiller addiction in 1996, then went on to lead the Packers to a Super Bowl championship. He doesn't beg out of practices. He doesn't miss starts, no matter how banged-up he may feel. He's never been accused of "dogging it" or "taking plays off". Outside of his painkiller issues in the mid-1990s, he's never gotten in trouble off the field. He's not known as a bad influence on teammates.
If he wants to take the weekend off and spend it with his family (a family that, by the way, has also sacrificed time after time because of football), I guess I don't see why it's such a big deal. Fining Favre sends a message that no one is above the team, right? Well, what about last year, when McCarthy and Favre sat down and figured out a special workout schedule for the quarterback? Doesn't that work in direct contradiction with this "no one is above the team" statement? He didn't have to do everything the rest of the guys did last year, but it was okay then? Why? He was actually healthy then. You could also argue that Favre is above the team. He's a future Hall-of-Famer, and no matter what you believe about the story that leaked over the weekend (Favre says he doesn't want a trade), what's the use of ruffling any more feathers over $24,000 ($8,000 per day for a three-day camp)? Do you really think that this is going to send a message to the rest of the team? If Favre were scheduled to work out, that would be one thing. But he's 37 years old, knows the offense, knows his teammates, and isn't scheduled to work out. It isn't worth the hassle.
In the end, all it does is make the Packers look petty in the eyes of their own fans. Pick your battles, Packers. Fining Favre would simply create a mountain out of a molehill.
ESPN BREAKING NEWS: FAVRE WILL REPORT TO MINICAMP.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2872883
Agent: Favre changes mind, will attend minicamp
Brett Favre will attend the Green Bay Packers minincamp this weekend, after all, according to his agent. Not only will he report on Friday but he expects to participate in all practices, despite having ankle surgery this offseason. "Brett's going to camp because it's the right thing to do ... he's going up there for his teammates, to check out some of the new guys and he expects to do everything everybody else does," said Bus Cook, Favre's agent.
Favre said last weekend that he would not attend minicamp because his family was preparing for the high school graduation of his daughter Brittany. The fact that a Packers spokesman reminded the media that the minicamp was "mandatory" -- which meant Favre could be subject to an $8,000 daily fine -- apparently did not play a factor in Favre's change of heart. "Nobody from the Packers has ever threatened a fine or told him he needed to get his butt up there -- knowing Brett, that would probably have an opposite effect," Cook said. "He did say last weekend that he wasn't going but said he got to thinking about it and, again, he felt that getting to minicamp was just the right thing to do.
"As far as Brittany and graduation goes, Brett realized that they're pretty organized and they've rearranged some things. They had a big party last week, they've been visiting colleges and there's graduation next week [May 25], so it's been a busy time for Brett and the family." Cook also indicated that Favre's anger with the team for not acquiring Randy Moss in a trade had subsided. "Just to make ourselves clear -- nobody has ever demanded a trade," Cook said. "Brett has never asked to be traded and he doesn't want to be traded."
__________________________________________________ _______________________________________
http://packers.aolsportsblog.com/
Brett Favre Changes Mind, Will Attend Packers' Minicamp
In a sign of concession after a contentious few weeks, Packers quarterback Brett Favre will attend the team's mandatory minicamp, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Favre had initially said he would skip the minicamp, noting that he wouldn't be able to participate in drills because he is recuperating from ankle surgery, and saying he wanted to get ready for his daughter's high school graduation. Mortensen reported that Favre said he was going to the camp because "it's the right thing to do," which raises the question of why he wasn't planning to attend the camp in the first place. Wasn't it the right thing to do in the first place?
Favre has been angry at the team since NFL draft weekend, when the Packers missed out on trading for wide receiver Randy Moss, who ended up in New England. Favre was reported to have asked for a trade, but he denied that. Favre has been one of the league's most popular players for more than a decade, but recently he has become the focus of criticism among fans and the media for a perception that he puts his personal interests ahead of the team's. The decision to attend minicamp may be an effort to blunt that criticism. Whatever the reason, it is the right thing to do.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=607006
'4' certain to attend weekend minicamp Favre reverses decision to stay in Mississippi
Not only has Brett Favre changed his mind about the mandatory minicamp this weekend, but he's even coming to Green Bay with the intent to practice. Favre's agent, Bus Cook, told ESPN.com that Favre has reversed an earlier decision not to attend the Green Bay Packers' mandatory minicamp this weekend. Initially, Favre told a Mississippi newspaper Monday that he wasn't going to come, in part because of preparations for his daughter's upcoming graduation and also because he was still rehabilitating his ankle. He had surgery on bone spurs on his left ankle on Feb. 26. The team would not make any formal announcement on whether Favre specifically was excused from camp and wouldn't say whether he would be fined if he didn't attend. Favre had been in the middle of controversy when he criticized the team last weekend for not signing receiver Randy Moss. Now, the 17-year veteran famous for his record 257-game starting streak has concluded that coming to camp was simply in everyone's best interests.
"Brett's going to camp because it's the right thing to do . . . he's going up there for his teammates, to check out some of the new guys and he expects to do everything everybody else does," Cook told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. An Associated Press report cited an unidentified source to confirm Favre's plans. Cook could not be reached Wednesday by the Journal Sentinel. Minicamp begins Friday and concludes Sunday. Meanwhile, the Packers signed Oklahoma quarterback Paul Thompson on Wednesday. Thompson could be very useful this weekend if the Packers decide they want to withhold Favre from practice or limit his on-field work in any way. Backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers is rehabilitating from a broken bone in his foot, so the Packers would have been down to just third-string quarterback Ingle Martin for the weekend. So they brought in the athletically gifted Thompson, who could help out right away. He is from Austin, Texas, and has been working out there with former Packers quarterback Ty Detmer since before the combine. Detmer has also been giving Thompson a crash course on the Packers' West Coast offense....
In regard to Favre, Ted Thompson would only say Wednesday afternoon that he expected full attendance from the team. "I will say in general terms that this is our minicamp and we would expect most, if not all, of our players to be there," Thompson said. Asked if those who don't attend would be fined, Thompson said: "I couldn't get into that." ESPN reported that a possible daily fine of $8,000 for missing camp was not a factor in Favre's change of heart.
"Nobody from the Packers has ever threatened a fine or told him he needed to get his butt up there - knowing Brett, that would probably have an opposite effect," Cook told ESPN.com. "He did say last weekend that he wasn't going but said he got to thinking about it and, again, he felt that getting to minicamp was just the right thing to do. "As far as (daughter) Brittany and graduation goes, Brett realized that they're pretty organized and they've rearranged some things. They had a big party last week, they've been visiting colleges and there's graduation next week, so it's been a busy time for Brett and the family."
__________________________________________________ ____________________________________
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6...40813162&ATT=5
Favre now expected to attend minicamp
Packers quarterback Brett Favre has changed his mind and now is expected to attend the team's mandatory minicamp this weekend, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday....
GM THOMPSON PERFORMANCE SATISFACTION SURVEY:
SUPPORTED TT FROM BEGINNING, STILL ON HIS BANDWAGON 35%
vs.
AFTER 2007 WE MAY NEED A NEW GM/FIRE THE GM WANNA BE 38%
http://www.packerchatters.com/op-ed/view.php?id=2215
So what's really behind the fans' criticism of Ted Thompson?
There's a perception floating around out there that the '99 Rams or the '01 Patriots are how it works in the NFL. That is, a team acquires that really good or special player in one off-season (whether by free agency, the draft, or a trade), and just like that it goes from a 5-11 team one year to a championship team the next. The increasingly pervasive perception is that teams---even the perennially bad ones---may just be a player or two away from contending for a championship, and many fans are saying Why can't it be my team? or Why not this year?
Fans are not content to endure a long rebuilding process. Why should they be? Quick turnarounds have occurred before, even recently. Rebuilding doesn’t have to be a four- or five-year effort. It can be done much more quickly than that. Winning now, not eventually, has become the expectation. And that's why there's such a clamoring for GMs like Ted Thompson to aggressively pursue players who have a good shot to be difference-makers. There’s a lack of tolerance for sitting back and waiting to see if our team can get the best deal in a trade, if our GM can add some depth and potential to the roster in hopes that 2 or 3 of the mostly late-round, traded-down-for draftees can contribute a few years down the road. Put simply, fans want their GMs to do something audacious. They want them to take risks. They just plain want them to do whatever it takes to increase the chances that a Marshall Faulk-type player or a Tom Brady-type player can be obtained in one off-season so that he can burst onto the scene and plant their team in the Super Bowl.
A common theme among fans critical of Thompson is that they don't think he has done whatever it takes this off-season to get the Packers into the Super Bowl this year, in 2007. And they do think a Super Bowl in 2007 is an actual possibility---as long as Thompson goes out and grabs that player or two that can get them over the proverbial hump. And this may very well be the last hurrah for Thompson from the fans’ standpoint. If the Packers win only 5 or 6 (or fewer) games this next year, there is a possibility, maybe even a probability, that there will be a public outcry to oust Thompson after the season. The thing is, had he been aggressive this off-season (traded up to get his guy for the first time, offered more than a 5th for Moss, maybe gone after more than just a leftover or two in free agency), he likely would be given more slack from fans---even if the Packers lose. But without the obvious appearance of a strong effort to get ready-made contributors for the offense in 2007, without appearing like he's trying to win now, not eventually, he's just not going to be given the benefit of the doubt from fans.
All of this, of course, is pessimistically assuming Green Bay's offense struggles miserably and they lose a lot of games in 2007. If the Packers win, if Randy Moss and Ahman Green turn out to be duds in their new environs, if even one of Thompson's '07 draftees turns out to be a difference-maker, Thompson will be fine in the eyes of fans. For at least another season, anyway.
http://www.packerchatters.com/op-ed/view.php?id=2221
Favre, Thompson and the Packers
I have stayed clear of the Favre vs. Thompson (the Packers) subject because I have conflicting feelings. After the loss to Atlanta (in the playoffs) I said Favre would play AT LEAST 4 more years and he has. I also said that this upcoming season would be his last, and I still feel that way. After this weekend and the reports that Favre had requested a trade, I wanted to think about his point of view and the Packers point of view.
I'll start w/ Favre: He is frustrated, like most of the Packers fans, with the Packers inability to add some offensive fire power, imperticular not landing his friend, Randy Moss. He has seen Ahman Green, Davis Martin and William Henderson leave after last season and Darren Sharper, Mike Wahle, Marco Rivera, Javon Walker and Mike Mckenzie leave during the last 4 seasons. He has also seen Mike Sherman let go and his "heir apparent" brought in. He wants to win NOW. He wants to go out on top like he watched Elway do. He wants 1 more chance to go for it all. He feels Moss could have been 'that guy' to put the Packers in the upper part of the NFC (which we all know is weak). He doesn't feel Ted Thompson has done enough to win in 2007 and is upset that the Packers, in his mind, are not giving him his wish to make one last run at the Vince Lombardi trophy. Some may agree with him....
But lets try to look at it from the Packers (Ted Thompson's) POV. The Packers were in 'cap hell' when Thompson was hired. He had to make tough decisions to let those aforementioned players go. The Packers were getting older in some spots and for the amount of money those players were getting their production was not up to the dollar amount. Ted Thompson has said that the Packers are not 'rebuilding' but he has also said that he is trying to build a contender for the long haul (read between the lines). This past off season's free agents were NOT that great of a class (from an offensive standpoint). There were no 'difference makers' that would be able to come in and make that big of an impact. Daniel Graham's style of play is similar to Bubba Franks, Dontè Stallworth can't stay healthy and Travis Henry is as good as he is gonna get. So Thompson felt he can get comparable players in the draft.
As far as Moss, they had a deal done with Oakland (for a 5th) but Moss wanted $3 million guaranteed for 2 years, while the Packers offered $1.85 with a weekly bonus of $600,000 and other incentives for 2 years (making a little over $8 million). Once the Patriots came into the picture with a 4th and a 1 year $3 mill offer the Raiders, actually MOSS, jumped at the chance to play for a team that, on paper, is the front runner to win the title. Moss chose to NOT come to Green Bay, it wasn't the other way. Recently we have learned that Moss was NOT a good locker room guy in Oakland and his former OC says he lost a step. Moss has always had issues, but Favre seemed to think he could 'hold Randy down'. For $3 million a year and a 4th (or 5th) was a low risk move for Thompson, and he dropped the ball, POINT BLANK.
My opinion on this situation. If Favre wants a commitment from the Packers about the teams intention of winning right now, he should make the same commitment to them about how much longer he intends to play football. Why is it OK for him to jump in and voice his displeasure on Bubba Franks, Mike Mckenzie and Javon Walkers' contract issues (or how they handle their business) and be critical of them for being unhappy with the organization by basically calling them 'disloyal' but it's ok for him to air out the Packers through the media? I also am not happy about his mini-camp issues. I feel it is important for EVERY PLAYER to be there. This is where you start to build chemistry with your teammates. By saying that you are not coming because "you were not going to be doing anything anyway" is crap. What if Charles Woodson, Nick Barnett or a rookie said that...we would be ALL OVER THEM!! I understand his daughter is getting ready to graduate H.S. and I bet if went to the front office and said "look I want to leave early so I can be apart of Brittney's graduation week" the Packers would have NO PROBLEM with that, but he handled it wrong and it looks like a player that is starting to think he is above the team. I am glad that he had a change of heart. I also feel Ted Thompson needs to stop being Mr. Roboto when it comes to FA. The Packers have the resources (MONEY) to land players that can make a difference, but Thompson instead decided to build through the draft and NOT add a player (like Justin Griffith) that would have helped. He tried to get 'to cute' in the Moss negotiations and missed out on him. Thompson needs to become a better communicator with the media and the players. He may not like it, but the fact of the matter is IT IS A PART OF IS JOB. I still think the Packers will be a better team then what they were last year. Moss would have helped, but he wasn't the answer to all. He wouldn't have made the Packers 'the clear cut favorite' in the NFC, they are a few players still away. Those players were NOT in this FA class, IMHO. With the Bears losing Briggs, Boone, Scott and Tank Johnson (to suspension) the defense will not be able to 'carry them' like they did last year. The Lions will be better, but they are still a few years away and the Vikings have questions as well. So the Packers COULD be in a position to win the North title but they need to get on the same page and that means Favre, Thompson and ANYONE else needs to put ego's aside and communicate with each other, do the jobs they are hired to do and COMPETE. All parties involved are at fault.
How can Tophat only have 259 posts?
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/st.../19/3846/98763
GM Ted Thompson's Bad Offseason By Brandon
First he doesn't sign any notable free agents and loses RB Ahman Green who he had clearly wanted to resign. Then he gets booed when the DT Justin Harrell pick is announced. Then he loses WR Randy Moss to New England which makes QB Brett Favre want to retire. Now his rookie RB Brandon Jackson has to skip this weekend's minicamp due to NFL rules and it turns out that Thompson could have avoided it, but screwed up: A league source tells us that the Green Bay Packers could have moved the dates of this weekend's mandatory minicamp after it became clear that there was a conflict this weekend with the 2007 Rookie Premier Photo Shoot -- and that the L.A. event for 35 hand-picked incoming players is a rock and the minicamp is scissors.
The real sad part is that even Detroit GM Matt Millen knew how to avoid this problem: The Lions, for example, convened on Tuesday through Thursday, even though (as we understand it) they were initially slated to have a full-squad camp over the weekend. As a result, the Lions were able to have access to receiver Calvin Johnson. Low times indeed.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote