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packers11
07-17-2008, 12:37 PM
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8351984/Hey-Ted,-I'm-here-to-help

Hey Ted, I'm here to help
By Jason Whitlock

Updated: July 17, 2008, 11:32 AM EST

Dear Ted Thompson:
Hi, my name is Jason Whitlock. I'm sure you've heard of me. My reputation in football circles is well established.

I'm the guy who told Bill Belichick to stick with Tom Brady over Drew Bledsoe years ago. When Bill Polian was debating Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf, I was the voice on the phone at 2 a.m. the morning of the draft assuring Polian that Manning was the right choice. I told Parcells to take a long look at an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois.


I know quarterbacks, how they think, what motivates them and whether they're any good.

You're in a jam in Green Bay with Brett Favre. You need me. You need my guidance, my expertise. If you're not careful, you're going to continue to mismanage this situation and go down in history as the dumbest general manager in the history of professional sports.

Yeah, the stakes are that high.

This thing with Favre is bigger than football. He's a modern-day Babe Ruth, an American sports icon capable of no wrong, a symbol of American might. You realize when Boston foolishly unloaded The Bambino, it caused the Red Sox to go 486 years without a World Series title?

Do you want to be responsible for the curse of The Mississippi Hickey?

That's what I call Brett, "The Mississippi Hickey." John Madden's lips have been on Brett's ass so long there's a permanent hickey on Brett's right cheek. Greta Van Susteren put one on Brett's left cheek earlier this week with her lust-filled interview.

The point is the media love Brett Favre. You can't win this pissing match. No one is really going to be on your side. They might pretend to be on your side in July and August. But by the time we get to December, when playoff seeds are being decided, their support will be totally dictated by the NFL standings.

It's just not worth the risk.

It doesn't matter that Brett is a little goofy, a whole lot selfish and thinks he knows more about running a football team than you. Get your ego out of this equation. At all times you're supposed to do what's best for your football team in 2008.


You cannot possibly believe Aaron Rodgers gives the Packers a better chance at winning in 2008 than Brett Favre. If you do, you are the dumbest general manager in the history of professional sports. I don't believe you're that stupid.

Brett threw for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns last season. He completed a career-high 66.5 percent of his passes and averaged a career-high 7.8 yards per attempt. He led your team to the NFC Championship. He was as good as he's ever been in his career, and the continued maturation of Greg Jennings and the addition of rookie Jordy Nelson are only going to make The Mississippi Hickey even more effective.

You don't discard the Pro Bowl quarterback who came within three points of the Super Bowl just because he's a 38-year-old diva who doesn't want to play football in March.

Here's my solution. Call a press conference immediately — today, if not sooner. Announce that you're a huge Barack Obama supporter, you got swept up in the mania and wanted to do your part to show America how far we've come in terms of racial equality.

Say that you took a dump on Brett Favre to show Ray Lewis that NFL franchises will disrespect any and all of their employees regardless of color.

You remember when Rev. Ray Ray went on national TV and claimed that Brett Favre and Peyton Manning, two of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league, would never be treated as poorly as the Titans treated Steve McNair, a three-time Pro Bowler whose career is a shade below Rich Gannon's?

After a 4-12, 16-TD, 11-interception season, the Titans had the audacity to cut ties with and lock out their nine-year starting quarterback from the team's training facilities. Oh, the horror, indignity and racism of it all. A fired employee got escorted out of the building. That never happens.


Well, you can now argue you did Favre much worse. For a decade and a half, the man never missed a game — even when his father passed away.

I know, I know playing through pain, injury and grief for 16 years doesn't compensate for the fact that Favre acts like a spoiled baby when you refuse to acquire a quarterback's best friend, Randy Moss. And I know it's really tough on the franchise when Favre's aching, middle-aged body and mood swings tell him to retire in March and play in July.

Get over it. The great ones are always a pain in the ass.

Seriously, call a press conference today, take the high road by accepting blame for not being more patient with Favre and beg him to return for another season or as many as he wants.

You have him positioned perfectly now. All the pressure will be on Brett this season. He'll need to be disciplined and play at a very high level or he'll take all the heat for putting the Packers in an awful position during the offseason.

That's my advice. Take it or leave it. The last guy not to listen to me was former Kansas City Chiefs head coach John Mackovic when he passed on Dan Marino and took Todd Blackledge in the 1983 draft.

Sincerely,

Jason Whitlock

Fritz
07-17-2008, 12:48 PM
I'm not sure it's a GM's primary job to try to make sure his team has the most firepower THIS YEAR to try to win the Super Bowl. Teams that take that stance are the teams that lavish big bucks on big name free agents, that trade up to get that guy they've got to have, and so on. It's looking at the short term at the expense of the long term.

I think a GM'sj ob is to position the team to be strong every single year. That means thinking both short term and long term.

Is it in the Packers' interest to have a Favre-without-offseason training come back and play this year, thus very likely leaving them with a decision on Aaron Rodgers, who they will probably have not seen in many game situations if Favre came back? Would that be the straw that broke the camel's back, and would Rodgers then play out his contract and move along?

And here I'll risk the wrath of many, but I'll say it: the assumption is that Favre, coming back after no off season training (oh, wait, he threw at a local high school), will be guaranteed to be better than Rodgers. But is that a given?

Yes, he had a great year last year, Favre did. But he had worked his butt off all offseason to do so. And prior to last year, he'd had some rougher years. Sure, he had less talent around him, but that only goes to show that a QB's performance is dictated in part by the surrounding talent.

Can we really assume a 38 year old Favre, who many times has admitted feeling old, would be just as brilliant as last year if he were to come into camp with no serious off season work? Is sheer talent enough to overcome a 38 year old body that did not train in the offseason?

I don't know. But I think the question ought to be asked, at least, instead of assuming a Brett Favre with no offseason training to speak of would automatically be as good as he was last year.

boiga
07-17-2008, 12:56 PM
Cold hard football facts recently came out with an in depth discussion of why Rodgers has equal likelihood to play well this season as Favre.
http://coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_2291_Favre_fans_give_love_a_bad_name.html

My personal take is that we are better prepared for the end of the Favre era this year than at any point in the last. We'll have to transition sometime and Aaron Rodger with a stacked receiver corp and strong defense gives us the best chance to make this transition a smooth one.

If Thompson keeps the Packers as contenders for the next decade, he'll be considered a hero. No matter what Brett does, TT's betting his legacy on Rodgers, and we might as well find out if thats a good bet sooner than later.

Hello rats.

HarveyWallbangers
07-17-2008, 12:59 PM
Welcome.

Gunakor
07-17-2008, 12:59 PM
Good post, and welcome to the forums Boiga :D

sharpe1027
07-17-2008, 12:59 PM
TT's betting his legacy on Rodgers, and we might as well find out if thats a good bet sooner than later.

Hello rats.

Hello.

He's also betting his legacy on the other 22 starters on the team and their backups (including QBs) and any new players he brings in (including QBs) over the next few years...ect.... :)

Lurker64
07-17-2008, 01:02 PM
From all the bridges Favre has been burning, I'm not sure that Brett would come back to the Packers if Ted guaranteed him the starter job, begged him on bended knee, anointed his feet with scented oil, and sprinkled rose petals wherever he walked. I'm not sure what Whitlock suggests is even an option.

the_idle_threat
07-17-2008, 01:05 PM
Welcome to the forum, boiga. Well said.

Pugger
07-17-2008, 01:10 PM
Why should TT take Brett back? Do we REALLY want a player that isn't 100% committed to playing this season? Of course TT doesn't have to do a thing until Mr. Undecided files those reinstatement papers... :roll:

boiga
07-17-2008, 01:10 PM
Hello.

He's also betting his legacy on the other 22 starters on the team and their backups (including QBs) and any new players he brings in (including QBs) over the next few years...ect.... :)Yeah, but with Jennings, Jones, Hawk, Bigby and Grant, that bet already seems pretty secure. Nevertheless, if Rodgers tanks this season, or if Favre nudges him out for two more years and Rodgers becomes another team's peyton manning, Thompson's legacy will be toast.

Still, as a Packer Fan, you've got to hope Ted wins this bet, no matter the consequences to Favre's ego.

Thanks for the welcome all.

The Leaper
07-17-2008, 01:17 PM
I think Whitlock makes some good points...but there are certainly counterpoints that have validity as well.

That is the problem in this situation...THERE REALLY IS NO RIGHT ANSWER OR WRONG ANSWER.

Finding a way to bridge the gap and bring Favre back has pros and cons.

Telling Favre to stay on his tractor and going with Rodgers has pros and cons.

Neither really seems to have an argument that will truly convince unbiased observers. It comes down to a matter of perception.

sharpe1027
07-17-2008, 01:20 PM
I agree there is a lot riding on the QB situation. I my mind, however, it comes down to wins and losses. All the rest is just rationale for the wins and losses. If the Packers win the division and get to the NFC championship this year, it won't matter how any of this played out. If they don't make the playoffs, it won't matter who the QB is or isn't.

So, I only meant to disagree with the suggestion that TT is married to Rodgers and that Rodgers alone will determine how TT is viewed. If Rodgers struggles, he will be benched, and they will look for another QB. If Brohm or some other QB ends up starting and doing well, nobody will care.

The Leaper
07-17-2008, 01:27 PM
So, I only meant to disagree with the suggestion that TT is married to Rodgers and that Rodgers alone will determine how TT is viewed. If Rodgers struggles, he will be benched, and they will look for another QB. If Brohm or some other QB ends up starting and doing well, nobody will care.

If Rodgers proves mediocre this year, Thompson will face a huge amount of criticism for shoving Favre out the door. The team was 13-3 last year and on the cusp of a Super Bowl trip. To throw that out the door for a mediocre QB when a HOFer was whining about wanting to return...Thompson's future in Green Bay would go from secure to tenuous in a hurry.

I would agree that Thompson probably would be given a chance to redeem himself, but he'd have to find a capable QB in a hurry.

sharpe1027
07-17-2008, 01:30 PM
If Rodgers proves mediocre this year, Thompson will face a huge amount of criticism for shoving Favre out the door.

There will always be some criticism, no matter what decision is made. But I believe that there will be a huge amount of criticism only if the TEAM is mediocre. If the TEAM has a legit shot at making the SB, most people will be OK with whatever decision was made.

Lurker64
07-17-2008, 01:38 PM
If Rodgers proves mediocre this year, Thompson will face a huge amount of criticism for shoving Favre out the door.

Don't you think that considering the steady and loud criticism Thompson has taken during every step of his transformation of the Packers from a 4-12 team to a 13-3 team might mean that he's a little less affected by criticism than he would otherwise be?

I mean, a lot of the people who will rip Thompson for this will be the same people who ripped him for taking Greg Jennings instead of Chad Jackson, and who ripped him for "not taking a WR in the first round in 2007 because WR was our biggest need", or who ripped him for "not signing LaVar Arrington", or "not resigning Marco Rivera" etc. Thompson has gotten panned for a lot of decisions that have turned out to be right and moreover he's gotten panned for a lot of decisions that, though the jury is still out, he's fully convinced that they're right.

Unless Rodgers puts on a Joey Harrington-esque performance (by which I mean "simply awful" and not "mediocre"), I don't think there will be a lot of folks calling for Ted's head that aren't the people who've been calling for his head since he got in the door. I'm not sure that Ted ever listened to those people, and empirical evidence has so far borne out that he was correct to not do so.

GoPackGo
07-17-2008, 01:53 PM
Why should TT take Brett back?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_6LcGbHxR8

This is why we want him back.

The Leaper
07-17-2008, 01:56 PM
Unless Rodgers puts on a Joey Harrington-esque performance (by which I mean "simply awful" and not "mediocre"), I don't think there will be a lot of folks calling for Ted's head that aren't the people who've been calling for his head since he got in the door. I'm not sure that Ted ever listened to those people, and empirical evidence has so far borne out that he was correct to not do so.

I can agree with that. Ted isn't going to listen to anyone...but his superiors probably might hear a little of it.

I'll just add that if Rodgers doesn't pan out well early, Thompson will have fewer ardent supporters...they might not call immediately for his head, but they will go from "Yay Thompson!" to "Yawn".

It would take more than just Rodgers failing to topple Thompson though.

Partial
07-17-2008, 02:37 PM
guy knows his stuff. He is clearly intelligent because he would do exactly what I would.

Packerarcher
07-18-2008, 06:31 AM
What exactly would any of you all consider a successful year with Rodgers at the helm,when comparing it to last year. I personally want Brett back and don't like Rodgers. But IF he were to stay healthy all year and get 9 wins that would far exceed MY expectations of him. BUT,that would still have a lot of fans screaming that TT screwed up and Brett would have done better. Which I think is a very good argument,basically if Rodgers falls short of the as far in the play offs as they went with Brett last year. Maybe even the Super Bowl there will be fans calling for TT's head. I think this all a moot point as Rodgers will probably get hurt before game four. Then what for all of you that think your wonderful TT handled this so well.

Packerarcher
07-18-2008, 06:32 AM
What exactly would any of you all consider a successful year with Rodgers at the helm,when comparing it to last year. I personally want Brett back and don't like Rodgers. But IF he were to stay healthy all year and get 9 wins that would far exceed MY expectations of him. BUT,that would still have a lot of fans screaming that TT screwed up and Brett would have done better. Which I think is a very good argument,basically if Rodgers falls short of the as far in the play offs as they went with Brett last year. Maybe even the Super Bowl there will be fans calling for TT's head. I think this all a moot point as Rodgers will probably get hurt before game four. Then what for all of you that think your wonderful TT handled this so well.

Packerarcher
07-18-2008, 06:41 AM
I guess for some reason I needed to say that twice,sorry about the double post. :oops:

Fritz
07-18-2008, 10:22 AM
I agree with Boiga, who said that as Packer fans we are hoping that Ted wins the bet.

I'd much rather see the Packers win with Rodgers than see Favre go somewhere else and have a great year and take his team to the Super Bowl. I'm a Packer fan.

I like Favre and respect what he's done, but he's also having a really hard time with coming to terms with the end of his career.