Thompson is not going to change his ways.

[PackerBlues]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/36914219.html


Thompson: "We're going to try to improve this team like we always do," Thompson said. "People talk about free agency, draft. We'll use whatever avenues we can to try to improve this team. But again, I'm still going to preach the thing we've always preached: The best way to get better, the most consistent way to get better, is to improve from within.

"Some of our freshmen are going to be sophomores and some of our sophomores are going to be juniors. These guys are going to have to develop into better players. In order to be successful in the NFL long term, that's how you have to do it."


Thats all well and good, but the article also mentions that some of the veterans currently on the roster are saying they want more veteran help. This after Favre made the same kind of comments in '06. Does that make these guys "Diva's" also?

Also from that article:Thompson said the Packers' No. 9 pick next spring will be an important part of the process in improving the team, but he said it went well beyond that one selection. Thompson said he expected this to be a normal draft year, but draft experts are predicting that the large influx of juniors will make it one of the best in some time.

"Picking as high as we do, we should get an impact player," Thompson said. "Not only is that nice in the first round, it's even nicer in the later rounds because the player you get in the top of the third round is a lot better than what you get at the bottom of the third round."

That way of thinking worked great with Justin Harrell. :roll: Whatever.

[denverYooper]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/36914219.html

"Picking as high as we do, we should get an impact player," Thompson said. "Not only is that nice in the first round, it's even nicer in the later rounds because the player you get in the top of the third round is a lot better than what you get at the bottom of the third round."

That way of thinking worked great with Justin Harrell. :roll: Whatever.

AJ Hawk might be a better comparison.

[SkinBasket]

Nothing like picking one player who hasn't panned out to represent Thompson's "way of thinking." It's an extremely strong foundation for your argument as usual.

[sharpe1027]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/36914219.html

Thompson: "We're going to try to improve this team like we always do," Thompson said. "People talk about free agency, draft. We'll use whatever avenues we can to try to improve this team. But again, I'm still going to preach the thing we've always preached: The best way to get better, the most consistent way to get better, is to improve from within.

"Some of our freshmen are going to be sophomores and some of our sophomores are going to be juniors. These guys are going to have to develop into better players. In order to be successful in the NFL long term, that's how you have to do it."


Thats all well and good, but the article also mentions that some of the veterans currently on the roster are saying they want more veteran help. This after Favre made the same kind of comments in '06. Does that make these guys "Diva's" also?

Also from that article:Thompson said the Packers' No. 9 pick next spring will be an important part of the process in improving the team, but he said it went well beyond that one selection. Thompson said he expected this to be a normal draft year, but draft experts are predicting that the large influx of juniors will make it one of the best in some time.

"Picking as high as we do, we should get an impact player," Thompson said. "Not only is that nice in the first round, it's even nicer in the later rounds because the player you get in the top of the third round is a lot better than what you get at the bottom of the third round."

That way of thinking worked great with Justin Harrell. :roll: Whatever.

I generally agree with his statements.

Good teams keep their core players together. Bad teams change their direction every other year, like the Lions. I think the odds are better with the GM and coach that we have than with whatever else we can find. Same goes for our current players. Room for improvement, but huge changes to the lineup is only going to set them back.

Besides, the free agency pool this year doesn't excite me.

I'm sure you will get your wish if the team doesn't play well next year, TT and MM are probably both gone. Be careful what you wish for though, a replacement at GM is as likely to be worse as it is to be better...

[LL2]

Why would anyone expect TT to change his ways. As the article mentioned he wouldn't do it for Favre, so he's not going to do it for anyone else.

Also after Suggs and Haynesworth, who will probably stay with their teams, there are probably not to many players worth breaking the bank for.

[sheepshead]

I enjoyed the article and would have trouble shooting holes in his philosophy.

[Zool]

I question why anyone bothers to respond to Packerblues anymore even as a joke? Its sort of like going to the special olympics to make fun of the athletes.

[Fritz]

You mean people don't do that?

Oops. Guess I better return those tickets.

[Pugger]

TT is not one to show his hand so I take what he says with a grain of salt. Let's wait and see what he does. He isn't the most predictable man at times, is he?

[gbgary]

Thats all well and good, but the article also mentions that some of the veterans currently on the roster are saying they want more veteran help. This after Favre made the same kind of comments in '06. Does that make these guys "Diva's" also?



Brett and the vets voicing these opinions are just wanting the team to be successful quickly so they can be part of it. if that makes one a diva i guess all the fans are divas too. who wants to be part of a loser year after year?

[Fritz]

It also shows you how wise the veteran players are in terms of knowing exactly what the GM should do. Favre complained publicly about TT not making any moves but the team did okay in 2007.

[gbgary]

It also shows you how wise the veteran players are in terms of knowing exactly what the GM should do. Favre complained publicly about TT not making any moves but the team did okay in 2007.

as it turns out they clearly over-achieved. a one-year aboration.

[Fritz]

Or they clearly underacheived this year. Take your pick.

[cpk1994]

You mean people don't do that?

Oops. Guess I better return those tickets.Come on, you can at least go and wach Paco compete. :lol:

[cpk1994]

Thats all well and good, but the article also mentions that some of the veterans currently on the roster are saying they want more veteran help. This after Favre made the same kind of comments in '06. Does that make these guys "Diva's" also?



Brett and the vets voicing these opinions are just wanting the team to be successful quickly so they can be part of it. if that makes one a diva i guess all the fans are divas too. who wants to be part of a loser year after year?Brett is being called a diva for a hell of a lot more reasons than wanting FA.

[rbaloha1]

TT's philosophy is sound. Players failed to make plays to finish games.

With that said the roster needs tweaking. The d-line, o-line and linebackers requires upgrading via free agency and the draft.

IMO a few impact players positions the Packers as a legitimate NFC contender.

[wist43]

To win a SB, he is going to have to hit on an awful lot of picks moving forward, and for his "sophmores and juniors" to step up.

Is he going to make a move on Sanders? and, if so, do they change schemes? if yes, to what? and what would a change entail in terms of player procurement?

How much of a set back would a scheme change be in terms of being able to assemble a championship calibur defense??? 3 years??? By then, we're in year 7 of TT's reign.

Front seven on defense is very benign... and that's before you bring into the equation the obvious need to replace Woodson, Harris, Tauscher, and Clifton over the next few years.

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.

[wist43]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.

I believe ya, lol...

Weak division, I can see it :D

[denverYooper]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.

Yup. They're not that far off.

[cpk1994]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.

Yup. They're not that far off.
I agree.

[Lurker64]

I don't think Thompson really said much controversial, boiling it down he seemed to say three things.

1) We want our young guys on the roster to get better, that's going to be an important part of improving (well... duh.)

2) We're going to draft some guys, we want those guys to be good players who make an impact right away (who doesn't?)

3) We may or may not sign some free agents (again, obvious).

Of course he wants the guys he drafted to get better, of course he's going to participate in the draft and hope the guys he picks this year are good, and of course there are no guarantees in free agency. Thompson could pursue every free agent on the market and still end up not signing anybody. It's not as though potential FAs couldn't elect to go elsewhere.

[Brohm]

The thing about growing from within is true, but, you need to have good teachers as coaches. I hope MM holds some people accountable given the regression seen this year.

[cheesner]

There seemed to me to be too many mental errors and technique errors. How many times did we hear about pad level? Or there was miscommunication in the defensive backfield. We kept hearing how those things would get fixed, but we never saw that.

Those are all coaching issues and need to be corrected.

[imscott72]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.

I agree with that..In fact I'll predict a division championship. The Bears and the Lions aren't going to compete and the Vikings didn't impress me this year with their 9-7 record.

[Rastak]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.

I agree with that..In fact I'll predict a division championship. The Bears and the Lions aren't going to compete and the Vikings didn't impress me this year with their 9-7 record.


Did they revoke one?

[Partial]

Nothing wrong with Ted's way of thinking. I tend to believe in this belief in most cases, but I'm not one to swear off his approach entirely. Responsible spending like Pickett is what I'm all about.

[retailguy]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.

I agree with that..In fact I'll predict a division championship. The Bears and the Lions aren't going to compete and the Vikings didn't impress me this year with their 9-7 record.


Did they revoke one?

LMAO... Ras, you are HILARIOUS my friend. :P

[TennesseePackerBacker]

They should've revoked the Giants gift.

[Rastak]

They should've revoked the Giants gift.


Well they didn't, did they?


:lol:

[Rastak]

oops! I haven't even had a beer yet..... 8-)

[Bretsky]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.


It's a good and honest prediction

We were hands down the most underachieving team in the NFL

We have an easy schedule next year and we're in the worst division in the game

Barring incompetence we will have a change at DC and ST and it can't get any worse

[Bretsky]

Ted Never says anything; I"m never concerned about his interviews

[BZnDallas]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.


It's a good and honest prediction

We were hands down the most underachieving team in the NFL

We have an easy schedule next year and we're in the worst division in the game
Barring incompetence we will have a change at DC and ST and it can't get any worse


worse than SF, SEA, STL, AZ????

[Partial]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.


It's a good and honest prediction

We were hands down the most underachieving team in the NFL

We have an easy schedule next year and we're in the worst division in the game
Barring incompetence we will have a change at DC and ST and it can't get any worse


worse than SF, SEA, STL, AZ????

It's pretty close.

[BZnDallas]

Some obvious rebuilding needs to be done on defense... going to take time.

I'm predicting playoffs for the Packers in 2009.
:D

Seriously.


It's a good and honest prediction

We were hands down the most underachieving team in the NFL

We have an easy schedule next year and we're in the worst division in the game
Barring incompetence we will have a change at DC and ST and it can't get any worse


worse than SF, SEA, STL, AZ????

It's pretty close.


i guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, even you partial, :wink: , but the north had two teams in the hunt for the playoff wildcard (even though one obviously wins the division) and another team that lost 7 games by 4 points or less... any number of those games go the other way and its 3 teams fighting for the playoffs... but thats just one mans opinion... hahaha... and when arizona wins their division in week 6 (just kidding), its not much of a toss up for me... but hey... the NFC north is nowhere near the south or the east so i agree with you there...

[HarveyWallbangers]

The AFC West is worse also. Not one team over .500.

[MJZiggy]

The AFC West is worse also. Not one team over .500.

How do they do that when they have to play each other??? I guess that makes them all equally bad... :?

[Bretsky]

The AFC West is worse also. Not one team over .500.


Record wise for sure

but

On a neutral site do you bet on the Chargers or Vikings ?
On a neutral site do you bet on the Broncos or Bears ?
On a neutral site do you bet on the Chiefs or Packers
On a neutral site do you bet on the Raiders or Lions ?


My calls would probably be San Diego, Denver, Green Bay, and Oakland

[HarveyWallbangers]

On a neutral site do you bet on the Chargers or Vikings ?
On a neutral site do you bet on the Broncos or Bears ?
On a neutral site do you bet on the Chiefs or Packers
On a neutral site do you bet on the Raiders or Lions ?

The Chargers have better talent than their record, but you could say the same thing for the Packers. Chargers are 8-8. They were also crushed by Adrian Peterson and the Vikes last year. I don't see the Broncos being better than the Bears. I'd say they are pretty even.

[Lurker64]

The Bears would be a terrible matchup for the Broncos. The Broncos defense can't stop anybody on the ground, and Chicago's offensive woes are limited-to-nonexistent if they can just run the ball effectively.

The NFCN is, I'd say, the third worst conference, ahead of both Wests, but with some distance between them and the fourth worst conference.

[bobblehead]

It also shows you how wise the veteran players are in terms of knowing exactly what the GM should do. Favre complained publicly about TT not making any moves but the team did okay in 2007.

as it turns out they clearly over-achieved. a one-year aboration.

Clearly.... :roll:

[texaspackerbacker]

Was '07 the aberration? Or was it '08? We undoubtedly will find out in '09. I'm betting "normal" for the team is a helluva lot more like '07 than like '08.