Thompson's Boners

[Fritz]

Yes, the thread title is a cheap attention-getting scheme.

But for you younger folk out there, the word "boner" used to mean "mistake." And perhaps one could argue that sometimes a boner can be a mistake.

But I digress.

I came across this line in a GBPG article about opposing quarterbacks: "Buffalo Bills starter Trent Edwards threw for 102 yards with two interceptions and a 37.0 passer rating in the 34-7 loss at Green Bay in Week 2. Coach Chan Gailey plans to start Ryan Fitzpatrick this week."

This got me thinking . . . ol' Brian Brohm isn't even the second string QB on a lousy team. And thus it seems to me that he may have been Ted Thompson's greatest draft mistake. A second round whiff.

So who were Ted's biggest boners? (this word also works because you hear people sometimes say things like "Yeah, he had a boner for that player" when a GM sets his sights on a particular player).

To me, Brohm is the biggest blunder, followed by Aaron Rouse (round three) and Pat Lee (round two). Lee will pass Rouse soon if he gets cut when Harris and Bigby come back.

No, I don't count Justin Harrell. The guy flashed talent and the injuries in the NFL he received don't seem related to his college problems. That was just a guy who got hurt a lot. Not a bad pick in my estimation. Nor do I count Terrance Murphy for that same reason. Did anyone know how severe his narrow spine or whatever it was he had really was? I think not.

I also hesitate to count late round guys, who are often just fliers anyway. But if you want to count failed fourth round picks, that list would include Cory Rodgers at the top, followed by Jeremy Thompson and Allen Barbre.

Anyone else?

[billy_oliver880]

Brandon Jackson...I thought he was the answer to our rb issues when we drafted him. He lost his job to Grant who didn't even get drafted. Just a role player.

[Lurker64]

I think Abdul Hodge deserves mention, but Brohm is probably a bigger strikeout.

[packrat]

extending sherman's contract before firing him

[Brandon494]

AJ Hawk... I didn't like the "safe pick" with Hawk at #5 and thought Davis was a better talent and a playmaker Favre really needed at the time. I really believe he would have been a star day one with Favre throwing him the balls and then Rodgers instead of Smith, O'Sullivan, Hill and Dilfer.

[pbmax]

Anti-Polar Bear/Tank would like to remind everyone that had Thompson just drafted Logan Mankins instead of Aaron Rodgers, the Packers would have won 2 Super Bowls by now. Because Logan Mankins=Super Bowl wins. Just look at the Patriots record since they drafted him. :lol:

[Lurker64]

AJ Hawk... I didn't like the "safe pick" with Hawk at #5 and thought Davis was a better talent and a playmaker Favre really needed at the time. I really believe he would have been a star day one with Favre throwing him the balls and then Rodgers instead of Smith, O'Sullivan, Hill and Dilfer.

With perfect hindsight, that #5 in 2006 should have been spent on Ngata, not Hawk or Davis. Haloti Ngata is the best player to come out of that draft and he lasted to #12. Plus, if we had taken Ngata, we wouldn't have drafted Harrell whereas if we had taken Davis we wouldn't have taken Finley.

Honestly, I'd rather have Finley than Davis.

[mraynrand]

Anti-Polar Bear/Tank would like to remind everyone that had Thompson just drafted Logan Mankins instead of Aaron Rodgers, the Packers would have won 2 Super Bowls by now. Because Logan Mankins=Super Bowl wins. Just look at the Patriots record since they drafted him. :lol:

Tank tells me he likes the title of this thread. To celebrate, I will now play the entire "Ted Trapped in the Closet" Symphony for Strings in C major K.3462.

Biggest Boner for Ted is AJ Hawk. When you draft #5, you have to get an all pro - real difference-maker. In fairness, he makes up for it all over the draft board, selecting probowl talent from multiple rounds.

[mraynrand]

Honestly, I'd rather have Finley than Davis.

agree. Both have that nice size advantage, both can run, but Finley has a fluidity and flexibility (bend) that Davis lacks. Finley has better hands, and my impression is that he runs better routes.

[Joemailman]

Biggest boner was when Ted should have taken Favre back, traded Rodgers to Oakland, and groomed Brohm to take over eventually, but didn't. Being a good Christian, I've found it in my heart to forgive him.

[Fritz]

AJ Hawk... I didn't like the "safe pick" with Hawk at #5 and thought Davis was a better talent and a playmaker Favre really needed at the time. I really believe he would have been a star day one with Favre throwing him the balls and then Rodgers instead of Smith, O'Sullivan, Hill and Dilfer.

I wondered if anyone would mention this. But I don't think Davis has been quite superstar status - not yet. He seems to be great at times but not at others. Ngata was the one star near the top of that draft. Besides which, I don't think Hawk has been as mediocre as people seem to think. He's not a big time playmaker, but he's not really a bust. He's a solid pro. Those are the reasons I didn't include him.

But Abdul Hodge, that's a good one. And I thought that was an awesome pick, too, when Thompson drafted him. Of course, I thought Greg Jennings was a mediocre choice, and I thought James Jones was a nobody.

Good thing I'm not the Packers' GM.

[mraynrand]

AJ Hawk... I didn't like the "safe pick" with Hawk at #5 and thought Davis was a better talent and a playmaker Favre really needed at the time. I really believe he would have been a star day one with Favre throwing him the balls and then Rodgers instead of Smith, O'Sullivan, Hill and Dilfer.

I wondered if anyone would mention this. But I don't think Davis has been quite superstar status - not yet. He seems to be great at times but not at others. Ngata was the one star near the top of that draft. Besides which, I don't think Hawk has been as mediocre as people seem to think. He's not a big time playmaker, but he's not really a bust. He's a solid pro. Those are the reasons I didn't include him.

But Abdul Hodge, that's a good one. And I thought that was an awesome pick, too, when Thompson drafted him. Of course, I thought Greg Jennings was a mediocre choice, and I thought James Jones was a nobody.

Good thing I'm not the Packers' GM.

True that. Besides, we need you right here.

[Brandon494]

Of course I would rather have Ngata but from what I understand it was between drating Hawk and Davis, we went with Hawk. Also we could have still taken Finley, TT is known to take BPA. I do agree if we would have taken Ngata we wouldn't have taken Harrell but that whole 2007 draft sucked as a whole so its not like we would have really gotten someone special. Speaking of that 2007 I still think if the Jets don't trade up to get Revis he would be wearing green and gold. :(

[Lurker64]

Biggest Boner for Ted is AJ Hawk. When you draft #5, you have to get an all pro - real difference-maker. In fairness, he makes up for it all over the draft board, selecting probowl talent from multiple rounds.

Last 20guys drafted at #5: Eric Berry, Mark Sanchez, Glenn Dorsey, Levi Brown, A. J. Hawk, Cadillac Williams, Sean Taylor, Terrence Newman, Quentin Jammer, LaDainian Tomlinson, Jamal Lewis, Ricky Williams, Curtis Enis, Bryant Westbrook, Cedric Jones, Kerry Collins, Trev Alberts, John Copeland, Terrell Buckley, Todd Lyght.

There's as many guys there who are Hawk's quality or less as there are guys who are or were top flight talent. The draft's a crapshoot no matter where you're picking.

The word on the Hawk pick was "safe and unspectacular" which is pretty much what he's been. Right now we're looking for difference makers, but back then we were mostly looking for guys who belonged in the NFL. Could you have taken a guy who was better there? Sure (Ngata). Could you have taken a guy who was worse? Easily (Huff, Sims, Leinart, for example).

[3irty1]

If draft position and magnitude of bust-ation have equal weight in the boner equation, Brohm has to take the cake. Brohm's talent was simply mis evaluated. He just plain stinks.

[mission]

I was thinking this was a picture thread.

[Tony Oday]

AR.

I mean he hasnt even won a Superbowl...loser

[cheesner]

If draft position and magnitude of bust-ation have equal weight in the boner equation, Brohm has to take the cake. Brohm's talent was simply mis evaluated. He just plain stinks.The difficulty in evaluating QBs is what is between their ears. jamarcus Russell was one of the most physically talented QBs to ever come out of college. Unfortunately, once he had $40m in the bank, he quit working. He slacked in practice, partied in the off-season, and didn't bother with silliness like film study. But he was smart enough to say the right things prior to the draft. What was Brohm's issue? I am not sure, but I know he had a pretty effective skill set in college.

[Lurker64]

From what I've seen out of him, Brohm's problem was that he played like a deer in the headlights in the NFL. A lack of confidence and a general inability to read defenses or make quick decisions.

Has the physical tools, but he hasn't looked like he actually wanted to play football since his Jr. year at Louisville.

[red]

hawk hasn't been a superstar, but drafting davis would not have helped favre out that last year

davis didn't start to flash until last year, and i'm much happier with finley

ngata like lurker said would have been the only other home run option. i loved him before the draft but he was suppose to go in the middle of the first round, not the very top

the fact of the matter is that that whole draft ended up sucking pretty bad, it for sure wasn't the awesome draft we all expected it to be

to me harrell with always be teds worst move. i know people like to say his injuries now are not related to his injuries in college, i say BS. none of his injuries in college and high school were related either. it seemed pretty clear the guy was prone to some serious injuries. not only that but harrell was a major reach where we took him, yeas there is talk that one other team wanted to take him in the first round, but big whoop. a guy with that kind of injury history should not have been taken before the 2nd or 3rd round. it was a massive gamble that failed. thats all on ted

next would be b-jack. when you take a RB in the first two rounds you expect them to be pretty damn good. jackson is a slightly better then average 3rd down back, not much more. this was also a questionable pick at the time because of the lack of playing time and numbers he put up in college. another big gamble that didn't work out

but for me the worst move was trading down out of the 1st passing up brandon flowers and selecting jordy nelson who is now our 4th wr. not that jordy doesn't have talent or he's a bust. it just seems a waste spending a what was a first round pick on your #4 wr, when you could have had a starting caliber CB which seems like something we could use these days

[Guiness]

Jordy instead of Flowers is obscure, because Jordy is a contributing member of the team, but you make a really good point. There are two more parts to that equation though - who did we get with the extra pick we picked up, and how useful would Jordy be if DD's play had dropped off like it was supposed to?

Speaking of a deer in the headlights, I think that's what happened with TT when Brohm was available - he was shocked, didn't know what to do, and grabbed a guy who might well have gone top 10 if he'd come out a year earlier.

[Lurker64]

I'm not sure Ted would have picked Flowers at all without trading down. One of Ted's little idiosyncrasies is that he absolutely will not draft small corners and Flowers is 5-9 (no DB on our roster is smaller than 5-11, which appears to be Ted's cutoff).

If he did have his eye on a CB that year DRC (6-2, but went #16), Aquib Talib (6-1, went #20), and Antoine Cason (6-0, went #27) were probably at the top of Ted's list while smaller guys like Leodis McKelvin, Mike Jenkins, and Flowers were much lower.

You can't give Ted crap for not picking up any of the guys who went before he picked, and the "no small corners" thing has been well known since he worked in Seattle). I'm pretty sure he picked that up from Wolf, who never went after corners smaller than 5-10, Thompson's cutoff appears to be 5-11. I suspect he may have bumped it up an inch subconsciously just so he can say "I wouldn't have drafted Terrell Buckley or Ahmad Carroll" (both 5-10).

Tracy Porter over Jordy would have been a reasonable move and probably acceptable by Ted's rules. The Pat Lee pick I was okay with, since he had a shot at being a nice player. Jordy wasn't an amazing pick, but it wasn't a bad one either. The only pick that really grinds my gears in that round was Brohm.

[vince]

All picks can be justified with the logic that went into the pick at the time it was made. The player's production - or lack thereof - is what makes them a boner pick or not, regardless of the soundness of the logic at the time IMO.

Ted's boners in the draft were:
- Harrell
- Brohm
- Lee
- Rouse
- Hodge
- Barbre (to the extent that he was expected to be a significant contributor in '09)

Ted's boners outside the draft were:
- Not re-signing Wahle and/or not getting adequate replacement.
- The guy he signed to play safety right away whose name I can't remember.
- Cutting Ryan and signing Frost

He has more absolute home runs than boners and the rest were at least solid moves, including Hawk IMO. It's hard for me to say any fourth round pick or lower that doesn't pan out is a boner.

[pbmax]

Cutting Ryan before the regular season has to be at the top of the list. Especially after the improvement he made with the private kicking coach while the Packers would not let him attend their workouts.

[retailguy]

All picks can be justified with the logic that went into the pick at the time it was made. The player's production - or lack thereof - is what makes them a boner pick or not, regardless of the soundness of the logic at the time IMO.

Ted's boners in the draft were:
- Harrell
- Brohm
- Lee
- Rouse
- Hodge
- Barbre (to the extent that he was expected to be a significant contributor in '09)

Ted's boners outside the draft were:
- Not re-signing Wahle and/or not getting adequate replacement.
- The guy he signed to play safety right away whose name I can't remember.
- Cutting Ryan and signing Frost

He has more absolute home runs than boners and the rest were at least solid moves, including Hawk IMO. It's hard for me to say any fourth round pick or lower that doesn't pan out is a boner.

I believe that was Marquand Manuel.

[pbmax]

I understand that everyone hoped for more with Hawk, but given the way even top 10 picks perform (half simply can't start for a decent team), its tough to be upset about a good player who starts, but doesn't stay on the field for nickel because the team has a specialist for that down and distance.

[3irty1]

Passing on Brandon Flowers? Please. At that point the team was running the Bob Sanders scheme and Flowers would make no sense. Pat Lee was a perfect fit who just never seemed to develop.

Cutting Ryan and signing Frost has to top the list of bonehead moves.

[Smidgeon]

Of course I would rather have Ngata but from what I understand it was between drating Hawk and Davis, we went with Hawk. Also we could have still taken Finley, TT is known to take BPA. I do agree if we would have taken Ngata we wouldn't have taken Harrell but that whole 2007 draft sucked as a whole so its not like we would have really gotten someone special. Speaking of that 2007 I still think if the Jets don't trade up to get Revis he would be wearing green and gold. :(

That's what I heard back then too. That GB had been targeting three players, one that was Revis, one that was Harrell, and one that was I don't know who. And that the Broncos were also targeting three: Revis, Harrell, and whomever they drafted when they traded up to grab whomever they drafted.

I remember that because despite many people bemoaning that GB took Harrell, the Broncos coveted him too at the same spot.

[Smidgeon]

Cutting Ryan before the regular season has to be at the top of the list. Especially after the improvement he made with the private kicking coach while the Packers would not let him attend their workouts.

And that's what got Stock retired.

[Fritz]

I think Brandon Jackson was a second round pick, right? I'd have to say he's not a huge mistake, but he's not quite what you'd hope for in a second round running back.

I still don't agree with Harrell. If you don't like him due to lack of production, then you don't like Terrance Murphy, either.

[Scott Campbell]

Signing Marquand Manual.

Cutting Jon Ryan when he did.

[Iron Mike]

I was thinking this was a picture thread.

http://www.awkwardboners.com

[NewsBruin]

I'm really happy with Thompson's work just about all around. He's succeeded on the big deals (defensive line, quarterback). He doesn't fall too much in love with superstars that are past their sell-by date. His timing with extensions is odd, but he's rarely taken by a holdout or a contract that's unfavorable to the Packers. He seems to have another tendancy of not taking someone beneath what he thinks the team needs just to have a warm body on the roster.

The biggest negative that stands out during his tenure is the offensive line. I don't know if its' the players or coaches, but ultimately, it's up to him to keep our running game upright going and our quarterback alive and unmaimed.

I don't fault him for our immediate running back issue, as he's tried to get Lynch and Denver's former practice back (I read that Denver recently called him up after the Packers offered a roster contract), but I do think he overvalued Brandon Jackson and had many opportunities to grab someone's 3rd stringer. I also think he overvalued our starting corners (In terms of durability and availability). Maybe it's not his fault that our guys haven't developed. Most all-pro corners are first-rounders. It's the least "diamond in the rough" likely position.

Overall, I like him, but I'd love to see our front 5 become a better unit and get a better stable of rushers.

[3irty1]

Most all-pro corners are first-rounders. It's the least "diamond in the rough" likely position.

I'm not arguing but is this really known?

[Pugger]

Anti-Polar Bear/Tank would like to remind everyone that had Thompson just drafted Logan Mankins instead of Aaron Rodgers, the Packers would have won 2 Super Bowls by now. Because Logan Mankins=Super Bowl wins. Just look at the Patriots record since they drafted him. :lol:

Over on the Bubbler Tank/tinkerbelle as I call him - tries to be cute by calling Rodgers "Erin". :roll:

[Pugger]

I understand that everyone hoped for more with Hawk, but given the way even top 10 picks perform (half simply can't start for a decent team), its tough to be upset about a good player who starts, but doesn't stay on the field for nickel because the team has a specialist for that down and distance.

I agree. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight Hawk may have been taken to high but most folks thought he was a good pick at that spot at the time. At least he's actually playing and appears to be assigment sure. We thought Hawk would be CM3 but instead he is your average NFL LB, which isn't the worst thing to be. Poor Brohm was a good college QB but his problem is the pro game just moves too fast for him! He has that deer in headlights look because his head is swimming.

[VegasPackFan]

The Harrell pick was a bit indulgent. He thought he would reach for auy and then later look like a genius. The Hawk pick was not a big mistake. He is a solid citizen and solid player, which brings intangibles to the team at a time when leadership was needed.

GM's will tend to make more mistakes than genius moves. It is the nature of the position. But they only have to make a few genius moves to make the team viable for years and just avoid the HUGE mistake that can set you back a decade.

[HarveyWallbangers]

The Harrell pick was a bit indulgent. He thought he would reach for auy and then later look like a genius. The Hawk pick was not a big mistake. He is a solid citizen and solid player, which brings intangibles to the team at a time when leadership was needed.

In retrospect, Harrell was a bid pick, but I cringe when I see things like this. I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind. Besides, it's not like he took somebody that was supposed to go in round 4. Harrell was a consensus late first round pick--with some having him go in the teens (including Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News--who is about as good as it gets when it comes to forecasting the draft).

[mraynrand]

I was thinking this was a picture thread.

http://www.awkwardboners.com

^^^^^^^ This is Iron Mike doin' what Iron Mike does best. It seems there is a website for everything.

[mraynrand]

The Harrell pick was a bit indulgent. He thought he would reach for auy and then later look like a genius. The Hawk pick was not a big mistake. He is a solid citizen and solid player, which brings intangibles to the team at a time when leadership was needed.

In retrospect, Harrell was a bid pick, but I cringe when I see things like this. I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind. Besides, it's not like he took somebody that was supposed to go in round 4. Harrell was a consensus late first round pick--with some having him go in the teens (including Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News--who is about as good as it gets when it comes to forecasting the draft).

People shouldn't try to get in the mind and motivations of people they've never met. I bet Vegas is just trying to get back at someone for abusing him on these threads. Perhaps if he had more going on in his real life, he wouldn't need to run down TT. Probably comes from a bad childhood, bad genes, and a brother who beat the crap out of him in front of his girlfriend. And zits.

[VegasPackFan]

The Harrell pick was a bit indulgent. He thought he would reach for auy and then later look like a genius. The Hawk pick was not a big mistake. He is a solid citizen and solid player, which brings intangibles to the team at a time when leadership was needed.

In retrospect, Harrell was a bid pick, but I cringe when I see things like this. I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind. Besides, it's not like he took somebody that was supposed to go in round 4. Harrell was a consensus late first round pick--with some having him go in the teens (including Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News--who is about as good as it gets when it comes to forecasting the draft).

Well, I am a TT supporter from the very beginning and remain. But I was shocked by that pick and where it happened. Most did NOT have him ranked that high.

[NewsBruin]

Most all-pro corners are first-rounders. It's the least "diamond in the rough" likely position.

I'm not arguing but is this really known?

Totally cool to argue. I remember reading an SI article/column that looked at All-Pro designations over a number of years in relation to the round they were drafted. Corners had the lowest average draft round. I remember it was like all firsts, except for one undrafted.

Now, I'm totally up for believing that all-pro/Pro Bowl is as much hype as production, and that once you get a rep, you keep it long after your stats drop off, but it was a surprising read.

I do totally disagree with the poster who said that GMs have more hits than misses. I think it all depends on the ownership, but there's no position in professional football that's a safe refuge for repeated failure (unless your bosses are the Fords). I guess it depends on how you grade success as a GM -- W-L record, successful signings, trades that look like a "win".

[Bretsky]

Ted's near greatest boner turned out pretty dam lucky for us.

He made a huge pitch to sign Lavar Arrington. Lavar took less money to play for another team. What a blessing. That money was used to sign Charles Woodson. Sometimes luck just falls your way and the Packers and their fans have appreciated how this went down for many years.

Other boners

The no brainers seem to jump out in round two of the draft
Brian Brohm- Never seemed to have it...dammit..why couldn't Ray Rice fall a bit more ?
Pat Lee- Seems lost as well...sadly...both picked in the same draft
Brandon Jackson- He's ok at what he does but not what you look for in the 2nd

[red]

Ted's near greatest boner turned out pretty dam lucky for us.

He made a huge pitch to sign Lavar Arrington. Lavar took less money to play for another team. What a blessing. That money was used to sign Charles Woodson. Sometimes luck just falls your way and the Packers and their fans have appreciated how this went down for many years.

Other boners

The no brainers seem to jump out in round two of the draft
Brian Brohm- Never seemed to have it...dammit..why couldn't Ray Rice fall a bit more ?
Pat Lee- Seems lost as well...sadly...both picked in the same draft
Brandon Jackson- He's ok at what he does but not what you look for in the 2nd

bout freaking time you showed back up around here

[Bretsky]

Ted's near greatest boner turned out pretty dam lucky for us.

He made a huge pitch to sign Lavar Arrington. Lavar took less money to play for another team. What a blessing. That money was used to sign Charles Woodson. Sometimes luck just falls your way and the Packers and their fans have appreciated how this went down for many years.

Other boners

The no brainers seem to jump out in round two of the draft
Brian Brohm- Never seemed to have it...dammit..why couldn't Ray Rice fall a bit more ?
Pat Lee- Seems lost as well...sadly...both picked in the same draft
Brandon Jackson- He's ok at what he does but not what you look for in the 2nd

bout freaking time you showed back up around here


Well.........for you.......since we were in that draft thread together hoping for his name.......we still should've drafted Brandon Flowers over Nelson.....dude may not have ideal size but he's a dam good player :!:

[bobblehead]

The Harrell pick was a bit indulgent. He thought he would reach for auy and then later look like a genius. The Hawk pick was not a big mistake. He is a solid citizen and solid player, which brings intangibles to the team at a time when leadership was needed.

In retrospect, Harrell was a bid pick, but I cringe when I see things like this. I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind. Besides, it's not like he took somebody that was supposed to go in round 4. Harrell was a consensus late first round pick--with some having him go in the teens (including Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News--who is about as good as it gets when it comes to forecasting the draft).

Well, I am a TT supporter from the very beginning and remain. But I was shocked by that pick and where it happened. Most did NOT have him ranked that high.

No one had Clay Mathews ranked where TT did either.

[bobblehead]

Most all-pro corners are first-rounders. It's the least "diamond in the rough" likely position.

I'm not arguing but is this really known?

Totally cool to argue. I remember reading an SI article/column that looked at All-Pro designations over a number of years in relation to the round they were drafted. Corners had the lowest average draft round. I remember it was like all firsts, except for one undrafted.

Now, I'm totally up for believing that all-pro/Pro Bowl is as much hype as production, and that once you get a rep, you keep it long after your stats drop off, but it was a surprising read.

I do totally disagree with the poster who said that GMs have more hits than misses. I think it all depends on the ownership, but there's no position in professional football that's a safe refuge for repeated failure (unless your bosses are the Fords). I guess it depends on how you grade success as a GM -- W-L record, successful signings, trades that look like a "win".

a corner is only as good as the guys getting to the QB.

[Joemailman]

The Harrell pick was a bit indulgent. He thought he would reach for auy and then later look like a genius. The Hawk pick was not a big mistake. He is a solid citizen and solid player, which brings intangibles to the team at a time when leadership was needed.

In retrospect, Harrell was a bid pick, but I cringe when I see things like this. I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind. Besides, it's not like he took somebody that was supposed to go in round 4. Harrell was a consensus late first round pick--with some having him go in the teens (including Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News--who is about as good as it gets when it comes to forecasting the draft).

Well, I am a TT supporter from the very beginning and remain. But I was shocked by that pick and where it happened. Most did NOT have him ranked that high.

No one had Clay Mathews ranked where TT did either.

I think Belichick did. I think BB would have taken him if TT hadn't been willing to part with the picks he did.

[SlimPickens]

magnitude of bust-ation - Shouldn't this be some kind of official stat?

[Pugger]

I don't know how some of you contend that other GMs had certain players high on their boards. Unless you are in the war room this is all conjecture. Harrell had ability but he couldn't stay healthy. That poor kid was snake-bitten for sure. Brohm was a nice college QB who found the pro-game moved too fast for him. Pat Lee is an enigma. I had hoped he would have come around a little by now. Jackson is a nice 3rd down back and is pretty decent at picking up blitzes. He isn't all-world but at least he's contributing. If these are TT's worst boners I can live with that seeing he's had more hits than misses.

[Bretsky]

I don't know how some of you contend that other GMs had certain players high on their boards. Unless you are in the war room this is all conjecture. Harrell had ability but he couldn't stay healthy. That poor kid was snake-bitten for sure. Brohm was a nice college QB who found the pro-game moved too fast for him. Pat Lee is an enigma. I had hoped he would have come around a little by now. Jackson is a nice 3rd down back and is pretty decent at picking up blitzes. He isn't all-world but at least he's contributing. If these are TT's worst boners I can live with that seeing he's had more hits than misses.

A lot of GM's get interviewed and admit things after the draft. For instance, to defend where Harrell was drafted, the guys at Denver noted there were three guys they really liked in the 10-20 range and they intended to trade up to get one of those three for sure. One was thought to be Carraeker, one Harrell, and the last was Jarvis Moss. Once GB plucked Harrell they traded up about seven spots or so with Jacksonville and drafted Jarvis Moss. I think they gave us a 2nd to get there

[Lurker64]

The Harrell pick was a bit indulgent. He thought he would reach for auy and then later look like a genius. The Hawk pick was not a big mistake. He is a solid citizen and solid player, which brings intangibles to the team at a time when leadership was needed.

In retrospect, Harrell was a bid pick, but I cringe when I see things like this. I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind. Besides, it's not like he took somebody that was supposed to go in round 4. Harrell was a consensus late first round pick--with some having him go in the teens (including Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News--who is about as good as it gets when it comes to forecasting the draft).

Well, I am a TT supporter from the very beginning and remain. But I was shocked by that pick and where it happened. Most did NOT have him ranked that high.

No one had Clay Mathews ranked where TT did either.

I think Belichick did. I think BB would have taken him if TT hadn't been willing to part with the picks he did.

If Belichick has Matthews rated as high as TT did, there's no way they would have traded out of that spot unless Thompson put together a truly ridiculous offer (including future firsts). Thompson had Matthews so high that he seriously considered him at #9 overall, and would have taken him there above all but a couple of players). The Patriots, on the other hand, traded from 23 to 26 and only netted a fifth, and subsequently traded out of the first round entirely. If Belichick had Matthews as high as Thompson, the Patriots would have taken him at #23 or at least the Ravens would have had to give up more to go up to get Oher.

[bobblehead]

Ok, I've got a TT "mess up".

Back when we drafted hawk, I wanted to trade down and draft Antonio Cromartie who had been hurt his senior year, but was an atheletic freak (and a freak in the sack based on his 9? kids). This year when I heard the former first round pick was available I wanted him again. The Jets gave up a 3rd for a guy who will always be a starting caliber CB at the very least and on his good years near pro bowl.

I can't believe TT let him get away twice (ok, I have wood for Cromartie and it affects my judgement)

[vince]

Not really a TT boner, but it doesn't really warrant it's own thread and it relates to TT...

The Bills cut Jamon Meredith today.

I remember how highly the Bills spoke of him and how some used him to criticize TT and the coaching staff...

I guess he got that evaluation right...

He's probably bound for Seattle.