RIP Ted Thompson

[Fosco33]

Passed away yesterday at age 68.

While we mocked him for being a turtle - he did get us a Trophy and is part of the Packer HOF.

RIP

https://www.fox6now.com/sports/report-former-packers-gm-ted-thompson-dies-at-68

[smuggler]

Sad to see it, but I can't say I'm surprised. He did not look well when he actually appeared in public threw last few years.

[hoosier]

Sad news

[Vincenzo]

Oh wow. He sure seemed to be fading his last couple of years as our GM.

“ In May 2019, Thompson revealed he had been diagnosed with an autonomic disorder affecting his nervous system.”

[Upnorth]

Thanks Ted!

[Freak Out]

RIP TT! Thanks for being smart enough to draft Arod and the other core players of that era.

[beveaux1]

Great GM. Packer Hall of Fame member. Sad day for Packer fans. Our prayers are with him and his friends and family.

[George Cumby]

Thank you Mister Thompson.

Peace.

[MadtownPacker]

RIP to TT. I always liked your slowly but surely style.

He leaves this Earth a Champion forever.

[Rastak]

That's real sad. He indeed looked really unwell. We joked about it here but deep down I figured something was seriously wrong.

[bobblehead]

I'll miss Ted without a doubt. A lot of the core of this team is still TT's guys.

I blame McCarthy.

[Sparkey]

One of the Packer greats. R I P

[call_me_ishmael]

Rest In Peace to a seemingly good person and a Packer legend. Very sad news indeed. Too young.

[Joemailman]

James Jones:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsRo3fjXMAMnE64?format=jpg&name=small

[Bossman641]

Very sad news. Always respected his quiet demeanor. To think there were those who thought he had a huge ego...

[Joemailman]

NFL rosters turn over pretty fast. Yet several years after he was replaced as GM, the list of current players he acquired is pretty impressive:

Davante Adams
Kenny Clark
Mason Crosby
David Bakhtiari
Aaron Jones
Kevin King
Corey Linsley
Dean Lowry
Aaron Rodgers
Jamaal Williams

[HarveyWallbangers]

RIP TT

[KYPack]

Nice, sweet comments from James Jones.

Hang with 'em TT.

I imagine you are walking around in the big draft room in the sky with that shy look on your face.

[Joemailman]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsSYIrdXEAklgOA?format=png&name=small

[Joemailman]

One thing that should not be overlooked is the extent that Ted Thompson stuck his neck out in the spring/summer of 2008 for Aaron Rodgers. Many vilified him for it. When it led to a Super Bowl title a couple years later, nobody had more of a right to say "I told you so" than Ted. But he did just the opposite. He refused to take much credit saying "We just did what Ron Wolf taught us to do". Pure class. Turns out he was a good teacher too. Rest well Ted.

[George Cumby]

^ 2008, you mean?

[Teamcheez1]

Sad news. RIP TT, you personify the great Packer tradition.

[George Cumby]

One of my favorite moments was the shit eating grin he had when he announced drafting Jordy Nelson.

[Joemailman]

^ 2008, you mean?

Yep. Fixed. Thanks.

[esoxx]

Thanks Ted

[call_me_ishmael]

Mike McCarthy with a really nice statement.

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/mike-mccarthy-statement-on-loss-of-ted-thompson

[MadScientist]

68 isn't old by today's standards, but he led a good life, and was a huge factor in the Packers wining it all.

[Fritz]

NFL rosters turn over pretty fast. Yet several years after he was replaced as GM, the list of current players he acquired is pretty impressive:

Davante Adams
Kenny Clark
Mason Crosby
David Bakhtiari
Aaron Jones
Kevin King
Corey Linsley
Dean Lowry
Aaron Rodgers
Jamaal Williams

I've been thinking about this. These guys are most of the core of this year's team. A real tribute to Ted. While he did seem to slip those last four or five years, he really did bring this team many, many years of glory. Probably his loyalty to MM was one of his biggest mistakes. Funny - he wasn't afraid to let players walk if he thought it was time, but it was clear after 2016 that MM's offense had gotten old and stale, and the defense was very loose, yet TT did not make a move. I wonder if he became paralyzed by his disorder.

I also thought he was a good person, just a fair, good, kind person. Not the kind of eat-em-up rah-rah go-getter changing-the-culture kind of guy who is in favor now, but a real talent evaluator who was looking down the road. Thanks in part to him, the Packers were set up to have years like they did last year and this year. His work lives on.

[RashanGary]

Well said, fritz. He did a tough job, really well, and never went out of his way to hurt anyone. Such a solid guy. Murphy has now taken on some of that top end responsibility. It takes a skilled communication tactician to take on the venom of jaded players and media members. TT did everything except PR at the highest level. Best team in the NFC for over a decade. And unlike NE, our team has done it the right way with loyalty and goodness for the players and fans

[GB-Brandon]

With Ted Thompson its simple. As far as a “Football Guy” he was an amazing talent evaluator. He consistently built a core of talent through the draft. The idea was to develop this talent in house with the “Green Bay Packer Culture” and get the most out of these players and then lock them up long term on team friendly deals before their rookie deals expired. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t but he didn’t waver and that’s for sure.

In the 2010ish days he was just amazing with the ability to rely on the draft with a few select FA moves and he built a masterpiece but as many have posted we got snake bit with devastating career ending injuries to Nick Collins and J Finley along with Raji retiring early. Even Desmond Bishop tearing his hamstring was a tough break. Then Sam Shields and concussions. The list goes on. The attrition was coming at a faster rate then Thompson could “Draft And Develop” and that’s where the frustration set in with fans and the inability to fill holes immediately using free agency. We became a “light roster” with a generational talented QB that carried the franchise for a few years. Thompson however was able to rebuild the roster acquiring Julius Peppers and making some good moves in the draft having the team ready to make another big run in 2014 and Mike McCarthy completely blew it and choked it away in the NFC Champ Game so I don’t put that on Thompson.

I believe that loss just fried the whole circuit board and the front office and the coaching never really fully recovered!!!!

Not much longer from that point Thompson’s health issues started to become visible. Nobody really knew what was going on and we all know what happened pretty much from there.

So here we are now. @ Lambeau NFC Champ Game with Yet another reason to win. This is a must win for the Green Bay Packer Organization. A loss would be absolutely devastating!!!!

[George Cumby]

Man, bring it home for Ted.

Thinking about him looking down and smiling and nodding as 12 hoists the Lombardi makes me smile.

[Vincenzo]

That's real sad. He indeed looked really unwell. We joked about it here but deep down I figured something was seriously wrong.
Being a big softy I’ve grieved Ted Thompson’s passing all week, I was surprised at how much it affected me.
It must have been all those press conferences, each and every time he spoke I listened so intently for his 12 years as our GM.

[call_me_ishmael]

I am having a tough time with this one too. Never met the guy obviously, but it is just sad. Too young. He seemed like a genuinely good person who was beloved by all of his peers, friends, coworkers, etc. He represented GB with class and dignity.

[th87]

With Ted Thompson its simple. As far as a “Football Guy” he was an amazing talent evaluator. He consistently built a core of talent through the draft. The idea was to develop this talent in house with the “Green Bay Packer Culture” and get the most out of these players and then lock them up long term on team friendly deals before their rookie deals expired. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t but he didn’t waver and that’s for sure.

In the 2010ish days he was just amazing with the ability to rely on the draft with a few select FA moves and he built a masterpiece but as many have posted we got snake bit with devastating career ending injuries to Nick Collins and J Finley along with Raji retiring early. Even Desmond Bishop tearing his hamstring was a tough break. Then Sam Shields and concussions. The list goes on. The attrition was coming at a faster rate then Thompson could “Draft And Develop” and that’s where the frustration set in with fans and the inability to fill holes immediately using free agency. We became a “light roster” with a generational talented QB that carried the franchise for a few years. Thompson however was able to rebuild the roster acquiring Julius Peppers and making some good moves in the draft having the team ready to make another big run in 2014 and Mike McCarthy completely blew it and choked it away in the NFC Champ Game so I don’t put that on Thompson.

I believe that loss just fried the whole circuit board and the front office and the coaching never really fully recovered!!!!

Not much longer from that point Thompson’s health issues started to become visible. Nobody really knew what was going on and we all know what happened pretty much from there.

So here we are now. @ Lambeau NFC Champ Game with Yet another reason to win. This is a must win for the Green Bay Packer Organization. A loss would be absolutely devastating!!!!


These are my sentiments too.

[George Cumby]

I am having a tough time with this one too. Never met the guy obviously, but it is just sad. Too young. He seemed like a genuinely good person who was beloved by all of his peers, friends, coworkers, etc. He represented GB with class and dignity.

These qualities are so rare in the public arena, we were lucky to have him.

[Fosco33]

Cool billboard from Pack

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1353016213828325383?s=20

[Vincenzo]

My wife said you should never speak ILL of the dead, but my best friend says that’s total Bull shit. He said last night that Thompson was completely inept.
I now regret grinding TT so much over the years and I can’t bring myself to start thinking about his mistakes. We use to call him Ted “Sweatshirt” Thompson or Ted “Tightwad” Thompson.

[Fritz]

People who are highly critical of Thompson are flat-out spoiled. Completely inept? Come on. Dude kept the Ron Wolf momentum going for another ten years. I think his biggest mistake, besides missing on some first rounders, was letting MM have so much rope. THen again, you gonna fire a guy who got to the NFC championship game in the 2016 season in 2017? It would be tough, only easier in hindsight. And the 2015 draft was terrible. Sure, those things are true. But the guy also ended up consistently putting together teams that not only made the playoffs but got to championship games a few times. And if you want to say it's only because of Rodgers, then guess who drafted Rodgers when it was the toughest thing he could've done? That took cajones.

And if you live in Detroit, like I do, then you know "inept" is Matt Millen, or Bob Quinn firing a 9 - 7 coach because it "wasn't good enough" and then hiring a guy t coach who couldn't even sniff 9 - 7 in a wet dream. So fuck all y'all who think Ted was "inept."

[wootah]

Being a big softy I’ve grieved Ted Thompson’s passing all week, I was surprised at how much it affected me.
It must have been all those press conferences, each and every time he spoke I listened so intently for his 12 years as our GM.

Same here. Maybe I'm just getting old & it confronts me with my own mortality, but it took me by surprise. When I heard the reactions from Tauscher & Wilde I was really moved... I was a big fan of Ted, the white wizzard. Sipping that water bottle during each confrontational question, always quietly trying to do what's best for the team. Very sad week to be a Packer.

[Fosco33]

Good thread here (from 2006)

http://packerrats.com/showthread.php?1534-ALL-YOU-EVER-NEEDED-To-Know-About-Ted-Thompson

[call_me_ishmael]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Klinck/status/1352432263791861761

Tugs are the heart strings.

[RashanGary]

As cruel as the reporters were for those years, I'm surprised