Bretsky
07-12-2007, 01:01 AM
Thompson's kids, like Favre, need chance
Posted: July 10, 2007
Richard Pufall
Green Bay - What was the general manager thinking? This was - at best - a grievous gamble with a precious No. 1 draft pick. This team had needs and the GM was failing to address them. Everyone, it seemed, knew what was best for the franchise. Everyone, but the man in charge.
So the boos bombarded the guy in the big chair at 1265 Lombardi Ave. It was his kitchen and the heat was on.
The year was 1992. The man in charge was Ron Wolf, the freshly minted general manager who had taken over in November 1991 after Tom Braatz was fired.
And the No. 1 draft choice - Green Bay's second that year and No. 17 overall - had just been traded to the Atlanta Falcons for some obscure, bench-warming, out-of-control rookie quarterback named Brett Favre.
Didn't need a quarterback, the boo-birds chirped. The Packers had Don Majkowski and he was giving the team its best leadership and production at that position since Lynn Dickey. This Favre dude would have to pull a hat out of a rabbit to upstage the Majik Man.
Why would Wolf trade a first-round pick for this Favre guy, a misguided gunslinger who had thrown just four passes with no completions and two interceptions in a cameo appearance for the Falcons in 1991? Favre was a second-round draft choice of Atlanta, No. 33 overall. How could this brash, wild, fun-loving kid from Mississippi be worth a first-round draft choice?
Well, of course, he was. And still is.
Wolf fired Lindy Infante as coach and put Mike Holmgren in control of the team and Favre. Was it Holmgren who made Favre or Favre who made Holmgren? That's a debate with legs that will run for years, but this we know for sure: They were good for each other and Green Bay.
Favre, with a little help from his friends, took the Packers to two Super Bowls. He brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy home to Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI, became the NFL's only three-time most valuable player, has been the Packers' starter at quarterback in every game since Sept. 27, 1992 and is a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And those fans who bashed the trade for Favre in 1992? Ask them now and many will tell you they knew from the get-go that Favre was the real deal.
It's doubtful that today's general manager - Ted Thompson - looks back at the Wolf-Favre episode to help him deal with the issues facing the Packers of 2007. But you couldn't blame him if he did.
When Thompson used the team's No. 1 draft choice in April to select Justin Harrell, a defensive tackle from Tennessee, the GM was hit with a chorus of boos. And if anything the criticism has grown more intense since Day 1 of the draft.
The fans, you see, wanted a playmaker, a high-profile, big-name running back, wide receiver or tight end who could step in and give Favre immediate help.
The Packers would have drafted Marshawn Lynch, the highly touted runner from California, if he had been there when they picked at No. 16. But they had no intentions of trading up to get him. So when Buffalo took Lynch at No. 12, Green Bay happily settled for Harrell.
The selection of Harrell, combined with the GM's perceived reluctance to spend money on free agents, have made Thompson the most unpopular state commodity since imported cheese.
And Thompson, too, is the victim of idle time. This is perhaps the worst part of the off-season for Packers fans. No games have been played since December. There are no practices. Everyone is on vacation. Training camp is still two weeks away. The first real game is two months off on the horizon.
Packers fans find themselves trapped in the middle of baseball season. They need a ball - or someone - to kick around and Thompson has "pigskin" written all over him.
Fortunately for Green Bay, this man can take a hit.
None of this is to suggest that Justin Harrell will have the same impact on the Packers that Brett Favre has.
Of course, he won't.
Harrell could become the best defensive tackle in NFL history and still not match the contributions of Favre.
And no one is challenging the fans' right to criticize, whine or complain. They earned that privilege in exchange for the investment of time, money and love they have made with their team.
You see, without the fans there are no Packers, there is no NFL.
But we are saying this: We know as much about Harrell, Brandon Jackson, James Jones and the other eight 2007 draft picks right now as we did about Favre on Feb. 10, 1992 when Wolf triggered the trade.
So maybe we should give Thompson and the new kids a fair trial in the 2007 season before we bring in the verdict.
Posted: July 10, 2007
Richard Pufall
Green Bay - What was the general manager thinking? This was - at best - a grievous gamble with a precious No. 1 draft pick. This team had needs and the GM was failing to address them. Everyone, it seemed, knew what was best for the franchise. Everyone, but the man in charge.
So the boos bombarded the guy in the big chair at 1265 Lombardi Ave. It was his kitchen and the heat was on.
The year was 1992. The man in charge was Ron Wolf, the freshly minted general manager who had taken over in November 1991 after Tom Braatz was fired.
And the No. 1 draft choice - Green Bay's second that year and No. 17 overall - had just been traded to the Atlanta Falcons for some obscure, bench-warming, out-of-control rookie quarterback named Brett Favre.
Didn't need a quarterback, the boo-birds chirped. The Packers had Don Majkowski and he was giving the team its best leadership and production at that position since Lynn Dickey. This Favre dude would have to pull a hat out of a rabbit to upstage the Majik Man.
Why would Wolf trade a first-round pick for this Favre guy, a misguided gunslinger who had thrown just four passes with no completions and two interceptions in a cameo appearance for the Falcons in 1991? Favre was a second-round draft choice of Atlanta, No. 33 overall. How could this brash, wild, fun-loving kid from Mississippi be worth a first-round draft choice?
Well, of course, he was. And still is.
Wolf fired Lindy Infante as coach and put Mike Holmgren in control of the team and Favre. Was it Holmgren who made Favre or Favre who made Holmgren? That's a debate with legs that will run for years, but this we know for sure: They were good for each other and Green Bay.
Favre, with a little help from his friends, took the Packers to two Super Bowls. He brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy home to Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI, became the NFL's only three-time most valuable player, has been the Packers' starter at quarterback in every game since Sept. 27, 1992 and is a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And those fans who bashed the trade for Favre in 1992? Ask them now and many will tell you they knew from the get-go that Favre was the real deal.
It's doubtful that today's general manager - Ted Thompson - looks back at the Wolf-Favre episode to help him deal with the issues facing the Packers of 2007. But you couldn't blame him if he did.
When Thompson used the team's No. 1 draft choice in April to select Justin Harrell, a defensive tackle from Tennessee, the GM was hit with a chorus of boos. And if anything the criticism has grown more intense since Day 1 of the draft.
The fans, you see, wanted a playmaker, a high-profile, big-name running back, wide receiver or tight end who could step in and give Favre immediate help.
The Packers would have drafted Marshawn Lynch, the highly touted runner from California, if he had been there when they picked at No. 16. But they had no intentions of trading up to get him. So when Buffalo took Lynch at No. 12, Green Bay happily settled for Harrell.
The selection of Harrell, combined with the GM's perceived reluctance to spend money on free agents, have made Thompson the most unpopular state commodity since imported cheese.
And Thompson, too, is the victim of idle time. This is perhaps the worst part of the off-season for Packers fans. No games have been played since December. There are no practices. Everyone is on vacation. Training camp is still two weeks away. The first real game is two months off on the horizon.
Packers fans find themselves trapped in the middle of baseball season. They need a ball - or someone - to kick around and Thompson has "pigskin" written all over him.
Fortunately for Green Bay, this man can take a hit.
None of this is to suggest that Justin Harrell will have the same impact on the Packers that Brett Favre has.
Of course, he won't.
Harrell could become the best defensive tackle in NFL history and still not match the contributions of Favre.
And no one is challenging the fans' right to criticize, whine or complain. They earned that privilege in exchange for the investment of time, money and love they have made with their team.
You see, without the fans there are no Packers, there is no NFL.
But we are saying this: We know as much about Harrell, Brandon Jackson, James Jones and the other eight 2007 draft picks right now as we did about Favre on Feb. 10, 1992 when Wolf triggered the trade.
So maybe we should give Thompson and the new kids a fair trial in the 2007 season before we bring in the verdict.