Bretsky
07-19-2007, 06:01 PM
The reluctant rebuilder speaks out
Posted: July 18, 2007
Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson is 30 months into a major rebuilding job.
Oh, Thompson, like everyone else inside the Packers' organization, refuses to admit they were actually rebuilding. But that's exactly what's been happening.
To date, it's been a mixed bag for Thompson.
There have been a decent number of hits - like A.J. Hawk, Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson. On the flip side, there have been misses such as allowing Mike Wahle to leave in free agency, signing Mike Sherman to a contract extension only to fire him five months later, and bringing in free-agent flops such as Marquand Manuel.
With the Packers set to begin their third training camp on Thompson's watch, though, he believes the time to win is now. Green Bay is 12-20 in Thompson's first two years, but after closing 2006 with four consecutive victories, Thompson thinks good times could be right around the corner.
Thompson recently discussed the state of the Packers with Packer Plus reporter Rob Reischel. What follows is an edited version of that conversation:
Packer Plus: We're on the brink of your third training camp now. Where have you made the most strides and where do you have the most work to do?
Ted Thompson: Well, I think we've created competition and depth at every position. We feel pretty strong in that regard. Obviously, the bottom line is we'd like to win more games.
PP: You'll again have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL barring anything unforeseen. Is that a plus or a minus?
TT: Well, we don't focus on that. I've said all along that we wanted to add more core players to our team and I think we've been able to do that. We have some young rookies that we're hopeful can fit in with our group of players that we have. We felt like we were a pretty strong team at the end of last season and we felt that was a reflection, maybe, of some of the young guys and some of the new people finally meshing. We felt pretty good about our progress there at the end of the season and we feel pretty good going in. We feel like competition makes the best team, makes the best players and we do feel very strongly that we have competition at all the positions.
PP:Looking back to January, 2005, when you were hired here, what was your long-term vision? And do you feel that you've stayed true to that?
TT: I don't know if you sit there and say, "Well, I have this vision." I don't know if you can do this job that way. I think you work hard every day, get good people around you and try and get as many good players as you can. I think we've done that. I think (in 2005) we felt this was kind of an aging team. It was a good team, but it was an aging team and we knew some players would be leaving in free agency. A lot of people focus on the Packers and think that only happens here. It happens everywhere. There's turnover on every roster every year.
PP:In retrospect, was this a bigger rebuilding job than you thought?
TT: I still like to defer from using that term rebuilding. We think that's kind of a naturally built-in excuse for losing. We don't accept that. We want to win and we want to win now. However, I felt like my eyes were fairly wide-open and I knew this team pretty good having been here before. Several of the players were here when I was here before and I obviously kept up with the team. I think any time you take on a job of this magnitude . . . it's a little more time consuming and a little more awesome than you think sometimes. There's a little more to it. There's more things on your plate, there's more people that you have to meet with, there's more things you have to do.
PP:What's your biggest mistake been so far?
TT: (Laughs). I don't know. I'll leave that to you guys (the media). You guys are pretty good at pointing those out. I don't doubt that I've made mistakes, but I don't dwell or look back. There's a lot of smart people I listen to and pay attention to. Most, if not all of them, stress that you never look back. Obviously, you always go back and evaluate what you did, how you came to that conclusion and how it worked out. But you don't look back and dwell on those.
PP: The third year in a program is usually extremely critical and shows just where you're headed. It can lead to extensions for guys like yourself or it can make the hot seat even hotter. So how much pressure is on you and your people in 2007?
TT: We think it's a big year. Every year is really important. It doesn't matter if you think you're going to be in the league for 25 years or for two years. It's obviously important for these players because they have a finite amount of time to be able to play. But for me personally, I'm ready to win. I think it's time for this team to win and I think we're ready to do that.
PP: I don't remember you being that bold in 2005 or 2006. Is this a different feeling than you had then?
TT: No, no. I was ready then. I was surprised that we didn't win more games in '05 and was surprised that we didn't win more games last year.
PP:There are Web sites such as firepackersgm.com that call for you to be let go. Do you pay attention to that type of outside stuff, and if so, does any of that bother you?
TT: Actually, I didn't know there was one of those. It doesn't surprise me that there is. I don't know, and I'm not trying to be above it all because I desperately want the Packer fans and Packer Nation to think that their team is in good hands and that we're going in the right direction. I want them to have confidence in us. But at the same time, I can't be swayed by emotions or the general perception that maybe isn't accurate. I think you have to stick with the basics, which is get good people around you, do the best you can every day and try and make your team better by the end of that day. And that's what we try and do.
PP:How would you assess the job Mike McCarthy and his staff did in Year 1?
TT: I thought they did very well. I think their ability to keep the team going, keep the team playing hard, to rally at the end of the year, those are all really positive signs. They went about their business, they coached the guys up. Mike and his staff worked really hard. I think they're very good in terms of scheming and things like that. But they're also very good in terms of talking to players and conducting meetings and being on time. I think, as a former player, you really respect that. A 10 o'clock meeting starts at 10 o'clock, not 10:05. Players like that kind of stuff and I think our players responded well to it.
PP:Do you feel like you've done enough and given this staff enough talent to be better than 8-8?
TT: Yes. And I'm not trying to put the onus on them, but we expect to be successful this year and I would like to win more games than that.
PP:The general perception inside Packer Nation is that you don't care for free agency. Is that fair?
TT: I think that sometimes it's misconstrued and I know it's mistakenly identified that I don't like free agency. I've never really said that. I've always used the term that it's rather dangerous water. Sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Everything that you do in free agency affects your current roster, affects your current players and sometimes has an adverse affect. I do think that free agency is a very useful tool to try and attack weaknesses that you feel you have within your structure. I think we did that pretty successfully in the 2006 off-season. We felt like those guys came in and made a positive contribution to our team. Obviously good players, we spent some money and we felt like it was appropriate at the time. Quite frankly, sometimes I think that the off-season free agency is a little overrated and that the players that become available as free agents, in our evaluation, have not been quite what they're cracked up to be. We've tended to decide not to make that investment. We didn't feel it was the proper investment for the Packers.
PP: In free agency this year, you lost your top running back (Ahman Green) and best pass-catching tight end (David Martin). Offensively, you didn't make a single signing. So how can an offense that ranked No. 22 in scoring get better?
TT: Well, I think we're going to get better from within. I think our existing players that were on our team last year are going to continue to improve. I think we've had a great off-season in that regard. And I've always said I think that's the best way to improve. I've never denied the fact that I would have liked to keep Ahman and David, but that didn't work out.
PP:The tight ends who were available in free agency this off-season were pretty good, including players such as Daniel Graham and Eric Johnson. Then you ignored the position until Round 7 of the draft. Wasn't that risky considering your group of tight ends has a lot to prove?
TT: I think that's fair and I think they're ready to do that. We have confidence in those guys and we think they're going to be pretty good players.
PP:Is that the biggest reason you didn't address the position with more gusto?
TT: That's one of the things. No. 1, it's what you think of those particular players, whether it's in free agency or the draft are worthy of what they're going to be paid or where they're going to be picked. How are they going to fit in? Do they really improve us? Like you said, there were a couple of guys in free agency that were pretty interesting, but we don't know if they were better than our group. Same way in the college draft.
PP:It's about three months after you lost out to New England on Randy Moss. Do you regret how that played out and the fact you couldn't get him to Green Bay?
TT: I think I've always kind of deferred on that rather than speculate too much on that. There's been a lot of speculation on what did or didn't happen there. I don't know if I've ever commented publicly other than to say that we had some conversations and it didn't work out.
PP:Brett Favre took some shots at you and the organization after you guys failed to land Moss. What was your first reaction to what he said and how is your relationship today?
TT: It's fine, to answer your last question. It's fine. I'm not offended when I read those comments. Again, you would like all the players and all the fans and everybody to think that you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do all the time. But I don't mind a player voicing his opinion. We're not thin-skinned here.
PP:Is there a point, though, where a player can overstep his boundaries?
TT: Oh, I suppose there is. But we're pretty thick-skinned here. I think having been a player, I think that helps. Not to say I was in (Favre's) caliber or even the caliber of the guys on our team. But having played and been around locker rooms, I think you have a little bit better understanding of how comments like that can be made. You get to the point where you don't take things personally.
PP:You've developed a reputation of being rather conservative. Is that fair and do you like that label?
TT: I don't know about that, no. I don't know if that would be fair. I don't know how to label me. That's a difficult question. I'm not offended by it.
PP: Back to Favre. He turns 38 in October and his quarterback ratings the last two years are among the three lowest of his career. How much different is he from when you were first here (1992-'99) and how much has he lost?
TT: I don't really see noticeable, physical deterioration there. I just don't see it. He will tell you that maybe he doesn't move around as much as he used to. But I still see him avoiding in the pocket, I still see him getting outside and I've always thought that he was very dangerous when he was outside the pocket and throwing the ball out there. I just don't see it. I think his arm strength is fine. He probably complains a little bit more in terms of he's sore, or this or that. But he's always been a football player at his core and I honestly don't see that deterioration there. I don't see his age in his play. I think he's still a player.
PP: You've been very supportive of Aaron Rodgers publicly, but he's done little to back that up. His quarterback rating in two seasons is 43.9 and he broke his foot in his only significant playing time. Are you wavering at all that he can be your next quarterback?
TT: No, no. You never really know until the torch has been passed. And you never know at the quarterback position until they've been tested over an extended period of time. I am confident that he's going to be a good player.
PP:Your defense was outstanding in the final month last season and jumped to No. 12 overall. Looking at the 2007 Packers, will defense be your greatest strength?
TT: We would hope that it'd be one of our strengths. I certainly think that the group should be better. I think we have most, if not all of them, back and we think we have some young fellows that will step into, whether it's backup roles or more prominent roles. We feel pretty good about it. Again, we feel that we're much stronger and deeper at all the positions than we've been in the past.
PP:Who would be some players on this roster that you think are ready to go from mediocre starters to perhaps upper-echelon players?
TT: I don't know that you can ever predict something like that. We have a lot of confidence in some of the players, and rather than name them, I'm looking forward to sitting back and watching to see how it turns out. I'm not trying to dodge the question, but I don't think it makes sense for me to put pressure on somebody.
PP: One of those guys many people believe could have a breakout year is (linebacker) A.J. Hawk. Do you share that feeling?
TT: We feel like he was a fairly dynamic force last year. I thought he had an outstanding year. Hawk is a very good player, he studies the game, he takes care of his body, he's a very mature man for his age, he knows exactly what he wants to do and how he wants to get there and he works as hard as anybody we have. I think he's here every morning at 5:30, 6 o'clock. He cares about his craft and he wants to be good. And I think those are very good traits to have.
PP: When you drafted Justin Harrell, did you know he wouldn't be able to have any physical contact until training camp?
TT: Yeah, we thought that all along. We said all along that if, in fact, he would be on our team, he'd be one of those guys that we'd limit a little bit and make sure the balance in terms of strength on the right side and left side got more equal. We thought more than likely, we would have him practice, but not participate in the pushing and the shoving stuff.
PP: Special teams have been an Achilles' heel here since you took over as GM. You addressed it heavily this draft, so what are your expectations for that part of the team?
TT: Well, I certainly expect us to be better. I want us to become a force rather than something you're a little bit nervous about. I do think that being able to add more core guys to our team, more speed, more aggressiveness, I do think we're going to be a much-improved special teams. I would expect that.
PP: How did you and John Jones get along?
TT: Just fine. We got along great.
PP:Chicago's had a rough off-season, losing Thomas Jones in free agency, cutting Tank Johnson, etc. Have they come back to the NFC North pack a bit?
TT: Oh, I don't know about that. I think (GM) Jerry (Angelo) and (head coach) Lovie (Smith) and those guys do a very good job of understanding what their team is and how they want to assemble it and who they want to keep on their team and who they maybe want to jettison. I think they're the champions until somebody proves that they're not.
PP: The NFC seems pretty wide open and doesn't have a dominant team. Can you guys get in the fray, and make a move not for just a playoff spot, but a playoff run?
TT: We're certainly hoping to get into the fray. We want to try and compete and win every game that we can. Absolutely. I think this team, the players, the coaching staff and all of us think we can "quote-unquote" get into the fray.
PP: Because of your youth, though, are you still a year or two away from becoming a serious contender?
TT: I think a lot of people misunderstood my motive. I'm not necessarily building for the future. I always thought your best core players come through the draft and whatever additions you can make in free agency. But I was never one of those people that has a plan to lose now and win later. I want to win now. I think everybody here does. All the teams want to win and we desperately want to win now. Speaking in terms of two, three years from now just isn't logical. You go about your business and you try and be as good as you can be right now.
PP: When January of 2008 rolls around, what kind of growth and accomplishments will have made you happy?
TT: I want to see us win. I want to see guys grow into their roles. I definitely want to be in more locker rooms like it was after the Chicago game (in the season finale) and you see 53 guys that really enjoy each other. You get to that point by winning. And when you have those glimpses of a true team, that's a very special time. I'd like to have more afternoons like that.
Posted: July 18, 2007
Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson is 30 months into a major rebuilding job.
Oh, Thompson, like everyone else inside the Packers' organization, refuses to admit they were actually rebuilding. But that's exactly what's been happening.
To date, it's been a mixed bag for Thompson.
There have been a decent number of hits - like A.J. Hawk, Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson. On the flip side, there have been misses such as allowing Mike Wahle to leave in free agency, signing Mike Sherman to a contract extension only to fire him five months later, and bringing in free-agent flops such as Marquand Manuel.
With the Packers set to begin their third training camp on Thompson's watch, though, he believes the time to win is now. Green Bay is 12-20 in Thompson's first two years, but after closing 2006 with four consecutive victories, Thompson thinks good times could be right around the corner.
Thompson recently discussed the state of the Packers with Packer Plus reporter Rob Reischel. What follows is an edited version of that conversation:
Packer Plus: We're on the brink of your third training camp now. Where have you made the most strides and where do you have the most work to do?
Ted Thompson: Well, I think we've created competition and depth at every position. We feel pretty strong in that regard. Obviously, the bottom line is we'd like to win more games.
PP: You'll again have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL barring anything unforeseen. Is that a plus or a minus?
TT: Well, we don't focus on that. I've said all along that we wanted to add more core players to our team and I think we've been able to do that. We have some young rookies that we're hopeful can fit in with our group of players that we have. We felt like we were a pretty strong team at the end of last season and we felt that was a reflection, maybe, of some of the young guys and some of the new people finally meshing. We felt pretty good about our progress there at the end of the season and we feel pretty good going in. We feel like competition makes the best team, makes the best players and we do feel very strongly that we have competition at all the positions.
PP:Looking back to January, 2005, when you were hired here, what was your long-term vision? And do you feel that you've stayed true to that?
TT: I don't know if you sit there and say, "Well, I have this vision." I don't know if you can do this job that way. I think you work hard every day, get good people around you and try and get as many good players as you can. I think we've done that. I think (in 2005) we felt this was kind of an aging team. It was a good team, but it was an aging team and we knew some players would be leaving in free agency. A lot of people focus on the Packers and think that only happens here. It happens everywhere. There's turnover on every roster every year.
PP:In retrospect, was this a bigger rebuilding job than you thought?
TT: I still like to defer from using that term rebuilding. We think that's kind of a naturally built-in excuse for losing. We don't accept that. We want to win and we want to win now. However, I felt like my eyes were fairly wide-open and I knew this team pretty good having been here before. Several of the players were here when I was here before and I obviously kept up with the team. I think any time you take on a job of this magnitude . . . it's a little more time consuming and a little more awesome than you think sometimes. There's a little more to it. There's more things on your plate, there's more people that you have to meet with, there's more things you have to do.
PP:What's your biggest mistake been so far?
TT: (Laughs). I don't know. I'll leave that to you guys (the media). You guys are pretty good at pointing those out. I don't doubt that I've made mistakes, but I don't dwell or look back. There's a lot of smart people I listen to and pay attention to. Most, if not all of them, stress that you never look back. Obviously, you always go back and evaluate what you did, how you came to that conclusion and how it worked out. But you don't look back and dwell on those.
PP: The third year in a program is usually extremely critical and shows just where you're headed. It can lead to extensions for guys like yourself or it can make the hot seat even hotter. So how much pressure is on you and your people in 2007?
TT: We think it's a big year. Every year is really important. It doesn't matter if you think you're going to be in the league for 25 years or for two years. It's obviously important for these players because they have a finite amount of time to be able to play. But for me personally, I'm ready to win. I think it's time for this team to win and I think we're ready to do that.
PP: I don't remember you being that bold in 2005 or 2006. Is this a different feeling than you had then?
TT: No, no. I was ready then. I was surprised that we didn't win more games in '05 and was surprised that we didn't win more games last year.
PP:There are Web sites such as firepackersgm.com that call for you to be let go. Do you pay attention to that type of outside stuff, and if so, does any of that bother you?
TT: Actually, I didn't know there was one of those. It doesn't surprise me that there is. I don't know, and I'm not trying to be above it all because I desperately want the Packer fans and Packer Nation to think that their team is in good hands and that we're going in the right direction. I want them to have confidence in us. But at the same time, I can't be swayed by emotions or the general perception that maybe isn't accurate. I think you have to stick with the basics, which is get good people around you, do the best you can every day and try and make your team better by the end of that day. And that's what we try and do.
PP:How would you assess the job Mike McCarthy and his staff did in Year 1?
TT: I thought they did very well. I think their ability to keep the team going, keep the team playing hard, to rally at the end of the year, those are all really positive signs. They went about their business, they coached the guys up. Mike and his staff worked really hard. I think they're very good in terms of scheming and things like that. But they're also very good in terms of talking to players and conducting meetings and being on time. I think, as a former player, you really respect that. A 10 o'clock meeting starts at 10 o'clock, not 10:05. Players like that kind of stuff and I think our players responded well to it.
PP:Do you feel like you've done enough and given this staff enough talent to be better than 8-8?
TT: Yes. And I'm not trying to put the onus on them, but we expect to be successful this year and I would like to win more games than that.
PP:The general perception inside Packer Nation is that you don't care for free agency. Is that fair?
TT: I think that sometimes it's misconstrued and I know it's mistakenly identified that I don't like free agency. I've never really said that. I've always used the term that it's rather dangerous water. Sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Everything that you do in free agency affects your current roster, affects your current players and sometimes has an adverse affect. I do think that free agency is a very useful tool to try and attack weaknesses that you feel you have within your structure. I think we did that pretty successfully in the 2006 off-season. We felt like those guys came in and made a positive contribution to our team. Obviously good players, we spent some money and we felt like it was appropriate at the time. Quite frankly, sometimes I think that the off-season free agency is a little overrated and that the players that become available as free agents, in our evaluation, have not been quite what they're cracked up to be. We've tended to decide not to make that investment. We didn't feel it was the proper investment for the Packers.
PP: In free agency this year, you lost your top running back (Ahman Green) and best pass-catching tight end (David Martin). Offensively, you didn't make a single signing. So how can an offense that ranked No. 22 in scoring get better?
TT: Well, I think we're going to get better from within. I think our existing players that were on our team last year are going to continue to improve. I think we've had a great off-season in that regard. And I've always said I think that's the best way to improve. I've never denied the fact that I would have liked to keep Ahman and David, but that didn't work out.
PP:The tight ends who were available in free agency this off-season were pretty good, including players such as Daniel Graham and Eric Johnson. Then you ignored the position until Round 7 of the draft. Wasn't that risky considering your group of tight ends has a lot to prove?
TT: I think that's fair and I think they're ready to do that. We have confidence in those guys and we think they're going to be pretty good players.
PP:Is that the biggest reason you didn't address the position with more gusto?
TT: That's one of the things. No. 1, it's what you think of those particular players, whether it's in free agency or the draft are worthy of what they're going to be paid or where they're going to be picked. How are they going to fit in? Do they really improve us? Like you said, there were a couple of guys in free agency that were pretty interesting, but we don't know if they were better than our group. Same way in the college draft.
PP:It's about three months after you lost out to New England on Randy Moss. Do you regret how that played out and the fact you couldn't get him to Green Bay?
TT: I think I've always kind of deferred on that rather than speculate too much on that. There's been a lot of speculation on what did or didn't happen there. I don't know if I've ever commented publicly other than to say that we had some conversations and it didn't work out.
PP:Brett Favre took some shots at you and the organization after you guys failed to land Moss. What was your first reaction to what he said and how is your relationship today?
TT: It's fine, to answer your last question. It's fine. I'm not offended when I read those comments. Again, you would like all the players and all the fans and everybody to think that you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do all the time. But I don't mind a player voicing his opinion. We're not thin-skinned here.
PP:Is there a point, though, where a player can overstep his boundaries?
TT: Oh, I suppose there is. But we're pretty thick-skinned here. I think having been a player, I think that helps. Not to say I was in (Favre's) caliber or even the caliber of the guys on our team. But having played and been around locker rooms, I think you have a little bit better understanding of how comments like that can be made. You get to the point where you don't take things personally.
PP:You've developed a reputation of being rather conservative. Is that fair and do you like that label?
TT: I don't know about that, no. I don't know if that would be fair. I don't know how to label me. That's a difficult question. I'm not offended by it.
PP: Back to Favre. He turns 38 in October and his quarterback ratings the last two years are among the three lowest of his career. How much different is he from when you were first here (1992-'99) and how much has he lost?
TT: I don't really see noticeable, physical deterioration there. I just don't see it. He will tell you that maybe he doesn't move around as much as he used to. But I still see him avoiding in the pocket, I still see him getting outside and I've always thought that he was very dangerous when he was outside the pocket and throwing the ball out there. I just don't see it. I think his arm strength is fine. He probably complains a little bit more in terms of he's sore, or this or that. But he's always been a football player at his core and I honestly don't see that deterioration there. I don't see his age in his play. I think he's still a player.
PP: You've been very supportive of Aaron Rodgers publicly, but he's done little to back that up. His quarterback rating in two seasons is 43.9 and he broke his foot in his only significant playing time. Are you wavering at all that he can be your next quarterback?
TT: No, no. You never really know until the torch has been passed. And you never know at the quarterback position until they've been tested over an extended period of time. I am confident that he's going to be a good player.
PP:Your defense was outstanding in the final month last season and jumped to No. 12 overall. Looking at the 2007 Packers, will defense be your greatest strength?
TT: We would hope that it'd be one of our strengths. I certainly think that the group should be better. I think we have most, if not all of them, back and we think we have some young fellows that will step into, whether it's backup roles or more prominent roles. We feel pretty good about it. Again, we feel that we're much stronger and deeper at all the positions than we've been in the past.
PP:Who would be some players on this roster that you think are ready to go from mediocre starters to perhaps upper-echelon players?
TT: I don't know that you can ever predict something like that. We have a lot of confidence in some of the players, and rather than name them, I'm looking forward to sitting back and watching to see how it turns out. I'm not trying to dodge the question, but I don't think it makes sense for me to put pressure on somebody.
PP: One of those guys many people believe could have a breakout year is (linebacker) A.J. Hawk. Do you share that feeling?
TT: We feel like he was a fairly dynamic force last year. I thought he had an outstanding year. Hawk is a very good player, he studies the game, he takes care of his body, he's a very mature man for his age, he knows exactly what he wants to do and how he wants to get there and he works as hard as anybody we have. I think he's here every morning at 5:30, 6 o'clock. He cares about his craft and he wants to be good. And I think those are very good traits to have.
PP: When you drafted Justin Harrell, did you know he wouldn't be able to have any physical contact until training camp?
TT: Yeah, we thought that all along. We said all along that if, in fact, he would be on our team, he'd be one of those guys that we'd limit a little bit and make sure the balance in terms of strength on the right side and left side got more equal. We thought more than likely, we would have him practice, but not participate in the pushing and the shoving stuff.
PP: Special teams have been an Achilles' heel here since you took over as GM. You addressed it heavily this draft, so what are your expectations for that part of the team?
TT: Well, I certainly expect us to be better. I want us to become a force rather than something you're a little bit nervous about. I do think that being able to add more core guys to our team, more speed, more aggressiveness, I do think we're going to be a much-improved special teams. I would expect that.
PP: How did you and John Jones get along?
TT: Just fine. We got along great.
PP:Chicago's had a rough off-season, losing Thomas Jones in free agency, cutting Tank Johnson, etc. Have they come back to the NFC North pack a bit?
TT: Oh, I don't know about that. I think (GM) Jerry (Angelo) and (head coach) Lovie (Smith) and those guys do a very good job of understanding what their team is and how they want to assemble it and who they want to keep on their team and who they maybe want to jettison. I think they're the champions until somebody proves that they're not.
PP: The NFC seems pretty wide open and doesn't have a dominant team. Can you guys get in the fray, and make a move not for just a playoff spot, but a playoff run?
TT: We're certainly hoping to get into the fray. We want to try and compete and win every game that we can. Absolutely. I think this team, the players, the coaching staff and all of us think we can "quote-unquote" get into the fray.
PP: Because of your youth, though, are you still a year or two away from becoming a serious contender?
TT: I think a lot of people misunderstood my motive. I'm not necessarily building for the future. I always thought your best core players come through the draft and whatever additions you can make in free agency. But I was never one of those people that has a plan to lose now and win later. I want to win now. I think everybody here does. All the teams want to win and we desperately want to win now. Speaking in terms of two, three years from now just isn't logical. You go about your business and you try and be as good as you can be right now.
PP: When January of 2008 rolls around, what kind of growth and accomplishments will have made you happy?
TT: I want to see us win. I want to see guys grow into their roles. I definitely want to be in more locker rooms like it was after the Chicago game (in the season finale) and you see 53 guys that really enjoy each other. You get to that point by winning. And when you have those glimpses of a true team, that's a very special time. I'd like to have more afternoons like that.