Blind Faith: Is this TT's last year at GM?

[SnakeLH2006]

So, Snake has been reading up plenty on the draft and many Rats on here have varied opinions on what GB needs to do at the top of draft....

Snake has been a pro-TT supporter for a long time, yet his BPA philosophy has netted us one big-time player in the first round, Arod.

Jennings is a beast, yet he was a 2nd round guy.

The point is this, what if the BPA available is a moot point considering we seem to be spinning in circles lately under TT's guidance?...Holes to fill EVERY year, yet we seem to be weak EVERY year at both lines. Why not pay for a guy (overpay in TT terms it seems) or at least put top creedance into getting a top guy in the first?

Are you happy this year in 2009, if we go BPA, then pick a WR ala Crabtree or a RB ala Beanie?

Snake's not....and really feel if Ted aschews FA so much, that his philosophy, and possibly ego transcend the franchise, he may be on his way out.

Results, aka wins, determine a GM's lifeline in the NFL. I won't argue Ted knows talent, but it seems absurd if we go BPA and get Wells or Crabtree (as great as they may be) when we can't fill our holes on OT or across the board on the DL.

Snake is really feeling uneasy this year as many "good" prospects may be available at postitions we are strong at, yet if he can't fill them in FA or with his past draft picks, WTF is point of having so many good RB's or WR's when it's SO OBVIOUS we need some major upgrades at both line positions?

This is make or break for TT...He's had some solid picks in later rounds, but his 1st rounder without names rhyming with Baron or Codgers reek of mediocrity or failure.

If he doesn't get us a stud at the #1, this may be another long year (aka a guy who is a stud right away as a starter to plug a hole) and may be his last year at the GM helm.

Thoughts? I like Ted as a GM, but we better go get us some quality rook starters this year, as I hate to think my boisterous Bear buddies will be laughing their way to to the playoffs with Cutler (hate that punk ass QB) while we sit at home looking at 2010 as our year. C'mon.

[Waldo]

I'd love it if we took Beanie.

Aaron with 8 in the box and Greg and Jordy to throw to outside.

I like Jackson a great deal, and am lukewarm on Grant. Nobody is scared of them. They rarely see 8 in the box unless formation calls for it.

Beanie was OK this year, playing hurt most of the year. His 2007 tape when fully healthy is top 5 back material.

His style, size, and physical talent are such that many people have said that he's the closest thing to Jim Brown since Jim Brown. Whether he has a career like Jim Brown remains to be seen.

[The Shadow]

Re: Blind Faith: Is this TT's last year at GM?

So, Snake has been reading up plenty on the draft and many Rats on here have varied opinions on what GB needs to do at the top of draft....

Snake has been a pro-TT supporter for a long time, yet his BPA philosophy has netted us one big-time player in the first round, Arod.

Jennings is a beast, yet he was a 2nd round guy.

The point is this, what if the BPA available is a moot point considering we seem to be spinning in circles lately under TT's guidance?

Are you happy this year in 2009, if we go BPA, then pick a WR ala Crabtree or a RB ala Beanie?

Snake's not....and really feel if Ted aschews FA so much, that his philosophy, and possibly ego transcend the franchise, he may be on his way out.

Results, aka wins, determine a GM's lifeline in the NFL. I won't argue Ted knows talent, but it seems absurd if we go BPA and get Wells or Crabtree (as great as they may be) when we can't fill our holes on OT or across the board on the DL.

Snake is really feeling uneasy this year as many "good" prospects may be available at postitions we are strong at, yet if he can't fill them in FA or with his past draft picks, WTF is point of having so many good RB's or WR's when it's SO OBVIOUS we need some major upgrades at both line positions?

This is make or break for TT...He's had some solid picks in later rounds, but his 1st rounder without names rhyming with Baron or Codgers reek of mediocrity or failure.

If he doesn't get us a stud at the #1, this may be another long year (aka a guy who is a stud right away as a starter to plug a hole) and may be his last year at the GM helm.

Thoughts? I like Ted as a GM, but we better go get us some quality rook starters this year, as I hate to think my boisterous Bear buddies will be laughing their way to to the playoffs with Cutler (hate that punk ass QB) while we sit at home looking at 2010 as our year. C'mon.

I would advise Snake to not worry about that.

[Lurker64]

Thompson has at least one more year (more like two) before he's even on the hot seat. He's disliked by a lot of fans, but that's an honor shared by most GMs in the league. Hell, Carl Peterson in Kansas City lasted a couple of decades while being widely despised by Chiefs fans. The people who are Thompson's boss like the man a lot more than the average fan does, and they're the people who get to make decisions. The NFC championship and executive of the year title got him a lot of capital, and one bad year (for which legitimate excuses can be made) doesn't cancel that out.

It's a truth of the NFL draft that you can't really judge a draft until three seasons later. So it's really ridiculous to look to escort Thompson out on the backs of the 08 and 07 draft (I think we can agree that 05 and 06 were pretty good). I mean, what if Harrell plays 16 games this season and leads the DL to be a force this year? It's certainly not entirely improbable.

You know that Thompson is on his way out when he fires McCarthy, but until then he's pretty much untouchable.

[pbmax]

I think Thompson has more time than the coach, and I think M3 has two years minimum to turn around the team with his new defense. Thompson gets one more coach should he have to dump McCarthy early. He was asked to work with Sherman.

Buckle up detractors, its three more years of T2 at least. Wild card is that neither guy was hired by Murphy, but outside of Favre, he has been busy catching up on the business side and the CBA. Still, he obviously doesn't feel as tied to the dynamic duo as Harlan would have.

[SnakeLH2006]

Thompson has at least one more year (more like two) before he's even on the hot seat. He's disliked by a lot of fans, but that's an honor shared by most GMs in the league. Hell, Carl Peterson in Kansas City lasted a couple of decades while being widely despised by Chiefs fans. The people who are Thompson's boss like the man a lot more than the average fan does, and they're the people who get to make decisions. The NFC championship and executive of the year title got him a lot of capital, and one bad year (for which legitimate excuses can be made) doesn't cancel that out.

It's a truth of the NFL draft that you can't really judge a draft until three seasons later. So it's really ridiculous to look to escort Thompson ought on the backs of the 08 and 07 draft (I think we can agree that 05 and 06 were pretty good). I mean, what if Harrell plays 16 games this season and leads the DL to be a force this year? It's certainly not entirely improbable.

You know that Thompson is on his way out when he fires McCarthy, but until then he's pretty much untouchable.

Agreed....There's plenty on here ready to/have been ready to lynch TT, but for once I'd like him to look at needs. It sucks it comes down to the draft to do it, but TT put this on himself. I understand/like the philosophy of "not overpaying" as that keeps your cap in check. We do well in that, what I'm saying is TT NEEDS to get a stud in the draft. I know it's a crapshoot, but he puts himself in that position but not going after and overpaying FA'S. Not a prob. again, but he's here now, and that is his MO....So now he MUST hit on one of these top picks. If not, we are a joke.

Snake is VERY optimistic and we may be 10-6 this year in a weak NFC North, but as much as I don't like Cutler, I had many Bear buddies tell me this, "We haven't had a top notch QB in 20 years, sobeit if it was for a bunch of picks....We made the deal. We got a prob. top 10 QB, and now have a chance with our sick D." That's very much paraphrased, yet I do agree. TT is not taking chances, although he is, by not making trades, singing FA's to big contracts, we now have lots of cap space, but little credible additions to make us better. Hope for injuries to subside, young guys to get better?...Sounds alot like the Brewers.

Snake likes TT, but the point is he must eschew his hard-on for the BPA, and concentrate on the best player for the positions he needs in the draft when he says fuck FA, and hasn't demonstrated a knack for making trades we need. Does anyone disagree with that? And if we get the BPA, albeit a position of obvious strength and disregard our old ass OT's and pathetic DL players, then what? He's done, as this will repeat 2008.

I want Ted to succeed, but he really needs to step up is all Snake is saying. If all you do is rely on the draft, and you go BPA ALL THE TIME, they might not pan out either (thus Harrell thus far) but damn if he doesn't do something in 2009's draft...that's his ONLY trump card....and Snake would OWN him at Sheepshead.

[Bretsky]

Next year is a key year for TTT after hibernating through free agency yet again.....but I still see him being here at minimum for two more years

IF Crabby or Wells is a star, we should have absolutely no hesitation grabbing either one

If the Crab turns in multiple pro bowl years, none of us woud complain if they took him over the #4 OT.

Ditto for the top RB in the draft.

Swing for a star TTT

[Lurker64]

I'm not sure if Thompson's reputation as an "always take the BPA, no matter what" guy is really terribly deserved. Certainly, he doesn't always take players at the positions that the average fan thinks are needs, but oftentimes Thompson doesn't devote a ton of resources to those positions *and* they work out all right somehow.

I mean, in 2007 going into the draft according to fans we needed a weapon for Favre (probably a WR, but a good receiving TE would be nice), an RB to replace Green, and a FB to replace William Henderson. Now the passing offense did just fine in 2007 despite not taking a WR until the 3rd round and not taking a TE that made the roster, and the RB and FB situations worked out just fine in the end, even though Jackson (who was likely a "need" pick) was somewhat underwhelming.

Going into 2008, we didn't think we had much in the way of needs, although a backup QB and a corner to groom to replace Al or Chuck would be nice to have, but we addressed both of those positions in the second round. I mean, the thing that ultimately hurt the team the most last year was the lack of pressure from the defensive line, and at draft time in 2008 Harrell hadn't even suffered his back inury yet, and we weren't really in position to pick up much of immediately impactful great pass rushers.

So does Ted really *always* take the BPA, or is it possible that just "his estimation of the team's needs, based on careful analysis of the roster and talking to coaches" may be different than our estimation of the team's needs?

If there's one criticism you can make about Thompson is that historically he tends to make very safe picks early on. I mean, Aaron Rodgers may well have been the steal of the draft, he had fallen so far and he fit a need. A.J. Hawk was kind of a no-brainer (and was widely considered to be the safest pick in the draft), and throughout his drafts Thompson always seems to favor high character, high production, football guys with leadership skills over guys who have a shot at being a superstar. Is that really "BPA" behavior, or is that just a reasonable degree of risk aversion?

[SnakeLH2006]

Next year is a key year for TTT after hibernating through free agency yet again.....but I still see him being here at minimum for two more years

IF Crabby or Wells is a star, we should have absolutely no hesitation grabbing either one

If the Crab turns in multiple pro bowl years, none of us woud complain if they took him over the #4 OT.

Ditto for the top RB in the draft.

Swing for a star TTT

Man, Bret, I love ya on here for being a voice of reason......yet are you really willing to sit through Beanie gettin 450 yards or Crabbie going for 38 catches, 550 yards, 1 TD as a rook? C'mon man, I know you are all about that Beanie from Fox Sports (they all screwed us man, lol) but those guys MAY be stars, but no one really knows....get us a lockdown DT,DE,OT....else it ain't gonna matter as it's another Jordy year again, dude.

Those guys at RB or WR won't win us shit this year in 2009 or prob. 2010...and if they are LTom's or Randy Mosses' eventually sobeit..it ain't gonna matter cuz without significant FA or other advances on our roster we'll be 6-10 again or maybe 8-8....some rooks make a difference...have a hard time seeing Wells being our starter (Patler would argue that Grant is good <prob. 95% of Rats disagree with that and Waldo would shove Wells down his throat, but it's moot...who cares? We are OK at RB> but even if Wells went for 1100 yards yet Snake don't see it ((I still see Driver being at least as good in 2009 and Jennings going NUTS, so Crabs having more than 40 catches))..what's the fucking point? We are tight at RB and WR. Those positions whether it be for guys who are eventual upgrades are so moot in 2009....Maybe 2010 and beyond, but TT really needs to fix our lines for sure.

Fix our OT or DL issues first. This ain't like the Favre era where we expected/knew we'd get 10 wins and contend EVERY year. Fuck that. We need a Line infusion bigtime..Those are guys we can get anyday at WR or RB.....maybe great, but not gonna do shit for years.

That's the whole point of this thread....Why go BPA, when we'll wait for ANOTHER year if they even pan out? Go for a stud at need...OT or DT or even DL. It's so easy even a Partial could see it.

[Jimx29]

it seems like deja vu all over again.....


we've missed the playoffs 3 of the 4 years tt has been here after making it 10 of the 12 previous years.

[Partial]

Next year is a key year for TTT after hibernating through free agency yet again.....but I still see him being here at minimum for two more years

IF Crabby or Wells is a star, we should have absolutely no hesitation grabbing either one

If the Crab turns in multiple pro bowl years, none of us woud complain if they took him over the #4 OT.

Ditto for the top RB in the draft.

Swing for a star TTT

Definitely

[Lurker64]

we've missed the playoffs 3 of the 4 years tt has been here after making it 10 of the 12 previous years.

Yet we made it deeper into the playoffs in TT's one playoff year than we did in all but 2 of those 10 playoff visits.

I don't know about you, but I would prefer a shot at the superbowl every four years than 5 wildcard weekend losses in six years. Championships are special, and any team that gets close to one can win one. But winning your division or getting to the playoffs aren't particularly special feats.

[CaliforniaCheez]

Some of you are way too harsh on Ted.

What free agents are out there that you wanted?

Ted is doing well in a tough job. There is much that is outside his control.

He keeps cap room for flexibility so he can act when others can't.

Compared to many of his predecessors, he has done very well.

[SnakeLH2006]

Some of you are way too harsh on Ted.

What free agents are out there that you wanted?

Ted is doing well in a tough job. There is much that is outside his control.

He keeps cap room for flexibility so he can act when others can't.

Compared to many of his predecessors, he has done very well.

I hope you aren't talking Snake? I like TT, just saying he really needs to do something soon as his anti-FA shit for so many years is so fucking tiresome lately, and can't defend it anymore.

I only advocate him to draft for need as his misses on BPA at the top picks are gonna be his downfall.

[RashanGary]

Next year is a key year for TTT after hibernating through free agency yet again.....but I still see him being here at minimum for two more years

IF Crabby or Wells is a star, we should have absolutely no hesitation grabbing either one

If the Crab turns in multiple pro bowl years, none of us woud complain if they took him over the #4 OT.

Ditto for the top RB in the draft.

Swing for a star TTT

You know, I'm sitting here hoping on hope that it's a big guy on one of the lines (preferably NT or OT) but you're right here. Draft picks our a teams best chance at a great player. High draft picks are the best chance yet. No matter what position (QB aside), getting a star with this pick will be the right move, even if it's a RB or a WR. This team needs stars to take that next leap so BPA has to the approach. It's hard to do, but it's the right thing to do.