Denver Post piece on Javon Walker

[Bretsky]

B, how do you know that JW was not going to hold out? He said flat-out that he'd retire before playing another down in GB and sold his house.

TT could have franchised him next year, but if he were holding out, what good would that have done for the Packers?

That retirement stuff was babble. What else would Javon do now ? TT stays strong and fines him week after week. Javon is no brain scientist. As all he knows now is football. Year after year we hear players throwing out blanket threats and GM's reactiing. It's sickening.

Javon wants the riches; he's always acted like a spoiled brat, but in the end he wanted money and his ego needed to feel respected. And TT could have had him by the balls and instead set a bad example for the rest of the squad.

Don't be surprised if Al Harris uses the same ploy a year from now.

[Bretsky]

TT took the easy way out

The easy way out would have been to give Javon a new contract in the first place. Or at least assure him a new contract was imminent.

After fostering so much ill will, TT did the right thing in cutting Javon loose. Good luck to him in Denver - I hope he lives up to expectations.

Assuring him a new contract may be imminent would have been a cut throat business tactic that most teams employ IMO. Sometimes they deliver, sometimes they do not.

If TT got fair market value in that deal for JW, I'd be ok with all this. But that trade did not. So the difficult thing IMO would have been to take a hard line stance with JW or with teams trying to lowball Javon Walker's value.

TT made it a good deal for Denver and Javon Walker, and the precedent he set concerns me as well.

B

[pbmax]

I think he would have held out. Look at the contract he signed, its a one year deal if Denver wants it to be.

If he plays his six games and proves he is healthy or at least recovered, he can easily get the same contract next offseason.

Bretsky has a point, however. If the threat doesn't work and he is on his way out, he might have decided to play more to get the contract number up. If money was paramount, he might have done it.

And that is why trading him was not just the easy way out. His head is elsewhere, he is thinking about everything else other than team. Saddling a team with a player with a separate agenda is Jerry Jones, Shanahan's and Snyder's baliwick. Who needs that headache?

He was paid handsomely his first two years and the Packers didn't ask for any money back.

The deciding factor is whether T2 can find enough talent to make us forget him.

[GrnBay007]

HaHa....I like the T2!


We are starting to sound like Star Wars......M3 and T2.

[4and12to12and4]

Well, I agree with the posters here who say that JW is a great receiver. If he comes back healthy, he will really help Denver. Javon was not made by Favre AT ALL!! If anything, Favre could have gotten more out of him by throwing to him more, and there were a lot of deep balls that Favre misthrew to him that ended up incomplete when he was wide open. As GREAT as Favre is, and I personally think he's the best all around QB in the history of the game (at least as long as I've been watching), but one of his weaknesses has always been accuracy throwing the long ball. And, that was what Javon was great at, being able to seperate downfield. I can't remember any balls thrown deep to him catching him in stride without Javon having to adjust, and most of the time stop completely allowing the DB to catch up, and then simply win the jumping contest. TO and JW are so very close in physicality and great ball awareness. Which is why I believe TO, if he and Bledsoe stay healthy are going to break records this year. Because, Bledsoe is one of the best deep ballers ever, and that will bode well for TO's talents. But as far as JW stands, if healthy, he will be IMO one of the best there is. As long as Denver can get him the ball.

This is a depressing thread, because we don't have him anymore, and as much as it goes against my anger towards him, I still do hope he succeeds in Denver, and wish that TT would have found a way to keep him here. It probably would have been difficult, but it seems to me that if he really set his mind to it, he could have done it, unless JW just didn't want to be on the same team as Brett after he called him out. (not trying to start a discussion of who's fault that was, we're way beyond that now).

You know, losing a guy like JW really isn't the end of the world for us, simply because, I think that a guy like Jennings has a game better suited to Brett's game anyways. A guy with decent size that can shake free of a defender quickly so that Favre can fire the short to medium pass in on his numbers. Let's hope so, anyways.

[RashanGary]

Thompson has done a good job so far. Wahle and Walker are his two most questionable moves. He seems to believe he can keep bringing in young talent but at some point you need players who are in their prime to carry you. NE had some moves like that. Bledsoe, Malloy ect..Those guys where in their prime and probowl level. NE made it happen though. We can't really judge TT yet but if you're one of those guys is more concerned with the right now than you are with the big picture than this move probably looks horrible.

"Big Picture" people seem to like TT. "Right Now" people seem to hate him. That is my observation. Considering TT has been preaching seeing the big picture, there is no surprise I liked him from the start. I'm a "big picture" person.

[Bretsky]

I'm neutral on TT.

However, if you look purely at the evidence of what TT has down so far I don't see how you can say he's done a good job.

Last year, injuries aside, he left us incredibly short on depth on the OL and we paid for it dearly. Cost Effective or not, his free agent choices did not work.

Now if you want to drink the Kool Aide and assume the best on multiple moves that may or may not pan out, then you can allow your Packer Homerism to say TT is doing a great job.


B

[FavreChild]

"Big Picture" people seem to like TT. "Right Now" people seem to hate him. That is my observation. Considering TT has been preaching seeing the big picture, there is no surprise I liked him from the start. I'm a "big picture" person.

Aw, darlin'...I can't tell you how much I disagree with you there. That's too simplistic. There wasn't much TT could have done about the disasterous season last year. I don't necessarily think this season depends on what magic TT was able to work, either. So in that regard, sure, "right now" did not/does not hinge on TT. But I am definitely not convinced the guy is good for the big pic. If y'all believe otherwise, then I guess you're more optimistic than me. And no one has ever accused me of being a pessimist.

I would hate to have TT for my boss, that's all I know. The guy is shady, and I don't trust him. He's, like, out of the dark ages or something.

I'll be glad to be wrong, but for now...."You, sir, are no Ron Wolf."

[Harlan Huckleby]

point of order: Ron Wolf was pretty shady. He said one thing, did another, quite a bit. He was pretty ruthless moving the players in and out also.

Ron Wolf was a FAR better interview, though!

[HarveyWallbangers]

14 Best friend in football? "Darren Sharper."

I bet Sharper's bitch ass encouraged Javon to act a fool after he went to the Vikings.

[MadtownPacker]

14 Best friend in football? "Darren Sharper."

I bet Sharper's bitch ass encouraged Javon to act a fool after he went to the Vikings.

sharper is every WRs best friend.

[RashanGary]

However, if you look purely at the evidence of what TT has down so far I don't see how you can say he's done a good job.

That is what I mean. Looking at on the field evidence, one would not beable to make a case for Thompson doing a good job. This is what I am refering to when I say "right now" people.

Right now, there is no hard evidence of Thompson being a good GM. You can be individually optimistic about each move to have a collective optimism for the Packers future like you suggested. That I do not. My optimism doesn't so much stem from what he's done so far in his short tenure, although, this draft does look very promising. I just don't think we know enough about any of his moves as GM in GB YET. My optimism comes mostly from what Wolf/Holmgren thought of him as a talent evaluator, the success of GB while Thompson was here *note, as soon as he left Wolf bombed a draft* as well as his success drafting in Seattle. The results of good drafts are usually very competitive teams. Also, much of the little that Thompson does say is very encouraging to me. He believes very much in value. Basically the concept that you only have so many dollars to spend so you better get the most bang for your buck. I've read pretty much ever public word he has spoken and while I'm not a huge fan of his communication skills, I am a pretty big fan of his direction, experence, focus and general philosophy.

Based on Thompsons short reign as GM we really know nothing good or bad other than he had a bad record in his first year. What we do know is what people around him have said. We also know the results over time of his previous work. We also know some of what his intentions are based on what he says. Those are what we do know although breaking it down can be tough, it is possible to make a few conclusions or at least come to reasonable educated guesses. Based on what I do know of Thompson and what I have concluded, I think he will do very well. I think he has a great feel for the game of football and more importantly, how talent from the college level will translate to the NFL. I think he has a sound, effective approach to cap management and the financial side of his job. I think he has alot of experience in the NFL and more importantly in the personel side of football operations. He's seen mistakes made by emotional panic and "right now" thinking and he is bound not to put too much weight on right now. He wants what is best in the end or what I like to call the "big picture"

[woodbuck27]

I just read that excellent article.

I'll shoot from the hip here.I havn't read any of your responses but will read the thread after this post.

When I watch what Donald Driver does as a WR I am impressed with the effort he puts forth to make him as effective as he is. DD flat out works his butt off and he can run excellent routes and jig and jag for extra yards and the house after a spectacular catch in traffic. We are very fortunate to have this marvelous WR.

JAVON WALKER. This young man catch's the ball in traffic with outstanding coordination and athleticism.He is nothing short of spectacular in the way he hauls pass's in. Javon's the thouroughbred and Donald's the quarter horse.

It sickens me that we lost this fine WR that we drafted in round one.

HE IS A FIRST ROUND PICK ! Certainly not a bust ala Jamal Reynolds and we lost him and didn't substitute for his talent at his position to date.

That is BULLSHIT on behalf of Ted Thompson.

As we enter TC we see Donald Driver and . . . who in hell will it be at #2. We shouldn't have that doubt entering TC unless OUR GM didn't do his job.

Most of you want to be patient with Ted Thompson and dam it . . . I'm getting sucked in to the feel good . . . lets just give Ole Ted a chance to prove this or that in this or that area of concern.

BULLSHIT !!!

In two seasons as OUR GM. He has allowed OUR fine OL to go to absolute ruin in the middle and Ted's left us nothing more. . .

than a wish and a prayer with what may be plugged into that OL.

On top of that:

1. We have to wonder who will be OUR RB's (three of them coming off leg injuries. .THREE of THEM????? Uhhhh !!!

2.and to get back on topic - OUR #2 WR? Who's that going to be??? DD and who else ???? Good grief. I'm not buying into that.

Brett Favre wasn't buying into that either. The REAL story will one day be revealed. Ted Thompson is screwing us so cleverly that most of you arn't even aware of it.

Brett Favre certainly is.

We should not be wondering about so many areas !

I'm wondering about OUR GM ????

If he was going to not make any real effort to bring Javon Walker back to the fold . . . and he had solid reasons to just trade him - fine. Yet then, it comes down to fair exchange and I hate this . . . well we'll just have to wait and see how all those Rookies pan out.

We lost a top five WR and possibly a top three WR in the NFL folks . . and we are wondering who we have that deserves to line up with Donald Driver???

That sucks and TT is to blame.

Javon Walker gone . . . and well . . . we have Rod Gardner and Marc Boerigter and maybe Robert Ferguson will finaly get there (agains) does not equal the game that Javon Walker brought to us.

SORRY folks but I'm a NOW Packer fan . . . and NOW . . .

we are SCREWED !!

[woodbuck27]

There now !

I read the thread and what I'm feeling about losing Javon Walker and getting DICK ALL for NOW - back, other's see as well.

Something about T2 (cool) just . . . plain n simple creeps me out.

He's one of those people that seems to believe . . .

That there's value in numbers of people over far fewer people but more guranteed value.

He's what I call having a smokescreen style of managing because he doesn't know what in the "H" he's doing.

As I see it. What did we get for Javon Walker today (for this season)?

Sweet DICK ALL.

or NOTHING ! That really sucks !!!

There is absolutely ZERO . . NO EXCUSE for that in a General Manager.

[Harlan Huckleby]

The measure of Ted Thompson comes in 2007. It sucks to have to endure another rebuilding season, but realistically that's what we got in 2006.

Team better have winning record in 2007, with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, or Ted's rebuilding project gonna be looking sad.