T.T. gives the media no ammo

[Fritz]

TT remains one of the best executives in pro football.

He needs to acquire the talent to win a Super Bowl and build a consistent winner before he can even be considered one of the best.

ditto; I'll annoint him as a king after he earns the crown

Nobody said he was THE best; the phrase was "one of the best."

I think he is one of the best GM's in the NFL. He's better than "okay" or even "pretty good."

How many are better? Does New England's GM count since so many claim it's the coach who runs the show?

Let's see...Indianapolis has a GM who's gotten the team to the SB a couple times lately. Minnesota's GM - is that Spielburg? - could be said to be better based on the past year, though Thompson got the pieces to get GB to the same NFC championship game three years ago. San Diego? Nope, no Super Bowl. New Orleans? Maybe. Pittsburgh? Good organization, but for those pointing fingers at Thompson's up-and-down record, how do you account for Pittsburgh's up-and-down seasons? Arizona? Dallas? Baltimore? Have those teams gotten further than Green Bay?

No, Thompson can't be said to be the best GM in the NFL. No Super Bowl appearance, no consistent streak of playoff runs yet. But I think it's fairly safe to say he's one of the top five in the NFL.

[sheepshead]

TT remains one of the best executives in pro football.

He needs to acquire the talent to win a Super Bowl and build a consistent winner before he can even be considered one of the best.

ditto; I'll annoint him as a king after he earns the crown

Nobody said he was THE best; the phrase was "one of the best."

I think he is one of the best GM's in the NFL. He's better than "okay" or even "pretty good."

How many are better? Does New England's GM count since so many claim it's the coach who runs the show?

Let's see...Indianapolis has a GM who's gotten the team to the SB a couple times lately. Minnesota's GM - is that Spielburg? - could be said to be better based on the past year, though Thompson got the pieces to get GB to the same NFC championship game three years ago. San Diego? Nope, no Super Bowl. New Orleans? Maybe. Pittsburgh? Good organization, but for those pointing fingers at Thompson's up-and-down record, how do you account for Pittsburgh's up-and-down seasons? Arizona? Dallas? Baltimore? Have those teams gotten further than Green Bay?

No, Thompson can't be said to be the best GM in the NFL. No Super Bowl appearance, no consistent streak of playoff runs yet. But I think it's fairly safe to say he's one of the top five in the NFL.

well said, I know we spend a lot of time on these boards ripping his choices and contemplating free agents and draft choices and that makes the NFL fun, but I'm not sure I would trade TT for another guy right now.

[Scott Campbell]

TT remains one of the best executives in pro football.

We'll see. He hasn't really done well at the positions that do matter most:

Because QB matters about as much as the punter does.

[Patler]

Considering in the span of five years he rebuilt 54 of 62 roster spots (active and IR in 2009) with players he brought in, replaced a HOF QB, made the playoffs a couple times and has a young team good enough to have 11 wins in the current season, I think TT has done a very good job. Good enough to call him one of the better GMs in the league. Rebuilding a team to that extent, especially when QB is part of the rebuild, and not go through consecutive seasons that are abysmal, is no easy task. While the record in 2008 was not good, the team was competitive. There was really only one bad season.

Thompson has accomplished a heck of a lot, but there is still more to do. There will always be more to do because of the ever changing nature of an NFL team.

However, at some point, the roster is good enough, even with weaknesses, and it becomes the coaching staff's responsibility to take it the rest of the way, and the GMs responsibility to hold the coaching staff responsible. I'm not sure if the Packers are there yet, but they are close.

[hoosier]

Considering in the span of five years he rebuilt 54 of 62 roster spots (active and IR in 2009) with players he brought in, replaced a HOF QB, made the playoffs a couple times and has a young team good enough to have 11 wins in the current season, I think TT has done a very good job. Good enough to call him one of the better GMs in the league. Rebuilding a team to that extent, especially when QB is part of the rebuild, and not go through consecutive seasons that are abysmal, is no easy task. While the record in 2008 was not good, the team was competitive. There was really only one bad season.

Thompson has accomplished a heck of a lot, but there is still more to do. There will always be more to do because of the ever changing nature of an NFL team.

However, at some point, the roster is good enough, even with weaknesses, and it becomes the coaching staff's responsibility to take it the rest of the way, and the GMs responsibility to hold the coaching staff responsible. I'm not sure if the Packers are there yet, but they are close.

I think they are there in every respect except possibly for OL, which remains a bit of a mystery: have TTs recent picks failed to develop the way Wolf's picks did with Lovat and Beightol because of lack of talent or insufficient coaching? Even if coaching is primarily to blame, TT still needs to find the LT of the future before I feel comfortable with the talent level there.

[Smidgeon]

We'll see. He hasn't really done well at the positions that do matter most: The line.

Pro Bowl QB? WR? Pass rushing LB in the 3-4? #1 run defense DL? Pro Bowl Safety? DPOY CB? 1250 yard RB with 0 fumbles?

I think until the team is perfect people will always find a gripe if they want to find one. TT has drafted many on the O-line. He hasn't drafted one in round 1 yet, but everywhere from round 2 to eternity he's looked to upgrade that line, including free agency (just not the ones that in retrospect worked out for other teams).

[Bossman641]

We'll see. He hasn't really done well at the positions that do matter most: The line.

Pro Bowl QB? WR? Pass rushing LB in the 3-4? #1 run defense DL? Pro Bowl Safety? DPOY CB? 1250 yard RB with 0 fumbles?

I think until the team is perfect people will always find a gripe if they want to find one. TT has drafted many on the O-line. He hasn't drafted one in round 1 yet, but everywhere from round 2 to eternity he's looked to upgrade that line, including free agency (just not the ones that in retrospect worked out for other teams).

I agree. It always cracks me up when people rip on TT's draft choices. Have they been perfect? No, but no GM is. And when you look at how his picks have stacked up next to other teams it really isn't even close.

[Sparkey]

TT remains one of the best executives in pro football.

He needs to acquire the talent to win a Super Bowl and build a consistent winner before he can even be considered one of the best.

By that standard, Bill Polian isn't much of a gm either. Event though his eye for talent got the Bills to the Super Bowl four years in a row.

[Fritz]

TT remains one of the best executives in pro football.

He needs to acquire the talent to win a Super Bowl and build a consistent winner before he can even be considered one of the best.

By that standard, Bill Polian isn't much of a gm either. Event though his eye for talent got the Bills to the Super Bowl four years in a row.

If that's your standard to be one of the best, then who are the best? Teams who have won a Super Bowl and consistently won from season to season?

I listed several teams earlier in this thread. The only ones that seem to fit your criteria are New England and Indy. So by "best" or "one of the best" do you mean, then, top two? Top three?

[Bretsky]

TT remains one of the best executives in pro football.

He needs to acquire the talent to win a Super Bowl and build a consistent winner before he can even be considered one of the best.

ditto; I'll annoint him as a king after he earns the crown

Nobody said he was THE best; the phrase was "one of the best."

I think he is one of the best GM's in the NFL. He's better than "okay" or even "pretty good."

How many are better? Does New England's GM count since so many claim it's the coach who runs the show?

Let's see...Indianapolis has a GM who's gotten the team to the SB a couple times lately. Minnesota's GM - is that Spielburg? - could be said to be better based on the past year, though Thompson got the pieces to get GB to the same NFC championship game three years ago. San Diego? Nope, no Super Bowl. New Orleans? Maybe. Pittsburgh? Good organization, but for those pointing fingers at Thompson's up-and-down record, how do you account for Pittsburgh's up-and-down seasons? Arizona? Dallas? Baltimore? Have those teams gotten further than Green Bay?

No, Thompson can't be said to be the best GM in the NFL. No Super Bowl appearance, no consistent streak of playoff runs yet. But I think it's fairly safe to say he's one of the top five in the NFL.

TOP 5 ? Don't buy that he's warranted that argument. I'd give him top 10. Indy, Pittsburg, Giants, Vikings, Saints, come off the top of my head for starters as sticking out well. San Diego personnell wise would have to be graded out more consistent. Perhaps New England..And I'm sure you could throw in a few others into that mix. But I'm not annointing him top 5 quite yet.

Not complaining either; he's done a very good job.

[Packers4Ever]

I'm disappointed that the media still wants to stir up trouble between Favre and The Packers.

They will never give up,

count on it !!

[pbmax]

I'm disappointed that the media still wants to stir up trouble between Favre and The Packers.

They will never give up,

count on it !!

Come on you two. Even Mike Holmgren today on the radio said he felt the problem could have been averted if there had been better communication between the two sides. While I think Mike is putting a happy face on it (it was closer to a standoff IMHO), even someone who knows the principals doesn't think this is over. The media didn't invent this. The two parties involved let it develop and failed to appreciate what the fallout would be (or didn't care because they thought they were right). Their stories will always be linked and Thompson will only top that story if he delivers a Super Bowl.

I doubt either side feels its owed an apology from the media over the constant coverage. And I would suspect that if they ever expressed this feeling that it would most likely be a ploy to leverage outlets to cover it less. Of course, if Mrs. Favre continues to take pictures with relatives in THANKSTED jerseys, then those requests will fall on deaf ears.

BTW, it was an incredible sense of deja vu listening to Holmgren on the radio. Same guy, same presence. Seems excited about his new job.

[Gunakor]

Nobody said he was THE best; the phrase was "one of the best."

I think he is one of the best GM's in the NFL. He's better than "okay" or even "pretty good."

How many are better? Does New England's GM count since so many claim it's the coach who runs the show?

Let's see...Indianapolis has a GM who's gotten the team to the SB a couple times lately. Minnesota's GM - is that Spielburg? - could be said to be better based on the past year, though Thompson got the pieces to get GB to the same NFC championship game three years ago. San Diego? Nope, no Super Bowl. New Orleans? Maybe. Pittsburgh? Good organization, but for those pointing fingers at Thompson's up-and-down record, how do you account for Pittsburgh's up-and-down seasons? Arizona? Dallas? Baltimore? Have those teams gotten further than Green Bay?

No, Thompson can't be said to be the best GM in the NFL. No Super Bowl appearance, no consistent streak of playoff runs yet. But I think it's fairly safe to say he's one of the top five in the NFL.

TOP 5 ? Don't buy that he's warranted that argument. I'd give him top 10. Indy, Pittsburg, Giants, Vikings, Saints, come off the top of my head for starters as sticking out well. San Diego personnell wise would have to be graded out more consistent. Perhaps New England..And I'm sure you could throw in a few others into that mix. But I'm not annointing him top 5 quite yet.

Not complaining either; he's done a very good job.

I think it's pretty safe to say Thompson is top 5. He's almost completely turned over this roster in a very, very short amount of time and is still making playoff pushes. This is his team now, not the one he inherited. His very first two draft picks as the Packers GM are both playing in Miami this weekend. His first big name FA signing declined to go, but he did win Defensive Player of the Year. I'm just saying, wherever he's mined talent from during his time here in Green Bay he's struck gold.

Thompson has been named Executive of the Year twice in the past 3 seasons now. There's a reason for that. Once could be a fluke, but twice in 3 years is establishing a trend. I wouldn't call him the very best in the NFL either, but top 5 is not that far of a reach.

[swede]

I think it's pretty safe to say Thompson is top 5.

Thompson has been named Executive of the Year twice in the past 3 seasons now. There's a reason for that. Once could be a fluke, but twice in 3 years is establishing a trend. I wouldn't call him the very best in the NFL either, but top 5 is not that far of a reach.

I'm inclined to agree, but I think that others who'd drop him down three or four spots (I'm not counting those who would drop him 27 spots) have some ammunition to make pretty good arguments for the slightly lower ranking.

Offensive line: TT has paid particularly close attention to the offensive line during his drafts without a great deal of depth to show for his efforts. It continues to be a huge concern going into next year, and I wonder if he has considered making changes to either his scouting department or McCarthy's coaching staff in order to fix the problem. I'll dig into past drafts to find out how many picks he's made on the offensive line vs. how many remain on the team. His wide receivers and tight ends are sticking at a much higher rate I would think.

Special Teams: Have sucked and do suck in most areas. Coaching or personnel? Whatever it is he's not getting it fixed after multiple do-overs.

Defensive Backs: I'll cut him some slack on this one because this unit has operated really well at times. But we just lost a playoff game 51-42 and the opposing quarterback shredded our passing defense. As with the offensive line, huge questions remain in terms of how to replace our aging veterans.

[Gunakor]

But we just lost a playoff game 51-42 and the opposing quarterback shredded our passing defense.

It's tough to win a playoff game against a dangerous pass happy offense led by a potential HOF quarterback and WR when 3 of your top 5 cornerbacks are on IR.