Patler called this 4 years ago

[RashanGary]

Regarding TT's strategy, I like TT's conservative style. He is not going to overpay for a player just because he has the money. It makes no sense to pay more for a player than you determine he is worth. Might as well save the money, and flow it through to next year when there may be more players deserving it. To over pay players is building for mediocrity. Doing what TT appears to be doing, getting value for his money, may result in a few less wins this year or next, but in the long runs it builds a roster capable of a real chance to get to the Super Bowl. It also builds a team with depth that can sustain itself as a playoff threat for more than just a year or two

I was looking through posts from way back when, when people really accused Thompson of being cheap. I had some posts, but mine were mostly long winded and pretty poorly written.

Patler, though, summed it up really nicely in this little post from 4 years ago. It wasn't about not spending. It was about spending wisely, always has been. It's tough to spend wisely when you don't draft wisely because there isn't much wise spending in UFA. It helps to have tags and tenders and in order to have tags and tenders, you first had to draft well. This took time, but like Patler said almost half a decade ago, Ted's style is going to build a team that doens't just have one chance to win a SB, it will have a chance to win year after year after year.

Right now, we are seeing what Patler saw 4 years ago. I think this team is going to be the best team in the NFL over the next 5 years. In the next few years, I really don't think Ted cares for this, but I think he's going to be a hero in Green Bay.

[RashanGary]

Packer inventory


Quality young talent? Check (maybe the most in the NFL)
QB stability? Check (one of best young QB's in NFL)
Offensive coaching stability? Check (one of best young coaches in league)
Defensive coaching stability? Check (one of best 3-4 coaches in league)
Playoff competitive team? Check (proved to be worthy of playoffs in 2009)
Playmakers? Check (Rodgers, Collins, Matthews, Woodson, Jennings all in GB for several more years)
Room to add more talent? Check (lots of money to spend, especially if a cap comes back, we've front loaded these deals on the non capped year)


I honestly don't think there is another team in the league with as bright of a situation RIGHT NOW. Not in the future, but RIGHT NOW and for the next several years.

[vince]

And the things you'll hopefully be able to check off by the time next season starts:

- Quality Young LT to Groom for the Future
- Quality Pass Rusher
- Quality Defensive Backfield Depth
- Quality Punter
- Quality Returner/Slashback

This team is not far from being complete. Here's hoping a lockout doesn't place itself right in the middle of what looks like it could be a great run.

[Scott Campbell]

It was about time Patler finally got one right.

[RashanGary]

Kind of amazing, really. About half the fans hated Thompson, thought he was just a cheap-skate and had an ego. 30% love anything Packer. Then there were about 20%, like me, that saw a lot of value in what Ted was doing and could envision how it might come together.

Then there was Patler, in 2006, pretty much calling his shot and now it's playing out exactly as he called. Many jumped on board as the years went by, but Patler saw this in 2000 and freakin 6, after the 4-12 year.

Impressive. After 4 more years of listening to Thompson, many people are still surprised by whats happening and Patler envisioned it 4 years ago. Pretty big WOW. He's the anti-retailguy

For all the flack we dish around here, time for some credit. That post, at that time, was pretty impressive. He saw the meaningful information, was able to access high value to the right evidence, lower value to the less credible evidence and see what I consider (in hindsight) to be the reality of the situation at the earliest possible time. That's tough to do. That's what we all try to do. Sometimes we hit it, but I've never hit on out of hte part the way Patler did.

Patler

[Bretsky]

There is no need to take a potshot at RG and then follow it up with a smiley face that means next to nothing but to appear to soften the blow up a bit when everybody knows you two detest each other.

Patler gets more kudos from me for acting like Barry Sanders after scoring a TD when he seemed to be on the mark than actually being right.

[Bossman641]

I agree, completely unnecessary JH. While I disagree with Retail's view of the team, there is no need to rub it in his face.

[red]

It was about time Patler finally got one right.

yeah, throw enough shit at the side of a barn and something is bound to stick

[swede]

It was about time Patler finally got one right.

yeah, throw enough shit at the side of a barn and something is bound to stick

Lay off, Patler, guys. Sure, I know he's emotional and all, but he does show a talent for intuition and good guesswork.

[pbmax]

It was about time Patler finally got one right.

yeah, throw enough shit at the side of a barn and something is bound to stick

Lay off, Patler, guys. Sure, I know he's emotional and all, but he does show a talent for intuition and good guesswork.

If only he felt more comfortable with numbers to support his arguments...

[wist43]

I've always agreed with building thru the draft... 4 years ago, my main complaint was winning while we still had a franchise QB; and, that sorry excuse for a defense and defensive philosophy.

Patler is right as the present becomes history, but it's all about winning championships, isn't it??

Lest anyone forget, just last year when they were 6-10, everyone was calling for TT's head.

2 things make TT's turtle like approach seem more palatable now, 1) Rodgers panned out, and 2) he switched to a 3-4.

Neither scenario I could have predicted... Rodgers looked more like "Mr. Rodgers" than Johnny Unitas; and, the Packers track record on defense has been less than Super Bowl worthy.

As for the signing of FA's... it's a different era, but know and understand - we never would have won the title in '96 w/o the wholesale signing of FA's.

Reggie White - the biggest signing in franchise history
Sean Jones
Santana Dotson
Keith Jackson
Gilbert Brown (off the waiver wire - thank you Minnesota)

Our entire starting DL in that winning SB were signed as FA's.

TT has said if he thought we were 1 or 2 players away, he'd make a splash... but truthfully, at this point, I think we're close enough now without having to go out and spend on the open market.

Still... the back end needs help, and I'm not convinced Patrick Lee can step up, Underwood has more upside I think, but he's still raw. Williams is a good player, but can he fill Harris's shoes??? And surely Harris will be in serious decline now...

There are holes to fill... if TT thinks he has the solutions developing on the current roster, great... but if not, and he doesn't draft a starter or two (CB, S, RT), how do we fills those holes and get to a SB??

[Lurker64]

Something I've found interesting, compared to previous years, there has been significantly less going back and forth about the merits and demerits of our general manager. Part of this may be because we just came off an 11-5 season, part of it may be because a lot of the usual suspects have been shown the door, but I imagine a large part of it is simply that that these things usually coincide with the free agency class, and this free agency class is immediately obvious to even the most casual observer one of the worst in history.

It's nice to not hear "Thompson has failed because he didn't sign [x]", since there's not a lot of x that would do a damn thing to help our roster (if any.)

[swede]

Something I've found interesting, compared to previous years, there has been significantly less going back and forth about the merits and demerits of our general manager. Part of this may be because we just came off an 11-5 season, part of it may be because a lot of the usual suspects have been shown the door, but I imagine a large part of it is simply that that these things usually coincide with the free agency class, and this free agency class is immediately obvious to even the most casual observer one of the worst in history.

It's nice to not hear "Thompson has failed because he didn't sign [x]", since there's not a lot of x that would do a damn thing to help our roster (if any.)

Not that SI is always right, but they gave the Bears a thumbs down in free agency for spending tons of money while leaving the offensive line in bad shape. And they gave us a thumbs up for signing some very good players: Clifton, Collins, and Pickett.

[Fritz]

And the things you'll hopefully be able to check off by the time next season starts:

- Quality Young LT to Groom for the Future
- Quality Pass Rusher
- Quality Defensive Backfield Depth
- Quality Punter
- Quality Returner/Slashback

This team is not far from being complete. Here's hoping a lockout doesn't place itself right in the middle of what looks like it could be a great run.

This is the most heartening post I've read in a while. I happen to agree with the list, but the larger point is that if you look at the list and the positions, it's about filling in, not fixing.

If the Pack doesn't get that young left tackle, then yeah, the team is in awful shape soon. So it's important. And yes, if they can't find someone opposite Mathews, it's going to be hard to create pressure. And no, nobody wants Jarrett Bush or Derrick Martin playing defensive back. Nor do we want another Krapinos/Frost type of punter, shank you very much.

But the team has a lot of strengths, and if Thompson can orchestrate one more really good draft, right now, this year, this team might be positioned to go somewhere big next year. Of course, we've also got to remember those beat-downs at the hands of the Vikings.

But hooray for Thompson signing Pickett and Collins. I think that he sends a good message to that Packer locker room: play hard, do the right things on and off the field, and if you're a good player we'll take care of you.

Now, Teddy, review Vince's list, and keep in mind the order of the list, and go fill it this April.

[Scott Campbell]

Something I've found interesting, compared to previous years, there has been significantly less going back and forth about the merits and demerits of our general manager. Part of this may be because we just came off an 11-5 season, part of it may be because a lot of the usual suspects have been shown the door, but I imagine a large part of it is simply that that these things usually coincide with the free agency class, and this free agency class is immediately obvious to even the most casual observer one of the worst in history.

It's nice to not hear "Thompson has failed because he didn't sign [x]", since there's not a lot of x that would do a damn thing to help our roster (if any.)

I think for some people, the bright side of being 4-4 was that it was looking like an opportunity was taking shape to finally get rid of Ted. While watching the team finish strong to make the playoffs was fun, it took the wind out of their lynch mob sails for the off season.

That, and I think some people are starting to have a greater appreciation for the build through the draft approach after our draft of last year.