Thompson gets a C- grade

[bobblehead]

the jes were very aggressive in the offseasn. they had 21 of 22 starters healthy. they were off a bye week. they were at home. which gm won the game again??

Pretty seleictive reasoning that can go the other way

The Bears were aggressive in free agency when both squads were relative healthy; which gm won that game ?

And I'm not arguing the Bears have anything special at GM

we had already lost grant. the bears were nowhere near as aggressive as the jets. no bye week. in chicago. your entire argument is bunk

[cheesner]

The Packers were a pre-season favorite for the Superbowl because TT has filled the roster with talented players. He was still able to add 3 players who started through the draft. Another player was a big contributer, Neal, before he got injured. 'Additionally, he added a FA, Shields, and a 7th rounder, who are providing substantial contributions. Has any GM in the NFL had that kind of success drafting this season? Maybe Detroit, or some of the other teams with poor teams last year, but those teams are so much easier to upgrade.

I am really disappointed in the author, Rob Demovsky, and I don't think I will be reading any more of his articles. I would easily give TT a solid 'A' and would say he has had a better off-season than any GM in the NFL.

If TT was let go tomorrow, I think he would have about 25 job offers before the end of the day. He is the best, and the Packers are damn lucky to have him.

[imscott72]

To me, Thompson gets a solid B+ this season...he didn't hit any home runs, which I think are necessary to get up to that A level. However, he once again improved the roster's talent from top to bottom. Few GMs in the league do that as consistently as Thompson.

Thompson hit a grand slam with Clay Matthews..Probably a 3 run shot with Raji as well..

Edit: Nevermind, I realize now we're talking this season only.

[Bossman641]

I read this piece and was disgusted.

Look at the paragraph.......

Once again, General Manager Ted Thompson did nothing in free agency. His third-round pick, Burnett, opened the season as a starter. His first-round pick, Bulaga, moved into a starting role during the season. Second-round pick Mike Neal looked like a good addition to the defensive line but couldn’t stay healthy. Quarless, a fifth-rounder, looks like a promising prospect. He and his staff may have found gems in undrafted rookies Shields and Zombo. So it looks like he’s put together another good rookie class. The in-season addition of Green looks good, but failing to add a quality running back after Grant got hurt has crippled the offense. Thompson refused to bid enough to get former first-round draft pick Marshawn Lynch in a trade from Buffalo. Thompson’s former understudy, Seattle GM John Schneider, did it, and the Seahawks have been happy with his contributions.

This year, TT has 4 drafted players who are/were contributing heavily, 2 undrafted players who are contributing, and an in-season pickup in Green. How does 7 players contributing not heavily outweigh not wanting to spend a 3rd rounder on Lynch? As much as GB writers want to act like Lynch is the second coming, the jury is still out on the deal. Who cares if "the Seahawks" (whatever that means) are happy with Lynch? Teams don't spend picks on a guy and then badmouth or give up on him weeks later...well except for the Vikings.

[Bretsky]

the jes were very aggressive in the offseasn. they had 21 of 22 starters healthy. they were off a bye week. they were at home. which gm won the game again??

Pretty seleictive reasoning that can go the other way

The Bears were aggressive in free agency when both squads were relative healthy; which gm won that game ?

And I'm not arguing the Bears have anything special at GM

we had already lost grant. the bears were nowhere near as aggressive as the jets. no bye week. in chicago. your entire argument is bunk

How much did the Bears spend in Free agents as opposed to the Jets ?
That Packer team with or without Grant is still far more talented, as are the Jets now that the Packers are all hurt.

I can accept my argument is shit but then I'd have to point out yours is as well

[Bretsky]

Thompson IMO is about a B+ in this point in my book

[vince]

The Packers were a pre-season favorite for the Superbowl because TT has filled the roster with talented players. He was still able to add 3 players who started through the draft. Another player was a big contributer, Neal, before he got injured. 'Additionally, he added a FA, Shields, and a 7th rounder, who are providing substantial contributions. Has any GM in the NFL had that kind of success drafting this season? Maybe Detroit, or some of the other teams with poor teams last year, but those teams are so much easier to upgrade.

I am really disappointed in the author, Rob Demovsky, and I don't think I will be reading any more of his articles. I would easily give TT a solid 'A' and would say he has had a better off-season than any GM in the NFL.

If TT was let go tomorrow, I think he would have about 25 job offers before the end of the day. He is the best, and the Packers are damn lucky to have him.

Agree with this. You can nitpick every roster in the league, but I believe the reality is that the Packers have a Super Bowl caliber roster when it comes to talent and character. Some people will only grade what hindsight makes obvious, but I believe time will prove that there is no GM in the league doing a better job right now than Thompson. Put Finley and Grant on this team over the first half of the year - never mind all the guys on the defensive side of the ball that have been hurt - and you have what is head and shoulders the best team in the league. Better than the Pats, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Colts - all of them.

The coaching staff, led by McCarthy, deserves a lot of credit too for effectively developing the talent on the roster top to bottom. The jury is out - for McCarthy/Capers IMO (not Thompson) to determine whether he/they can complete the mission. The questions IMO reside with game strategy and decision-making, not team leadership or player development - and certainly not personnel evaluation/acquisition/retainment. While the questions are legitimate, I believe they can and will, get it done. I wouldn't bet this is the year necessarily because the Packers have been unlucky so far and you need a little luck too, but that belief has only been reinforced by what's transpired so far.

[Patler]

I don't understand those grades of A-, they are really bewildering to me. There is more to a GM than drafting ability. I'll say that Ted might just be the best evaluator of college talent in the NFL, if not, you could not make a serious argument for less than top 5.

The rest of the job? He's pedestrian at best. His ability to evaluate coaching talent is mediocre. His ability to handle the media is below mediocre. He consistently undervalues the contributions that non rookie free agents and non Packer veterans can make to a squad. Today, I understand that he has decided he can build a talented veteran squad over a period of time, and that is still a work in progress. We won't know for another year or so. We'll see. He doesn't come close to sniffing an "A" of any type until this team wins a playoff game.

But today, I'll stand strong on a b-, and you might even argue well enough that I'd give a b. Nothing you could say will get me into A- territory. Put down the kool-aid, you've had enough.

FWIW, I don't think the "evaluation" by the Press Gazette was that unfair, and I understand it considering his relationship or lack thereof with any person who even thinks about wearing a media badge. Whether he likes it or not, it is a part of his job, and the single biggest area he needs to improve.

But the grade was for personnel (player) moves. Not coach hiring, not media relations, not public image. Personnel moves.

Why does a GM have to use FA, trades of high draft picks, etc.? Is there a rule that says he must? Why can't he focus on the draft and use the others sparingly? All that matters is if he puts together a good roster. If he never signs another high-price FA but wins a super bowl, is he still deficient as a GM because he doesn't use free agency?

It seems to me that if 2010 proves anything about TT so far it is that he has done a very good job with personnel.

Bigby, the starter is out, Burnett is there. Burnett goes down, Peprah steps in. Harris isn't ready, Williams replaces him and an UDFA steps in at nickel. Shields can't play and Lee/Bush who many would have given up on seem to get the job done.

Kampman leaves, Jones steps in. Jones goes down, Zombo (UDFA)/Poppinga play. Poppinga goes out for the season, guys we never heard of play. Barnett goes out, Bishop plays better than we expect.

Harrell is lost from the DL rotation, Neal steps in. Neal goes out, CJ Wilson plays. Pickett is out for games, Wynn and Green (who??) play surprisingly well.

Finley is lost and the old vet Lee is still around, plus we see a blocker in Crabtree (another free agent) who is probably the best blocker they have had since Bubba Franks, and a rookie in Quarles who shows flashes of receiving talent that are better than what we saw from Finley as a rookie. Now he doesn't have Finley's potential in all likelihood, but could become the second best receiving TE that the Packers have had for quite a while.

One of the "not replaceable" tackles is lost for half the games so far, Bulaga steps in, and the line just might be better for it.

Grant goes out, Jackson and Kuhn take over.

Now Driver is out and its time for Nelson and Jones to step up.

My point isn't that each instance has been handled perfectly, far from it. BUT, through all of those changes, half way through the season the team finds itself at 5-3, first in the NFC North and coming off a nice win over a Super Bowl favorite in the Jets. What more do you really want from your GM than to have built a roster that can weather a devastating list of injuries and still be winning?

[Patler]

People complain that TT doesn't use "free agency". What they really are complaining about is that he doesn't spend big dollars on players they have heard of often enough to suit them.

TT uses free agency a lot, especially on defense, but he uses the less glamorous sides of free agency. The Packers currently list 23 players on their roster on defense. TT brought in 15 of them via different forms of FA, and one by a trade.

DL - Pickett, Green and now Wynn
LB - Zombo, Chillar, Wilhelm, Walden, Briggs, Francois
CB Williams, Woodson, Shields, Bush
Safety - Peprah, Bigby
Trade - Smith

At least four of the free agents will start (Woodson, Williams, Peprah, Zombo) and maybe a fifth in Pickett. Green, Chillar and Shields are likely the first off the bench at DL, LB and DB.

But we all know that TT ignores free agency!

[Patler]

Thompson IMO is about a B+ in this point in my book

That's about what I would give him, too.

[MJZiggy]

But the grade was for personnel (player) moves. Not coach hiring, not media relations, not public image. Personnel moves.

Why does a GM have to use FA, trades of high draft picks, etc.? Is there a rule that says he must? Why can't he focus on the draft and use the others sparingly? All that matters is if he puts together a good roster. If he never signs another high-price FA but wins a super bowl, is he still deficient as a GM because he doesn't use free agency?

It seems to me that if 2010 proves anything about TT so far it is that he has done a very good job with personnel.

Bigby, the starter is out, Burnett is there. Burnett goes down, Peprah steps in. Harris isn't ready, Williams replaces him and an UDFA steps in at nickel. Shields can't play and Lee/Bush who many would have given up on seem to get the job done.

Kampman leaves, Jones steps in. Jones goes down, Zombo (UDFA)/Poppinga play. Poppinga goes out for the season, guys we never heard of play. Barnett goes out, Bishop plays better than we expect.

Harrell is lost from the DL rotation, Neal steps in. Neal goes out, CJ Wilson plays. Pickett is out for games, Wynn and Green (who??) play surprisingly well.

Finley is lost and the old vet Lee is still around, plus we see a blocker in Crabtree (another free agent) who is probably the best blocker they have had since Bubba Franks, and a rookie in Quarles who shows flashes of receiving talent that are better than what we saw from Finley as a rookie. Now he doesn't have Finley's potential in all likelihood, but could become the second best receiving TE that the Packers have had for quite a while.

One of the "not replaceable" tackles is lost for half the games so far, Bulaga steps in, and the line just might be better for it.

Grant goes out, Jackson and Kuhn take over.

Now Driver is out and its time for Nelson and Jones to step up.

My point isn't that each instance has been handled perfectly, far from it. BUT, through all of those changes, half way through the season the team finds itself at 5-3, first in the NFC North and coming off a nice win over a Super Bowl favorite in the Jets. What more do you really want from your GM than to have built a roster that can weather a devastating list of injuries and still be winning?

Reading this post makes me dizzy. Seems I can take the giant roller coaster, but not the little merry-go-round near the entrance...

[Pugger]

People complain that TT doesn't use "free agency". What they really are complaining about is that he doesn't spend big dollars on players they have heard of often enough to suit them.
TT uses free agency a lot, especially on defense, but he uses the less glamorous sides of free agency. The Packers currently list 23 players on their roster on defense. TT brought in 15 of them via different forms of FA, and one by a trade.

DL - Pickett, Green and now Wynn
LB - Zombo, Chillar, Wilhelm, Walden, Briggs, Francois
CB Williams, Woodson, Shields, Bush
Safety - Peprah, Bigby
Trade - Smith

At least four of the free agents will start (Woodson, Williams, Peprah, Zombo) and maybe a fifth in Pickett. Green, Chillar and Shields are likely the first off the bench at DL, LB and DB.

But we all know that TT ignores free agency!

+1 This is the thing that the TT detractors repeated say. If a FA is someone folks ever heard of how can he be any good?

[ThunderDan]

People complain that TT doesn't use "free agency". What they really are complaining about is that he doesn't spend big dollars on players they have heard of often enough to suit them.
TT uses free agency a lot, especially on defense, but he uses the less glamorous sides of free agency. The Packers currently list 23 players on their roster on defense. TT brought in 15 of them via different forms of FA, and one by a trade.

DL - Pickett, Green and now Wynn
LB - Zombo, Chillar, Wilhelm, Walden, Briggs, Francois
CB Williams, Woodson, Shields, Bush
Safety - Peprah, Bigby
Trade - Smith

At least four of the free agents will start (Woodson, Williams, Peprah, Zombo) and maybe a fifth in Pickett. Green, Chillar and Shields are likely the first off the bench at DL, LB and DB.

But we all know that TT ignores free agency!

+1 This is the thing that the TT detractors repeated say. If a FA is someone folks ever heard of how can he be any good?

The other issue to me is... now that all of the GMs have figured out how to use the salary cap no or very few blue chip players hit the FA market. There will be no more Reggie Whites available.

The guys that come available are 6-9 year vets that are on the backside of their careers. Sure they are good but if their original team didn't have an up and coming youngster that player wouldn't be hitting the street and available in the first place.

[Scott Campbell]

People complain that TT doesn't use "free agency". What they really are complaining about is that he doesn't spend big dollars on players they have heard of often enough to suit them.

It's true.

[sheepshead]

I'd give my comments on this stupid article, but that would mean it would go into the F*ck thread.

This is a joke of a review.

No shit. This Thompson bashing is beyond getting old. He's one of the best front office guys in football if not all of sports.