A LITTLE TEDDY ARTICLE ON YAHOO SPORTS...

[MichiganPackerFan]

I don't see how anyone would confuse this column with a news article. It's an opinion piece.

Agreed. And a fun one to read at that. SOmeone beat me to the comment that the headline probably wasn't writted by the author. I've always felt we had a really good duo in TT & MM and I think this season just validates that.

[pbmax]

I can't believe you wrote that. McGinn does full interviews. He routinely interviews Thompson after games and directly quotes him. McGinn writes separate opinion pieces from his reporting and the difference between the two types of articles is obvious.

The same is true of Silver. At least it was back in SI, I do not know if he writes game recaps for Yahoo. If it had a traditional by-line, say the Super Bowl recap, it was a straight magazine story. But if it had his little picture and his name at the top, it was opinion. That Yahoo story had him pictured at the top of the page. There is very little room for confusion. The fact that none of the other quotes are in here seem to point to an opinion/speculation piece based on an answer Thompson wouldn't give and the interview portion may have been used elsewhere.

And he does quote Thompson's exact answer to the question he wished to avoid. You really have to want it for this to look like the secrets of Thompson.

I do grant that the byline along, with or without picture is an odd and subdued way to make an important distinction, but its pretty traditional.

[RashanGary]

We can jump through hoops of technicality, but for me it's a simple smell test. Does this story mislead? If the answer is yes, I don't respect it. If the answer is no, I do respect it.

For all of McGinn's strengths, there are articles where he used Thompson's words and filled in the blanks in ways that were either idiotic or dishonest. I give McGinn too much credit with his intelligence, hence I think he's a snake.

[pbmax]

We can jump through hoops of technicality, but for me it's a simple smell test. Does this story mislead? If the answer is yes, I don't respect it. If the answer is no, I do respect it.

For all of McGinn's strengths, there are articles where he used Thompson's words and filled in the blanks in ways that were either idiotic or dishonest. I give McGinn too much credit with his intelligence, hence I think he's a snake.

The problem with that test Justin is that everyone is at the mercy of the weakest reader or the reader with an agenda of their own. Weak readers can be easily misled or confused. Those with an agenda can object to almost anything.l

I actually prefer either straight advocacy or bland recitations of facts. Almost everything in between makes a hash out of the subject and its relevant points.

[RashanGary]

And that's exactly the problem. After a good (IMO horrible) article by McGinn, half of Green Bay and 70% of Milwaukee are running around bitching about McGinn's insinuations. 2, 3, 4, 5 years later Ted is ripping it up and the things that were written are merely forgotten.

I give the guy credit for his sources and for his detail in much of what he does. But when it comes to opinions, and using Ted's words to write stories, I'm just baffled by how irresponsible he is. The bad ones come in the offseason and they read more like a guy who's throwing a fit and filling in the blanks because Ted wouldn't do it for him.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Pretty good article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune also.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/blogs/113462979.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiU9PmP:QiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUM2H_MDCiU

[B]Packers can thank Favre for producing Matthews[/B]
[I]Posted by Mark Craig, Minneapolis Star Tribune[/I]

While wondering if Jay Cutler is aware that Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune did some research and discovered a that quarterbacks making their playoff debuts are 5-19 since 2003 ...

FIRST DOWN: 

The first sentence of my column the day the Packers traded Brett Favre to the Jets in 2008 went like this: GREEN BAY, WIS. -- The Green Bay Packers handled a difficult situation beautifully.

I'm still recovering from the e-beatin' I took. Vikings fans ripped me. Favre fans torched me. Ted Thompson haters were even more PO'd.

Former Packer and then-Vikings safety Darren Sharper, a big TT Hate-ah, supposedly was asking for me as he walked onto the practice field in Mankato. I wasn't there, but he politely told me later on that I was completely nuts.

Favre made it personal between himself and Thompson. Thompson had a viable replacement he felt would become an elite QB in Aaron Rodgers. So Thompson dumped Favre outside the conference in New York for a conditional fourth-round draft pick.

I thought a fourth-rounder was a steal for a soon-to-be 40-year-old who had already played 17 seasons. A year later, that steal became a ridiculous steal, a third-rounder because Favre played more than 50 percent of the Jets' snaps.

I mention this now because in a few weeks, Clay Matthews is expected to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

And what does that have to do with the Favre trade, you ask?

Well, in 2009, Thompson packaged that third-round pick with others in a trade with New England that gave Ted the 26th overall draft pick. And with that pick, Thompson selected Matthews, who wasn't exactly a star at USC. Now, Matthews is about to be named the league's best defensive player.

SECOND DOWN:

I also was in favor of the Vikings trading a third-round pick for Randy Moss this season. I was wrong and this is why you wouldn't want me matching wits with Ted Thompson.

I assumed Moss was the missing piece and wouldn't act like a jackass since he was in the last year of his contract and would like to make a few more millions down the road.

As we all know, Moss lasted 26 days before Chilly snapped and threw Moss out the door. Then Zygi threw Chilly out the door awhile later.

So, to recap: The Packers got 16 years out of a future Hall of Fame quarterback and then traded him for a third-round draft pick that netted them Clay Matthews, who will be around for another decade or so. That's pushing 30 years for two players. Meanwhile, the Vikings took a third-round draft pick and turned it into a 26-day rental of a player who couldn't co-exist with his head coach.

It's at this point where I'd like to remind any Wilves reading this the virtues of having a good general manager to run your team.

THIRD DOWN:

Michael Silver of yahoo.com has an interesting column on Thompson. Ted is a brilliant GM, and this year's Packers team is proving that. The team has 15 players in IR, including six starters. Week after week, unsung no-names that Thompson found late in the draft or off the street are stepping up with monster games. Whether it's recent street free agent Erik Walden racking up 16 tackles and three sacks in a must-win game over the Bears, or running back James Starks, a sixth-round rookie who didn't even play as a senior at the University of Buffalo, Thompson's fingerprints are all over this team. And that's in addition to Ted's first move as Packers' GM -- selecting Rodgers 24th overall a few years back -- and then working with coach Mike McCarthy, whom he also hired, to stick with Rodgers when Favre decided to unretire.

Silver cornered the media-shy Thompson after last week's playoff win at Philly -- the first for the franchise in the post-Favre era. He asked Thompson if he really knew Rodgers would be this good when he made the move with Favre in 2008.

“I’m not going to touch that,” Thompson said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

But you know that he and McCarthy knew exactly how good Rodgers would be. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to stand up to Favre, risk their careers and do what was best for the franchise for the long haul.

The Vikings made the right move bringing in Favre in 2009. It didn't cost them anything other than Zygi's money, and he was light years better than anything they had on the roster. The Vikings also can't be blamed for bringing him back this season after leading them to the NFC title game the year before.

They did what they had to do. But now it's time to learn from the Packers and get this QB mess cleaned up and pointed in the right direction long-term. Everything else is No. 2 on the To-Do list.

FOURTH DOWN:

So how would you rate the quarterbacks left in this year's playoffs? Here's my list:

1, Tom Brady, Patriots. Duh.

2, Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers. Some would say Rodgers, but give me the guy with two rings first.

3, Rodgers, Packers. He can carry an offense, but might not have to since Starks has emerged.

4, Matt Ryan, Falcons. He's got the No. 1 seed and he's 20-2 at home.

5, Joe Flacco, Ravens. He's played six playoff games in three season. All of them on the road. And he's 4-2.

6, Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks. Don't count the old, bange-up vet out just yet. He's 1-0 in Chicago this year.

7, Mark Sanchez, Jets. He's a clutch player, but way too inconsistent and inaccurate at this point.

8, Jay Cutler, Bears. He's the only one of the eight who has no playoff experience. He's also the most likely to freak out and throw four picks.

[mraynrand]

"Wilves?"

[Cheesehead Craig]

The problem with that test Justin is that everyone is at the mercy of the weakest reader or the reader with an agenda of their own. Weak readers can be easily misled or confused. Those with an agenda can object to almost anything.l

I actually prefer either straight advocacy or bland recitations of facts. Almost everything in between makes a hash out of the subject and its relevant points.

Wait, I'm confused by your stance.

[Little Whiskey]

8, Jay Cutler, Bears. He's also the most likely to freak out and throw four picks.[/CODE]

a man can only hope!

[mraynrand]

"5, Joe Flacco, Ravens. He's played six playoff games in three season. All of them on the road. And he's 4-2.
6, Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks. Don't count the old, bange-up vet out just yet. He's 1-0 in Chicago this year.
7, Mark Sanchez, Jets. He's a clutch player, but way too inconsistent and inaccurate at this point.
8, Jay Cutler, Bears. He's the only one of the eight who has no playoff experience. He's also the most likely to freak out and throw four picks."


That stat about Flacco is impressive. The Ravens can't get a home game! (good)


I don't know about 7 and 8. Sure Cutler could freak out, but Sanchez is just horrible. If Ryan hadn't taken the ball out of his hands and if Braying Jackass Edwards hadn't caught Sanchez' pop up, the Jets would be golfing now, because Sanchez can't throw an accurate ball to save his life.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Nice!

So, to recap: The Packers got 16 years out of a future Hall of Fame quarterback and then traded him for a third-round draft pick that netted them Clay Matthews, who will be around for another decade or so. That's pushing 30 years for two players. Meanwhile, the Vikings took a third-round draft pick and turned it into a 26-day rental of a player who couldn't co-exist with his head coach.

[HarveyWallbangers]

What's funny about Flacco is that he has been awful in 5 of those 6 games. The Ravens have won despite him. This last game was the first one he played well in. I actually like Flacco, but check out these numbers.

W MIA 27-9 - 9 of 23 for 135 yards with 0 TDs and 0 ints
W TEN 13-10 - 11 of 22 for 161 yards with 1 TD and 0 ints
L PIT 14-23 - 13 of 30 for 141 yards with 0 TDs and 3 ints
W NE 14-33 - 4 of 10 for 34 yards with 0 TDs and 1 int
L IND 3-20 - 20 of 35 for 185 yards with 0 TDs and 2 ints

So, at that point Flacco was 3-2 in the playoffs but had 1 TD, 6 interceptions, 47.5 completion %, and averaged 131.2 passing yards/game.

In the meantime, ARod is only 1-1 in the playoffs but has 7 TDs, 1 interception, 66.7 completion %, and averaged 301.5 passing yards/game.

Flacco is a winner though and Rodgers is a choker.

[gbgary]

So, to recap: The Packers got 16 years out of a future Hall of Fame quarterback and then traded him for a third-round draft pick that netted them Clay Matthews, who will be around for another decade or so. That's pushing 30 years for two players. Meanwhile, the Vikings took a third-round draft pick and turned it into a 26-day rental of a player who couldn't co-exist with his head coach.

Nice!

LOL

[mraynrand]

What's funny about Flacco is that he has been awful in 5 of those 6 games. The Ravens have won despite him. This last game was the first one he played well in. I actually like Flacco, but check out these numbers.

W MIA 27-9 - 9 of 23 for 135 yards with 0 TDs and 0 ints
W TEN 13-10 - 11 of 22 for 161 yards with 1 TD and 0 ints
L PIT 14-23 - 13 of 30 for 141 yards with 0 TDs and 3 ints
W NE 14-33 - 4 of 10 for 34 yards with 0 TDs and 1 int
L IND 3-20 - 20 of 35 for 185 yards with 0 TDs and 2 ints

So, at that point Flacco was 3-2 in the playoffs but had 1 TD, 6 interceptions, 47.5 completion %, and averaged 131.2 passing yards/game.

In the meantime, ARod is only 1-1 in the playoffs but has 7 TDs, 1 interception, 66.7 completion %, and averaged 301.5 passing yards/game.

Flacco is a winner though and Rodgers is a choker.

9,10,14 points given up in those three wins. You'd have to suck as bad as Sanchez to lose with defense like that.

[mraynrand]

Flacco is a winner though and Rodgers is a choker.

Now don't get testy! From the same article:

3, Rodgers, Packers. He can carry an offense, but might not have to since Starks has emerged.

This guy certainly thinks more highly of Rodgers. (The Starks comment is highly premature)