Better GM...Thompson or Wolf

[Joemailman]

Ted hasn't yet trained a young GM protege that takes us to another Superbowl victory.

He's working on it. His name is Wolf. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/...-s-career-path

[Fritz]

Of course they are both excellent, but Wolf really fudged up at the end of his tenure by granting an unknown tight ends coach complete control of the organization. That set the franchise back several years, as there was no orderly, sensible succession plan in place. At the same time, TT has yet to deal with a coach whose ego grows bigger than king kong's penis. (I'm assuming King Kong had a big penis. Didn't he?) But Wolf dealt with that situation by letting his anger drive his actions. I don't know that TT will do that when or if that time comes.

I give the edge to TT, but as others have said, the state in which he leaves the organization will tell a lot.

As for that last draft, if Wolf was still the guy who had the "GM" sign on his door, then it was his draft. That's how I see it. If he didn't want it to be his draft he shoulda walked away beforehand.

[Patler]

At the same time, TT has yet to deal with a coach whose ego grows bigger than king kong's penis. (I'm assuming King Kong had a big penis. Didn't he?) But Wolf dealt with that situation by letting his anger drive his actions. I don't know that TT will do that when or if that time comes.

Sure he did; with Mike Sherman, in a little different way. Sherman let his ego get in the way of building a working relationship with TT. TT cut him lose, even after having given him an extension just a few months earlier, to avoid the "lame duck" problems and to try to ease the impact of the demotion. Sherman wasn't fired because of the 4-12 season, he was fired for not accepting the situation with TT.

TT weathered some very difficult situations; a salary cap that was $11 million over the max of $85 million when he came, a successful head coach demoted from being the GM, the ongoing Favre saga.

[Bretsky]

I'm not sure I'd consider Sherman to have a huge ego. One might say he had philosophy differences with TT. It was a good move by TT not to allow him to be lame duck and good when he let him go. I just don't think Sherman had the same beliefs on building a program as TT did.

[MJZiggy]

I'm not sure I'd consider Sherman to have a huge ego. One might say he had philosophy differences with TT. It was a good move by TT not to allow him to be lame duck and good when he let him go. I just don't think Sherman had the same beliefs on building a program as TT did.

They were absolute opposite in how they viewed team building.

[Patler]

I'm not sure I'd consider Sherman to have a huge ego. One might say he had philosophy differences with TT. It was a good move by TT not to allow him to be lame duck and good when he let him go. I just don't think Sherman had the same beliefs on building a program as TT did.

I don't know, some of the stories that have come out make it sound like Sherman had a huge ego, which prevented him from delegating authority, listening to and accepting opinions of his scouts regarding the draft, accepting the hiring of TT. Ego, control fanatic, whatever.

[bobblehead]

They were absolute opposite in how they viewed team building.

As in....one was really good at it and the other sucked.

[MJZiggy]

As in....one was really good at it and the other sucked.

Not quite what I was thinking, but it works...

[Deputy Nutz]

In Sherman's case he took a huge shot to his pride and ego when he was replaced as GM. As a coach it was difficult to watch two pro bowl caliber offensive linemen sign with all teams along with your pro bowl free safety. Sherman could have easily turned around and blamed TT for not providing him with the talent to win games. Foolish.

Both Thompson and Wolf built their team the same way. Coach, and QB as the base, then build up around that. They both spent money on top notch, coaching staffs, especially on the defensive side, Thompson and McCarthy signed Dom Capers, and Wolf and Holmgren got the gum chewer and Fritz. A lot of organizations refuse to spend quality dollars on their coaching staff and it hurts in the long run. Thompson and Wolf weren't afraid to spend money on the organization as a whole. They both sign their own players when free agency comes.

Thompson is a bit more conservative in free agency and in trading for veteran players, where Wolf made his bones in free agency and turning around the Packers from an organization that players dreaded going, it was like being traded to the North Pole to a franchise where players sought out the Packers to play with players like Favre, Sharpe, and White, and play for coaches like Holmgren and Fritz Shermur. Holmgren's coaching tree is pretty amazing.

[Patler]

In Sherman's case he took a huge shot to his pride and ego when he was replaced as GM. As a coach it was difficult to watch two pro bowl caliber offensive linemen sign with all teams along with your pro bowl free safety. Sherman could have easily turned around and blamed TT for not providing him with the talent to win games. Foolish.

Sherman the coach had no one to blame for the loss of all three players other than Sherman the GM.

[Smeefers]

In Sherman's case he took a huge shot to his pride and ego when he was replaced as GM. As a coach it was difficult to watch two pro bowl caliber offensive linemen sign with all teams along with your pro bowl free safety. Sherman could have easily turned around and blamed TT for not providing him with the talent to win games. Foolish.

Both Thompson and Wolf built their team the same way. Coach, and QB as the base, then build up around that. They both spent money on top notch, coaching staffs, especially on the defensive side, Thompson and McCarthy signed Dom Capers, and Wolf and Holmgren got the gum chewer and Fritz. A lot of organizations refuse to spend quality dollars on their coaching staff and it hurts in the long run. Thompson and Wolf weren't afraid to spend money on the organization as a whole. They both sign their own players when free agency comes.

Thompson is a bit more conservative in free agency and in trading for veteran players, where Wolf made his bones in free agency and turning around the Packers from an organization that players dreaded going, it was like being traded to the North Pole to a franchise where players sought out the Packers to play with players like Favre, Sharpe, and White, and play for coaches like Holmgren and Fritz Shermur. Holmgren's coaching tree is pretty amazing.

Holmgren's coaching tree is amazing. You're going to see the same thing with McCarthy and I honestly don't know if you can give the credit to McCarthy like people give the credit to Holmgren. I think the Credit will more fall with TT on this coaching crew. I think with Holmgren he was more the leader and McCarthy is more a man among peers.

[Pugger]

Wolf and TT both got their coach and QB but Wolf assembled a lot of his SB winning team using FA where TT mainly used the draft. You aren't gonna find the likes of White, Jones, Joyner, Howard, Jackson, Bebee, Rison, Robinson, etc., in FA these days.

[Patler]

Wolf and TT both got their coach and QB but Wolf assembled a lot of his SB winning team using FA where TT mainly used the draft. You aren't gonna find the likes of White, Jones, Joyner, Howard, Jackson, Bebee, Rison, Robinson, etc., in FA these days.

As far as their play on the field, taking charge in critical situations, etc. I'm not sure that White did much more for the Packers than Woodson has. The aspect of White that was so key was changing the image of the team to one that top players will go to willingly. Of course, the situations surrounding their free agent status were totally different. Everyone wanted White, no one wanted Woodson. But in the end their impacts on the field were very similar.

Signing Pickett was similar to signing Sean Jones, with similar impacts on the team.

As for all the other FA signings by Wolf, TT had as many free agents with similar impacts, but his other free agents just had somewhat different backgrounds. The TT free agents of Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Charlie Peprah, Howard Green, Frank Zombo, Eric Walden, John Kuhn, etc. have been just as key as the ones you mentioned that Wolf signed, maybe even more so when you think about what Williams and Shields meant to the defense.

In my book, a free agent is a free agent whether he is a well-known veteran, a lesser known veteran or an unknown inexperienced player. He is an available unsigned player that any team can sign, and TT has picked some good ones who played key roles on a Super Bowl Champion.

[Smidgeon]

Holmgren's coaching tree is amazing. (1) You're going to see the same thing with McCarthy and I honestly don't know if you can give the credit to McCarthy like people give the credit to Holmgren. (2) I think the Credit will more fall with TT on this coaching crew. I think with Holmgren he was more the leader and McCarthy is more a man among peers.

(1) Who do you anticipate following this path?
(2) I don't find any basis to agree with this. Did TT hire Capers, coach up McAdoo, Bennett, etc, or was it McCarthy and his structure?

(And this following is not a shot at you; it's just a generalization of which I've been reminded lately.) I think people are selling McCarthy short. He just won a SuperBowl with 15 players on IR including his stud TE and starting RB. He also gave the Patriots a run for their money with a backup QB having no real live-action experience besides the game the week previous. Yes, he has a good GM to work with, but he's nothing to sneeze at himself...

[Deputy Nutz]

What White did for the Packers is he became the Packers leader in recruiting guys to play on defense. Santana Dotson was a top 5 defensive tackle, Sean Jones was a top ten defensive end and both said that the reason they came to Green Bay was to play with Reggie White. White had a huge impact on players around the league.