Better GM...Thompson or Wolf

[RashanGary]

The points for Wolf make sense. He did a great job.


Will the Packers win another SB under Thompson? I guess the odds are no. Winning a SB each year is a 1 in 32 proposition. I have a hunch though, I think the Packers are for real and will be for some time. I like our chances.

[MJZiggy]

The points for Wolf make sense. He did a great job.


Will the Packers win another SB under Thompson? I guess the odds are no. Winning a SB each year is a 1 in 32 proposition. I have a hunch though, I think the Packers are for real and will be for some time. I like our chances.

Winning the SuperBowl is not a 1 in 32 proposition. To suggest so, would indicate that the Bills, Panthers and Raiders have an equal shot to the Packers. In theory they do, but reality, you have to take talent, coaching ability, depth, chemistry and a host of other factors into consideration that do not deal all the teams the same hand. Not every team has a Clay Matthews. Or a Finley, or a Jennings, and the teams that don't do not have the same shot.

[Gunakor]

Well Wolf, Sherman, and Thompson have been lucky in regard to injury to their starting QB. Over the past 19 years the Packers have started exactly 4 QBs. Majik, Favre, Rodgers, Flynn. You can't really compare that to any other franchise in terms of minimal QBs for maximum amount of Starts. Maybe Indy while Manning has been at the helm. When you have reliable starts from your QB it makes it easier to win ball games week in and week out. The GM has nothing to do with that, it is luck.

You need to have a plan B whether you're forced to go to it or not. GM's are responsible for their teams regardless of who gets injured and when. So it's important to have quality backups at key positions regardless of whether or not they'll ever play a down in your uniform. Wolf got it right at QB even though he didn't need one. Thompson got it right at QB and most other positions, and a good thing too because he absolutely did need them. 16 at season's end, plus 2 in the second half of the Super Bowl. That's a hell of a plan B. That's not luck. That's genius.

[Gunakor]

It'd be Turgo's second DC gig. Any team that isn't looking at Darren Perry just ain't paying attention.

Carolina's defense while Trgo was there was pretty damn good. Trgo left on his own accord. It's been downhill in Carolina ever since.

I think the first offer would be made to Trgo, which he may or may not accept. He had his reasons for resigning and could very well decline an offer from Green Bay. I'd still make him the top offer. Nothing against Perry, I'd be very happy with him as well. But Trgovac is already proven. If he'd be willing to take over when Capers leaves, the job should be his.

[Patler]

I think Capers could be in GB for a long time, perhaps another 8-10 years. He's only 61. Dick LeBeau is going strong as a DC at 74. There are only two things that would take him from GB, another HC job or if he just doesn't like GB. I think the first is unlikely, given that he will be 62 next year. Head Coaching has become a younger man's job. I don't know about the second, but he seems to have a pretty good thing going in GB.

If Capers stays that long, Perry and Whitt likely will be long gone before GB has an opening, either for jobs as DCs or other jobs that seem to move them up the coaching ladder. Either way, they could be ideally prepared to step in for him, maybe even better than if they stayed in GB the entire time. Of course, either or both could be in or on their way to HC jobs as well. If Trgovac is interested in being a DC again, or maybe even a HC, it will likely happen before then, too. Trgovac has made some "for now" type comments about his job that make me think he could be looking for something else in a year or two. Doesn't mean that he, too, couldn't be a candidate to come back.

But, if Capers does stay for 8-10 years, chances are he will be replaced by someone we aren't even thinking of right now, perhaps hired by a HC the Packers don't have right now.

[Smeefers]

Find me one offensive player Wolf landed that was a big name free agent? Honestly I consider three big free agent signings, White, Santana Dotson, and Sean Jones, these were players still in their prime, not over the hill like Seth Joyner, or Bruce Wilkerson.

I think some of his free agents signings have been blown out of proportion in comparison to all the talent that Wolf brought in through the draft and trades. Free agency isn't as valuable a tool in todays game as it was when it was first introduced in the early 90s.

I have yet to determine if Thompson is a better GM than Wolf. The future isn't written at this point for Thompson and Wolf's career as a Gm is over.

Andre Rison, Keith Jackson, Don Beebe (I know, I'm stretching it, but he was a big name...). Just sayin.

[bobblehead]

Find me one offensive player Wolf landed that was a big name free agent? Honestly I consider three big free agent signings, White, Santana Dotson, and Sean Jones, these were players still in their prime, not over the hill like Seth Joyner, or Bruce Wilkerson.

I think some of his free agents signings have been blown out of proportion in comparison to all the talent that Wolf brought in through the draft and trades. Free agency isn't as valuable a tool in todays game as it was when it was first introduced in the early 90s.

I have yet to determine if Thompson is a better GM than Wolf. The future isn't written at this point for Thompson and Wolf's career as a Gm is over.

Keith Jackson, Andre Rison, Don Beebe off the top of my head.

[bobblehead]

one season ago Rodgers was the most sacked QB in the NFL. Favre's best offensive line came under Sherman, the best offensive line the Packers had was under Sherman. Favre had to run for his life in the early stages of his career, Rodgers became a good scrambler because he was inexperienced like Favre, but also because he was getting hammered. Favre is the iron man of the NFL, and Rodgers is no slouch considering the punishment he took in his first two years as a starter.

A lot of what you mentioned is true, but isn't it true for most coaching staffs and GMs?

Rodgers was holding the ball way too long early on as a starter....almost all new starters in the NFL do that. I predicted it when he took the reigns. Wolf drafted LT's in consecutive drafts in an attempt to protect Favre, and if I recall he also drafted a guard in the first. He also drafted Wahle in a supplemental draft and Clifton in the second. Revamping an OL is difficult because most of these guys have to let their bodies mature before they are NFL ready.

I think we are in agreement though. Luck played a factor, but its not like TT or Wolf left it all to chance. Both have been proactive in trying to assemble a good OL.

[bobblehead]

Andre Rison, Keith Jackson, Don Beebe (I know, I'm stretching it, but he was a big name...). Just sayin.

Damn, I really have to read to the bottom before responding.

[Deputy Nutz]

Keith Jackson, Andre Rison, Don Beebe off the top of my head.

Rison was picked up off waivers, Don Beebe was a free agent pick but so was Mike Prior, and Keith Jackson was trade to the Packers by the Miami Dolphins for a 2nd round draft pick. Don Beebe started several games, but he was never supposed to be more than a 4th wide out for the Packers.

[RashanGary]

Rison was picked up off waivers, Don Beebe was a free agent pick but so was Mike Prior, and Keith Jackson was trade to the Packers by the Miami Dolphins for a 2nd round draft pick. Don Beebe started several games, but he was never supposed to be more than a 4th wide out for the Packers.

I think the biggest contrast between Wolf and Thompson is Wolf sold out to, "win now" with several veteran players via trade, free agency, waivers and otherwise. The cap was already becoming a problem in 1997 when Wolf was being forced to make (this guy or that guy) choices. Thompson has taken more of a build from within approach.

That's the big reason I think Thompson will have more success when it's all said and done. Everything he's done, the key players are all younger. The cap (assuming it comes back and i looks like it is) is in excellent shape. We have several young players looking to make the next step as well as stars who will be here for a long time and very few aging players. And the aging players we do have, we have good young replacements in line.

These Packers, unlike the 96 Packers have more long term pieces in place and a better cap situation. My gut tells me these Packers are going to win a championship or two, more.

[RashanGary]

Reggie White
Charles Woodson

Sean Jones
Chad Clifton

Keith Jackson
Donald Driver


Reggie White was replaced with nobody
Charles Woodson, could he be replaced with Shields going forward? YTBD

Sean Jones was replaced with nobody
Could Clifton be replaced with bulaga or Sherrod?

Kieth Jackson was replaced with nobody
Could Driver be replaced with Nelson/Cobb?


There were some key players being lost shortly after we won the superbowl in 1996. Losing players happens. It happened then and it's happening now. I think the big difference is that Thompson has good replacements in line and superstars developing at other positions to pick up the slack (see Raji, Matthews and Finley.)

Another interesting note, the best young backup we had in 1996 was Doug Peterson. That team had very few injuries. They were very lucky because at most positions they had garbage backups. This team had a ton of injuries and several very good backups.

[Deputy Nutz]

Well the Packers lost Brooks for the season in game 4, and lost Freeman for a month with a broken forearm. Ken Ruettgers was supposed to be the starting LT but never made it off of IR and had to retire.

you have to look at the fact that under Wolf the Packers went to three straight NFC championship games. The window was open for championships for three straight years. I would hardly call it selling out for a chance to when three Super Bowls.

Wolf's job became difficult when he lost the best coach in the game in a very turbulant departure from green bay. Thats half the battle lost right there. imagine the rebuilding that Thompson would have to do if McCarthy left Green Bay?

[Deputy Nutz]

Wolf admits that he didn't do enough and his biggest mistake after the Super Bowl run was not building up the talent, especially around the prime years of Brett Favre. Something that Thompson was smart enough to learn from. Thompson and McCarthy are building a juggernut of an offense around Rodgers, using high picks on offensive linemen, wide outs, running backs, and tight ends.

[vince]

Both guys had pretty big rebuilding projects to do. Thompson probably had a tad more work to do to get the roster in Super Bowl shape given the utter lack of young talent he had to work with.

Wolf had an easier time getting top-tier free agents on board, particularly after signing Reggie, for which he deserves a ton of credit. Reggie was God in Green Bay. And the Favre trade is one of the biggest steals of all time. 16 straight years of toughness at QB slinging it all over the place with success is nothing to sneeze about. Even taking into account his glorious year of futility as a Viking last year, Favre goes down as one of the greatest QB’s of all time who broke just about every record in the book as a Packer.

Thompson has done a better job of building a younger team that looks very good for the long haul. Ironically, one of his best moves is getting rid of the same guy that is one of Wolf’s best acquisitions. Sticking to his guns through that fiasco took serious cojones.

You have to give Thompson credit for signing Woodson too, but you also have to say based on what Charles has said about his free agent experience that if every other GM in the league wouldn’t have shit the can on Woodson and shown even some interest, he likely wouldn’t be a Packer. It doesn’t quite measure up to White, and there isn’t another free agent move or trade that rivals the Favre trade. But Thompson has more than made up for those shortcomings with his drafting and UDFA signings.

His drafting of Rodgers, Matthews in a trade-up stealing him from under Hoodie’s nose, Raji, Collins, Jennings, Finley, Sitton, Bishop, and others; combined with his UDFA gems especially Tramon Williams put his overall strength of personnel at the same level as Wolf's. Both are/were elite overall.

I think Thompson has the lead in coaching staff strength at this point in their tenures. A couple years ago Wolf would have had a substantial lead in this area though. Wolf’s hire left at this point in his tenure, and took a significant portion of the coaching and scouting staff with him. Then his last two hires’ contributions proved to be bad on balance for the franchise.

Wolf won a championship in 5 years. Thompson in 6. Both guys got it done once and got very close another time. Wolf’s team was dominant in every way. Thompson’s team barely got it done, but they did it in unbelievable fashion by overcoming one obstacle after another. Equally sweet either way I’d say.

I think Thompson is at the very least tied with Wolf as it stands and it looks like Thompson is well positioned moving into his 7th year while Wolf stumbled big time in his 7th year and he never really recovered from there save a few playoff appearances in which the team stumbled badly when it counted most.