Packers hire Brian Gutekunst as GM

[woodbuck27]

http://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2018/01/07/packers-buzz-instant-reaction-brian-gutekunst-hire/1011402001/

Packers Buzz: Instant reaction to Brian Gutekunst hire

Nagler, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Published 2:49 p.m. CT Jan. 7, 2018

[call_me_ishmael]

I like it. The packers have had their personnel team raided the last several years. This might be our last strong, capable and ready guy in the wings. Now we have to keep it going. Thompson will still scout and advise. So that’s very helpful.

Do you really think this? If it was a planned transition, then sure. But if it wasn't, it sure sounds like he was given a token title and severance for a year.

[call_me_ishmael]

Hate the Rooney Rule, most racist rule in football...hey everyone we need a token interview!

Yeah that element of it is unfortunate but statistically it has made a large difference in the hirings of African Americans.

[call_me_ishmael]

This is about as good as it gets if you can't get John Schneider. I have no preference between Eliot Wolf and Gutekunst because I don't know anything about either of them. Overall I'm very happy. I would have been fine with De Costa or Paton too, but keeping that connection to the Harlan era makes me happy. Respect your roots.

[woodbuck27]

https://newsstand.google.com/articles/CAIiEPl6GJCF7yH9-dDCyIbOEqAqFggEKg4IACoGCAowwMwTMPG_AjCRrgQ

Why the Packers promoted Brian Gutekunst to GM, in a 90-second read

The Packers promoted Brian Gutekunst to GM on the same day the Texans planned to interview him.

By Adam Stites on January 7, 2018 1:55 pm

[Bretsky]

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
Gutekunst, 44, was hired by Ron Wolf as a scouting intern in 1997. Left for one year and returned as a college scout. Has been with the #Packers ever since. He is steeped in the Wolf way of running football operations. Not unlike Schneider, Dorsey, McKenzie.

Why does everyone write as though 2000 was just yesterday? Gutekunst worked with Wolf for three years. With Ted for 13. Mike Sherman and Hatley for four.

Russ Ball worked with Schottenheimer and Loomis for 13 years but everyone treats him like he is Ted's son.

Brother...lol

[pbmax]

Plenty of questions about what Eliot Wolf will do now that the Packers hired Brian Gutekunst as GM. Here’s the reaction from his Hall of Fame father, former Packers GM Ron Wolf: “At least he had the opportunity to interview for it,” Ron Wolf told ESPN.com. “Obviously the people up there don’t think he’s worthy or they would’ve hired him. End of discussion.”


Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer

Salty as always.

[pbmax]

Demovsky:

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Here’s how one highly placed source at Lambeau Field handicapped the Green Bay Packers' general manager race: “John Schneider would be a grand slam, but Brian Gutekunst would be a home run.”

Who is this source? The people in the best position to judge this were interviewed. Do scouts actually know who will be the best? I think scout worship has gone a step too far.

http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/43291/packers-hit-home-run-with-brian-gutekunst-as-gm-but-questions-linger

[Pugger]

No Gutes, No Glory.

I like this one.

[pbmax]

Same article:

The internal reluctance to hire Ball was rooted in the idea that he would be a continuation of the Ted Thompson way, i.e., largely ignoring free agency and relying heavily on the draft. In fact, Ball has had a large role in the Packers’ roster-building efforts the past two seasons as Thompson, 64, aged and cut back his schedule. It's believed that Ball actually made the call on whether to re-sign free agents Julius Peppers and Micah Hyde last offseason.

The most Ted thing to do is to sign your own (that would have included Hyde and maybe Peppers) and ignore free agents.

So they did not sign their own and singed free agents.

But some boneheads in the org see Russ Ball's hands on the two least popular decisions last offseason and Demovsky doesn't mention 3 FA signings that happened while Ball supposedly had this larger role. But the fear of FA still makes it into the piece despite the logical inconsistency.

Does anyone else sense a concerted effort to undermine Ball here?

There has been a lot of public jockeying for this job going back a couple of years. We have had a few Eliot Wolf write ups and one about Gutekunst over a year ago. Ball got a profile at the beginning of this year and it contained no comments from the Packers or the Saints. Has all the media about this event been arranged by their agents?

It might have been that Ted's greatest achievement was to get them all to shut up and concentrate on football for 12/13 years. Favre's exit was the exception.

[Joemailman]

http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-p...milar-approach

“Everyone says ‘Gutey’ is the next John Schneider,” a longtime NFL agent said Sunday night after news broke that Gutekunst would succeed Ted Thompson as the Packers' GM.

The Packers couldn’t get Schneider, the Seahawks' general manager out of Seattle, but perhaps they got the next-best thing.

“Gutey’s very approachable; I think that’s where I can see the biggest similarity with John,” said a high-ranking NFL personnel executive who has worked with Schneider and has known Gutekunst. “They’re both egoless and they’re approachable.

“Gutey hasn’t been out there selling himself. It’s always the Packers’ organization first.”

Because of that, the personnel executive believes Gutekunst will run his department in similar fashion to how Schneider operates in Seattle.

[texaspackerbacker]

Anyone but Ted!

I scanned through five pages of posts, and this one made the most sense.

It woulda been all out stupid to give up a draft pick to get Schneider; If there's any truth to McCarthy and Rodgers campaigning against Ball, it woulda been dumb to choose him.

Gutekunst starts out fresh. I HOPE he departs significantly from Ted's way of doing things, specifically his steadfast refusal to go after top quality free agents. The only negative about the guy IMO is that, not having been a GM before, we have to take it on faith that he will change policy that way.

Hiring from within and hiring probably the least touted of the current people probably indicates a commitment to stay with McCarthy until he is ready to retire or if it became obvious to get rid of him. I'm ok with that - I'm not that fired up about McCarthy's way of doing things, but his hallmark is playing not to lose, which far more often than not, results in winning, even if the win is less spectacular than it might have been.

So let's get used to Gutekunst - he probably will be the Packers GM for the next 20 or so years.

[woodbuck27]

http://www.12up.com/posts/5943989-brian-gutekunst-makes-first-signing-as-new-packers-gm?a_aid=36676

Brian Gutekunst Makes First Signing As New Packers GM

Nick Rodriguez ...10 JAN 2018

[woodbuck27]

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Rock-Report-Competition-is-King/643bf866-c159-4097-84ad-95311df8760c

Rock Report: Competition is King

Competition is one of the cornerstones of the Brian Gutekunst philosophy. Analyst Larry McCarren has the details.

[woodbuck27]

Mark Murphy and the Process of hiring Brian Gutekunst.

http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Murphy_details_intense_hiring_process_for_GM_Gutekunst/9e6ee4ec-3044-4c01-a7d3-2e70a69a7c64

Posted: Jan 8, 2018

Murphy details 'intense' hiring process for GM Gutekunst

Hear President/CEO Mark Murphy and newly appointed General Manager Brian Gutekunst discuss the Packers' new administrative structure, the GM hiring process, and Gutekunst's vision for the future of the Green Bay Packers.