Griffith signs with Raiders

[imscott72]

This thread alone represents everything I'm against right now. A 34 year old FB (that was just in negotiations with G.B.) signs with Oakland and before anyone knows a single fact about how things went down people are lining up and screaming for Ted Thompson's head! It's ridiculous.

The following are real quotes that I pulled just from this one thread!

I'm getting really worried.

WTF? I thought we were close to signing this guy and the next second Granny has the fucker under contract! Who do we have that can play FB at this time? Only Miree if I remember correctly. Well....I'm sure Luchey or whoever that fat fuck was is still out there waiting for a call.

whoa look at that deal. thats insane
i'm sure glad we didn't piss away all that money to get a starting FB which we need
that would have ment we couldn't draft any players this year. and clearly would have ruined our cap for years to come

Yes, we're going to have plenty of roster spots open come draft day. If this deal is accurate the clones saying everybody is grossly overpaid surely cannot say that about this deal.

so, you're saying he went to oakland because he wants to win?

Yeah, I'm sure that is it. We have no shot at signing FAs because Green Bay is just too damned cold.

If that's the case, we might as well fold the franchise and move it to LA.

guess 1.2M a year was too expensive for TT to pay one of the best FBs in the league and the perfect fit for the ZBS

Ted Thompson has not done his job this offseason. Failing to sign Griffith is criminal. We have taken several steps back this offseason and if there isn't some sort of a miracle, the Packers will be a sub .500 team. If that happens, Thompson should be fired.

Let the rationalyzing begin:

Too cold

Maybe not enough money

Too windy

Was upset that the Georgia Pacific paper mill put that much smoke into the atmosphere

Herron could be a FB

Too many overweight people seen near the stadium

Didn't realize Green Bay was that close to Canada

Probably wasn't a good fit anyhow, even though he came from ZBS

Turned off that a Packer employee got him a Mr Pibb when he requested a Dr Pepper

end quotes

So, let me get this straight.... A 34 year old FB who was dumped by his old team, has never been to a pro-bowl, and whom I've never heard mentioned as one of the best FB's in the game is sending people into a frothing panic because he signed with Oakland! Overnight Griffith has become a must-have piece of G.B.'s puzzle? Suddenly, because Griffith signed with Oakland and without ever knowing what the facts surrounding that are, Thompson should be fired? It's criminal? How many of you even knew who the guy was before this year's free agency started?

The sarcasm and pessimism right now is unbelievable! Is anyone thinking clearly anymore? Everyday here it's a new panic over some 2nd or 3d tier player that would've merely filled a role for the Packers! Never mind that there are 50 more just like the guy out there waiting to be signed.....WE MISSED THIS ONE!!!! These aren't pieces to championship teams we're talking about! Guys like Randy McMichael are NOT the key to the Packers winning the North again! I don't get the rush to judgement on all these role players. It's like some of you are just looking for reasons to say negative things.

If you have something negative to say then I'm all for it. You wont find me hanging around the Romer Room singing Koombaya with everyone but for crying out loud at least have some real factual, hard hitting common sense behind what you're getting pissed about! Right now, people are just panicing and it's getting irritating because it lacks logic.

If you think this 34 year old FB was one of the keys to this year's season turning out then be mad. If not, don't act outraged just to do it. It's getting old.

LOL, Gureski be careful, your starting to sound too much like me...

[imscott72]

I stand corrected in the age department but my overall point still stands. People are just frothing with negativity right now and every day its' a different player. I can see why some people would be pissed about the FB position and why they'd feel it's key but I haven't actually heard anyone say that and say why they feel it was such a key signing. It's just one big pile-on party right now and it's been going on for days every time a guy gets signed. It's getting old.

What's getting old is the pathological blind defenses of Ted's offseason. Your lines are the ones getting old. This team is not improving. AT ALL.

THERE IS ZERO REASON for this. Unless you're on the 2009 plan.

You and Woodbuck I tell ya..For some reason humans just LOVE negativity I guess..That must be why the first thing on the nightly news on a daily basis is death and destruction, not anything positive. People love it..

[imscott72]

tt brought him in, tood his time, jerked the guy around and watched him walk out and sign with another team

And how do you know that Thompson jerked the guy around? Where do you get off assuming that the Packers didn't make a real effort to get Griffith?

Share the details that you have, why don't you. We'd all love to hear them. I doubt you have any deatails on how this went down right now though. My bet is that you're not really interested in knowing the details though. In your mind, you already know Thompson was at fault.

See the reason Thompson is at fault is because he had the resources. Thompson could have easily signed him, he has the money. The reason why he didnt offer him a contract like one that oakland offered him is beyond me.

How do you know he didn't? This is what I'm talking about. YOu're blaming Thompson before you even know what happened.

Don't bother man. You might as well bang your head against a concrete wall. I understand the frustration from some of these guys, but as I've said in previous posts, TT's job depends on fielding a competitive team. He doesn't want to be known as a failure either. The season doesn't start next week, or next month. Give him until week one. I agree with the person that posted the comment that if we take a step back this year with the team (when the season starts) then I'm jumping right on the let TT go bandwagon, otherwise for God's sake give the guy a fighting chance.

All the negativity does wanna make you puke when it's seen on a daily basis. Again, come away from the cliff's edge people. No one knows why Griffith didn't sign. Maybe he didn't want to play here, it could be that simple.

[mmmdk]

I'm personally very disappointed in not getting this guy here. I honestly felt he was very important. Evidently, Teddy didn't agree.

I agree, TT blew this one BIG TIME!!! I cannot believe Griffith went for petty cash to Raiders. UNBELIEVABLE lousy GM work

[packers11]

"The Packers are working on a deal with FB Justin Griffith and it looks like he will be a Packer by Monday morning. I was told Griffith REALLY liked the facilities and thinks he can help the Packers do some good things. - March 9th... Pure Speculation part 12311231"

F!@K!!!!!!!!!!!! WRONG AGAIN

[Scott Campbell]

It would have been nice to sign Griffith, but sometimes a guy would rather live in California than Wisconsin.

And you know this how?

From watching the weather on TV.

[gureski]

I've been mostly a TT supporter but this is getting ridiculous. You're trying to tell me that there's not a single FA out there who would help the Pack. Our offense was bad enough last year. Now we're taking steps backward and we're gonna count on our main improvement coming from the strengthening of the OL? PLEASE. We need playmakers. Griffith would have been a great pickup.

I don't even know who I want that's out there anyone. What are we gonna have going into Week 1? 15 million? 20 million? Screw this, I'm getting drunk.

For crying out loud. The free agency period is 10 days old! It's not a race. The teams that start the fastest aren't necessarily the winners. In a weak free agent class, why be so upset that Thompson hasn't signed people yet? Be reasonable. All I'm hearing around me is that we're doomed because Thompson hasn't thrown millions of dollars around on the calibur of players that still exist on the free agent market in other names. It's like every time a team makes a signing a handful of people in here riot and call it proof of the end of the world! How much do you want to bet that by the end of free agency the team will have spent plenty of money and will have addressed multiple needs? It doesn't all have to happen in the first 10 days!

And you say we need playmakers.....since when is the FB a playmaker? Can't some of you see that you're just being impatient? Half the people are being impatient and the other half hates Thompson to begin with and have tied their credability with his failing.

I'd also like to know how many of you that are here screaming about the Packers not getting Griffith also cried foul when the Packers let W.Henderson go? I'd bet that some of you would've been happy with a declining Henderson but suddenly now, nothing short of Griffith can do or the team is screwed? Get real.

[gureski]

It would have been nice to sign Griffith, but sometimes a guy would rather live in California than Wisconsin. But other than him, there hasn't really been a guy on the market that I think would really improve our team noticeably beyond the guys who are already on the roster. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this is just an abyssmal free agent class, and you're not really going to find anything here no matter how much money you throw at the problem.

Of all the signings that have been made thus far, if the Packers had made all of them my reaction, universally, would have been "meh." I don't fault Thompson for passing up "meh" guys.

It's a weak free agency class; I'll give you that. Last year is the true year when he dropped the ball by not going nuts in that market. He could have signed two more very good players and still inked Woodson to a more traditional contract.

That being said, while the class is weak, there are tons of players that could help this squad.

I don't know that any of us can use the terms "overpaid" because this is a new market; but I could list a load of free agents that would upgrade our roster.

Hamlin, Grant, Thomas, Bennett, McMichael, Graham, Hood....many more

No, not a lot of stars, but definitely improvements.



B

Grant is gone but Hamlin is still there and there are at least 3 safeties in the draft with a high to mid-first round rating. McMichael and Graham are gone...so what? J.Stevens and others are still there. Hood is gone? So what, there are others there that can fill the role of a Nickel back.

It IS a WEAK free agent class but nobody here bothered to modify their expectations in light of that info. If the talent isn't there you don't just buy buy buy to make up for that. Aside from Griffith, who was a specific player that had experience in our offense that no other FB on the market has, who else did the Packers lose out on that they can't make up for using the players that are still left in free agency and the draft? That answer is none. The team hasn't lost out on any MUST-HAVE free agents.

Why then are people freaking out? Why the anger and hostility and the calls for Thompson to be fired? None of that is called for. It's as if our world has been turned upside down and all the pessimists are in control.

[gureski]

There is something that needs to be said here because I can see those that are in the anti-Thompson crowd are starting to paint me as a Thompson apologist. You're wrong and my past statements going back in time prove it. The fact that my trying to be reasonable about things makes me a homer right now tells you something about the current state of things around here. It's what my original post that started this was all about. Where is this ultra-negativity coming from? Why are we checking common sense at the door?

For anyone who can recall, and I doubt many will, I was one of the original critics of Ted Thompson in free agency. Yeah....it's true. Those of you painting me as a Thompson apologist are way off. I'm also a critic of Thompson's lack of activity in free agency over the years he's been in charge of the team. Go back and look up my old posts and you'll see me screaming about needing a safety for the past two years (going all the way back to JSonline). I'm not a THompson homer. I'm trying to be fair here in an environment where some aren't.

As soon as Thompson was hired I did research and started to warn people that his biggest challenge as a GM was going to be utilizing free agency. I said then, and still feel now, that Thompson will not succeed in G.B. unless he learns to harness Free Agency the way Ron Wolf used to. You cannot just draft players. You DO need to utilize free agency to fill holes on your roster. This IS Thompson's weakest link. He's not a big free agency guy. He's said it himself prior to ever coming to G.B..

With that said, it is more then obvious to me that many of you are out of line in your current criticism of Thompson. He's had 10 days in free agency and many of you are screaming for his head. That's ridiculous. He made some good signings last year. He was horrendous the first year, some say because of the salary cap. I think he just got arrogant. Last year he was better. He learned from his mistakes. This year there isn't much of anything out there to go get. I can understand the desire to see the Packers improve and to want to see Thompson succeed in free agency on behalf of the team but keep things in perspective. This is a weak free agency class and we're only 10 days into it! Not getting Graham, Johnson, and McMichael means nothing when Stevens, Fauria, Wiggins, and Kinney are still there. What's the real difference between those players? You could argue that Stevens is the most talented and he's still out there!

The point of all this is to simply try to appeal to those who are just caught up in this negative cloud. Realize that you're jumping the gun a little bit. Hang in there. For cying out loud, give the guy a chance. There is still talent out there that can and will help this team. Hold your fire or you'll be out of ammo and credability when the time comes to truly evaluate the off-season.

None of you know that THompson isnt' trying. Don't pretend you know something that you don't. GM's don't conduct business in the press. They're not worried about checking in with the fans and making sure we know exactly what the plan is. We will not know about something going on til it's happening or already over. Settle down and focus on the overall picture. It's not where we start. It's where we finish that counts. That's all I'm saying. Realize that Thompson can still succeed and fill the needs the team has. Yeah, he still has to prove himself in free agency but you don't give up on the guy 10 days into a weak free agent class! That's just not rationale.

[SD GB fan]

i personally was disappointed that we did not sign griffith. all i know is that he was a starter in ATL who used the ZBS. he can catch. that is what i know about him. but i do not see the point in criticizing or defending TT right now. it is the off-season, there will be plenty of blame and praise to go around after the season, when we actually have the results to judge upon. im sure TT isnt a dumb guy, he himself acknowledges that he isnt a big fan of FA. there are a variety of reasons for his actions, or the lack thereof. perhaps, he has full faith in miree, who did a good job prior to his injury (which is why he cut henderson early). maybe griffith would have ruined team chemistry. i do not know, but it is not my job to know, that is TT's job.

[wist43]

Maybe they could move Wells to FB... he's about the size of an average FB. Watching him get the snot kicked out of him every week at center certainly isn't any fun.

[Charles Woodson]

Idk when you say that we dont know thompson isnt trying... the reason we think that is because no one is signed. I mean if he really wanted some one signed he could do it. I dissagree strongly on the fact that "stevens" is the most talented out there. I think McMichaels and Johnson are better. Dont know much bout Graham. The fact that Ted is satisfied with Manuels play at saftey is the thing that pisses me off. I have read articles that he says that he is content and satisfied. That is a urgent need. We could have filled that need in FA with Grant. Im a little errie about taking another Seahawks Saftey in Hamlin but if TT signs him i guess it could be good.

Another huge point

Okay we all know that Bretts years are limited. I would love to see a final run at being a contender. TT hasnt done much of anything to do that.

I would be happy if TT went through with the Moss trade but it prob. wont happen.

I think it was Harv that made the point of when you said why arent more teams going for Griffith, that it might be because he excells in the ZBS. I really think Griffith would have played a huge part in helping our back feild out with his ability to block, catch, and run.

We are 10 days in and most players that would have actually made a difference are all gone. I mean Hamlin and in your opinion Stevens are the people we need to pick up. But who after that i mean who else would actually make a difference.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Maybe they could move Wells to FB... he's about the size of an average FB. Watching him get the snot kicked out of him every week at center certainly isn't any fun.

This is a low blow. I think Wells is a solid player. He isn't Olin Kreutz, but I think he's at least an average starter in the NFL.

[SD GB fan]

The fact that Ted is satisfied with Manuels play at saftey is the thing that pisses me off. I have read articles that he says that he is content and satisfied. That is a urgent need.

either ted is too confident in manuel or he knows the safety position is one of need. but either way, i dont think he would publicly denounce a player.

ive also read that TT believes a lot of positions need can be upgraded.

[Lurker64]

The fact that Ted is satisfied with Manuels play at saftey is the thing that pisses me off. I have read articles that he says that he is content and satisfied. That is a urgent need.

either ted is too confident in manuel or he knows the safety position is one of need. but either way, i dont think he would publicly denounce a player.

ive also read that TT believes a lot of positions need can be upgraded.

Well, Underwood was looking really good last year before he got hurt and Culver definitely has upside. So even if we don't add a Safety, there's no reason to expect that Manuel will be our best option.