Ahman!

[Bretsky]

No one knows what happened behind closed doors.

That applies to about 70% of the conversation topics in here, but of course it's still fun to talk about it.

It was fun to talk about once. Maybe twice. Hell, even 5 times. But this is getting ridiculous. Every single thread here seems to come back to a TT discussion on Ahman Green, the TEs, and getting Brett enough help.

Look at it on the bright side; at least every thread is not about TT's views on free agency anymore.

How is this not?!?!?!? At least half the posts are.

Yes, you are right; I'm ready for the season to start to see if this GB team is for real or if our homerism is a Fraud

[Partial]

No one knows what happened behind closed doors.

That applies to about 70% of the conversation topics in here, but of course it's still fun to talk about it.

It was fun to talk about once. Maybe twice. Hell, even 5 times. But this is getting ridiculous. Every single thread here seems to come back to a TT discussion on Ahman Green, the TEs, and getting Brett enough help.

Look at it on the bright side; at least every thread is not about TT's views on free agency anymore.

How is this not?!?!?!? At least half the posts are.

Yes, you are right; I'm ready for the season to start to see if this GB team is for real or if our homerism is a Fraud

It would be nice if people realize that TT is a professional at what he does and they are not even in the industry let alone have the skills and/or information necessary to make an informed decision let alone an intelligent one.

There is no need to bitch and moan anymore because what is done is done. Whether we want to admit it or not, TT is the GM for the foreseeable future and will likely continue to do things his way. Why not try to find the positives on his players than bash him for not resigning a guy he deemed as replacable? Are any of us professional scouts? No. Are any of us in practice every day and see how he moves and plays? No. Are any of us on the phone listening to the Ahman Green negoiation party line? No. I could go on but the point is clear.

Clearly, he is an accomplished person in the management side of an NFL team. Otherwise he wouldn't be where he is today. Harlan and the rest of the executive committee are also intelligent people and have chosen him to be their GM. Harlan has shown he is willing to make the tough decisions and let someone go if he doesn't feel it is going well. I trust his judgement 100% because he has consistently been succesful. Also, it's not like TT isn't under the power of someone else. I mean if the executive committee wants someone signed, you can bet your sweet ass that the player will be offered a contract. Why? Because he has bosses and is held accountable by them.

Has he not gave us a deeper roster? While it may not be as good at the top level yet, the signs are all in place that it will be soon. And it is much deeper. It may take another year or two before we're considered a good team, but we'll get there.

Why not let some time pass and let history run its course before he condemn the man for following his gut instinct?

[Guiness]

We should've resigned, allowing him to become the all-time rusher. He deserved it, and we screwed him. He IS much better than any back we have, and has at least two to three years left barring injury. We had and still have the money, so give me a reason to sit on it and let the guy go? Because he's not worth it? If you had 50,000 dollars to buy a car, and the only car you could buy was 42,000, but you thought it was only worth 31,000, would you take the money to you're grave with you and never spend it and ride a bike to work every day? Hmmm.

Great analogy number guy. The best descriptions of the situation I've seen.

IMHO the analogy only works if you assume that Noah Herron will be our starter. Jackson and Morency may not be the Cadillac that Ahman was, but they can get us where we need to go, even if we're not traveling in style.

Maybe the second half of the analogy (...and ride a bike...) isn't spot on, but I liked the first half. If you've got $50K, the car is work $30K, and they want $40K, do you do it? I'm not saying you should or shouldn't. I just like the way it makes you think about it a bit differently.

[GBRulz]

I mean if the executive committee wants someone signed, you can bet your sweet ass that the player will be offered a contract. Why? Because he has bosses and is held accountable by them.

True, he has a boss. Bob Harlan. Who has made it very clear that Ted is 100% the boss of the football organization and operations. The Executive Committee has nothing to do with saying who gets signed or not. That is one thing that I admire about Harlan, he gives someone the GM job and he lets them do their job.

[Zool]

NO SURPRISED AT ALL HERE

WE WILL GREATLY MISS AHMAN

If I remember correctly, most everyone had hoped that we could find a way to keep Ahman. Then came the offer Houston put on the table for him and many decided he wasn't worth it. Whether you agree or not that he was worth the money, can you honestly say that you are happier with our RB situation vs having a Pro Bowl back with experience, power and speed?

Every one of us has something different on what we liked or didn't like about the off-season, draft, etc.... I guess it's safe to assume that letting Green go was the biggest thorn in my side. It's not even just that...it's that nobody else was brought in. I know, I know ....."we're happy with what we have and we clearly feel there isn't anyone else better out there"

I wish Ahman nothing but the best this year

I agree. We shouldn't have paid him what Houston did but we should have made a decent offer to the guy. 3T probably low balled him, I don't really know I never heard anything about an offer to Green. He got a great contract. I reminds me of the Rivera signing a few years back. He got a big contract as well. I wish Green all the best and hope we never have the pleasure of facing him. That would be tough to watch. 3T blew the Moss trade and IMO blew the Green signing as well.

With 13 M under the cap, it sure will be nice to have all that cash come super bowl time won't it? 3T can then buy himself some box seats to watch two teams not the Packers play.

Thompson was on record for 3years/12mil. Cant find the article this minute, but it was out there in quite a few sources. I never faulted TT for letting Ahman go, or Ahman for taking his last big payday.

The RB free agent class this year was not appealing at all. Turner from SD looked nice, but he wasnt a FA. Travis Henry has been bounced to his 3rd team in 3 years for a reason.

While I will agree that our RB situation is getting close to ugly, sinking $26mil into a 30 year old RB was not and is not the correct solution IMO. Guess we should have tanked that Bears game last season, then drafted Lynch.

I wonder what we would have to argue about then? No Harrell pick and a "stable" RB situation.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I had read that Thompson upped it to $5M/year, but when Houston went to $6.5/year, he let him go. Who knows. Marshawn's 1.8 yards/carry this preseason make Jackson's 3.3 yards/carry look stellar.

[PackerBlues]

Kinda funny because Green can't hold Taylors jock.

It's not like the position was strong with Green there. Calling Green a pro bowler is assisnine because he hasn't had a good year since 2003. He had one big run all last year.

Taylor had 1,146 rushing yards last year, Green had 1,059. They each had 5 rushing TD's. I would say that they had comparable years rushing.

As a reciever, Taylor had 23 receptions for 242 yards and a TD, Green had 46 receptions for 373 yards and a TD.

I would like to add that Green was the Packers 3rd leading reciever last year behind Driver and Jennings......he actually had 1 more reception than Jennings.

The thing that I see as being asinine, is anyone suggesting that Green was not a major contributer on the Packers Offense. The Packers do not have a single running back on their roster that could hold Green's jock-strap. All things considered, we don't even know for a fact if we have any WR's behind Driver that can hold Green's jock-strap, we didn't last year.

[Partial]

Kinda funny because Green can't hold Taylors jock.

It's not like the position was strong with Green there. Calling Green a pro bowler is assisnine because he hasn't had a good year since 2003. He had one big run all last year.

Taylor had 1,146 rushing yards last year, Green had 1,059. They each had 5 rushing TD's. I would say that they had comparable years rushing.

As a reciever, Taylor had 23 receptions for 242 yards and a TD, Green had 46 receptions for 373 yards and a TD.

I would like to add that Green was the Packers 3rd leading reciever last year behind Driver and Jennings......he actually had 1 more reception than Jennings.

The thing that I see as being asinine, is anyone suggesting that Green was not a major contributer on the Packers Offense. The Packers do not have a single running back on their roster that could hold Green's jock-strap. All things considered, we don't even know for a fact if we have any WR's behind Driver that can hold Green's jock-strap, we didn't last year.

Taylor is a top 12 or so running backs ever. He split carries last year with MJD and still had huge stats.

He is extremely talented and has a ton of yards. Problem is he has never stayed healthy throughout his entire career. It is one of those things that makes you wonder how many yards he would have if healthy!!

Comparing careers, Ahman can't compare to Fred Taylor. Not even close.

[Zool]

Taylor in '06
att     yds     avg     td     rec     yds     avg     td
231     1146    5.0     5      23      242     10.5    1


Green in '06
att     yds     avg     td     rec     yds     avg     td
266     1059    4.0     5      46      373     8.1     1

[Merlin]

I don't think we should have overpaid either and I have no idea what 3T offered. I just know that with the type of player Green is, if the offer was worthwhile he would have stayed in Green Bay. Unless of course Green didn't like the direction that 3T was going with the offense and in that case Green has a lot of people in his corner on that,

[Scott Campbell]

Thompson was on record for 3years/12mil. Cant find the article this minute, but it was out there in quite a few sources. I never faulted TT for letting Ahman go, or Ahman for taking his last big payday.

I agree completely, you can't blame either guy for Green leaving. Tt was the right thing for both parties.

However once it happened, Thompson was responsible for fielding a replacement. And the jury is definitely still out on that one.

[Zool]

Thompson was on record for 3years/12mil. Cant find the article this minute, but it was out there in quite a few sources. I never faulted TT for letting Ahman go, or Ahman for taking his last big payday.

I agree completely, you can't blame either guy for Green leaving. Tt was the right thing for both parties.

However once it happened, Thompson was responsible for fielding a replacement. And the jury is definitely still out on that one.

Agreed. I'm hoping Jackson end up being a player, but he doesnt have that super burst. He does stay on his feet well.

[The Leaper]

I just know that with the type of player Green is, if the offer was worthwhile he would have stayed in Green Bay.

You have no idea what Thompson did put on the table or what amount would have been needed to keep Green in Green Bay, but we ALL have clear evidence that most knowledgable NFL observers were quick to comment that Houston vastly overpaid for Green at the time of his signing.

In that kind of a scenario, it is extremely unlikely that Green was going to remain in Green Bay...just as another devoted Packer, Marco Rivera, also couldn't ignore a blockbuster deal to go elsewhere. Such is the era of free agency.

I agree with the notion that Green's departure can hardly be laid at Thompson's feet...but the lack of a reliable replacement for Green certainly can be.

[woodbuck27]

..........would you take the money to you're grave with you and never spend it..........

I don't think your analogy works. Much of the money that Ahman would have got will eventually be spent on another player(s). Or car in your example. So nobody will be riding a bike.

There is where TT can't be given an out.

If he banked 5 Grand for Ahman and that was his top dollar, and the Texans pushed it outside of TT's ego boundry? Then TT had to get something equitable in terms of talent in return for our backfield.

To hear him (TT) spout off on his confidence in what we had (slash) have at RB in Greens absence, and nothing else brought in.

Is like a neglectful stock portfolio manager failing to upgrade the portfolio to the standard expected by his client. Our position at RB in 2006 (with Green clearly as our finest RB) and a respected Packer as well. He was on the verge of setting records at his position, a long time top producer in our colors who was extremely valuable and had a loyal fan following and general Packer fan respect. He was also a solid if quiet leader in the locker romm and on the field.

A huge loss at RB for us,given the way he played last season after a horrible injury in 2005.

To see Ahman go over money and nothing done after that but play the carte blance card is 'the real suck'.

It's like going into a poker game for six, with five others at the table all buying in for a grand each, and TT the 6th player decides to play with $400.00 as his stake.

TT begins the game with a decisive advantage against him ( NO compensating POWER), way too on the short side.

His incompetence demonstrated in saying or standing on what he has remaining at RB, is like the worlds worst poker player who trys a bluff tactic too soon into the game and too often before he's the first removed.

In other words TT has demonstrated clear stupidity in terms of our needs in the running game.

That's the proper word here. STUPID !

[The Leaper]

There is where TT can't be given an out.

If he banked 5 Grand for Ahman and that was his top dollar and The Texans pushed t outside of TT's ego boundry then TT had to get something equitable in terms of talent in return.

That is all well and good.

But WHO could Thompson have gotten that would've provided an equitable return in talent for a fair price? That is the point you are missing. Who did he fail to get that is tearing it up right now?

It isn't as easy to just pluck players out of thin air and make them a part of your roster as you make it out to be...it sounds like grocery shopping the way you put it. Guys available as free agents weren't wanted by another team for a reason. Guys who can be pursued via trade can often be as expensive as the guy you let go...and often aren't all that proven of commodities, especially in YOUR system.

I agree that Thompson should be taken to task if this group of RBs is a dud in 2007. However, I'm willing to let the season play out before I call Thompson stupid...because I really don't see a simple solution that he somehow overlooked.