An unbiased look at Thompson's job.

[Fritz]

This is all in good fun, just like two or more pre-pubescent boys wrestling naked in the mudhole and pretending it's wrestling and nothing more. While it may be fun at the time, only with the passage of time will we know the impact.

That is to say, it's fun to debate but only in time will we know if not re-signing Ahman Green to a big contract (which is what he got from Houston, people) was a bad idea. If Green has two very productive years and stays injury free, then not signing him to the big-bucks contract was a bad move. If, however, he continues to suffer from fumble-itis early in the season, gets nicked up often, produces a paltry 3.5 yards per carry, and diminishes in skill after one year, we can safely say it's a good thing Teddy Boy didn't take the plunge.

[Deputy Nutz]

Why wrestle with a pig? You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

LOL

Why is PackerBlues a pig? I find the arguments he provokes to be entertaining enough.

I NEVER see the people arguing with him argue with each other. You need him.

Well if he isn't the pig, then I am the pig and then I am coming after you Harlan!

[Scott Campbell]

Why wrestle with a pig? You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

LOL

Why is PackerBlues a pig?

I just thought it was a funny saying.

[wist43]

Turner was the guy I zeroed on on...

I've argued from the beginning that a 2nd rounder + would have gotten him... a 2nd and 4th, a 2nd and a 3rd (next year maybe)... TT wouldn't have had to endure all of the pain in one year.

Certainly the current RB situation is untenable.

I can see your point...but with the college draft next year absolutely LOADED at RB, I can see why Thompson did what he did. It isn't Thompson's fault that every RB is hurt at the same time...some of that is just bad luck. If Morency and Jackson are healthy during most of camp and feeding off each other, the RB position may be viewed as more secure at this point. Both guys are first day draft picks...they have talent.

That doesn't make any sense... next years draft can't play into anything they've done this year - simply b/c of where Jackson was drafted. 2nd round picks have to be, I repeat, HAVE TO BE, clear cut starters by their 2nd year, and probably their 1st year.

You're talking about what pick??? 60ish??? I can't remember what pick Jackson was, but a 2nd rounder this year should yield you 2nd round talent at some position. Since Jackson hasn't played like a 2nd rounder, one of two things seems to be true, 1) TT misevaluated Jackson, or 2) he panicked and reached for him. Either way, TT has created a bit of mess at RB which looks eerily similar to his '05 patchwork OL fiasco.

If Jackson doesn't eventually step in and become the full time starter, then he was a wasted pick. Pure and simple, you have to hit on your 2nd round picks.

No way would TT reach for Jackson with the idea that he was a stopgap, biding time until the 2008 draft. TT evaluated Jackson to be of 2nd round value... to date, we have not seen 2nd round talent from him.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Nutz, I want to see you rip a new asshole in SC sometime.

Maybe Fritz is right, boys will be boys.

But it never seems like the popular boys ever play rough with each other. (Who knows, perhaps in the privacy of their bedrooms.)

[GBRulz]

Everyone will always have something to bitch about. If it isn't the running back situation it is the tight end position, and before that it was the defense, and before that it was the offensive line.

Building a team isn't like playing fantasy football or Madden.

Blah blah blah, no matter how you want to cover it or paint it, it is the same fucking story with Packerblues. Blah Blah Blah.

What about the defensive line? On Paper, and lets face it thats all we have to look at right now regardless of position, the Packers have one of the strongest d-lines in the game. You can ask any NFL personal in the game and they will tell you that a solid defensive line from top to bottom is the key to a strong defense and also a key cog to your football team.

What about Linebacker? agreed that the unit lacks depth, but the Packers had scraps at that position three years ago and Thompson has rebuilt the position to one of the tops in the league.

Aaron Rodgers was one of the most hated draft picks that I can remember, he is still a back up until Favre retires but he has improved and very few are now grumbling about Favre's replacement.

The secondary was weakened in 2005 and the Packers only had one starting caliber player in Al Harris and up and coming rookie Nick Collins. The Packers still have a ? at safety but Thompson did something that very few thought he was going to do and that was to go out and sign Chuck Woodson. Now some of you scoff at that signing, but he went out payed big buck for a player that has produced. He cut Ahmad Carroll and got rid of the dead weight.

The offensive line was a shell when Thompson allowed Wahle and Rivera go to free agency, and replaced them with walk throughs, but he spent a number of high picks in order to straighten out the line and although young, the line is on the upswing to being on the top line in the league.

Thompson had contact issues with Walker but took a stand and went after young high draft picks to try to solidify the depth at receiver behind Driver. Driver has been rewarded two years in a row for his hard work. Thompson has spent three first day picks the last three years on receivers along with a number of others in the second day. He brought in troubled but yet dynamic receiver in Koren Robinson, but his suspension kept him from contributing for the Packers.

now the two positions that Thompson is currently working to improve, Tight End and Running back.

Thompson, a two years ago gave Franks a huge contract. Money speaks, it is tough to look at that contract and release Franks knowing the cap hit your going to take. Donald Lee has been up and down in Green Bay, but yet Thompson has not used significant draft picks or free agents to improve this position. And yes other than Franks remarkable turn around in Pre-season many in the media and fans of the organization are still scratching our heads at what Thompson was thinking for this position in 2007. If this position hurts this team in 2007 Ted Thompson will be held directly responsible.

Running back Ted Thompson believes that Vernand Morency is a capable starter in the NFL, but realized that he may not be an every down work horse type back, and he entered the draft and spent a 2nd round pick on Brandon Jackson, and a 7th rounder on Wynn. Thompson did not seek any veteran players to compete with the younger backs. Regardless of what some think, Thompson has addressed the loss of Green, with younger talent, although unproven at this point. Running back is important position, but many teams have decided to go with younger talent rather than the more expensive veteran free agents. The Colts in 2006 made a decision to allow Edgrin James go who was the most productive back in the NFL, and go with a younger draft pick as his replacement. It is now common practice, and Green's time in Green Bay was up. The bottom line is that Thompson has had to deal with injuries to two out of his top three backs, and he has made adjustments with a trade and a waiver wire pickup, as I said earlier these moves weren't breakthrough deals but deals that needed to be done to stabilize the roster.

I think you list alot of valid points, in which I also agree. Up until the last two paragraphs. Our TE situation was our biggest weakness and nothing was done to address the problem this year. I guess we'll just have to see how Greg Olsen turns out in Chicago and would he have been a missing piece to our offense?

Also, you can't compare teams like Indy letting E. James go, to the Ahman situation. Big difference when you don't have the money to sign someone vs sitting on 15 million of cap space and still letting your top RB walk. I think it's going to be a few years until the salaries get even more ridiculous before we start seeing "cap casualties" again. I think if TT would have made an offer (less than what Houston paid) to him before FA hit, Green would still be here. Like you said, everyone has something to bitch about and for me, it's our RB situation. You don't let a vet back like Green go and not have an adequate replacement if you don't have to. Personally, I think that Thompson was betting on Lynch, but that didn't pan out.

I just hope our RB isn't our OL of 2005, because it could have been avoided.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I just hope our RB isn't our OL of 2005, because it could have been avoided.

Pope was said to be a promising upstart.

In one summer, the Packers had injuries to Pope, Morency, Jackson, Wynn and Herron.

If they had kept Green, he could have been injured too, his knees are no more rugged than Herron's or Morency's.

I really don't see the RB crisis as a preventable situation. It just happened.

[GBRulz]

[quote="Harlan Huckleby"]

If they had kept Green, he could have been injured too, his knees are no more rugged than Herron's or Morency's.quote/]

Please tell me you have a better argument than that! So now we aren't resigning people because they would get injured? Come on Blue!

[Scott Campbell]

Nutz, I want to see you rip a new asshole in SC sometime.

Geez, you damned degenerate. I would have thought there was enough gay porn on the internet.

[Lurker64]

If they had kept Green, he could have been injured too, his knees are no more rugged than Herron's or Morency's.

Please tell me you have a better argument than that! So now we aren't resigning people because they would get injured? Come on Blue!

I think the argument is mostly "Thompson didn't put us into a rushing crisis by not resigning Green since we had an unusual number of injuries at that position which isn't something you can predict. Likewise, Thompson wouldn't have necessarily prevented the RB crisis by signing Green because, well, if five guys can get hurt why can't six?" Honestly, how many teams in the NFL if they had five RBs (or really any position) injured in training camp and the preseason, wouldn't feel a little nervous at that position? Nobody in the NFL is that deep, regardless of who they sign/resign.

The claim was not "Green was going to get injured so we didn't sign him." Ted Thompson is many things, but a soothsayer he is not. A man who can see the future does not draft Rogers in the 4th last year.

[Deputy Nutz]

Nutz, I want to see you rip a new asshole in SC sometime.

Maybe Fritz is right, boys will be boys.

But it never seems like the popular boys ever play rough with each other. (Who knows, perhaps in the privacy of their bedrooms.)

when Scott deserves me ripping into him I will.

harlan I hate it when you play "Revenge of the Nerds".

I don't really hold back just because I like someone on here or not. Packerblue could actually say something I agree with and I will state that I agree with him.

[SkinBasket]

I NEVER see the people arguing with him argue with each other. You need him.

That's because we're not fucking crazy - well not in a talking stupid football kind of way anyway. Although I don't disagree with you that we need him. There's been a void ever since Tank "left." I only wish his (PB, not Tank) previous attempt at being clever hadn't been so unceremoniously disposed of. I think it demonstrated a certain microcosm of PackerBlues's blessed little heart that really can't be reproduced anywhere else.

What I don't understand is the constant need to complain about this. We have a team. We're moving forward with that team. "Debating" what could, should, or would have happened had certain events, whether likely, unlikely, or supernatural (such as obtaining the rights to Turner), is about as productive as debating whether a unicorn would win in a fight against a Lvl 22 Ogre equipped with Hrothger's Flaming Club of Malice +3.

If I had simply continued to ignore skin, as I should have, the pissin contest we got into would have never had happened, and I am sorry that it did.

To be fair it was more of a virtual drubbing than a pissing contest. A "contest" would infer some kind of competition, after all.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Please tell me you have a better argument than that! So now we aren't resigning people because they would get injured? Come on Blue!

What Lurker said.


This summer did set me to thinkin, tho: It seems like the RBs are very vulnerable to injury. And they can't play with leg injuries like the linemen.

Maybe the team should bring more running backs into camp, keep more on the roster, and spend more of the salary money on them.

[Scott Campbell]

But it never seems like the popular boys ever play rough with each other.

You were as popular as anyone here. I thought everyone got pretty rough with you.

Remember that?

[hoosier]

That doesn't make any sense... next years draft can't play into anything they've done this year - simply b/c of where Jackson was drafted. 2nd round picks have to be, I repeat, HAVE TO BE, clear cut starters by their 2nd year, and probably their 1st year.

Where do get this idea? How many of Ron Wolf's 2nd round picks were starting in the first or second year? I don't have any list in front of me, but off hand I'd guess league-wide it's around 50% that become full time starters and 50 that don't. If Jackson is a flat out bust but Harrell plays up to potential and Jones emerges as a star and Rouse doesn't suck, that's a very good batting average. And it would never prevent thompson from drafting a 1st rnd rb next year.