Ted Thompson haters need to shut up

Hear you. Thanks to TT's drafts, this team has rarely had more depth. Not a bad recovery from the Mike Sherman drafts, which yielded only Javon Walker and Nick Barnett from the first round, and Aaron Kampman from the middle rounds. Good players all, but too few to show from those years. Thompson has restocked this team, inlcuding a worthy successor to Brett Favre (how long was it between Bart Starr and Brett? We don' thave to wait that long this time), and it is poised to do great things with a new defense that will be much less predictable and gets better just by getting healthy (back are Cullen Jenkings, Barnett and Atari Bigby, who plays better closer to the line of scrimmage.)
As for Favre, he had been hinting at retirement since 2002, and the Packers finally took the hint and drafted a QB #1. When Favre retired, they actually took him at his word. This whole retirement was concocted because TT actually insisted on being the GM (that's why Randy Moss is not a Packer), and Favre got ticked. Since the launch of Favre's diva act, I have lost a great deal of respect for him. The Vikings can have the 40-year-old version.

Hear you. Thanks to TT's drafts, this team has rarely had more depth. Not a bad recovery from the Mike Sherman drafts, which yielded only Javon Walker and Nick Barnett from the first round, and Aaron Kampman from the middle rounds. Good players all, but too few to show from those years. Thompson has restocked this team, inlcuding a worthy successor to Brett Favre (how long was it between Bart Starr and Brett? We don' thave to wait that long this time), and it is poised to do great things with a new defense that will be much less predictable and gets better just by getting healthy (back are Cullen Jenkins, Barnett and Atari Bigby, who plays better closer to the line of scrimmage.)
As for Favre, he had been hinting at retirement since 2002, and the Packers finally took the hint and drafted a QB #1. When Favre retired, they actually took him at his word. This whole retirement was concocted because TT actually insisted on being the GM (that's why Randy Moss is not a Packer), and Favre got ticked. Since the launch of Favre's diva act, I have lost a great deal of respect for him. The Vikings can have the 40-year-old version.

Had to post that twice, did you? Save us the Favre excuse. Half the guys on his list are free agents after the season. Several core players, in fact. Several key contributors including Barnett, Tauscher, Wells, Kampman, Clifton, KGB, and others were drafted during the Sherman (3 divisonal titles, 4 playoffs appearances--2nd highest winning percentage to Vince Lombardi) era. Yes this 4-12, 8-8, 13-3, 6-10 roller coaster is definitely superior.

NLY; you might be singing a different tune after this year. So were you and others this critical of TT after the 2007 season?

I hope so. Get off the TT thing. It's not personal in my case. Just want to win--could care less who the GM/coach is. Results are results. The last five years we have one playoff appearance. Not interested in excuses or fantasies.

As the title suggests, it would be best not to hate TT. The reason's for TT's dismissal should be logical and unemotional. However, all of the losing and failure, going on five years now, provide plenty of reason.

The fact is that the Packer's need to be smarter than the Lions, who needed seven plus years to figure out that Matt Millen was not the solution, he was part of the problem.

The people that support winning and going to the playoffs need to continue a campaign to have TT replaced. Hatred is unnecessary to this worthwhile campaign.

Not so fast buster; let the 2009 campaign play itself out unless somehow you already know the outcome. I have a feeling we will be pretty good and Mr. Thompson aint going nowhere which will make the bashers like you have to figure out another angle.

I am not knocking Mike Sherman as a coach, but as a personnel evaluator, especially on draft day. Did it escape your notice that TT drafted an exceptional young receiver in Greg Jennings, a good man on and off the field (unlike the aforementioned Mr. Moss)? But Brett the Diva could not bring himself to give TT any credit for helping him through the draft, and so now the second stop on his pathetic "Stick IT to Ted Tour" will be in Minnesota. I hope Clay Matthews knocks him into next week.

Exery Packer fan wants the Packers to beat the Vikings. I don't care who their QB is. I hate the Packers to lose to the Vikes. Unfortunately, TT has done little to make sure that happens. Even if it does happen, there is no reason to believe that TT won't have the Packers watching the playoffs at home AGAIN!

GBPfan; so you know all this stuff even before the season begins!!! Bro, can you help me out with mega-lottery numbers for this week.

Ted fan wrote:

I am not knocking Mike Sherman as a coach, but as a personnel evaluator, especially on draft day. Did it escape your notice that TT drafted an exceptional young receiver in Greg Jennings, a good man on and off the field (unlike the aforementioned Mr. Moss)? But Brett the Diva could not bring himself to give TT any credit for helping him through the draft, and so now the second stop on his pathetic "Stick IT to Ted Tour" will be in Minnesota. I hope Clay Matthews knocks him into next week.

Jennings was a good choice. I was pointing out that Sherman drafted/acquired some of our core players. Enough with the apologies/excuses. Let's win.

wal0645 wrote:

GBPfan; so you know all this stuff even before the season begins!!! Bro, can you help me out with mega-lottery numbers for this week.

Nothing I have stated constitutes a prediction of the upcoming season. That is your specialty, so I should be asking you for the lottery numbers. I have merely pointed out that the facts don't exist to support YOUR rosy predictions.

I also hope and wish for Packer success this season as I have for many decades. I have noticed a pattern over all those years. My hopes and wishes come true far more often when the Packers have good competent management. When the Packers have poor management my hopes and wishes rarely come to fruition. The last 4 years have fallen into the latter category. If you have been a Packer fan as long as I have been, you have seen this pattern before. I have lived long enough now to have learned a few things. I'm not going to apologize for being knowledgable. Nor will I ignore what I know, simply because I wish it were not so.

I have been following this team for over 40 years having been born and raised in Wisconsin. We have had a measure of success off and on since the sixties, but everyone who follows the team knows the consistency came when Wolf/Holmgrem were running the show. You bash Thompson, but he is held in high esteem by both these guys and was the choice of the outgoing President of the team. He has brought the team from 4-12, to 8-8, to 13-3, and then the slip up last year. Because we had the bad year in 2008, is he considered a total failure? Most people would say the team just had a bad year. Most people also know that a break or two here/there and 10-6 could have been achieved in spite of breaking in a new QB and the key injuries on the defense. This is why many bloggers don't accept your point; not because they are classless, clueless, or stupid; but because they feel the pieces are in place for success and believe last year doesn't represent the talent level of this team. Now in defense of you, I believe a lot folks (me included) will not accept another 6-10 year. I strongly believe that will not happen.

Yes, Wolf and Holmgren have the class not to trash TT. In fact, the horrible job he is doing makes their reign look even more impressive. I agree that there are many fans that "feel" that the Packers have the pieces in place for success, and are willing to ignore last season and every other fact that fails to support their "feelings."

None of their feelings will change the facts. Nor will teams start to win in the NFL simply because their fans "feel" that they will. The whole point I was making is that there is no substitute for good management. If you have been paying attention over the years you should know this.

P.S. If you talk to football fans, not just delusional Packer fans, you would find out that your statement: "Most people would say the team just had a bad year." is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

wal0645 wrote:

I have been following this team for over 40 years having been born and raised in Wisconsin. We have had a measure of success off and on since the sixties, but everyone who follows the team knows the consistency came when Wolf/Holmgrem were running the show. You bash Thompson, but he is held in high esteem by both these guys and was the choice of the outgoing President of the team. He has brought the team from 4-12, to 8-8, to 13-3, and then the slip up last year. Because we had the bad year in 2008, is he considered a total failure? Most people would say the team just had a bad year. Most people also know that a break or two here/there and 10-6 could have been achieved in spite of breaking in a new QB and the key injuries on the defense. This is why many bloggers don't accept your point; not because they are classless, clueless, or stupid; but because they feel the pieces are in place for success and believe last year doesn't represent the talent level of this team. Now in defense of you, I believe a lot folks (me included) will not accept another 6-10 year. I strongly believe that will not happen.

I suppose that you will accept a 7-9 season. That is my greatest fear. TT has set the bar so low that failure is now acceptable. He has already brought a culture of losing to GB. Both TT and his culture of losing have to go!

normallylikeyellow wrote:

Had to post that twice, did you? Save us the Favre excuse. Half the guys on his list are free agents after the season. Several core players, in fact. Several key contributors including Barnett, Tauscher, Wells, Kampman, Clifton, KGB, and others were drafted during the Sherman (3 divisonal titles, 4 playoffs appearances--2nd highest winning percentage to Vince Lombardi) era. Yes this 4-12, 8-8, 13-3, 6-10 roller coaster is definitely superior.

Are you actually trying to say that Mike Sherman was good at drafting players??? Really??? I liked his offense, and I think he was a great coordinator, but in terms of drafting players he has had a lot more Ahmad Carrols then he's had Nick Barnets if you know what I mean.

I think that the bad season's actually had more to do with Bob Sanders over-reliance on the front 4 pass rush than reflecting the skill of the team. Brett Favre and that offense was better than 4-12, and A-Rod and his offense was better than 6-10. When injuries didn't kill our line on Defense we didn't fair too poorly. I am just glad we have a defense that relies more on scheme then on individual players.

GBPfan wrote:

Yes, Wolf and Holmgren have the class not to trash TT. In fact, the horrible job he is doing makes their reign look even more impressive. I agree that there are many fans that "feel" that the Packers have the pieces in place for success, and are willing to ignore last season and every other fact that fails to support their "feelings."
None of their feelings will change the facts. Nor will teams start to win in the NFL simply because their fans "feel" that they will. The whole point I was making is that there is no substitute for good management. If you have been paying attention over the years you should know this.
P.S. If you talk to football fans, not just delusional Packer fans, you would find out that your statement: "Most people would say the team just had a bad year." is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

I don't think the majority of the guys at ESPN say that it is TT's fault that the packers had a bad season, they said it was the Defense. Most of the analysts that I have heard speak of the divisional race being very close, and that the Vikings will most likely close the deal due to their front 4.

First, TT hired the coaching staff and has made all personnel decisions for the last 5 drafts and 4 seasons. He is responsible for having a capable defense (and team) in place. The losing and failure to make the playoffs over the last 4 years is his fault, because he is primarily responsible.

And being in a close race in one of the NFL's weakest divisions is not a big accomplishment. I certainly hope the Packers have bigger goals. If their only goal is being in a close divisional race, Turd Thompson's culture of losing has gotten worse than I believed.

GBPfan wrote:

First, TT hired the coaching staff and has made all personnel decisions for the last 5 drafts and 4 seasons. He is responsible for having a capable defense (and team) in place. The losing and failure to make the playoffs over the last 4 years is his fault, because he is primarily responsible.
And being in a close race in one of the NFL's weakest divisions is not a big accomplishment. I certainly hope the Packers have bigger goals. If their only goal is being in a close divisional race, Turd Thompson's culture of losing has gotten worse than I believed.

The problem with the defense was Bob Sanders reliance on individual play, in 2007 packers had a top 5 defense, in 2008 and in 2006 the unit was injury riddled. The problem was that Sanders Philosophy worked well if there isn't any major injuries, and Thompson did put together the youngest roster in the league, and with that roster went to the NFC Championship game.
When Thompson took over the for the Packers, we were over the salary cap. In the 4-12 season we had lost all our running backs, we lost our primary reciever, and our defense had no linemen. I am not surprised we didn't play well. In 2007 the team had the second best record and was 21 Mil. under the cap. That is a good job of management.
If you look at what Thompson has done elsewhere you see that he built the Superbowl team of the Seahawks, and he built a championship callabre team 2 years ago without spending big money.
In terms of the conference, Having a team represented in the NFC Championship game in 2007 and the superbowl in 2006, I don't see it as the weakest conference in the league. AFC West??? NFC West (outside of Cardinals)