I think my expectations are in line with most fans. Thompson has broad leeway to act with one goal in mind: improve the NFL's worst defense in 2011. I'm not here to spell out exactly how he should go about that process.
The point is that if he gets cute with that first round selection and drafts a real project or adds to a position of depth on the offense, then he's torching much of the good will created by the Pack's recent Super Bowl run... If he followed the draft with a couple of great defensive FA signings, then I might be right back aboard but that hasn't been his M.O.
It's simple: Improve the defense. Let's get another title. -He has plenty of room to find value with his draft picks...
Your right. He has room. That's the thing we've learned from past experience. TT doesn't really care about the expectations of fans when it comes to choosing talent. We also know that this, as he said, "Isn't fantasy football." Nor is it Madden football. He has a lot of things on his plate with which to deal. He might be losing his starting center. Clifton doesn't have many (if any) miles left in his tank. Flynn will probably be somewhere else at the beginning of the season. That's part of why TT already signed a backup from the Arena league. Tannehill has expressed interest in the Dolphins. So he may not even be a consideration. We do know that Thompson said he sometimes will fill "holes" with free agency. So he may or may not use the draft for defense. This is why his philosophy of best available player is so important to him. He knows he can fill holes through free agency. Although we do know he uses free agency sparingly. He has to look carefully at the cap under the new CBA. I read on PFT that franchise tags don't bring as much under the new CBA, so he'll carefully look at that as well. My whole point is once again, TT gets it done, but he doesn't always do it the way the populace thinks he should.
I wouldn't be surprised if a blue chip player at a position in which the Packers are "deep" gets selected in the first round. It might not happen that way, but with TT one never knows. Who's to say he doesn't bring in a blue chip player who performs well in training camp and then a veteran from that "deep" position is traded for some other veteran who "fills a hole"? The only thing we can do is sit back and wait and watch. But I think we set ourselves up for disappointment if we think he's going to act in knee jerk fashion with the draft or free agency to fill defensive needs. He'll see what's available when it's available and play his cards accordingly.
Here's a for instance; this is just hypothetical, I'm not saying this will happen. Suppose the best available player on the board is a tight end. We know he signed Finley. It's possible a blue chip tight end comes in and bumps Quarless out of a position. TT then shops Quarless to another team in a trade for defensive help. The best available player philosophy has a number of variables after the fact and this could be one type.