Grade TT for '06 GB Packer "rebuilding" year...

P@ck66

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I give him a C....C+..overall...not quite a B-....but yeah..

I think he hit on some things this year with his drafts and really can't complain about the kicking game, which was a surprise...

Jennings has talent and could be something...

The defense had some good acquisitions..but also some glaring holes...

FA was a weakness for him..especially on offense. Think of all the misses.

On defense, it was ok...good pickup with Pickett and Woodson...

(But in order for him to improve, imo..he has to do much better in FA for the offense this coming year....)
 

Packersfan43084

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See, that's where I disagree. I like the cayrious approach with FA. Thompson just needs to make some smart low-risk high reward signings. My only exception would be Tony Gonzalez at this point. We don't need to bring big names in through FA, like Washington has done. You see what's happened to them. We just need another good solid draft that gives us a few starters. Then, we'll be in much better shape to contend in a medicore conference...
 

packedhouse01

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Manual may not have been a bust, but it was close. Pickett and Woodson turned out to be really good pickups and filled two glaring holes. On the offensive side of the ball he didn't really do anything to help Brett out.

As for draft choices, I think school is still out on this. Collins has shown signs that he's adequate, but I don't see the star in him that some do. Hawk did very well. Hodge just never saw the field so we don't know yet what we have in him. Jenkins looks promising, but he disappeared the second half of the season with too many drops and bad pass routes. Poppinga from a year ago now looks like a keeper. The offensive line has to improve but it looks like there is something there to build around.

I'd give him a C, which is up from the D I gave him last year.
 

LambeauLeaper

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Yeah, I'm hoping that TT's plan was to start out the rebuilding process through the draft (which he did), and then turn to FA to fill in holes. This could be a turning point offseason because there may be too many holes to fill via FA and we are already among the youngest teams in the league (if not THE youngest) so to go even younger makes me nervous. IMO, these are our needs:

Offense
QB (if Favre retires)
RB (depends on what we do with Ahman)
FB (haven't seen enough of Miree, and Hendo might retire)
WR (need someone that can stretch a Def)
TE (don't get me started)
OL (need a guy or 2 for depth)

Defense
I think we're pretty solid on the line and at LB, but KGB will probably be replaced (I like Jenkins, though)
CB (we need to resign Harris, but I'd like a high draft pick for the future)
S (this depends on how the coaches feel about Underwood, but Manuel sucks)
The talent on the D is there, it wouldn't hurt to add some depth. But, the #1 replacement in the offseason needs to be Shottenheimer. I hate to beat a dead-horse, but how this guy was ever hired is a mystery.
 

HatestheEagles084

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Draft = A
Hawk, Jennings, Colledge, Spitz, Moll, Culver, Hodge...plenty of bright spots

Free Agency = B+
Pro: Woodson surpised a lot of people, Ryan Pickett, everyone forgets Aaron Kampman as Thompson's biggest signing, Also lost in the shuffle are the fact that we have a decent punter and a kicker who is quickly becoming reliable...
Con: Marquand Manuel

Extra Credit = A
this team has some pride once again...i cant get enough out of how we were 4-8 and made a run, the defense improved as the season went on, penalties, etc.

Overall = B+
People, Ted Thompson's method is working, I like his 'step by step' way of taking things, especially if this is the result...I'd rather see the careful free agent signings than a bunch of rubber-stamped checks that lead to us looking like the Washington Redskins, we have plenty of room to make moves this offseason, and we can make a splash in the draft--unfortunately we don't draft as high but keep in mind this team is 7-8 (8-8/7-9, i'm satisfied)

Ted Thomson had no intention of this team making the playoff, this team was built for 2007 and on, but I like it, we're getting deeper at a lot of positions...

My only complaint with Ted Thopmson is how he takes the improvement of the team position by position...Our offensive line, linebackers, and d-line are now set for a few seasons thanks to thompson's moves, but some patching is needed at pretty much every offensive skill position as well as defensive secondary...but if Thompson does to WR/TE/RB/CB what he did to D-line/LB/O-line this year I think we are going to have a solid all around team
 

tromadz

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I give it a B+

A Rebuilding year is just that, rebuilding. I didn't expect huge results RIGHT AWAY, and I am still waiting for zero to pull up the preseason prediction thread where I predicted 8-8 (even if we lose, I was close, damnit!)

I said that 2006 was the year to judge TT. Not record-wise, but GM-wise. We got rid of guys like Cledius Hunt and Ahmad Carroll, and brought in guys like Ryan Pickett and Charles Woodson, who weren't cheap, yet people call him tightwad ted...interesting, and by interesting I mean stupid.

And it is becoming pretty apparent that while this man might not be charismatic by any stretch of the imagination, the man can DRAFT his *** off. He turned 7 picks into 12, and four have started almost all season, another has started 10 games and five have contributed as backups. Thanks to what happened in 2006 by GB management, we have Greg Jennings and AJ Hawk for years to come.

Now it is not just players. It is coaches. Ted brought in Mike "who?" McCarthy and that got a lot of hate cuz Mike doesn't have the greatest background. But Ted liked him for whatever reason, and they went that route. I think McCarthy started off very rough but he was consistent and now he seems to be a solid coach and a move that I like. He has pride,passion, and it is showing with the players now. We were 4-8 under a rookie coach. That in itself is NOT a shocker, but the fact that if we win tonight we could be 8-8 IS a shocker. The never-say-die attitude starts with the coaching staff, and its showing, and I couldn't be more happier.

Jim Bates didn't stay with GB as DC or HC. Bob Sanders, the man who was with Bates the last 5 years learning from him and assisting him got the DC job. The scheme stayed the same, which is important. TT knew this. The players knew this. Al Harris said "thank god" when acknowding the scheme would stay the same. Flipping and flopping plans and schemes rarely equates to good things.

Bob Sanders started off bad. Real bad. Like with any coach\player who is a rookie, I always say to give them time. The defense SLOWLY improved. Rookies got experience, and younger players improved. Hawk didn't look too hot at the start, and is now a monster on the field. Poppinga was a joke on pass defense and a lot of people wanted his job, and now he appears solidified at OLB. Changes were made. Carroll was cut. And recently KGB was demoted to a very limited role. The pass defense, which Bob Sanders is not good at and has NO HISTORY coaching for, got better as he started to fit into his DC role...and now, Dec 31st, the defense is the strength of the Green Bay Packers.

So I am giving ted Thompson a B+. I like a lot of what he did. Was he perfect? Hell no. Nobody is. The Manuel pickup was baaaad, and a huge swing and a miss for Ted. Going into the season without WR depth was a questionable move, and when Ferguson got hurt as usual, it exploited the depth. And while he did counter his mistake by getting Koren Robinson, it was still a questionable move. So there was a lot of good, some bad, but it appears we have the foundation of a team that will be competitive for many years
 
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P@ck66

P@ck66

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I would say 2 of the rookies started by "default" since MM really didn't have a choice. There was no one else...

I don't believe in sitting on "cap money" just to sit on it either. If you can help your team by signing somebody then sign them. I think TT earned his monniker as a "tightwad" by trying to always get bargain basement, discount, off the rack players that didn't work out...like Taco Wallace, Gardner, Boreigter...etc...and in the end ended up being a waste of $$$...

The Woodson signing was the only real money he threw around, but that was because that was the only way he was going to get him...

And If he didn't sign someone of that stature, then his reputation as a "tightwad" GM would be reaching epic proportions by now...
 

IronMan

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C

The good:
-signing Charles Woodson. Yeah he paid him ALOT but he's earned every penny of it.
-drafting AJ Hawk, Greg Jennings.
-Cutting Ahmad Carroll. Probaly the best move by any GM this season.
-Dave Rayner. I no longer have to watch Longwell's kickoffs land at the 30 yard line. Rayner hasnt been great, but I think he will be an improvement.

The bad:

-signing Manuel. Absolutely terrible.
-putting 3 rookies on the O line to protect a hall of famer. This has really limited the offense and made us very predictable.
-Signing Koren Robinson. And not giving Brett enough weapons. Although this isnt ALL Thompsons fault, as Bubba Franks has been absolutely terrible. Kinda hard to predict he would be THAT bad.

As for recievers, the merry-go-round with practice squad recievers hasnt helped.
 

yooperfan

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I give Teddy a solid B.
It appears that he has layed a solid foundation for a good football team.

His grade is dragged down by the Manuel signing and failure to adequately address the WR position.
I think McCarthy will be a solid coach and give us a team that will be a contender if Teddy can give him more quality players to work with.
 

Zero2Cool

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Quick kinda off-topic question: Does free agency start immediately following the super bowl?

Starts in March.


The Packer team of 2006 = C-


We are going in the right direction, that I feel is certain.
 

tromadz

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subin said:
Quick kinda off-topic question: Does free agency start immediately following the super bowl?

Starts in March.


The Packer team of 2006 = C-


We are going in the right direction, that I feel is certain.

is that for the team, or TT? or both?
 

Zero2Cool

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Zero2Cool said:
subin said:
Quick kinda off-topic question: Does free agency start immediately following the super bowl?

Starts in March.


The Packer team of 2006 = C-


We are going in the right direction, that I feel is certain.

is that for the team, or TT? or both?

Overall I feel the teams grade is C-

I don't know what Ted did and failed on or did not do to accurately grade him. ie Did he simply not go for THis or THAT person or did he go for it an said person choice elsewhere? Another example would be Adam Vineteri. Ted did not fail there, Adam blatantly said he wanted to be in a controlled climate. Same goes with Ryan Longwell.
 

WinnipegPackFan

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I have to grade TT as Incomplete and am still very undecided on my overall feelings about him.

- Some of his youth moves were very positive this season - Positive
- Considering we are rebuilding, the teams record is to be expected - Positive
- What the $#@& happened with the D for the better part of the this season - Negative
- Not providing enough talented receiving corps to score consistently - Negative

This off season will be a major determining factor for me. Now that TT has a fairly solid core of youth on the team, will he open up his wallet and get a couple more experienced vets ? to not only make Green Bay a more attractive to place to play for other players; but to also motivate the great vets we have here to stay and make us a competitive team now ?
 

Zombieslayer

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B.

Good
Kampman. Nothing more needs to be said here.
Woodson. I was excited, then my Raider buddy told me he would get hurt midway through the season and we'd cut him. I listened, and I'm glad my buddy was wrong. :)
Pickett
The draft. I don't think we saw how good of a draft '06 was this year. We know Hawk was an A+, but I'm telling ya, Jennings is going to be good. Jennings has those intangibles. We also got two starting OL in the draft and they'll be good in the future. This draft was an A, a solid A.

Bad
Manuel
didn't keep Walker. I really think we should have kept him. Imagine Driver, Walker, and Jennings a year from now. I know there's a lot of hatred for Walker on this board, but I thought he was really good and made those horrendously awful QBs in Denver look just bad.




I had mixed feelings with TT at first. Now I think he's not bad. If he gets Tony G or Randy Moss in the offseason, and gets us a good SS, I'll really like him.
 

Cory

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B.

Good
Kampman. Nothing more needs to be said here.
Woodson. I was excited, then my Raider buddy told me he would get hurt midway through the season and we'd cut him. I listened, and I'm glad my buddy was wrong. :)
Pickett
The draft. I don't think we saw how good of a draft '06 was this year. We know Hawk was an A+, but I'm telling ya, Jennings is going to be good. Jennings has those intangibles. We also got two starting OL in the draft and they'll be good in the future. This draft was an A, a solid A.

Bad
Manuel
didn't keep Walker. I really think we should have kept him. Imagine Driver, Walker, and Jennings a year from now. I know there's a lot of hatred for Walker on this board, but I thought he was really good and made those horrendously awful QBs in Denver look just bad.




I had mixed feelings with TT at first. Now I think he's not bad. If he gets Tony G or Randy Moss in the offseason, and gets us a good SS, I'll really like him.



Cutler is far from horrendous..that kid has a very bright future...he would have been my second choice after Hawk.
 

Zombieslayer

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Zombieslayer said:
B.

Good
Kampman. Nothing more needs to be said here.
Woodson. I was excited, then my Raider buddy told me he would get hurt midway through the season and we'd cut him. I listened, and I'm glad my buddy was wrong. :)
Pickett
The draft. I don't think we saw how good of a draft '06 was this year. We know Hawk was an A+, but I'm telling ya, Jennings is going to be good. Jennings has those intangibles. We also got two starting OL in the draft and they'll be good in the future. This draft was an A, a solid A.

Bad
Manuel
didn't keep Walker. I really think we should have kept him. Imagine Driver, Walker, and Jennings a year from now. I know there's a lot of hatred for Walker on this board, but I thought he was really good and made those horrendously awful QBs in Denver look just bad.




I had mixed feelings with TT at first. Now I think he's not bad. If he gets Tony G or Randy Moss in the offseason, and gets us a good SS, I'll really like him.



Cutler is far from horrendous..that kid has a very bright future...he would have been my second choice after Hawk.



All right. I'll give you Cutler is okay, but Plummer stunk.
 

slackerbacker

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I don't know how an 8-8 record earns more than a grade of C ?

Unlike many of you, I didn't feel this SHOULD HAVE BEEN a rebuilding year. We had a good core group of vets, a high draft pick coming, a lot of cap money to spend, and by most accounts, an avg schedule and a lack luster conference and NFC to compete in.

Because of all that, and TT's tight ****** approach, I think TT actually cost the team a playoff appearance. I'm not saying it's easy or that I have all the answers, but you either do or don't, and to this point, TT hasn't given the TEAM enough playmakers to bounce back. C- at most.
 

wpr

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I think a C is a fair grade for an 8-8 team.
They surprised us in a few areas. Before the season I figured they would have 6-7 wins. Which is a positive from where they ended up last year. After watching them play the 1st few games I thought they would be lucky to get 4 wins again.
I would like to see TT go out a get a couple of stud FA this yr. I know it goes against his philosophy But getting a couple of solid FA players won't be the demise of the TT System. And drafting in the middle of the pack this year they won't have the same opportunites in 2007 as they had in 2006 so they need to supplement the draft with better quality FA.
 

porky88

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I give him a solid B overall.

I think he did well in the Draft. We got 3 rookies who he drafted specifically to fit the zone blocking scheme. All 3 have proven they are a good fit and they were fantastic last night against the Bears. They've really gotten better. If they workout in the off season they could be even stronger and faster next year.

Greg Jennings looks to be real promising. Slowed down when he hurt his ankle but not many rookie WR's come in and have much of an impact at all and he had one early. Should have a solid year and emerge as a great player down the road.

Can't say enough about AJ Hawk. He's going to make some Pro Bowls.

I liked how Thompson didn't got out and spend all the money in one year. We are setup to have cap room for many years to come. Woodson was a great signing. In fact I think the best one since Reggie White. Ryan Pickett was a solid signing as well. He had a solid year and is still fairly young as well. Manuel was a bust and I think he struggled finding that 4th WR this year. Boerighter didn't work out and Rod Gardner didn't either. Did a nice job of resigning players. Ahman Green was a nice signing. Aaron Kampman was amazing this year. Driver and Wells deserved the extensions they got.

So there were flaws. There will be for every team in every off season. I think a solid B this year and with another solid B next year we could be in the playoffs.
 

Cory

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I give him a solid B overall.

I think he did well in the Draft. We got 3 rookies who he drafted specifically to fit the zone blocking scheme. All 3 have proven they are a good fit and they were fantastic last night against the Bears. They've really gotten better. If they workout in the off season they could be even stronger and faster next year.

Greg Jennings looks to be real promising. Slowed down when he hurt his ankle but not many rookie WR's come in and have much of an impact at all and he had one early. Should have a solid year and emerge as a great player down the road.

Can't say enough about AJ Hawk. He's going to make some Pro Bowls.

I liked how Thompson didn't got out and spend all the money in one year. We are setup to have cap room for many years to come. Woodson was a great signing. In fact I think the best one since Reggie White. Ryan Pickett was a solid signing as well. He had a solid year and is still fairly young as well. Manuel was a bust and I think he struggled finding that 4th WR this year. Boerighter didn't work out and Rod Gardner didn't either. Did a nice job of resigning players. Ahman Green was a nice signing. Aaron Kampman was amazing this year. Driver and Wells deserved the extensions they got.

So there were flaws. There will be for every team in every off season. I think a solid B this year and with another solid B next year we could be in the playoffs.

I completely had a brain fart there by saying "wells? whos wells?" but overall I agree with this assessment. I give Thompson a C+ because Favre stll doesn't have any weapons other than Driver.
 

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