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Mike Vandermause column: Thompson won't spend millions
on mediocrity
By Mike Vandermause
The knock against Ted Thompson is the Green Bay Packers' general manager is sitting on a $21 million pile of cash and barely has moved during the first two weeks of NFL free agency.
While some teams have been throwing money around like drunken sailors, Thompson has taken a more conservative approach.
"It doesn't make sense to do something just so you can show people that you've done something, when in fact come next September or October you realize this did really not help us," said Thompson, who spent most of this past week on a scouting trip.
It's not that Thompson won't spend money in the open market, as evidenced by the signings last year of Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett. But the 2007 free-agent field had the look of a rundown used-car lot, and it's obvious Thompson won't overpay for a beater.
While he refuses to second-guess the wild spending habits of other teams, Thompson's philosophy tends to stand in contradiction to that approach.
"I don't think, with the ability of other teams to lock in their best players, I don't know that the kind of players that can turn a franchise around ever make it to free agency," he said.
Usually, there's a good reason why players are available. If they were bona fide difference-makers, their last employer would have done more to keep them.
If recent history is any indication, teams that make headlines in March are not the ones flourishing in the fall. The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins are prime examples.
They couldn't open their checkbooks fast enough to sign high-profile, high-priced free agents over the past three years. And what did their shopping sprees produce? The Redskins were a woeful 5-11 last season, and the Vikings were a pathetic 6-10.
In contrast, the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts signed just one free agent last year (kicker Adam Vinatieri), and the runner-up Chicago Bears picked up a nickel cornerback (Ricky Manning Jr.), a second-string quarterback (Brian Griese) and a special-teams player (Dante Wesley).
Such evidence supports Thompson's approach to free agency, which recognizes the difference between using and abusing the system. Free agents effectively can fill some potholes on the roster, but reckless spending will cause greater problems down the road.
The lone free agent to sign with the Packers this year is Frank Walker, who will battle for the No. 3 cornerback job. Just six teams — the Bears, Panthers, Giants, Chargers, Bengals and Ravens — have signed fewer players.
Other clubs have been more aggressive.
"A team might be sitting in a place where they think, 'Well, we've got a two-year window to maybe win this thing," Thompson said. "I don't necessarily subscribe to that kind of thinking, but I'm sure there are people that look at it that way. Then they say, 'What the heck, let's shoot the moon here.'"
Thompson prefers a more patient approach.
"We're doing everything we can," he said. "We're pedaling as fast as we can. We're trying to get as good as we can as fast as we can."
It may not be fast enough for some, but it's the only way Thompson knows how to operate.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.
on mediocrity
By Mike Vandermause
The knock against Ted Thompson is the Green Bay Packers' general manager is sitting on a $21 million pile of cash and barely has moved during the first two weeks of NFL free agency.
While some teams have been throwing money around like drunken sailors, Thompson has taken a more conservative approach.
"It doesn't make sense to do something just so you can show people that you've done something, when in fact come next September or October you realize this did really not help us," said Thompson, who spent most of this past week on a scouting trip.
It's not that Thompson won't spend money in the open market, as evidenced by the signings last year of Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett. But the 2007 free-agent field had the look of a rundown used-car lot, and it's obvious Thompson won't overpay for a beater.
While he refuses to second-guess the wild spending habits of other teams, Thompson's philosophy tends to stand in contradiction to that approach.
"I don't think, with the ability of other teams to lock in their best players, I don't know that the kind of players that can turn a franchise around ever make it to free agency," he said.
Usually, there's a good reason why players are available. If they were bona fide difference-makers, their last employer would have done more to keep them.
If recent history is any indication, teams that make headlines in March are not the ones flourishing in the fall. The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins are prime examples.
They couldn't open their checkbooks fast enough to sign high-profile, high-priced free agents over the past three years. And what did their shopping sprees produce? The Redskins were a woeful 5-11 last season, and the Vikings were a pathetic 6-10.
In contrast, the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts signed just one free agent last year (kicker Adam Vinatieri), and the runner-up Chicago Bears picked up a nickel cornerback (Ricky Manning Jr.), a second-string quarterback (Brian Griese) and a special-teams player (Dante Wesley).
Such evidence supports Thompson's approach to free agency, which recognizes the difference between using and abusing the system. Free agents effectively can fill some potholes on the roster, but reckless spending will cause greater problems down the road.
The lone free agent to sign with the Packers this year is Frank Walker, who will battle for the No. 3 cornerback job. Just six teams — the Bears, Panthers, Giants, Chargers, Bengals and Ravens — have signed fewer players.
Other clubs have been more aggressive.
"A team might be sitting in a place where they think, 'Well, we've got a two-year window to maybe win this thing," Thompson said. "I don't necessarily subscribe to that kind of thinking, but I'm sure there are people that look at it that way. Then they say, 'What the heck, let's shoot the moon here.'"
Thompson prefers a more patient approach.
"We're doing everything we can," he said. "We're pedaling as fast as we can. We're trying to get as good as we can as fast as we can."
It may not be fast enough for some, but it's the only way Thompson knows how to operate.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.