Bill Polian on Ted Thompson: "Fans should applaud him"

OP
OP
Shawnsta3

Shawnsta3

Cheesehead
Joined
Aug 19, 2011
Messages
1,273
Reaction score
137
Location
Manawa & Shawano, WI
It might have been lucky but the packers lost to those "lucky" Giants both times. And the 2nd time got beat quite soundly I might add.

I could make a case how the packers went on 1 lucky ******** run and packer fans fail to see how mediocre the team really is. Not only have they lost the last 2 years in the playoffs, they looked lost and really bad. I don't mind losing but at least make the other team earn the win.
Yeah, I too would live to hear it. I could understand if say, we were only competitive for that one year but an 80-42 record under McCarthy in reg./ postseason would be hard to argue about the Packers only being " lucky"
 

adambr2

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
4,013
Reaction score
609
It's amazing, although yet not that surprising, that some people (few on here, comparatively) talk about this franchise like TT is driving it into the ground. You'd think we were the Jets or Browns.

In baseball, I've been a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers for the last 20-25 years. So believe me, I know what it is like to watch a franchise in turmoil. This isn't it. In the last 7 years or so, (the length of the TT/MM era) there are a small handful of teams that can claim to have the overall sustained success that we've had. Maybe 5.

Every move that a GM ever makes is going to have a group that doesn't agree with it. That's part of being a fan. We aren't paid to make those decisions, so it's something we all just have to deal with. Something that might seem really obvious to you, might not be so obvious to another fan -- or to the scouts, coaches, and managers that spend a lot more time than us reviewing film, watching practices, and studying players.
 

Forderick

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Messages
158
Reaction score
7
Go ahead, id love to hear it.

Sorry, while mediocre is a bit too harsh and while their record has been good, can anyone honestly say that the defence was good enough to win during the 15-1 season. and even last year. They have been embarrassed the last 2 years in the playoffs. So while their regular season has been great, their playoffs since the super bowl have been bad. And dare I say mediocre?
 

adambr2

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
4,013
Reaction score
609
Sorry, while mediocre is a bit too harsh and while their record has been good, can anyone honestly say that the defence was good enough to win during the 15-1 season. and even last year. They have been embarrassed the last 2 years in the playoffs. So while their regular season has been great, their playoffs since the super bowl have been bad. And dare I say mediocre?

Yes. And what happened to last year's Super Bowl teams? Well, the Patriots were embarrassed at home by the Ravens. And the Giants, they weren't even good enough to make it back to the playoffs at all. At least we were in the playoffs, which is all you need to give yourself a shot.

Why did this happen to them this year? Because it happens. You have a league with constant turnover, unpredictable and sometimes unfair and unforgiving injury rates, and 31 other GM's also trying their best to get to the top.

If you think every year is going to end in a championship, you're going to be very disappointed most years.
 

Oshkoshpackfan

YUT !!!
Joined
Aug 14, 2012
Messages
3,286
Reaction score
260
Location
Camp Lejeune NC
Sorry, while mediocre is a bit too harsh and while their record has been good, can anyone honestly say that the defence was good enough to win during the 15-1 season. and even last year. They have been embarrassed the last 2 years in the playoffs. So while their regular season has been great, their playoffs since the super bowl have been bad. And dare I say mediocre?

defense? why don't you go look at where our D was ranked in 2011, then go look where it was ranked in 2012. We made a LEGIT improvement and are still going to be getting better. Going from dead last to middle of the league is a vast turn aound in such a short time frame.
 

HyponGrey

Caseus Locutus Est
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
3,758
Reaction score
221
Location
South Jersey
defense? why don't you go look at where our D was ranked in 2011, then go look where it was ranked in 2012. We made a LEGIT improvement and are still going to be getting better. Going from dead last to middle of the league is a vast turn aound in such a short time frame.
Don't forget historically bad.
 

DevilDon

Inclement Weather Fan
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
1,393
Reaction score
268
Didn't we set a record back in 2011 that the Saint's (not to be outdone) broke this year for statistically worst defense in NFL history?
Yep, but that's like saying the south historically loses revolutions.
I take "historically" to mean they have a track record of the same type of performance. Napoleon had his Waterloo but you'd never say that he was "historically" a loser would you?
Short term yes, but historically I'd say not a chance.
 

HyponGrey

Caseus Locutus Est
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
3,758
Reaction score
221
Location
South Jersey
Yep, but that's like saying the south historically loses revolutions.
I take "historically" to mean they have a track record of the same type of performance. Napoleon had his Waterloo but you'd never say that he was "historically" a loser would you?
Short term yes, but historically I'd say not a chance.
More along the lines of saying the Holocaust being a historic slaughter. I take "Historically" to mean notable/significant when compared to past records. Nobody had ever put up such bad numbers. The 72 Dolphins had a historic season.
 

texaspackerbacker

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
385
Reaction score
27
Sorry, while mediocre is a bit too harsh and while their record has been good, can anyone honestly say that the defence was good enough to win during the 15-1 season. and even last year. They have been embarrassed the last 2 years in the playoffs. So while their regular season has been great, their playoffs since the super bowl have been bad. And dare I say mediocre?

I understand where you are coming from, Ford. What I would say is the Packers other than Aaron Rodgers have a pretty mediocre team, and heaven forbid we lose him, I would fear a drop off a lot like the Colts when Peyton went down.
 

DevilDon

Inclement Weather Fan
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
1,393
Reaction score
268
More along the lines of saying the Holocaust being a historic slaughter. I take "Historically" to mean notable/significant when compared to past records. Nobody had ever put up such bad numbers. The 72 Dolphins had a historic season.
Ah okay. But I'd say that there have been far greater slaughters. WWII is supposed to have killed 66 million all told and Mao killed about 40 mil. The Holocaust, though revolting by it's nature isn't in the same league as those slaughters. You see, it's a matter of perspective. I suppose you might say it's more notable but it's not historic.
The Packers had a poor defense that year but it would be a silly argument to say they were historically bad wouldn't you? They won plenty of games so it goes unnoticed because they weren't so bad that they couldn't stay in games. Perspective Hypon. Plenty of people will note the futility that the Lions enjoyed during their 0-16 season and many will call their defense bad but fans are a forgiving group and I think most will look past 2011 as a season in which the Packers had a poor defense. You as a fan might remember it as historically bad but I doubt many else will agree. Teams threw on us all day long to get back into games, and that increased the yardage total but not points scored.
 

DevilDon

Inclement Weather Fan
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
1,393
Reaction score
268
I understand where you are coming from, Ford. What I would say is the Packers other than Aaron Rodgers have a pretty mediocre team, and heaven forbid we lose him, I would fear a drop off a lot like the Colts when Peyton went down.
You can't do that, I mean, the Vikings without AP are average right? The Patriots without TB are average right? Who's strong once their blue chip players go down?
Who would you say, I mean what team could lose their Tom Brady, Peyton, Aaron and be anything more than average?
 

DevilDon

Inclement Weather Fan
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
1,393
Reaction score
268
More along the lines of saying the Holocaust being a historic slaughter. I take "Historically" to mean notable/significant when compared to past records. Nobody had ever put up such bad numbers. The 72 Dolphins had a historic season.
At the same time you'd never say the Dolphins are historically good.
 

HyponGrey

Caseus Locutus Est
Joined
Mar 18, 2012
Messages
3,758
Reaction score
221
Location
South Jersey
Ah okay. But I'd say that there have been far greater slaughters. WWII is supposed to have killed 66 million all told and Mao killed about 40 mil. The Holocaust, though revolting by it's nature isn't in the same league as those slaughters. You see, it's a matter of perspective. I suppose you might say it's more notable but it's not historic.
The Packers had a poor defense that year but it would be a silly argument to say they were historically bad wouldn't you? They won plenty of games so it goes unnoticed because they weren't so bad that they couldn't stay in games. Perspective Hypon. Plenty of people will note the futility that the Lions enjoyed during their 0-16 season and many will call their defense bad but fans are a forgiving group and I think most will look past 2011 as a season in which the Packers had a poor defense. You as a fan might remember it as historically bad but I doubt many else will agree. Teams threw on us all day long to get back into games, and that increased the yardage total but not points scored.
True, The Armenian slaughter was bigger if I recall, but nobody says anything about that one, and I was using Historic as a synonym to notable. We'll get past it, and quite frankly our defense has been worse than 2011 before, but I'll still remember it because the statistics we put up set an NFL record.
 

Spanish Rose

Cheesehead
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
430
Reaction score
15
Sorry, while mediocre is a bit too harsh and while their record has been good, can anyone honestly say that the defence was good enough to win during the 15-1 season. and even last year. They have been embarrassed the last 2 years in the playoffs. So while their regular season has been great, their playoffs since the super bowl have been bad. And dare I say mediocre?
It was good enough to win 15 games and bad enough to lose 2..mediocre? I get what your saying, but by that definition the 15 other teams to be eliminated were just that as well..Only 1 team takes it.. Our defense might be "mediocre", but this is a team sport, and as a "team" there are only about two who've done it better in the last 5 years.. Far from mediocre
 

DevilDon

Inclement Weather Fan
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
1,393
Reaction score
268
True, The Armenian slaughter was bigger if I recall, but nobody says anything about that one, and I was using Historic as a synonym to notable. We'll get past it, and quite frankly our defense has been worse than 2011 before, but I'll still remember it because the statistics we put up set an NFL record.
I don't know, I think the Armenian numbers are at about 1.5 million which is my point: Stalin: 20 mil (1928-1953) and Vietnam 4.2 million and the second Congo war (1998-2002) 3.8 million are all modern numbers. It depends on your perspective on what is an atrocity or more notable. It just wasn't possible to kill as many people in the past as modern technology allows modern times but Genghis Khan did try: 40 mil.
In simple numbers though the Packers defense was poor but not by any stretch of the imagination atrocious. I agree they will bounce back and last year was an indication that they will rebound in a quick fashion. If one draft can take you from 32nd to 11th, what will another draft do?
 

PFanCan

That's MISTER Cheesehead, to you.
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
2,067
Reaction score
491
Location
Houston, TX
Yeah, I too would live to hear it. I could understand if say, we were only competitive for that one year but an 80-42 record under McCarthy in reg./ postseason would be hard to argue about the Packers only being " lucky"

Additionally, the Packers have been extremely unlucky regarding injuries these past few years. Last year I recall seeing a stat just before the 49er playoff game that compared how many games lost by Packer starters versus 49er starters all season long due to injury. I forget the number, but it was something outrageous like Packers 100, 49ers only four.

What I am saying is, an 80-42 record is even more impressive when you look at the injury stats.

If the Packers are "mediocre", well, I guess I am pretty happy with mediocre.
 

adambr2

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
4,013
Reaction score
609
Of course the Packers are mediocre without Rodgers. As are the Patriots without Brady, the Broncos without Manning, the Vikings without Peterson, the Saints without Brees...etc etc. Most teams with a superstar player become a lot worse without said player.
 

adambr2

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
4,013
Reaction score
609
One overlooked aspect of overusing free agency is the affect that it has on your player development. While your prized veteran stop-gap is playing, your young potentially talented guy next in line is not gaining game experience. If we go out and sign Michael Huff, is a guy like McMillian or Jennings going to ever be suitable for the starting spot?

Case in point with EDS last year. Saturday gets benched for EDS late in the season. Now, suppose we never had signed him. Other than saving a few million extra to carry over to this year's cap, what would the benefits have been? Well, EDS would have gained a season's worth of experience at the position, and we would have a lot better idea by now whether he was going to be the man there or not.

I'm not saying that the Saturday signing was dumb, or even that EDS is going to be great. Just giving an example of how free agency activity can affect player development.
 

AmishMafia

Cheesehead
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Messages
7,270
Reaction score
2,387
Location
PENDING
Didn't we set a record back in 2011 that the Saint's (not to be outdone) broke this year for statistically worst defense in NFL history?
No. In one category, passing yards, we set a record. But one category does not completely describe a defense. Our defense was towards the middle of the pack in points given up and we were 2nd best in creating turnovers. It all adds up to a bad but not a 'historically' bad defense by any means. There were 3 or 4 teams that season alone that had worse defenses.
 

SpartaChris

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
3,024
Reaction score
671
Agree to a point. Ron Wolf didn't have the length at Green Bay Polian had at Indy. My point is it seems that Polian's word is being offered as a "How to Do It" in the NFL. I question why so? His track record is no better and maybe worse than some others that did it different ways. There, I've now made a comparison.

Polian's job as GM, which is the same as Thompson's job now, was to assemble the pieces necessary to make a run and stay in contention each and every year. And you have to admit he was quite successful at. Indy were legitimate contenders almost every single year, which is really all any realistic fan-base can ask for. Expecting much more than that is both naive and unrealistic.
 

SpartaChris

Cheesehead
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
3,024
Reaction score
671
I still feel the 9ers were top to bottom the better team. The giants? Not as much.

Yup. 8 drops, 4 turnovers. If that's not shooting yourself in the foot, I don't know what is, but it's why we lost to the New Jersey Giants.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Latest posts

Top