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<blockquote data-quote="longtimefan" data-source="post: 94363" data-attributes="member: 145"><p>Mike Vandermause column: Give Packers time to rebuild</p><p></p><p>By Mike Vandermause</p><p></p><p>How did it come to this? The Green Bay Packers are 11½-point underdogs heading into tonight's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.</p><p></p><p>You'd have to go back almost 17 years to find the last time they were expected to lose by such a large point spread.</p><p></p><p>In sifting through reasons why the Packers have fallen so far in the eyes of the experts, it would be easy to look at short-term problems.</p><p></p><p><strong>We've heard a litany of theories this season, from the inexperience of coach Mike McCarthy, to the free-agent miscalculations of General Manager Ted Thompson</strong>, to the inability of assistants to properly teach their players, to the decline of aging veterans, to the rookie mistakes.</p><p></p><p>When the losses mount, fingers are pointed in every direction and few are immune from criticism. Fair or not, almost everyone gets caught in the crossfire.</p><p></p><p>The blame game will intensify with every defeat this season.</p><p></p><p>That's why it would be instructive to step back and look at the big picture.</p><p></p><p><strong>There's no quick fix for the Packers' predicament. Thompson has undertaken a massive rebuilding job, and it likely will take years to turn things around.</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="color: red">It's too early to know whether Thompson is the man for the job, but he needs time to prove himself.</span></p><p></p><p>One number — <strong>zero — tells us all we need to know about the situation in Green Bay. That's how many Pro Bowl players are on the roster among the 50 Packers draft picks since 2001.</strong></p><p></p><p>Zip.</p><p></p><p>Nada.</p><p></p><p>Zilch.</p><p></p><p>In fairness, it's too soon to judge the 2005 and 2006 drafts, which in the short term have produced six starters. It also should be noted the Packers traded their only home-grown Pro Bowl draft pick in the last six years — receiver Javon Walker — and the jury is still out on that transaction.</p><p></p><p>But if you're looking for the main reason the Packers are struggling, go back to the <strong>drafts from 2001 to 2004. With minimal talent coming in during that time period, the Packers were bound to suffer the consequences.</strong></p><p></p><p>Not only are there no Pro Bowlers in the bunch, there are just four starters from those four drafts — Aaron Kampman, Nick Barnett, Scott Wells and Corey Williams. That's being generous, becuse Williams only recently became a starter, due in part to an injury to another player.</p><p></p><p>By comparison, the<strong> Eagles drafted a modest total of seven starters from 2001 to 2004, but three have become Pro Bowl players — cornerback Lito Sheppard, safety Michael Lewis and running back Brian Westbrook.</strong></p><p>It's important to use the draft to not only build a solid base of starters, but also to produce some Pro Bowl-caliber players who can make a difference. The Packers accomplished neither over a four-year span, and the bill has come due.</p><p></p><p>The effects of a bad draft are generally seen two to three years down the road.</p><p></p><p>The same can be said for a good draft, and that's why Thompson deserves time and patience in his attempts to turn around the Packers' fortunes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="longtimefan, post: 94363, member: 145"] Mike Vandermause column: Give Packers time to rebuild By Mike Vandermause How did it come to this? The Green Bay Packers are 11½-point underdogs heading into tonight's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. You'd have to go back almost 17 years to find the last time they were expected to lose by such a large point spread. In sifting through reasons why the Packers have fallen so far in the eyes of the experts, it would be easy to look at short-term problems. [b]We've heard a litany of theories this season, from the inexperience of coach Mike McCarthy, to the free-agent miscalculations of General Manager Ted Thompson[/b], to the inability of assistants to properly teach their players, to the decline of aging veterans, to the rookie mistakes. When the losses mount, fingers are pointed in every direction and few are immune from criticism. Fair or not, almost everyone gets caught in the crossfire. The blame game will intensify with every defeat this season. That's why it would be instructive to step back and look at the big picture. [b]There's no quick fix for the Packers' predicament. Thompson has undertaken a massive rebuilding job, and it likely will take years to turn things around.[/b] [color=red]It's too early to know whether Thompson is the man for the job, but he needs time to prove himself.[/color] One number — [b]zero — tells us all we need to know about the situation in Green Bay. That's how many Pro Bowl players are on the roster among the 50 Packers draft picks since 2001.[/b] Zip. Nada. Zilch. In fairness, it's too soon to judge the 2005 and 2006 drafts, which in the short term have produced six starters. It also should be noted the Packers traded their only home-grown Pro Bowl draft pick in the last six years — receiver Javon Walker — and the jury is still out on that transaction. But if you're looking for the main reason the Packers are struggling, go back to the [b]drafts from 2001 to 2004. With minimal talent coming in during that time period, the Packers were bound to suffer the consequences.[/b] Not only are there no Pro Bowlers in the bunch, there are just four starters from those four drafts — Aaron Kampman, Nick Barnett, Scott Wells and Corey Williams. That's being generous, becuse Williams only recently became a starter, due in part to an injury to another player. By comparison, the[b] Eagles drafted a modest total of seven starters from 2001 to 2004, but three have become Pro Bowl players — cornerback Lito Sheppard, safety Michael Lewis and running back Brian Westbrook.[/b] It's important to use the draft to not only build a solid base of starters, but also to produce some Pro Bowl-caliber players who can make a difference. The Packers accomplished neither over a four-year span, and the bill has come due. The effects of a bad draft are generally seen two to three years down the road. The same can be said for a good draft, and that's why Thompson deserves time and patience in his attempts to turn around the Packers' fortunes. [/QUOTE]
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