FrankRizzo
Cheesehead
Packers on the cusp of greatness - JSOnline
GOOD HISTORICAL article, here's part of it.
Green Bay — It was February 1996.
The Green Bay Packers had just finished an 11-5 regular season that included an NFC Central Division crown and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. Those Packers ranked seventh in the NFL in offense and 14th in defense.
General manager Ron Wolf and head coach Mike Holmgren both were a little more than four years into their jobs of turning around a moribund franchise. Quarterback Brett Favre was in his football prime, having just turned 26 years old.
Now, fast forward to today.
Again, the Packers are coming off an 11-5 regular season, although this one didn't include a division title and featured a first-round playoff loss. The 2009 Packers, though, ranked sixth in total offense and No. 2 in total defense.
General manager Ted Thompson just completed his fifth year on the job, while McCarthy - like Holmgren - wrapped up Year 4. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers - like Favre - is 26.
In so many ways, there are enormous parallels between where the Packers are today and where the organization was 14 years ago. But there's also one enormous difference.
In 1996, Wolf sensed just how close his team was to an NFL title.
He used free agency to sign defensive tackle Santana Dotson, kick returner Desmond Howard, wideout Don Beebe, left tackle Bruce Wilkerson, linebacker Ron Cox and traded for safety Eugene Robinson.
That group all played huge roles the following season as the Packers won their first Super Bowl in 29 years.
Thompson has had four months to improve his roster since the Packers' 51-45 overtime loss to Arizona in the NFC wild-card round. His scorecard currently reads: zero free agent signings, zero trades.
With such little activity these past four months, the question begs: Can Thompson get this team over the hump, as his mentor Wolf did 14 years ago?
Much more.... click the link above.
I want to say this: There are numerous paths a team can take. And TT can get us to the title without copying Wolf. Would it have been smarter though, to follow the path a little closer?
GOOD HISTORICAL article, here's part of it.
"You have to make a decision as a general manager: Do you want to win championships or do you want to win games," said former safety LeRoy Butler, who made four Pro Bowls during his 12-year Packer career. "Ted's going to win games because of Aaron (Rodgers) and because he drafts well. But unless he changes his philosophy when it comes to free agency, it's going to be hard to win championships.
"Right now, the gap between Minnesota and the Packers is huge if Brett (Favre) comes back. How are the Packers going to close that gap by just drafting a bunch of young guys? The thing is, Ted doesn't believe in getting a 30-year-old veteran to help you do that. He wants to fill his holes with young guys."
"I remember in the locker room after the Dallas game, a lot of us were crying," said Robert Brooks, a wideout with Green Bay from 1992-'98. "I was crying, Reggie (White) was crying, Leroy (Butler) was crying. Just a whole bunch of us because we knew how close we were, and we almost felt shameful that we hadn't got it done.
"But then that off-season, Ron Wolf did a lot of great things. We had a lot of the pieces in place already, and then he went and filled in all the gaps. And when we returned for training camp, we knew. We knew were about to have a special year."
"I'll still take Ron's way because it's proven," Butler said. "Ted should have learned last year that you can't go into the playoffs with Jarrett Bush as your third corner.
Green Bay — It was February 1996.
The Green Bay Packers had just finished an 11-5 regular season that included an NFC Central Division crown and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. Those Packers ranked seventh in the NFL in offense and 14th in defense.
General manager Ron Wolf and head coach Mike Holmgren both were a little more than four years into their jobs of turning around a moribund franchise. Quarterback Brett Favre was in his football prime, having just turned 26 years old.
Now, fast forward to today.
Again, the Packers are coming off an 11-5 regular season, although this one didn't include a division title and featured a first-round playoff loss. The 2009 Packers, though, ranked sixth in total offense and No. 2 in total defense.
General manager Ted Thompson just completed his fifth year on the job, while McCarthy - like Holmgren - wrapped up Year 4. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers - like Favre - is 26.
In so many ways, there are enormous parallels between where the Packers are today and where the organization was 14 years ago. But there's also one enormous difference.
In 1996, Wolf sensed just how close his team was to an NFL title.
He used free agency to sign defensive tackle Santana Dotson, kick returner Desmond Howard, wideout Don Beebe, left tackle Bruce Wilkerson, linebacker Ron Cox and traded for safety Eugene Robinson.
That group all played huge roles the following season as the Packers won their first Super Bowl in 29 years.
Thompson has had four months to improve his roster since the Packers' 51-45 overtime loss to Arizona in the NFC wild-card round. His scorecard currently reads: zero free agent signings, zero trades.
With such little activity these past four months, the question begs: Can Thompson get this team over the hump, as his mentor Wolf did 14 years ago?
Much more.... click the link above.
I want to say this: There are numerous paths a team can take. And TT can get us to the title without copying Wolf. Would it have been smarter though, to follow the path a little closer?