Introduction.. Justin Harrell

[Lare]

yah dude business dosent work like that, if the people working under you mess up then its your fault no matter what the circumstances. TT has total accountability for everything

Even 12-20? I thought that was Sherman's fault.

 

[Greg C.]

Stuff I made up? Go back and read Ted's own words on why he selected Harrell. Obviously, TT isn't going to come out PUBLICLY and claim Harrell wasn't his choice if he doesn't pan out. You tell me what leader of a team is going to make an important pick like the one in the first round and claim that you didn't even have a conversation with the guy and you took him because someone else felt good about him.?

Let's bring this into terms we can all understand... Your boss has an opportunity to hire one individual that can really help you in your profession. He announces who you're going to be working along side and your wondering why the heck he chose this guy because you'd been hearing about some other potential hires that you really thought would help your business succeed. He then stands before you and tells you that he hired this guy to work with you because one of his right hand men liked him a whole bunch. Your boss goes on to admit that he didn't even really interview him, he may have said, "Hi" to him in passing on a business trip. To make matters worse you then learn the man hired to work with you happened to have some connection to your bosses right hand man in a previous endeavor. What are you then thinking?

I would be shocked to learn my boss hired someone he never met who had difficulty showing up for work (injury history) and did it based on a connection his right hand man had to him.

No leader is going to be that hands off. Did Bill Belichick say he might have said, "Hi" to Randy Moss once and that he decided to bring him in based on what someone else who had a connection to him said? No. Bill Belichick talked straight with Moss and went ahead with it because he felt comfortable with it. He indirectly took responsibility for Randy by his own words about his acquisition. Ted Thompson didn't come across like a guy who did his homework. That can't be debated with even a hint of intellectual honesty.

Just to make myself crystal clear: The stuff I accused you of making up was the part about Thompson blaming McKenzie if the pick doesn't pan out. Of course you made that up, because it's completely hypothetical.

I admit I don't quite know what to make of this business of not interviewing the player you eventually draft. Thompson did the same thing with Hawk last year, and I've heard of other teams doing it as well. I think it's all part of the game of not showing your intentions to the rest of the league, lest somebody trade up and grab the player you want before you can get him. It could be that with guys who have already demonstrated their commitment to football and overall high character (like Hawk and Harrell) GM's do not feel the interview is a crucial part of the process. It's certainly a lot less important than it is in the more typical job situation that you use in your analogy.

Also, I don't believe for a minute that Thompson made this pick entirely on the recommendation of Reggie McKenzie. Ted Thompson is the GM, and Harrell was Thompson's pick. Maybe you've read something that I didn't read, but I have yet to see Thompson in any way attempt to distance himself from this pick. I would be very disturbed if he did that.

As for Thompson looking like he didn't do his homework, he certainly can be dull in press conferences, but everything I've read about the guy is that he's hard working and meticulous. He had that reputation long before he became GM of the Packers. I don't think Mike Holmgren would've hired him if he was anything less than hard working and meticulous, and I don't think Bob Harlan would've hired him either.

 

[Zombieslayer]

"Everything since I've been here has been great," he said. "I'm going to try to show everybody the Packers didn't make a bad decision selecting me and I'm just going to continue doing what I've been doing my whole life. It got me to this point right here, so there's no reason to change now."

Harrell conceded the fans' initial reaction was just an indication of their loyalty and passion toward their team. Since he's been in Green Bay, Harrell has been learning more and more about the history and tradition of the Packers.

I'm going to root heavily for the kid. I feel bad that Packer fans booed him. I can't imagine how that must feel.

 

[Oannes]

Go to Packers.com and watch the video of TT talking about the selection of Harrell. I made nothing up. Listen to his reasoning for why he took Harrell. Why would he even reference Reggie McKenzie as part of the reason he took him. He referred to Reggie as Mr. Tennessee and said he had all these contacts in Tennessee. Listen and then come back and tell me I'm making hypothetical situations up in my mind. It's no different than when Brett Favre doesn't actually blame a WR for him throwing an interception, but puts it out there for all of us to "read between the lines" that it certainly wasn't his fault. That is what TT is doing. He put a lot of this pick on Reggie McKenzie. No strong leader would ever do something like that.

Watch the beginning....He seems unsure what injury he had last season, and then says he's recovered and did 24 reps on the bench. Wrong. He did 37 reps on the bench not 24. ++++Edit... I was wrong he did not do 37 TT was correct++++ It's amazing that he's that researched about his pick and doesn't know simple facts about him. For those claiming he didn't talk to him because he was trying to hide the fact we were interested, then why have the medical staff check him at the combine? That shows interest righ there.

Also, did anyone see his interview on ESPN on Sunday? Wow. It made me long for the day we had a strong GM like Wolf. I know Wolf had his share of busts, especially in Round 1, but he had an air about him that TT doesn't carry. TT used phrases in his interview with ESPN like... "We think we're going to be a fairly competitive team". What? Ted seems to be very comfortable with being a couple of notches below greatness as long as he's a few notches above terrible. Mediocrity is not what the fans want but this seems to be just fine with our current brain trust. I'll take one SB championship and go 4-12 for 5 years vs. clinging to the hope we'll be a tad better than 8-8 for the next 5 years.

 

[mi_keys]

Go to Packers.com and watch the video of TT talking about the selection of Harrell. I made nothing up. Listen to his reasoning for why he took Harrell. Why would he even reference Reggie McKenzie as part of the reason he took him. He referred to Reggie as Mr. Tennessee and said he had all these contacts in Tennessee. Listen and then come back and tell me I'm making hypothetical situations up in my mind. It's no different than when Brett Favre doesn't actually blame a WR for him throwing an interception, but puts it out there for all of us to "read between the lines" that it certainly wasn't his fault. That is what TT is doing. He put a lot of this pick on Reggie McKenzie. No strong leader would ever do something like that.

Watch the beginning....He seems unsure what injury he had last season, and then says he's recovered and did 24 reps on the bench. Wrong. He did 37 reps on the bench not 24. It's amazing that he's that researched about his pick and doesn't know simple facts about him. For those claiming he didn't talk to him because he was trying to hide the fact we were interested, then why have the medical staff check him at the combine? That shows interest righ there.

Also, did anyone see his interview on ESPN on Sunday? Wow. It made me long for the day we had a strong GM like Wolf. I know Wolf had his share of busts, especially in Round 1, but he had an air about him that TT doesn't carry. TT used phrases in his interview with ESPN like... "We think we're going to be a fairly competitive team". What? Ted seems to be very comfortable with being a couple of notches below greatness as long as he's a few notches above terrible. Mediocrity is not what the fans want but this seems to be just fine with our current brain trust. I'll take one SB championship and go 4-12 for 5 years vs. clinging to the hope we'll be a tad better than 8-8 for the next 5 years.

http://www.nfl.com/combine/story/10023350
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=17456

First, TT was referencing Harrell's reps at the combine... he did 24! He did 31 (not 37) on his pro day at Tennessee. So right off the bat I can tell you're making things up.

Second, he makes one reference to Reggie Mckenzie in a 10:09 interview. What more, that reference isn't made until late into the interview and what he says is along the lines of, "Reggie Mckenzie has a lot of contacts there so he was certainly helpful in that regards." And from that you stretch it to say that TT made this pick based on Reggie's endorsement as if that was the one and only reason he picked him. That can easily mean Reggie was able to get us closer so we could do the research we wanted. He also states during the interview that they felt he was the highest value on the draft board, that the medical staff checked him out and they feel his injury history won't reoccur in the NFL, and that they wanted to add another quality young player to the defensive line.

 

[Oannes]

I will never ever make things up. I was wrong. You are right. I don't know where I got the 37 from, but it's from something I read. I'm feverishly trying to track down where I got the 37 reps from. I posted the same 37 reps thing on an article at Packersnews.com under the name Old School over a week ago. I used the 37 reps in a positive way to the strength of Harrell and said it made the pick more palatable. Here's what Kirwan said of the pick on NFL.com...

16 16 Green Bay Justin Harrell DT Tennessee
Pat Kirwan's Analysis
I had Justin Harrell going somewhere at this point in the draft because when he regained his health, it demonstrated to the NFL -- with the 35 reps on the bench -- NFL personnel people went back and looked at 2005 game tapes and convinced themselves he was a first-round selection because he has a unique ability to disengage from blockers and make plays in the backfield.

He said 35 reps. I know I read 37 reps and I'm going to keep looking until I find it. Perhaps, I confused Daniel Muir's reps with Harrell's? Muir had 37 reps of 225. I'm excited about his measurables and maybe that's why he got a 15K signing bonus.

As for McKenzie.... Why reference Reggie at all? This is TT's pick right? Did Wolf stand up after making his first round selection and reference someone else in discussing the why's of the selection? TT got booed by the fans in the atrium and was getting questioned by the media and he floated Reggie McKenzie's name. I think that's weak. You've chosen to think it's no big deal to do so, while I maintain that a strong leader would feel comfortable enough in his own pick to not have to mention someone else as to why he did it.

 

[jdlax]

Even though his health is still a question, and he hasn't been participating at the OTAs, I'm pretty pleased that Thompson selected Harrell. If he can give the Pack the kind of presence Kevin Williams does in Minnesota, this pick is going to look like a stroke of genius, and he'll end up being so much more valuable than whoever else they could have taken at 16. Just my opinion.