An oasis of free thought
by net on Mon May 21, 2007 6:52 am
At one point, I was a daily contributor on 5 Packer boards. One by one I've left, this being the last. Why? The administrators at the other boards(they like Ted) won't allow me to post without either being attacked(personally) by a half-dozen snipes, or they simply remove my posts.
One topic dealt with possibly trading KGB.
I sarcastically suggested Ted would exchange KGB for a 7th round draft pick which would turn out to be a kid from St. Norbert's who he would sign for the rookie minimum only if he would work in the Packer Pro Shop plus wash Ted's car once a week.
That was it. That message was removed from the discussion, while all the Pro-Ted stuff went without editing.
I don't like to get personal. It has nothing to do with a wider topic.
I've even praised Ted, at times. I recently said emphasizing the defense(as is obvious) might help the Packers stay in games this year.
Each administrator has the right to police each board as they see fit, there's no question there. But what happens is a very real type of censorship.
One person told me I had no right to criticize Ted Thompson since I'd never been in his shoes. I said in an open Democracy you also have the right to criticize the President of the United States, even though you've never been there, either.
There's really nothing more I want than for Ted Thompson to succeed, since that means the Packers succeed.
I've just seen a continued pattern of what I see as arrogant abuse coupled with a stinginess to spend, even though they more than have enough money to land a quality player.
New England came to Green Bay last year and humiliated the Packers at home. New England didn't sit "Pat" this off-season, bringing in some new talent. They will again be a favorite in the AFC.
The Packers continue the Ted Thompson build through the draft philosophy, though to date, it hasn't produced much. The real production is wins and losses. 12-20 with Brett Favre as qb is nothing to shout about. "He's building long term", I keep hearing. "How long is long term?", in my answer. As New England has figured out, the modern NFL defines long term as next year. With injuries and free agency, the goal is to win now.
When all this alleged talent "gels", it might be too late.
If you look at the roster, a number of key contributors are not Ted Thompson players, but rather Ron Wolf and Mike Sherman draftees.
Another point I raised is just because Ted drafts person "X", that doesn't mean he's going to be worth a hoot when the action begins. "Bust" isn't said much on the pro-Ted boards, but he's had a few clinkers already.
The Packers drafted many players in the 70's and 80's who were 'names', but they never put it all together to win anything but the Futility Bowl. So they had two rookie guards last year, does that mean the running game is automatically going to go? No.
Aaron Rodgers has yet to push Brett Favre. Jay Cutler took the job from Jake the Snake in Denver last year. etc.
Mike McCarthy has been set up to be the scapegoat for Ted. McCarthy had better produce this year, or Ted will be 'distancing' himself from him.
The booing on draft day was a good thing. Ted's little castle was stormed by the angry mob, and that is a good thing.
Thank you for having a board where the basic premis is a healthy criticism of a key figure involved in the team we love, and not 'your not a Packers fan' if you don't consume the corporate pablum spoon-fed to the others.
