Greg C.
Cheesehead
Here is a column from packersnews.com. I think this guy has it exactly right:
Mike Woods column: Rebuilding? We're not rebuilding
By Mike Woods
Their roster is full of guys who think the Glory Years were the 1990s.
They have four plebes in their starting lineup.
They arguably have but one playmaker — thank you, Donald Driver — on their entire roster.
They have a rookie head coach and a new staff that is implementing a new — and so far highly unsuccessful — running scheme.
Yet the Green Bay Packers, from General Manager Ted Thompson to coach Mike McCarthy to the last ball boy on the roster, tell everyone they bump into that they are not rebuilding.
For some time, we've sat back and made light of this stance, believing all involved are in some form of denial.
There's no doubt that privately, Thompson and his staff understand the scope of the project that faces them. There's also no doubt that their public insistence that this is not a reclamation project is not only the correct message, but the smart one.
Besides, everyone knows general managers lie. It's part of their job responsibilities. They don't do it out of natural instinct — at least most don't — but out of necessity, sometimes disguised as paranoia.
In any event, the problem with acknowledging that you're starting over is what you're doing is setting yourself up for failure.
The first thing it does is give everyone involved in the organization a ready-made excuse, and nothing good comes from excuses. How can you expect to get better if you always have a reason why you're not?
Once you allow that foundation to be set, the second thing it does is invite complacency. If you don't think that filters down from the administration and into the locker room, you're foolish.
"Well, Fred, sure they stink. But they're rebuilding, you know. That takes time.''
The question then is, how much time? Two years? Five? 10?
Of course, we understand there are limits. If the players and staff continue to fail, eventually the excuse no longer holds water and they are replaced. But then you bring in a new coach and new players, and then what? Tell everyone you're rebuilding again?
Then you have to stop and ask yourself, when does it end? How does it end?
One way is to never admit it's going on, despite what the evidence says and no matter how overwhelming its depth.
For any organization to succeed, it requires a sense of urgency. It requires that everyone be held accountable for their actions. It requires an expectation level that nothing short of success will be acceptable, and if you fail, you'll be required to work harder the next week, not the next year.
If you don't get that message, you're outta here.
The only way you're going to get better, or expect to get better, is to have your feet held to the fire.
That said, there are no guarantees the process will be shortened or success will come any sooner.
But in terms of how you go about your business, it's absolutely the right path to take.
While you may not like a lot of the things Thompson has or hasn't done, on this front, he and his troops don't deserve to be ridiculed, but praised.
Mike Woods column: Rebuilding? We're not rebuilding
By Mike Woods
Their roster is full of guys who think the Glory Years were the 1990s.
They have four plebes in their starting lineup.
They arguably have but one playmaker — thank you, Donald Driver — on their entire roster.
They have a rookie head coach and a new staff that is implementing a new — and so far highly unsuccessful — running scheme.
Yet the Green Bay Packers, from General Manager Ted Thompson to coach Mike McCarthy to the last ball boy on the roster, tell everyone they bump into that they are not rebuilding.
For some time, we've sat back and made light of this stance, believing all involved are in some form of denial.
There's no doubt that privately, Thompson and his staff understand the scope of the project that faces them. There's also no doubt that their public insistence that this is not a reclamation project is not only the correct message, but the smart one.
Besides, everyone knows general managers lie. It's part of their job responsibilities. They don't do it out of natural instinct — at least most don't — but out of necessity, sometimes disguised as paranoia.
In any event, the problem with acknowledging that you're starting over is what you're doing is setting yourself up for failure.
The first thing it does is give everyone involved in the organization a ready-made excuse, and nothing good comes from excuses. How can you expect to get better if you always have a reason why you're not?
Once you allow that foundation to be set, the second thing it does is invite complacency. If you don't think that filters down from the administration and into the locker room, you're foolish.
"Well, Fred, sure they stink. But they're rebuilding, you know. That takes time.''
The question then is, how much time? Two years? Five? 10?
Of course, we understand there are limits. If the players and staff continue to fail, eventually the excuse no longer holds water and they are replaced. But then you bring in a new coach and new players, and then what? Tell everyone you're rebuilding again?
Then you have to stop and ask yourself, when does it end? How does it end?
One way is to never admit it's going on, despite what the evidence says and no matter how overwhelming its depth.
For any organization to succeed, it requires a sense of urgency. It requires that everyone be held accountable for their actions. It requires an expectation level that nothing short of success will be acceptable, and if you fail, you'll be required to work harder the next week, not the next year.
If you don't get that message, you're outta here.
The only way you're going to get better, or expect to get better, is to have your feet held to the fire.
That said, there are no guarantees the process will be shortened or success will come any sooner.
But in terms of how you go about your business, it's absolutely the right path to take.
While you may not like a lot of the things Thompson has or hasn't done, on this front, he and his troops don't deserve to be ridiculed, but praised.
