Ted Thompson Era Should Be Over

[C-Lee]

This thread is a headache hahah

 

[Dantés]

That's the way I remember it, too. However, I also remember the coin flip between Peyton and Ryan Leaf.

Yes, and in that actual coin flip situation, Leaf went #2.

 

[Mondio]

Rodgers was being debated as the first pick in the draft. To me, by definition, that is a can't miss guy.

But the fact that 23 other picks came and went in a league that is absolutely driven by quality QB play, shows you that he wasn't thought of as a can't miss guy, or he would have been picked by then. Obviously a lot of GM's had questions about him, enough that they didn't think he was worth the pick.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

He was debated by the media as the #1 pick, but if he was a top prospect in the tradition of Luck, Manning, Elway etc. he would never have slid to pick #24.

Mel Kiper once argued that Manti Te'o would go #1 overall (lol).

Matt Barkley was projected to be the #1 pick by a ton of pundits.

One thing that kind of annoys me is when TT is stripped by some of the credit for taking Rodgers because they act like it was a no brainer move, similar to when Grigson had the top pick when Andrew Luck was in the draft.

If it was such a no brainer, why did Rodgers get past 23 other teams?

Toss in the fact that the Packers had Brett Favre at the time and it makes TT look just that much smarter. This was not a team in need of a QB, especially using their #1 pick. I for one give TT a lot of credit for drafting Rodgers, nobody would have said a thing (until years later) had he not and taken any other player picked after him. I will also fully admit that when I heard the pick, I yelled something like "WTF are you doing? We already have a QB!"

All that being said, it shouldn't be a get out of jail free card for TT for any future poor decisions.

 

[Pkrjones]

The biggest "question" about AR was that he was a Tedford-QB and historically they didn't fare well in the NFL.
April, 2005 ~ What Scouts were saying about Aaron Rodgers...
http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/203116571.html
- "Jerry Angelo, Chicago: 'I'd give Rodgers the edge (over Smith) just because he was easier to evaluate. And there's a little more arm. But the edge is negligible.'"
- "Bill Polian, Indianapolis: 'I see a guy who has good arm strength. I see some athletic ability. I see a guy who was pretty good with a good team. I see a guy who's in a pretty efficient offense. Am I certain that he's going to come in and lead my team to the Promised Land? I can't say that. I'm not even sure I can say that about Alex Smith.'"
- "AFC scout: 'I like him. He's a very talented guy. A lot of quarterbacks that were system people have not done very well. That puts up a red flag. Not that he is one of them. He could be an exception. But I can't get it out of my craw.'"

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

LOL.....this is my "favorite" from that list Pkrjones......hope this Scout is flipping burgers somewhere or maybe still working for The Browns?

AFC scout: "He's a system quarterback. 3-, 5-, 7-step guy. Can't create on his own. Panics under pressure. Gets flustered easy. I don't think there's a quarterback in the draft worthy of a first-round pick. I'm dead serious. None of them are worth it."

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

Rodgers was being debated as the first pick in the draft. To me, by definition, that is a can't miss guy.

So why wasn`t he picked ?

 

[Dantés]

Toss in the fact that the Packers had Brett Favre at the time and it makes TT look just that much smarter. This was not a team in need of a QB, especially using their #1 pick. I for one give TT a lot of credit for drafting Rodgers, nobody would have said a thing (until years later) had he not and taken any other player picked after him. I will also fully admit that when I heard the pick, I yelled something like "WTF are you doing? We already have a QB!"

All that being said, it shouldn't be a get out of jail free card for TT for any future poor decisions.

Agreed. A good decision doesn't just absolve someone of bad decisions. I'm more responding to the anti-TT crowd that, in their zeal, want to discredit anything good he's ever done. I'm sure you're on the same page.

 

[Pkrjones]

So why wasn`t he picked ?

The biggest "question" about AR was that he was a Tedford-QB and historically they didn't fare well in the NFL. Also, that he wasn't prototypical 6'-5", 230 lbs.

 

[I asked LT to delete my acct]

The biggest "question" about AR was that he was a Tedford-QB and historically they didn't fare well in the NFL. Also, that he wasn't prototypical 6'-5", 230 lbs.

Thank you.

 

[Half Empty]

Yes, and in that actual coin flip situation, Leaf went #2.

Can't argue the facts. The point is...?

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Can't argue the facts. The point is...?

I guess the point is that even players selected first or second overall can end up being huge busts.

 

[Dantés]

Can't argue the facts. The point is...?

My point is that if Rodgers was really a "can't miss" prospect in the eyes of the league on par with Manning, Elway, Luck, etc. then he would have gone very early even after losing out at the top spot with Alex Smith. That was the case with Manning/Leaf. Both were viewed as blue chip prospects, so even though only one could go 1st overall, the other went 2nd. Not 24th.

 

[PikeBadger]

My point is that if Rodgers was really a "can't miss" prospect in the eyes of the league on par with Manning, Elway, Luck, etc. then he would have gone very early even after losing out at the top spot with Alex Smith. That was the case with Manning/Leaf. Both were viewed as blue chip prospects, so even though only one could go 1st overall, the other went 2nd. Not 24th.

And no one after pick was all that enamored with Rodgers either. Thompson's phone didn't ring in that fateful 10 minutes. Imo, a decent trade offer would have been accepted. Wouldn't it be funny if we found out that some other team was about to make an offer but changed their mind?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

And no one after pick was all that enamored with Rodgers either. Thompson's phone didn't ring in that fateful 10 minutes. Imo, a decent trade offer would have been accepted. Wouldn't it be funny if we found out that some other team was about to make an offer but changed their mind?

From what I read, there were trade offers made to TT for the Rodgers pick, but none good enough to make him do it. Contrary to what I have also read here, TT wasn't frantically trying to trade the pick because he was afraid of picking Rodgers. Remember, TT made the pick because he saw it as the best pick at the time. Nobody put a gun to his head and said "You have to pick Rodgers now."

Did Rodgers fall into TT's lap? Of course he did, but give TT some credit for picking him after there were 23 previous chances for other teams to do the same. Also, give the Packer organization some credit for helping to make AR the player he is today. Had he ended up on another team, who knows if he would be the same player.

 

[Half Empty]

I guess the point is that even players selected first or second overall can end up being huge busts.

I was thinking of going with that, but the topic at the time was about "can't miss" prospects at the very top of the draft, and Poppa San was making the point that, almost by definition, the top handful are expected not to miss. The fact that some of them do just begs the question of what a "can't miss is".

 

[Deleted member 6794]

From what I read, there were trade offers made to TT for the Rodgers pick, but none good enough to make him do it.

According to Andrew Brandt, who was the Packers vice president at the time, no team called to offer a trade once the Packers were on the clock.

It was surreal as I watched Mike on television talking to me. I could not really tell him anything, as Ted wanted to see if an offer for extra picks would come while we were on the clock. The room and the phone lines were eerily silent—with all eyes on Ted and on me holding the phone—as everyone waited for the decision. Finally, after 10 minutes that seemed like 10 hours, Ted gave the go-ahead: We were taking Aaron.

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/05/07/nfl-draft-war-rooms

 

[Half Empty]

My point is that if Rodgers was really a "can't miss" prospect in the eyes of the league on par with Manning, Elway, Luck, etc. then he would have gone very early even after losing out at the top spot with Alex Smith. That was the case with Manning/Leaf. Both were viewed as blue chip prospects, so even though only one could go 1st overall, the other went 2nd. Not 24th.

What were the starting QB situations at the time for the teams picking Manning, Leaf, Elway, Luck et. al.? Other than the Colts picking Luck to replace Manning, and hence in dire need to a QB, I don't remember.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

According to Andrew Brandt, who was the Packers vice president at the time, no team called to offer a trade once the Packers were on the clock.
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/05/07/nfl-draft-war-rooms

This article tells a bit of a different story, but mainly points out TT was working the trade side up until the time they were on the clock. At that point, I think it was a Packer Draft room consensus that AR was their man.

http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/203119011.html

 

[PikeBadger]

This article tells a bit of a different story, but mainly points out TT was working the trade side up until the time they were on the clock. At that point, I think it was a Packer Draft room consensus that AR was their man.

http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/203119011.html

Wow, very interesting article.

Thank you Raiders for trading up ahead of us and picking Fabian Washington. Reggie McKenzie thanks you too.
Packers had Smith ranked ahead of Rodgers and Edwards probably ahead of both.
"We don't stack the board that way". Both TT and Wolf arrange by round (and apparently within the round?)
"Maybe he'll turn out to be like Neal Anderson" , hahaha. Yeah maybe so.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

From what I read, there were trade offers made to TT for the Rodgers pick, but none good enough to make him do it. Contrary to what I have also read here, TT wasn't frantically trying to trade the pick because he was afraid of picking Rodgers. Remember, TT made the pick because he saw it as the best pick at the time. Nobody put a gun to his head and said "You have to pick Rodgers now."

Did Rodgers fall into TT's lap? Of course he did, but give TT some credit for picking him after there were 23 previous chances for other teams to do the same. Also, give the Packer organization some credit for helping to make AR the player he is today. Had he ended up on another team, who knows if he would be the same player.

I think this is the bigger issue right here. We've all come to know Rodgers in post-2010 and following years form as the QB he is today, but we forget how much work it took to get him there. If one went back and watched all through the 2005, 2006 and partially 2007 preseasons when he got most of his early action, woulda been hard to peg him as the future of Green Bay.

Back to the topic at hand, I don't really see how picking Rodgers in whatever way it was done, whether by happenstance or a planned move really affects Thompson's legacy. It's his pick any way you dice it up.

But where I think most of us are starting to get irritated with is certain posters seem to be going nuts with hypotheticals, many of which prove nothing and are pretty heavily unsubstantiated. I mean we could go on and on with hypotheticals favoring us, many of which had they come true would vindicate Dom Capers in a heartbeat. But you just can't because they didn't happen. I mean ... ohhh jeez just don't tell me you're living in the real world of the state of the Packers when you gotta use hypotheticals to prop up other teams just to make a point, just don't.

 

[PackerDNA]

Well they did beat us, but I'll let where they finished in the playoffs and where we did speak for itself. We may not be a SB team yet somehow the Seahawks with that vomatrocious O-line and only half-life defense are? Sounds to me like it's you that has problems living in reality sonny.

You don't really want to try making a case that the Seahawks D isn't any good, do you? Or am I misunderstanding you?

 

[PackerDNA]

He was debated by the media as the #1 pick, but if he was a top prospect in the tradition of Luck, Manning, Elway etc. he would never have slid to pick #24.

Mel Kiper once argued that Manti Te'o would go #1 overall (lol).

Matt Barkley was projected to be the #1 pick by a ton of pundits.

One thing that kind of annoys me is when TT is stripped by some of the credit for taking Rodgers because they act like it was a no brainer move, similar to when Grigson had the top pick when Andrew Luck was in the draft.

If it was such a no brainer, why did Rodgers get past 23 other teams?

I would think that idea has been floated numerous times because
A) value. A QB projected to go 1 or 2 overall slides to 24
B) that TT was trying to trade the pick.

 

[PackerDNA]

Ummm no and no, Texans O is mediocre at best, I mean aside from Hopkins they aren't loaded down with playmakers at WR. And please do explain how a team that we throttled by 28 POINTS is a better team. Puhhlleeeaaaasssseeeee, enough of these delusions. What a stupid stupid post. I mean "Texans are a SB threat with a QB," well so are the Cleveland Browns. SMH.

Here's what's stupid. Cherry picking one game and holding up the score as proof of your point.
By that 'logic', the Vikings of Lombardi's time were every bit as good as Lombardi's packers since they split with them in '64, '66 and '67.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

Here's what's stupid. Cherry picking one game and holding up the score as proof of your point.
By that 'logic', the Vikings of Lombardi's time were every bit as good as Lombardi's packers since they split with them in '64, '66 and '67.

That is not cherrypicking in the least, that has to be the dumbest way I've heard it used.