This pretty much sums it up

[pyledriver80]

http://www.packernet.com/main/topstories.cfm?sn=117



I know you can't really judge a team's draft until a couple of years have gone by. I don't think you'll need that long in the case of the Green Bay Packers' 2007 draft. Simply judging by the medical records of the players the Packers took this weekend; it will be a miracle if any of them are even able to participate in the rookie minicamp this week, much less be playing two years from now. If you were injured or hardly started in college, you had a pretty good chance of being picked by the Green Bay Packers this year. The Packers did nothing in the two days of the draft that will help them this year. If I'm Brett Favre, I change my mind and hang up my cleats right now.

I mean, really, why would you want to come back to a team that is not committed to helping you? By letting Randy Moss go to the Patriots, it is clear that Thompson doesn't care about Favre and probably wishes Favre had retired. My hope right now is that Favre does indeed decide to retire after all. I'd hate to see him have to play another year with offensive talent equivalent of a semi-pro team. I am simply stunned the Packers did nothing to improve the talent around Favre. Certainly that is a message to Favre saying you should have retired. I wish now that the Packers would have traded Favre to a contender and got something for him. Now all we will get is 10 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and a 5-11 record.

I'll say this. If these bozos the Packers picked this weekend turn out to be good players, than I will resign my position and close up Packernet. But that has about as much a chance of happening as finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. If I'm head coach Mike McCarthy I'm getting my offensive coordinator resume sharpened up. With only one year left on McCarthy's contract, he is now a fired man walking.

Adding Randy Moss would have made the Packers instant Super Bowl contenders. Adding James Jones makes them also-rans. Thompson appears to be on a ten-year plan with a one-year quarterback. If this two-day debacle turns out in Thompson's favor, I'll have myself castrated on the corner of Hollywood and Vine on primetime TV. My guess is Moss catches seven for a-buck-ninety in next year's Super Bowl while the Packers 5-11 team scatters throughout the country.

All confidence and enthusiasm from last year's final four-game winning streak just went down the tubes. I hope I am wrong. Certainly Thompson and his cronies know more than I do and it is there jobs on the line, but from a fan's point of view, this weekend cannot be viewed as a step in the right direction, in fact, it has been a great dissapointment.

It all comes down to Brett Favre. If you didn't plan to win this year, why did you invite him back? Why not develop Aaron Rodgers? Something is very wrong with this scenario. It appears Thompson either doesn't have the balls to tell Favre to retire or didn't have the balls to tell former team president Bob Harlan he was trading for Randy Moss. Either way, Thompson has lost some respect in my book. He is a Ron Wolf disciple but didn't act like one this weekend. He doesn't have the stones Wolf did. Harlan is still running the show just as he has since Wolf retired. John Jones or no John Jones.

More to come, but right now confidence is not high.

 

[MassPackersFan]

Every player is healthy and ready to go. Won't be ready to participate in minicamp? That is borderline mentally retarded.

 

[pyledriver80]

Oh wait theres more


http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/packers/index.php?ntid=131644&ntpid=2



There was an uninspiring exchange last week between the uninspiring Ted Thompson and the media corps, always on the lookout to document any semblance of inspiration from the uninspiring Green Bay general manager.

During an uninspiring news conference, leading up to what turned out to be an uninspiring draft for the Packers, there was this uninspiring concession on the urgency to upgrade an uninspiring stable of running backs. "We don't feel particularly bound to do anything at that position," said Thompson, who has been anything but a source of inspiration. And you thought Mike Sherman was uninspiring?

Thompson may know what he's doing, but you'd like a little bit more proof. Especially since the Packers would seem to be treading water with Brett Favre, who not so long ago -- April 2006 -- was holding a non-news debriefing on the Cottonwoods Golf Course in Tunica, Miss., and wondering what the big fuss was all about regarding his future plans. Favre really didn't have any news or anything to say about his commitment, or lack thereof, to playing another season.


But he made it clear that he felt the Packers needed to be aggressive in their attempts to improve the product, like they were under former general manager Ron Wolf. Was Favre crying wolf at the time? Or was he serious when he invoked the free agent signing memory of Reggie White and implored Thompson and the Packers to "make a statement again. You have to stay up with the NFL, and teams are making statements. Sometimes you hit on them and sometimes you don't. I think we have to do that."

Think again, unless the uninspiring Frank Walker, a free agent cornerback not to be confused with Cordell Walker (Texas Ranger), qualifies as "making a statement" to your thinking. Consider the irony of the non-aggressive Thompson signing Walker, who was accused of being too aggressive by Tom Coughlin, his former coach with the New York Giants. Also consider the irony of Thompson taking a quarterback in the 2005 draft -- the plummeting and totally uninspiring Aaron Rodgers -- when he would have been in a position to grab another plummeting quarterback (Notre Dame diva Brady Quinn) with maybe a higher value in the 2007 draft.

Thompson's increasingly annoying mantra ("We don't draft based on needs, and I know that's boring") is beginning to fall woefully short with a Green Bay fan base that has to be growing more and more skeptical about his decision-making and the direction of this franchise. Not that Thompson should be in the business of appeasing the fans. Or outsiders. But what kind of message is Thompson sending his own players, particularly his older players like Favre, with his lack of urgency in addressing needs? When Thompson was asked last Monday about the prospect of signing free agents after the draft, he said, "We don't have any definite plans about doing anything."

Now that's inspiring. In his defense, he did qualify the remark by also noting, "If you have some flexibility, which we try to keep, then sometimes you can act upon those opportunities." Or, sometimes, you just act too late. And that seems to sum up Thompson. For example, New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum moved up in the first round of the draft to select Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis and then moved up again in the second round to take Michigan linebacker David Harris.

The latter move was executed with the help of Thompson, who traded that No. 47 pick (Harris) and the 235th overall to the Jets for No. 63, No. 89 and No. 191. So while Tannebaum was aggressively filling needs with Revis and Harris -- "To get those two players, we were willing to pay the price," Tannenbaum told the New York press -- Thompson was "adding core value" to the Packers. Mind you, instead of moving up to ensure themselves a shot at Cal running back Marshawn Lynch, they settled for the No. 16 pick and Tennessee's Justin Harrell, an injury-prone defensive tackle. When Thompson was pressed on whether he could have possibly moved down and still gotten Harrell, he said, "We had calls from I think five different teams and none of them was warranted in terms of taking that risk."

Risk? Wasn't it risky for the Packers to be reaching for Harrell when they did? In retrospect, the risk was in thinking that Thompson knew what he was doing in "soft playing" Randy Moss. Or so it sounded after New England acquired Moss in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice. The transaction was contingent upon Moss reworking his contract, something he may not have been inclined to do for a Green Bay mailing address. Nonetheless, even the most passionate Moss-haters would have to feel like they had been "mooned" again, a statement on their own uninspiring GM.

 

[Arles]

Adding Randy Moss would have made the Packers instant Super Bowl contenders. Adding James Jones makes them also-rans.

A lot of thick hyperbole here. I don't how it's possible to go from Super Bowl contenders to "also-ran" by not landing a playmaking No. 2 or 3 WR. If we're that close if we added Moss, that must mean we have a pretty solid defense and offensive core.

All opinions are valid but the "chicken little" going on in GB columns is making Jet fans say "Sheesh, calm down already".

 

[pyledriver80]

And More

http://packers.scout.com/2/640384.html




NFL Draft weekend was designed to take Green Bay’s offense to the next level. The 16th overall pick guaranteed an instant starter at running back, wide receiver, or tight end and the Randy Moss rumors were swirling again. For once, the Packers would splurge all of their top picks on weapons for Brett Favre.
Instead of seizing an opportunity to substantially elevate Green Bay’s offensive firepower above their division rivals, general manager Ted Thompson once again strayed from conventionality.

It’s Thompson’s draft board. Not Favre’s. Not the fans.’ While Green Bay was stuck in Thompson’s agenda in the first round, Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago landed instant playmakers. A healthy Justin Harrell bolsters the defense and Thompson may have found some offensive diamonds in the rough later on. But let’s not kid ourselves. It was a painful first round. Three NFC North teams landed potential cornerstones that will hit the field immediately, while the other drafted a defensive tackle that may not even start.

It all started at the second overall pick, where Detroit held the key to the draft. Brady Quinn? Joe Thomas? Calvin Johnson? With so many options, Matt Millen just had to find a way to botch another draft, right? Wrong. He swallowed his pride and for the fourth time in his tenure, drafted a wideout in the top ten. Unlike Charles Rogers and Mike Williams, this one’s for real. Undisputed NFL Draft king, Mel Kiper Jr., even declared Johnson a better prospect than Reggie Bush. Facing him twice a year is scary.

Say what you want about quarterback Jon Kitna, but the savvy veteran threw for 4,208 yards and 21 touchdowns last year. With Roy Williams (1,310-7), Mike Furrey (1,086-6), and Johnson operating in Mike Martz’s video game offense, the Lions offense could easily become the division’s best.

Green Bay trading up for Adrian Peterson proved just a dream five picks later. Now in purple and gold, the Oklahoma running back becomes a cheesehead’s nightmare. The Vikings already had Chester Taylor on their roster but realized Peterson was too talented to pass up. Now head coach Brad Childress has arguably the league’s best 1-2 punch in the backfield and they’re running behind Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson and Mount (Bryant) McKinnie.

The bleeding didn’t end there.

Following the bizarre pick of Harrell, Green Bay fans watched helplessly as game-breaking tight end Greg Olsen conveniently fell in the lap of the Chicago Bears. As the defending NFC Champions, Chicago picked second to last. Rarely do teams ever land instant playmakers at this depth - ask Ron Wolf who infamously plucked John Michels, Ross Verba and Antuan Edwards in the glory years.

But leave it to agent Drew Rosenhaus … that Packer killer.

Olsen, one of Rosenhaus’ clients, provides Rex Grossman a vertical threat down the middle to complement Mushin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, and Rashied Davis. Nothing helps a struggling young quarterback like a sure-handed tight end safety blanket. Now that Grossman has one, he’s almost guaranteed to improve from a 20-interception season. Without its offense holding them back, who knows how many games Chicago could win next year.

Sunday turned frustration to utter fury. New England dealt a fourth round pick to Oakland for Randy Moss, leaving the Packers’ entire off-season acquisition list greener than ever. Nebraska running back Brandon Jackson (second round), San Jose State receiver James Jones (third), and Virginia Tech sprinter David Clowney (fifth) will be expected to contribute ASAP.

It didn’t take much for the Packers’ offense to reach elite status. A trade here, a pick there, baddaboom … the offense is locked and loaded. After virtually sleeping through free agency, it was assumed that Thompson had something up his sleeve for this weekend. Something to put Green Bay over the top- a trick he’s been plotting for weeks.

Nada.

Instead Brett Favre was once again left with a squirt gun as Kitna, Grossman and Tarvaris Jackson were given pistols.

Jones and Clowney could evolve into franchise bookend starters, but it’s highly unlikely this year. If anyone doubted that Thompson doesn’t care about Favre’s dwindling window of opportunity, they were reminded of such over the weekend.

Now five very raw wide receivers (Greg Jennings, Ruvell Martin, Carlyle Holiday, Jones, Clowney) and a rookie running back (Jackson) are expected to make an impact this fall. An 8-8 team that is on the cusp of the postseason shouldn’t be rebuilding on offense and peaking on defense. An experienced defense should’ve dictated Thompson to pursue veterans for the offense. Instead Green Bay is still a team straddling the line of playoff contention and full-fledged rebuilding. It was assumed Thompson would nudge Green Bay towards the former this past weekend.

It’s commendable that Thompson isn’t swayed by popular opinion and you can understand his logic. Harrell strengthens Green Bay’s defensive line rotation. His 6-4, 305 lbs. frame will tie up blockers for A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett to make plays ala Tony Siragusa and Ray Lewis on the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

But is the talent gap between Harrell and Corey Williams greater than the difference between Olsen and Bubba Franks? Hopefully Thompson doesn’t find out the hard way on NBC Sunday Night Football Oct. 7 against the Bears.

By then we should also know if Green Bay is a team in transition, or

 

[tromadz]

http://www.packernet.com/main/topstories.cfm?sn=117



I know you can't really judge a team's draft until a couple of years have gone by.

Thats when I stopped reading. Anything more than that would be a waste of time, because they're right. Can't judge it just yet.

 

[Arles]

An 8-8 team that is on the cusp of the postseason shouldn’t be rebuilding on offense and peaking on defense. An experienced defense should’ve dictated Thompson to pursue veterans for the offense. Instead Green Bay is still a team straddling the line of playoff contention and full-fledged rebuilding. It was assumed Thompson would nudge Green Bay towards the former this past weekend.

OK, so TT was supposed to "pursue veterans for the offense" during the draft? I'm really having a hard time following all this.

But is the talent gap between Harrell and Corey Williams greater than the difference between Olsen and Bubba Franks?

Why should that matter? With that logic, we should have taken a safety in round 1. Given both DT and TE are a need spot, the question should be "Will Harrell end up as a better player than Olsen"?

And I think the answer to that is yes.

 

[Packnic]

none of this is truth. theres no facts there. just what some guy thinks might happen. he has no clue really what hes talking about if he says the players weve drafted will have no affect.

im not saying they will have an effect. but the mere fact that this guy says they were all bad draft picks, and states it as fact makes this compeley useless.

 

[Greg C.]

Adding Randy Moss would have made the Packers instant Super Bowl contenders.

Funny, funny stuff. For starters, I have to say that these people must think Ted Thompson is absolutely brilliant if he has already assembled a team that is one player away from being a Super Bowl contender. (He hasn't, of course.)

What's also funny is how similar this is to so many people saying that Dallas would be a Super Bowl contender last year with the addition of Terrell Owens. Instead, Owens spent the season pouting, primping, and dropping passes, the team barely made the playoffs (and only because of the unexpected emergence of Tony Romo), and the best coach in the NFL got dogged by the press all year long about Owens and finally retired in defeat. And he was the coach who was supposed to "handle" Terrell Owens, just like so many people had deluded themselves into believing Brett Favre could "handle" Randy Moss if he became a Packer.

 

[gopackgo]

The guy will castrate himself in public... :rubeyes:

"Undisputed NFL Draft king, Mel Kiper Jr" - Found this funny as well

"Instead Brett Favre was once again left with a squirt gun as Kitna, Grossman and Tarvaris Jackson were given pistols." - Man, these elite QB's are going to tear us apart :roll:

 

[Arles]

You could give Jackson and Grossman a howitzer and they would be less dangerous than Favre with a sling shot.

 

[mi_keys]

Harrell is a bust for an injury history but Adrian Peterson is a sure-fire offensive cornerstone... lol


Mel Kiper, the draft king, once claimed in 1995 that William Henderson was the worst pick of the draft... he's a ****ing joke (and no I'm not implying that one mistake makes him a joke, it's an example of him shooting off his mouth and being blatantly wrong in the end).

 

[Zombieslayer]

You could give Jackson and Grossman a howitzer and they would be less dangerous than Favre with a sling shot.

If you give Grossman any weapon, he'd be more likely to shoot his own eye out then hit an enemy.

 

[pack_in_black]

http://www.packernet.com/main/topstories.cfm?sn=117

Adding Randy Moss would have made the Packers instant Super Bowl contenders. Adding James Jones makes them also-rans.

So, Pyle, you said yourself that this team was more than Randy Moss away from the superbowl. In fact, I'm pretty sure you labeled that notion as laughable, as you do most positive notions.

Now, you post this article as your triumphant victory, (while nobody takes ANY jounalist seriously, regardless of employer/credentials, much less some local internet bloghack) while it clearly states something you've labeled as laughable.

Just need an explanation. That's all, man.

 

[longtimefan]

Adding Randy Moss would have made the Packers instant Super Bowl contenders. Adding James Jones makes them also-rans.

A lot of thick hyperbole here. I don't how it's possible to go from Super Bowl contenders to "also-ran" by not landing a playmaking No. 2 or 3 WR. If we're that close if we added Moss, that must mean we have a pretty solid defense and offensive core.

All opinions are valid but the "chicken little" going on in GB columns is making Jet fans say "Sheesh, calm down already".

I was thinking the same thing

Moss makes Packers Sb team, but with out him they are only going to win 5 games??

 

[jhensiak]

Hey...I read articles that the packers draft sucks.....


I dont care if they are just sportswriters...their opinion is the the god's honest Self-evident truth

(INSERT TOUNG IN CHEEK)

The GB G.M. built the Seahawk team that went to the superbowl a year ago and is now turning to **** now that he has left.

But these geek, no-nothing, sportswriters that with their total of 10 min. of draft study (usually just from reading the same **** from ESPN) should have me believe their word is gospel?

TT has hit much more than he has missed, GOOD times on the way!!!!

Farve and the Offense will be fine,....D is lookin good!!! good times on the way back in the VERY short future

Well,...unless you listen to Mel Kiper. ...Who the F_ck cares what he thinks?

BTW....Peterson is a Knuckle Head....Vikings Still Suck

 

[all about da packers]

Last year, we got Greg Jennings, and what did the so called scouts say?

Pretty much: This is what Favre gets? Jennings? Who?

First game in, I'm pretty sure those same people who were downplaying Jennings addition were saying "that was a brilliant move".

If you've seen video on James Jones, then you'll know this guy can do some serious damage after the catch. He is EXACTLY the type of WR McCarthy wants in his system.

He's also pretty damn strong, which will only help out when he has to Run block.

 

[Lare]

I really have to chuckle when I read posts on a thread like this. You're wasting your time pyle, nobody wants to really look at where this team is at. To do so would force them to lose some of that same eternal optimism you see in the faces of people lined up to buy their Powerball tickets every week.

We all want to believe that the little guy does win the title fight just like Rocky did, that a bunch of 6th & 7th round draft picks can take a team to the Super Bowl like in the movies. We want to think that the slow steady turtle will beat the rabbit again just like in the fairy tales.

It's much, much easier to say that the people that agree with us are geniuses and those that don't are idiots. That way we don't have to explain why we think having a losing record the last few years is a good thing. We can ignore the fact that other teams are making moves to turn their fortunes around in a year or so while we're on a rebuilding plan with no end in sight.

As I've said before, one thing the 70s and 80s taught me is that drafts and free agent signings don't mean much unless they can contribute to success on the football field. If they do, as we saw with Ron Wolf, the results are apparent pretty quickly. If they don't, then somebody isn't doing a very good job evaluating talent.

As with anything else in life, once we learn how to accept failure, finding excuses for it is pretty easy. It's much, much harder to demand success.

JMHO

 

[all about da packers]

Lare, I think the problem almost all of us have with this thread is that it is counting the draft picks out based on... nothing.

We aren't arguing that these picks have made us into Superbowl players, because we know it isn't true.

We are arguing that these picks, deserve a chance, because they have talent.

When you start posting a bunch of posts and articles from other sites based on them arguing that the players were a terrible choice based on college records, it's not exactly logical.

We understand that people won't like the picks, but we don't mind that as long as people (like LambeauLeaper) say they are willing to give them a chance.

If people have problems with the draft picks, list them. Then others will come around and try to explain why their problems shouldn't be too worrying.

If you come and say the picks are terrible, TT is bad and these picks are proof.... then you can't really debate with such people.

When certain posters start coming here and saying "I've not gonna be a Packer fan after Favre retires", and basically start slitting their wrists over the draft based on exactly 0 NFL downs the picks have played, it is absurd.

 

[net]

Someone in the know(the only person I know with ANY ties to the inside of Packerdom--and that was a couple of years ago) said Ted Thompson was hoping Favre would retire so he could rebuild the team. He knew it was a public relations nightmare to tell Favre to leave, so he went along, begrudingly.

He realized that Favre would be his best QB, and his only shot at winning initially, so he backed off.

But Ted's long-term didn't have "Favre" on the sheet.

When I brought it up at the time everyone dismissed it.

Now do you?

 

[OregonPackFan]

of course Ted's long term didn't have "Favre" on his sheet, the guy is getting 38 this year, he can't play forever. What do you expect, Thompson planning as if Favre is going to be there forever?

 

[net]

of course Ted's long term didn't have "Favre" on his sheet, the guy is getting 38 this year, he can't play forever. What do you expect, Thompson planning as if Favre is going to be there forever?

Precisely, so then why not trade him for something worthwhile if he's not in your plans? So he leaves a #1 draft pick smiling on the bench(he's paying him millions to watch) while he's going with a QB he doesn't want?

 

[digsthepack]

How and why would Brett be part of TT's plans when #4 has been doing the retirement tapdance for 4, almost 5 years now? You same people would probably ***** if TT planned around Favre and then he walked away....you know...lack of foresight!!

He has done a decent job of fulfiling current needs while stocking the shelves for the future...the first priority of any decent GM.

 

[OregonPackFan]

of course Ted's long term didn't have "Favre" on his sheet, the guy is getting 38 this year, he can't play forever. What do you expect, Thompson planning as if Favre is going to be there forever?

Precisely, so then why not trade him for something worthwhile if he's not in your plans? So he leaves a #1 draft pick smiling on the bench(he's paying him millions to watch) while he's going with a QB he doesn't want?

Because he is in our short-term plans.

 

[pyledriver80]

of course Ted's long term didn't have "Favre" on his sheet, the guy is getting 38 this year, he can't play forever. What do you expect, Thompson planning as if Favre is going to be there forever?

Precisely, so then why not trade him for something worthwhile if he's not in your plans? So he leaves a #1 draft pick smiling on the bench(he's paying him millions to watch) while he's going with a QB he doesn't want?

Because he is in our short-term plans.

Unfortunately so is mediocrity