all about da packers
Cheesehead
Now I am not calling any member ignorant. An "appeal to ignorance" is a fallacy that I believe a lot of the individuals who call Ted Thompson "tightwad" use.
It is said that TT is cheap, not one willing to pay up for NFL talent. I'm not gonna argue whether or not that is true here, but I think people's lack of knowledge about Andrew Brandt and his role in contracts often leads people to think of TT as a tightwad.
Andrew Brandt is the cap guy for the Packers, he is the one who negotiates with the agents, offers contracts, and works out the numbers.
Therefore, I think it is reasonable to assume that if any free agent player is targeted by the Packers, Brandt will talk with the agent to get an idea of the salary demands. Even if Brandt doesn't talk with the agent, I think it's fair to assume TT passes on info regarding contract demands of targeted players to Brandt.
I also think TT is too busy with his other GM duties to keep up to date with all the latest financial ongoings in the NFL. Brandt being the one in charge of contracts, I'd think it is logical to assume he would be up to date with what players generally make, what to expect in terms of the value of future contracts, etc.
That leads me to my point: I think too many people under estimate the role Brandt plays in free agency, both unrestricted and restricted.
IMO Brandt will have an idea of what a starter/backup at any given position is making. He'll also have an idea of how much the better players at any given position are making.
When TT and his staff identify a player that they might go after, I think TT goes to Andrew Brandt and asks him to work out an offer that he would deem fair. Then Andrew Brandt discusses the possible role of the player, his age, etc. and figures in all those variables to a final general idea of what would be a decent price to pay for said player.
Then Ted and Andrew, together, discuss what other teams may be interested and how that may drive up the value of the player.
In the end, I think Brandt, and to a lesser extent TT, establish a ballpark figure of the max a player is worth. I think in that regard, Brandt takes the lead and with his knowledge and experience works out a general idea of what fair value to both sides would be.
When TT is said to be too cheap, I think too many people blame the wrong guy.
Now in terms of the disparity between former GM Sherman dishing out big bucks vs TT being more conservative, although both had Brandt working for them:
In reference to former GM Sherman and his free spending, I would have to think he told Brandt to get a deal done by any means necessary, thus overpaying some players. With TT, I think Brandt is told to keep a modest lid on the money figures, so we don't see as many high figures being thrown out there.
I believe Brandt is still the one who decides on a fair price value, and brings that number to Ted and things progress from there.
By my thinking, that makes Andrew Brandt an extremely important piece of the puzzle, and a piece that may have more of an influence than any other person in the front office (besides TT's final decision making) on who the Packers sign and resign.
It is said that TT is cheap, not one willing to pay up for NFL talent. I'm not gonna argue whether or not that is true here, but I think people's lack of knowledge about Andrew Brandt and his role in contracts often leads people to think of TT as a tightwad.
Andrew Brandt is the cap guy for the Packers, he is the one who negotiates with the agents, offers contracts, and works out the numbers.
Therefore, I think it is reasonable to assume that if any free agent player is targeted by the Packers, Brandt will talk with the agent to get an idea of the salary demands. Even if Brandt doesn't talk with the agent, I think it's fair to assume TT passes on info regarding contract demands of targeted players to Brandt.
I also think TT is too busy with his other GM duties to keep up to date with all the latest financial ongoings in the NFL. Brandt being the one in charge of contracts, I'd think it is logical to assume he would be up to date with what players generally make, what to expect in terms of the value of future contracts, etc.
That leads me to my point: I think too many people under estimate the role Brandt plays in free agency, both unrestricted and restricted.
IMO Brandt will have an idea of what a starter/backup at any given position is making. He'll also have an idea of how much the better players at any given position are making.
When TT and his staff identify a player that they might go after, I think TT goes to Andrew Brandt and asks him to work out an offer that he would deem fair. Then Andrew Brandt discusses the possible role of the player, his age, etc. and figures in all those variables to a final general idea of what would be a decent price to pay for said player.
Then Ted and Andrew, together, discuss what other teams may be interested and how that may drive up the value of the player.
In the end, I think Brandt, and to a lesser extent TT, establish a ballpark figure of the max a player is worth. I think in that regard, Brandt takes the lead and with his knowledge and experience works out a general idea of what fair value to both sides would be.
When TT is said to be too cheap, I think too many people blame the wrong guy.
Now in terms of the disparity between former GM Sherman dishing out big bucks vs TT being more conservative, although both had Brandt working for them:
In reference to former GM Sherman and his free spending, I would have to think he told Brandt to get a deal done by any means necessary, thus overpaying some players. With TT, I think Brandt is told to keep a modest lid on the money figures, so we don't see as many high figures being thrown out there.
I believe Brandt is still the one who decides on a fair price value, and brings that number to Ted and things progress from there.
By my thinking, that makes Andrew Brandt an extremely important piece of the puzzle, and a piece that may have more of an influence than any other person in the front office (besides TT's final decision making) on who the Packers sign and resign.