Turning a corner in a skeptical fans eyes

[Pack93z]

Not that it means much in the large picture, but I for one am changing my tune.....

As I have said in the past, I am not the biggest fan of the approach that Thompson took the past two years, that of stripping most of the veterans from the roster and carrying a lot of youth on the team. Youth leads to lack of consistency and reliable sound decisions on the playing field. It cost us some games with the youth on the field, while at times it probably was a blessing that they were so young. Last year a veteran team might have folded the tent when facing a 4-8 record and little chance at the playoffs. Albeit they missed, they were closer than most expected.

This morning, while watching part game that I recorded last night and watching some of the younger players growing up this preseason; my thoughts are turning to maybe that complete overhaul of the roster in 05' and 06' was a sound strategy. I think part of MY issue with the strategy was that if you look at the drafts and player development from probably 97’ or 98’ through the past year or so, the Packers developed internal talent with a low percentage of overall success. Yes we hit on some players here and there, and some players developed upon their potential, but generally there was more disappointment than jubilation.

Now, it is still early in the season and some of this play and success is related to the level of competing players in camp and in the games. But one thing, that is pretty certain to ME finally, is that early signs are showing we are doing a better job of talent evaluation and potentially (based on early signs) developing the players potential with a greater percentage of success. The 05’ draft may not be filled with difference makers, but some of the undrafted players from that year and the 06’ and 07’ classes look pretty darn good.

My hope is pretty soon, maybe within the next year, we are turning the roster over with less players and Ted and company start to look at player acquisition with more of a fine tuning and precise need aspect. Whether it is via the draft and moving up to get a difference maker or signing a free agent to add immediate impact at a given position.

Not that what this one fans opinion is matters that much, but now that I am buying into the direction and strategy that we have employed that past couple of off seasons, I hope that this team takes another step forward when the real bullets start to fly.

Here is to a exciting season ahead and unlike myself the past two years, buy into theory that we are a growing team with each passing day and ENJOY THE HECK OUT OF THE RIDE! GO PACK GO!

 

[Packnic]

WOOOO HOOOO!

 

[porky88]

Pack93 is on board so everything must be ok in Cheese Country.

 

[Pack93z]

LOL... trying to bring a couple others along with me

 

[warhawk]

This franchise was at a serious crossroads.

We either capitalized on the draft and started to bring youth and depth in here or we were going down and would have stayed down a long time. One more year with a clueless GM going "ofor" another draft and we were toast.

I never saw another option on the table so for me this was the only one available and the only real key to the whole thing was TT hitting more than missing which he has done.

Glad to have you aboard 93. Your a good football guy and I was wondering there for awhile what part of this you were missing.

 

[spardo62]

I have been on board with this approach since day one, although some of the departures were hard to swallow at the time.

That said, this year and next offseason will be huge for GB is this strategy proves to be correct. Unless A. 2 or 3 of these young players on each side make huge leaps this year to blue chip players, Thompson will have to augment what he has built with: B. Blue Chip free agent(s); C. Top 5 draft choice; D. A significant trade or, E. a combination of the above.

The most likely would be for several of the youngsters to make a huge leap(Hawk, Jenkins, Collins, Jennings come immediately to mind) and to sign an impact FA or two.

The pinacle cannot be reached(IMO) by building entirely through the draft and retaining your core players.

 

[dhpackr]

LOL... trying to bring a couple others along with me

well another TT thread, and no one flipping a script. b/c all agree, and all are happy in the little packer forum. where everyone agrees, and the avg post is one sentence, and there are 10 new threads everyday.
YAWN!

 

[warhawk]

I wondered how long it would take him to show up.

 

[dhpackr]

I wondered how long it would take him to show up.

holy smoke.
FREEDOM OF A Speech, yeah but just watch what you say!

 

[Pack93z]

LOL... trying to bring a couple others along with me

well another TT thread, and no one flipping a script. b/c all agree, and all are happy in the little packer forum. where everyone agrees, and the avg post is one sentence, and there are 10 new threads everyday.
YAWN!

DH it isn't as much about Ted is it is about the overall team. Just throwing out an opinion is all, because I held alot of the same beliefs as you until the last couple of weeks.

Now it is early and I could be premature in buying in, but we seem to be stronger up and down the roster overall. Do we have some of the impact players that we had in years past, maybe not as many known or proven impact players, but the overall roster strength is up IN MY OPINION this preseason.

I still appreciate some of the things Sherman did for this current team and for the teams during his tenure. There were some exciting games with a high powered offense and it was fun to watch. No doubt about it and I can tell you one thing, I won't come to ripping Sherman to shreds at all. As you and I and others have said, he did some great things when he was here. He made some mistakes along the way, so did the Packer brass for allowing a coach to hold the GM role as well. That chapter has been written.

But that time has passed and as in life, you can hold onto those days and deny the change around you. Or you can let go of those days and look to the present ones. Again, I was skeptical of the approach and I am not saying that everything is rosey in Packerland. But I am starting to see proof that things are getting better overall.

Can I point to the running game or the lack of exprience at WR and say foul... heck yes I can. I sat in the same spot and argued the same things about Walker and going young. Do we have a ways to go yet, heck yes we do.

But one thing for me, is I want to enjoy the season before us and let go of some of the past. It may turn out that we regress and this preseason was a fraud or a illusion. But if, for me, if I don't let go of the would of's or could of's, then I will be pissed everytime we fail this season.

Hell it is only a game, and games are to be enjoyed.

Anyway, I should have known better because this will just become a internet WAR over the same material... Never said I was the brightest bulb in the room..

 

[pack_in_black]

LOL... trying to bring a couple others along with me

well another TT thread, and no one flipping a script. b/c all agree, and all are happy in the little packer forum. where everyone agrees, and the avg post is one sentence, and there are 10 new threads everyday.
YAWN!

It's been said before, to many posters in the past.


If you don't like the way this forum works, just leave.



Nobody wants anybody gone, obviously. But to complain about Thompson at every. single. negative. movement has been seen by everyone who's been here for any substantial amount of time.

Fact is, this forum will bring you into contact with some people you disagree with, but I guarantee you'll always have this in common: Everyone wants the Pack to succeed, and that means every player.

You seem to jump into a lot of discussions just gunning for TT and only TT, which naturally causes ire with alot of people here. Just don't take things personally, and I think you'll enjoy this place a whole lot more. :thumbsup:

 

[warhawk]

It's Pyle.

It's Pyle and I know it. The same insistance on the same topic over and over and over.
I'm tellin' y'all. It's PYLE.

 

[Lare]

Glad you're happy with your new outlook on the Pack, Pack93z, it really all just comes down to what fans are willing to accept for success and/or failure of the team they support. Anyone could do a bunch of research and cite a bunch of stats showing that the Packers are in fact either improving or getting worse, but it really just comes down to performance on the football field.

So if you're correct that they're doing a good job in talent evaluation, it'll be evident on the football field. If you're correct that they're doing a good job of player development, it'll show on the football field. And ultimately it should all lead to success, the playoffs and maybe even the Super Bowl.

But if not, that will also be pretty evident on the football field. And if that happens, at some point fans will have to ask themselves how much failure or mediocrity they are willing to accept before something needs to be done to change the situation.

Either way, there is nothing this team will go through in the future that I haven't already seen and experienced before.

 

[Packnic]

it has nothing to do with TT. i could care less about him as a person.

its the policies, practices and actions of TT that i agree with.

 

[Pack93z]

So if you're correct that they're doing a good job in talent evaluation, it'll be evident on the football field. If you're correct that they're doing a good job of player development, it'll show on the football field. And ultimately it should all lead to success, the playoffs and maybe even the Super Bowl.

In a nutshell that is what I am saying.. I see more quality depth on this roster this year than last... I believe our front line or starters on offense at the skill positions might be lower.. mostly in the backfield... but overall strength of the roster IMO is better.

As we all know talent alone doesn't win football games, so the players have to make the plays in order for us to capitalize on this increase in talent. All in all... IMO the overall roster is stronger than 05 and 06; and potentially the 03 and 04'.

As you say... we shall see between the white lines.

 

[Lare]

it has nothing to do with TT. i could care less about him as a person.

its the policies, practices and actions of TT that i agree with.

And this is where you and I disagree Packnic.

I care about TT as a person because I think as the face of the organization it's important how he comes across to players, coaches and others in the industry who may be considering coming here. Because if they choose not to because of him, then I feel that may hurt the team in the long run.

And I could care less about TT's policies, practices and actions. All I care about is him putting a winning football team on the field.

Like I said before, it all comes down to what people feel is important to them and are willing to accept for success or failure.

 

[dhpackr]

It's Pyle.

It's Pyle and I know it. The same insistance on the same topic over and over and over.
I'm tellin' y'all. It's PYLE.

you know joe dude,
anyways, you see this alot on forums, is it this guy or that guy?
i can tell you this much, there is one, and only one, die hard packer. I don't know who pyle, or depack were, but i can guess why they are not here.

all i can say is i wish those two guys were here, might make the forum more fun.
there is no running game, and if you do not blame the GM, then who?
peace out
the original dhpackr

 

[pack_in_black]

all i can say is i wish those two guys were here, might make the forum more fun.
there is no running game, and if you do not blame the GM, then who?
peace out
the original dhpackr

No, the forum wasn't more fun, it was excruciatingly repetitive arguments with the same reasoning over, and over, and over.....

Less than a week ago you said "sorry TT" and praised BJack and JJ.

Now, after one slow preseason game you say the running game doesn't exist, and in another thread freak out about Driver's injury and our "rookies only" (guess that would exclude GJ, Holiday, and Martin, and KRob?) WR corps.

Talk about hot and cold, jeez

 

[PackerGeek]

No, the forum wasn't more fun, it was excruciatingly repetitive arguments with the same reasoning over, and over, and over.....

That’s where I think we will have to disagree. I for one think that differing points of view add to the fun of the board. When I think a thread has degraded to the point that a few people have monopolized it rehashing the same argument I simply move on to other threads so I guess that doesn't bother me too much.

It seems to me that TT is a very polarizing figure on this board. there are those that are the eternal pessimists who refuse to even acknowledge the good things TT does. They harp on his every move and seem at times to almost take pleasure each time there is a hiccup in the teams development. On the other side there is a group of eternal optimists who refuse to see where TT has faltered. They credit him with everything positive and go out of their way to make excuses for his failures. There are very few people, I think, who suspend their bias to judge him.

 

[DakotaT]

all i can say is i wish those two guys were here, might make the forum more fun.
there is no running game, and if you do not blame the GM, then who?
peace out
the original dhpackr

No, the forum wasn't more fun, it was excruciatingly repetitive arguments with the same reasoning over, and over, and over.....

Less than a week ago you said "sorry TT" and praised BJack and JJ.

Now, after one slow preseason game you say the running game doesn't exist, and in another thread freak out about Driver's injury and our "rookies only" (guess that would exclude GJ, Holiday, and Martin, and KRob?) WR corps.

Talk about hot and cold, jeez

I use to post a lot more with Pyle and Depack around. I didn't agree with them very often, but I thought they were very good football guys and Packer fans with a whole different perspective than my own. Depack had a thing against a lot of us younger posters and he always liked to call people idiots. Pyle was ruthless with his opinions, and I always found him condescending to a degree. Nevertheless, I miss both of them as posters.

You DH remind me of those two posters in ways. I value your opinion and will treat with respect but I ask that this respect be reciprocal. You will also find that some of us take pokes at each other sometimes and that some of us are sarcastic. At the end of day, we are all Packer fans, except the trolls of course, who share a comoradery. Keep posting man.

 

[Greg C.]

I thought from the beginning that Thompson did what he needed to do. After that playoff loss at home to an 8-8 Vikings team, the jig was up. Teams that are close to being contenders do not lose home playoff games to 8-8 teams, and they didn't just lose they got killed. And they were getting killed BEFORE Javon Walker had to leave the game with an injury.

I agree with pack_in_black that the forum is more fun without pyle and depack. I can't stand it when people just hammer away forever with the same negative opinions. With some people it gets to where they hardly ever post about any other subject, and that's where it gets old.