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Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson

Since January 14, 2005, Ted Thompson has been the driving force behind the reincarnation of the Green Bay Packers. At times he has been reviled by a huge portion of Packer Nation, and recently has been lauded as the eccentric genius architect of the deepest and most talented team in the league. To encapsulate his triumphs and failures of the past 6 years I have created a top ten list of hits and misses (coming soon).

The Hits

1. Drafting Aaron Rodgers:

This draft pick caused me and my friends to scream and throw our draft guides at the television. “Get Brett Favre some weapons! Our window is closing! Why does The Albino hate us?” we shouted between moments of rage filled couch punching. Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback in the league, which is the most important position in all of sports.

2. Hiring Mike McCarthy:

It took some guts to bring in the coordinator of the worst offense in the NFL to be your first hire. As my screen name may indicate, I was an extreme doubter of McCarthy and may have even called for his head on a platter on this very website. Two things have become very clear after the Packers beat the Steelers in the Superbowl; Thompson found the right man for the job, and I good sirs, am an idiot.  Read more... (723 words + 1 image, estimated 2:54 mins reading time)

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Ted Thompson on the prowl...

It happens every Summer when Training Camp rolls around in Green Bay, at least under the TED THOMPSON’S regime. Some familiar veteran names show up as ‘cuts’ from the PACKERS roster as the team gets under way preparing for the upcoming season both financially & athletically. It may be less frustrating to deal with this year than most because the team has the Lombardi Trophy on display within the bowels of Lambeau. But once again a rather long list of vet players will no longer wear the Green-and-Gold.

Let me remind you who is MIA as the team prepares for its first Pre-Season game.

NICK BARNETT/ILB     BILLS    Too much $ already being paid to HAWK/BISHOP inside.

ATARI BIGBY/S    Once he got his big contract he’s been fighting HARRELL for hot tub time too often.

BRANDON CHILLAR/LB    Was coming back to team until he hurt his leg (again) in offseason.

DARYN COLLEDGE/LG  CARDINALS    Never completely satisfied coaches with inconsistent play. Too expensive.

KOREY HALL/FB/ST   SAINTS       Pure Special Teamers get too expensive after a few years.

JUSTIN HARRELL/DE     The king of the training room was never available.  Read more... (889 words + 1 image, estimated 3:33 mins reading time)

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Sam Shields - An Undrafted Free Agent Gem

After our look yesterday at NFL rookie free agents on offense, Let’s hop on over to the other side of the ball and give you ten defenders to look at as the Undrafted Free Agent market gets ready to kick-off.

MARTIN PARKER/DT/RICHMOND/6’2/300

There is no logical reason to explain PARKER’s availability right now. he had a stellar senior season on a good team. He has decent size and athleticism for the NFL game. He showed very well at SHRINE Week, actually capturing the Defensive MVP award for the game. He showed well at the COMBINE running a 5.03/40 which was 10th best at the DT position. He is, at the least, a good candidate for a 4-3 scheme DL rotation. He was the only player in my TOP 100 list, not to be Drafted in April. He may be limited and unlikely to ever get to a Pro Bowl, but he looks the part of a DL rotation player at the pro level.

   Read more... (1426 words + 1 image, estimated 5:42 mins reading time)

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World Champion Packers and Other NFL Teams Will be Eying these Rookie Free Agents

In anticipation of a new CBA being in place by the end of this week, I wanted to give you all a reminder of some good players who never heard their name called in the April NFL DRAFT. Much of the attention in the next couple of weeks will be on Veteran free Agent signings, as 1/4 of the league’s players are eligible to sign wherever they can find work offers. But for a lot of teams like the PACKERS, STEELERS, BENGALS, etc. the search will be on for a few good men who probably should have been drafted, and will scratch out an NFL career the hard way.

If you doubt the effectiveness of finding good players through this process please remember that the Super Bowl champion PACKERS were starting 2 such rookies at the end of last season in SAM SHIELDS & FRANK ZOMBO. A little luck, some patience, good coaching & skilled eyes in the Personnel Dept. can bring good value to an NFL roster at very little initial cost. And it appears that there will indeed be a Salary Cap to struggle with in the new CBA.  Read more... (1696 words + 1 image, estimated 6:47 mins reading time)

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Brothers Aaron and Jordan Rodgers work out together at Whole Body Fitness in their hometown of Chico, CA.

It’s become the big topic of debate during the lockout and it unfortunately involves the entire Green Bay Packers squad.

No, they haven’t gone on a cruise “Love Boat” style like the Minnesota Vikings did a few years ago. Rather, it’s a question about the Packers ON the field.

Why haven’t the Packer players held an informal team workout yet?

It’s a fair inquiry to make.  Most NFL teams have held some kind of group workouts involving a good chunk of the squad.  Yet the world champions have yet to do so with training camp possibly about a month away (assuming the lockout ends relatively soon).   This has not set well with many members of the media, including several former NFL players—namely former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi.

To them I say, relax. The Packers will be fine.  Just because a majority of league has had team workouts does not put Green Bay at a significant competitive disadvantage.  Read more... (892 words + 1 image, estimated 3:34 mins reading time)

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It may be like trying to piece together a train wreck you’d much rather not watch again, but given the Packers’ run to Super Bowl XLV, I think we fans can revisit this without cringing too much.

It’s time once again to look at the disgraceful downfall of one Brett Lorenzo Favre. Yes, everyone has beaten the topic to death the past few years but one thing that has not truly been discussed was the exact moment when Favre’s downfall began.  Some say it was in 2005 with the hiring of Ted Thompson.  Others argue it happened with the firing of Mike Sherman in 2006.

I’d have to partially agree with those who mention Sherman, except they have it backwards. I’d argue Favre’s meltdown began when Sherman was HIRED in 2000.

Wind the clock back to that year if you will: Ray Rhodes had just been fired and Favre was coming off a 22 TD pass to 23 interceptions season after battling a bad thumb all season.  Keep in mind this was two years removed from the Packers trip to Super Bowl XXXII against the Broncos.  Favre experienced his first non-winning season of his career as well.  Read more... (1181 words + 1 image, estimated 4:43 mins reading time)

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It seems that like no matter what Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers does in his career, someone has a question about him.

First, there was the question of whether he was athletic enough to succeed as a starter in the NFL. That was answered in 2008.

Then there were the doubts of whether or not he could lead the Packers to the postseason. He checked that one off in 2009.

Next it became whether or not Rodgers could win a playoff game and truly replace Brett Favre in the hearts and minds of Packers fans. He finally sealed the deal on that one with a Super Bowl title in 2010 (although the hearts and minds of many were already won by the start of 2010).

Now there is another question involving Rodgers, but I don’t think he would mind this one being asked around too much especially this early in his career:

“Is Aaron Rodgers on the path to enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?”  Read more... (1033 words + 1 image, estimated 4:08 mins reading time)

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