Ted Thompson to transition into a new role within the organization. GB will begin a search for a new GM.

[wgbeethree]

Well this is interesting news to wake up to after a bender.

This is literally the biggest decision the Packers have had to make in about a decade. Interested to see how it goes down.

World's biggest Russ Ball fan.

Always thought this was Elliot Wolf's destiny.

Torn. 

....meaning it'll probably be Gutekunst or Highsmith since I'm wrong about pretty much everything. 

[MacReady]

2 hours ago, northernpackfan said:

Just to throw another name in the ring - what about bringing Reggie McKenzie back?  I know it’s less likely than going with the I -house guy, but Reggie’s got a proven track record in the position, and strong ties to the Packers’ organization.

I don't like half the things McKenzie did with the Raiders.  He repeated Thompson's biggest mistake (panic move reaching on an injured player like Justin Harrell) when he drafted DJ Hayden.  I feel like Mack was an easy decision, and so was Carr.  Then he picks a receiver in the top ten, who REALLY isn't as good as people think he is (look at his numbers).  Then he spends two consecutive first round picks on the secondary, and his secondary sucks.  Pretty sure based on Conley's pre-draft thing that he would have went all the way to the end of the second round, yet the Raiders took him.  He played in 2 games, 0 starts. 

McKenzie basically got a franchise QB and a franchise pass rusher by virtue of other teams passing on them and he turned that miraculous draft class into a single playoff appearance in four years with them. 

So I'm asking anybody here... Why in  the world would we ever want McKenzie?

Because he signed the free agents?  He didn't turn the Raiders around by signing free agents just like no GM in the past 20 years has turned a franchise around through free agency.  He turned the Raiders into a playoff team by literally having the most ideal draft you can possibly have, and he had to thank the Rams, Jaguars and Bills for screwing up that first round (seriously, come on, Bills).  Then he had to thank the Vikings, Texans and Browns for screwing up the end of the first, start of the second round to draft Carr. 

Every time I hear about how good McKenzie is, I have to scratch my damn head.  What did he do? 

[MacReady]

41 minutes ago, wgbeethree said:

This is literally the biggest decision the Packers have had to make in about a decade. Interested to see how it goes down.

Why are you and I the only ones pointing this out?  I feel like everybody else is acting like it's a matter of which name it is and whether or not they're aggressive in free agency.  No.  This is literally the most crucial decision that will be made in our franchise's history since Thompson made the decision to trade Favre.  The people who are celebrating it remind me of people celebrating some sort of military coups where a new dictator takes over only to do the exact same things the previous dictator did.

People have turned Thompson into this boogieman where they attribute all the problems because they can't comprehend how difficult it is to acquire talent in this league.  They just assume Thompson sucks at it, they assume Thompson hates free agency.  They assume Thompson hates spending money. 

The only real difference that I see coming from a new GM is different drafting.  We are not suddenly landing top free agent players.  We might sign more mid-level guys, we might sign more players during the season to compensate for injuries.  We might bring in less undrafted free agent rookies.  We might keep less pipe dream long shots (Clark, Donatello, Gunter...), but other than small things, no big things are going to change.

It's still crucial only because of how the draft will be handled.  You start taking risks and draft differently and that could make or break a franchise.  As an example, if the next guy starts acting on instinct and name recognition, we draft Myles Jack (maybe above average potential right now) instead of Kenny Clark (top NT prospect under 23 with all-pro potential because he was BPA, not an immediate need and we stuck to our board). 

Bottom line, the difference will not be 100% noticeable the way a lot of people here seem to be celebrating like it will be.

[pgwingman]

8 minutes ago, HorizontoZenith said:

Why are you and I the only ones pointing this out?  I feel like everybody else is acting like it's a matter of which name it is and whether or not they're aggressive in free agency.  No.  This is literally the most crucial decision that will be made in our franchise's history since Thompson made the decision to trade Favre.  The people who are celebrating it remind me of people celebrating some sort of military coups where a new dictator takes over only to do the exact same things the previous dictator did.

People have turned Thompson into this boogieman where they attribute all the problems because they can't comprehend how difficult it is to acquire talent in this league.  They just assume Thompson sucks at it, they assume Thompson hates free agency.  They assume Thompson hates spending money. 

The only real difference that I see coming from a new GM is different drafting.  We are not suddenly landing top free agent players.  We might sign more mid-level guys, we might sign more players during the season to compensate for injuries.  We might bring in less undrafted free agent rookies.  We might keep less pipe dream long shots (Clark, Donatello, Gunter...), but other than small things, no big things are going to change.

It's still crucial only because of how the draft will be handled.  You start taking risks and draft differently and that could make or break a franchise.  As an example, if the next guy starts acting on instinct and name recognition, we draft Myles Jack (maybe above average potential right now) instead of Kenny Clark (top NT prospect under 23 with all-pro potential because he was BPA, not an immediate need and we stuck to our board). 

Bottom line, the difference will not be 100% noticeable the way a lot of people here seem to be celebrating like it will be.

I agree 100%. This feels a lot more like TT deciding to retire when he had a chance too. The next GM will get the benefit of drafting higher in the draft, so watch the naysayers point out how much better the new GM is at drafting.

[MacReady]

Just now, pgwingman said:

I agree 100%. This feels a lot more like TT deciding to retire when he had a chance too. The next GM will get the benefit of drafting higher in the draft, so watch the naysayers point out how much better the new GM is at drafting.

Oh, it's going to be an excellent first year for them.  EXCELLENT first year for them.  New defensive coordinator, 14th overall pick, 45h overall pick, Davante Adams and Corey Linsley already re-signed, easiest schedule (starting SOS) in 7 years... I wouldn't be surprised if we win the Super Bowl next year and we get 10,000 "OnE SupERkb Bool in 10 years voisus one sUPER BULL IN One year" comments. 

[Mr. Fussnputz]

2 minutes ago, HorizontoZenith said:

Why are you and I the only ones pointing this out?  I feel like everybody else is acting like it's a matter of which name it is and whether or not they're aggressive in free agency.  No.  This is literally the most crucial decision that will be made in our franchise's history since Thompson made the decision to trade Favre.  The people who are celebrating it remind me of people celebrating some sort of military coups where a new dictator takes over only to do the exact same things the previous dictator did.

People have turned Thompson into this boogieman where they attribute all the problems because they can't comprehend how difficult it is to acquire talent in this league.  They just assume Thompson sucks at it, they assume Thompson hates free agency.  They assume Thompson hates spending money. 

The only real difference that I see coming from a new GM is different drafting.  We are not suddenly landing top free agent players.  We might sign more mid-level guys, we might sign more players during the season to compensate for injuries.  We might bring in less undrafted free agent rookies.  We might keep less pipe dream long shots (Clark, Donatello, Gunter...), but other than small things, no big things are going to change.

It's still crucial only because of how the draft will be handled.  You start taking risks and draft differently and that could make or break a franchise.  As an example, if the next guy starts acting on instinct and name recognition, we draft Myles Jack (maybe above average potential right now) instead of Kenny Clark (top NT prospect under 23 with all-pro potential because he was BPA, not an immediate need and we stuck to our board). 

Bottom line, the difference will not be 100% noticeable the way a lot of people here seem to be celebrating like it will be.

I agree. This must have been totally unexpected and sudden, other wise why would MM have fired Capers and the others? The timing leaves MM with only one year left on his contract, twisting slowly in the wind trying to hire new assistants. Imagine this: "Hi, Vic. This is Mike. Sorry things didn't work out for you down there in Chicago, but I have a job for you up here in Green Bay. I can guarantee you up to one year of employment, but only if the new GM decides to keep me around. If not, then all bets are off and we're both back out on the street again. Interested?" If this had been planned, MM would have sat on his hands with the firings and waited until a new GM was in place. The new GM would have either extended MM or fired him and things would proceed from there in an orderly fashion. Now we do a GM search with coaching positions that need filling and MM with almost no job security.

 I don't want Wolf. I believe in meritocracy, not aristocracy. Wolf is the embodiment of entitlement. If his name is John Doe instead of Wolf, he comes out of college and lands a junior exec job at Bemis, then after 20 years of hard work and learning the ropes and if he's good, he gets promoted to a senior exec position. From there another 10-15 years of success might get him a shot at a CEO job. It's bad enough he was hired to a senior position at all. That had to be demoralizing for other people who were in the organization for years trying to work their way up. If he's made GM now, morale will tank. It even sends a bad message to the players, it's not about hard work and earning a spot, it's about connections. Wolf would be a disaster for the organization. And I will go so far as to say that IMHO the next GM should fire Wolf to send a message throughout the organization, players, scouts, everyone at 1265, that GB is a meritocracy. Hard work and success will be rewarded, and nothing else.

[MacReady]

Just now, Mr. Fussnputz said:

"Hi, Vic. This is Mike. Sorry things didn't work out for you down there in Chicago, but I have a job for you up here in Green Bay. I can guarantee you up to one year of employment, but only if the new GM decides to keep me around. If not, then all bets are off and we're both back out on the street again. Interested?"

 I don't want Wolf. I believe in meritocracy, not aristocracy. Wolf is the embodiment of entitlement.

On the first point, there's also the possibility that if MM gets fired and Vic thrives, Vic could get an interview to be head coach.  I don't see anything that would keep Vic from being our defensive coordinator next year from a turmoil/uncertainty standpoint. 

I don't want Wolf either, for the same reasons.  There's nothing worse than people who are granted BS positions because of what their parents accomplished.  That's coming from someone who could make 40 dollars an hour to start if he (I) decided to work for his dad's company. 

[Mr. Fussnputz]

1 minute ago, HorizontoZenith said:

On the first point, there's also the possibility that if MM gets fired and Vic thrives, Vic could get an interview to be head coach.  I don't see anything that would keep Vic from being our defensive coordinator next year from a turmoil/uncertainty standpoint. 

I don't want Wolf either, for the same reasons.  There's nothing worse than people who are granted BS positions because of what their parents accomplished.  That's coming from someone who could make 40 dollars an hour to start if he (I) decided to work for his dad's company. 

Passing on $40/hour at your dad's company? HZ you have my undying respect. Fangio may get interviews for HC from any number of teams, so probably GB has time to do a thorough search for a new GM. The top DCs will be sniffing around for a HC job anyways. 

I'm not real high on Gutekunst either (by the way, for those of you making fun with his name, Gutekunst means "good art" in German). A man's name has no bearing on whether or not he might be successful, so enough with the Gluten crap to everyone out there.  But I admit I don't know much about his background. It's not comforting that he didn't get the San Fran job. Highsmith seems to be the guy who came along the same career path as Dorsey, MacKenzie, and even TT. So as you pointed out, this is a really BIG decision and they should do a thorough, league-wide search. 

 

[MantyWrestler]

7 hours ago, NormSizedMidget said:

How do you know Wolf or Gut are the best evaluators? What if they both stay too so they're still there to evaluate...

Guess it could be Highsmith as well. I would assume they are the top evaluators now that TT is out since they are heading up 2 personnel departments, wouldn’t you? If they’re not, why do they have those positions?

i read the articles posted about Ball; bright man who works hard to understand all facits of the organization. Nowhere did I read where anyone in the organization felt he was a good evaluator of talent, only that he was working on it. Could he have a good eye for it? Sure but there is no evidence of that. I could see them doing as I said and letting him run the organization since there is a lot more to being a GM than picking talent, and he’s very good at those responsibilities, and promoting one of the others to build the team. 

[MacReady]

Just now, Mr. Fussnputz said:

Passing on $40/hour at your dad's company?

I'm not gonna lie, if it was less insufferably boring, I'd probably take it. 

[deltarich87]

This will be Murphy's first real big decision since being named pres of the team, right? This move will shape his legacy in GB....hopefully for us it's for the better.

This entire offseason is gonna be fascinating one way or another. With McCarthy on the last yr of his deal, does he get an extension or do they play out the 2018 season as is? Usually, a new GM likes to bring in his own coach, though if they just promote from within then that shouldn't really matter

[Stevein2012]

29 minutes ago, Mr. Fussnputz said:

Passing on $40/hour at your dad's company? HZ you have my undying respect. Fangio may get interviews for HC from any number of teams, so probably GB has time to do a thorough search for a new GM. The top DCs will be sniffing around for a HC job anyways. 

I'm not real high on Gutekunst either (by the way, for those of you making fun with his name, Gutekunst means "good art" in German). A man's name has no bearing on whether or not he might be successful, so enough with the Gluten crap to everyone out there.  But I admit I don't know much about his background. It's not comforting that he didn't get the San Fran job. Highsmith seems to be the guy who came along the same career path as Dorsey, MacKenzie, and even TT. So as you pointed out, this is a really BIG decision and they should do a thorough, league-wide search. 

 

I'm pretty sure he declined it himself and took his own name out of the running.

[{Family Ghost}]

16 minutes ago, deltarich87 said:

This will be Murphy's first real big decision since being named pres of the team, right? This move will shape his legacy in GB....hopefully for us it's for the better.

This entire offseason is gonna be fascinating one way or another. With McCarthy on the last yr of his deal, does he get an extension or do they play out the 2018 season as is? Usually, a new GM likes to bring in his own coach, though if they just promote from within then that shouldn't really matter

I think McCarthy will get at least a one year extension before next season .. could be much more if we stay in-house.  I would think those in-house folks are on board with McCarthy at the helm.  McCarthy would probably be the #1 or #2 HC available on the market if available .. I would think a new GM coming in would feel like keeping McCarthy is a wise choice.

As for Murphy .. glad he stepped up to the plate and started the process.  He had an aging GM that was more than likely slowing down and several strong candidates that will kill to lead this franchise into the next decade.  We get the best of both worlds as well .. Thompson stays on as an advisor/scout, and we move forward with new direction at the top.

[spilltray]

We really have no idea what Ball, Gutekunst, Highsmith, or Wolf actually do. We have no way to quantify their skills or contributions. We are just going to have to wait and see.

And quit the glee over "Ha ha I'm right, Ted sux, they fired him!". That's plainly false. With changes being made, it was a good time to let the new guy take the lead. Thompson isn't leaving, and his word is going to carry a ton of weight, even if he isn't in charge. This is a good time to retool and make any changes top to bottom in organization structure.

[deltarich87]

Texans showing interest in Gutekunst