A Word On The Draft
No matter how much we 'study' these college kids between February and late April when they are selected by their respective pro franchises, there will be some who think Ted made a good choice at 23, there will be some who think Ted made a horrible choice at 23, and there will be some who curse Ted for the Justin Harrell pick - still. And despite all that is said and all that is written, nothing will matter until that guy steps on the field and does something.
By PackerAaron
I probably get, no joke, a hundred emails a week and at least 20 or so Tweets a day asking some variation of the same question:
Who is your dream pick for the Packers at #23 in the draft?
And my answer is always the same:
Whoever Ted takes. Seriously.
Look, I know it's that time of year where we football fans pour over draft sites and magazines. We read a thousand mock drafts, maybe more, trying to figure out how the first round will play out. Of course, none of those are ever right. Ever.
I have lots of fans who write me saying the Packers HAVE to take an offensive tackle. Others are adamant that Thompson needs to take a cornerback. Still others are convinced that anything other than an outside linebacker taken in the first round will be the ruin of the franchise for years to come.
Relax people. And have some faith.
No matter how much you think you know about the draft (And there are many of you who obsess about it. Believe me. I know.) you don't know as much as the 14 people currently employed in the Personnel department for the Green Bay Packers. Now, I hear you already - "But Aaron, you spend your whole day talking about what Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthty should and shouldn't do! They obviously know more than you...You're a hypocrite!" and there's probably some truth to that. But anyone who's read this blog long enough knows I have no problem admitting when I am wrong about something and owning up to it. You Draft nerds are a different breed. Not only will you send DETAILED emails about how a running backs short shuttle drill CLEARLY makes him a better choice than this OTHER running back who struggled with the short shuttle at his Pro Day (Or something) but you'll swear blind, even after that OTHER running back goes to the Pros and becomes a perennial All-Pro, that the team CLEARLY made the wrong choice.
See, my opinions, while amateur, at LEAST come from watching actual football. What I can't abide is the hysteria that is generated between February and April over 40 times and carefully orchestrated Pro Day workouts. I'm sorry, but really, who gives a shit? If a kid can play football, it's there on tape for everyone to see. And the 13 guys and one gal (Go Autumn!) in Personnel have seen both the tape and the live action. Not to mention Ted Thompson himself, who lives and breathes for scouting prospects live, much as Ron Wolf did.
My point is - no matter how much we 'study' these college kids from now until late April when they are selected by their respective pro franchises, there will be some who think Ted made a good choice at 23, there will be some who think Ted made a horrible choice at 23, and there will be some who curse Ted for the Justin Harrell pick - still. And despite all that is said and all that is written, nothing will matter until that guy steps on the field and does something.
Until that moment, he's the newest Green Bay Packer. And I'm happy to have him, whoever he is.
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Comments (27)
March 16, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Aaron you've been on fire lately my friend...
I have always considered Thompson to be the hardest working GM in the NFL. Why? How many GMs do you know that travel to nearly every Pro Day, even DII, just to get an up close look at a potential prospect? Not too many. We're very lucky to have Ted as the head man in charge because the guy lives and breathes FOOTBALL, it's his life, and he's said on numerous occasions that the reason he isn't married is because of how much time he spends focusing on our organization.
Nobody wants a championship more than Mr.Thompson, and I know deep down inside he wants to shut the naysayers up, or shall I say Green Bay Favre fans, FOR GOOD. I've read books a book by the late, great Bill Walsh(3 times at that) and he details in there how to build a winning franchise. His thought process is nearly identical to the way Ted operates. We should be proud of the team we have right now, filled with high character guys that care about football, and winning. I have been an extreme believer in Ted's process for 2 or 3 years now, and I gained even more respect for him after the way he handled the Favre situation, which may sound crazy to some but I did. If any Packer fan out there isn't happy with the direction this team is headed, then I feel bad for them because they're going to miss out on something special.
Great article on Ted here, I suggest anyone and everyone reads it...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?page=hotread7/TedThompson
March 16, 2010 at 10:48 pm
unless it's tim tebow
PackerAaron
March 16, 2010 at 10:51 pm
lol - Even Tebow, as much as it would pain me, is welcome.
March 16, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Trade up for Spiller, baby!!!!!!
March 16, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Well said, Aaron. I'm a Packer, through-n-through. That being said, I'm an even bigger fan of the NFL, perhaps a 'geek' when it comes to watching the college game. I 'try' to comment on the prospects I watch and refrain from reguretating what I read on the intertubes about prospects and their phenomenal measurables. That being said, I love the speculation.
I'm a firm believer that the future of a franchise is secured via the draft and you're well ahead of the game when your scouting department sorts through better than 350 known, available prospects to find a future starter, let alone an immediate imapact kid that takes the professionalism aspect of the draft to heart.
Actual scouts must laugh at the 'draftnik' community and their amatuer rankings in addition to the fan-base demands. My perspective: know the kid personally, know their 'people', and understand their actual committment beyond becomming instant millionaires.
Man I love this time of year. Approaching the draft with well informed, well scouted information can make or break a franchise. Sell out to win NOW and you become the struggling 49'ers attempting to capitalize on past glory; build for tomorrow and create a roster that competes for today and you win in perpetuity. Love it...
March 16, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Dang it Nagler, I read that whole article and you still didn't tell us who the Packers are going to pick at #23... Sheesh, what a waste of time :)
March 16, 2010 at 11:19 pm
If TT takes Greg Paulus at #23, I'll be pissed. Other than that, I'll be excited about ANYONE.
PackerAaron
March 17, 2010 at 12:09 am
ps25 - that is in the running for greatest Avatar pic ever. Seriously.
March 17, 2010 at 06:25 am
Hello Aaron,
Look, I didn't know how to contact you otherwise than posting a comment without any link with the current conversation.
I am the biggest Packers fan in Europe and I go to the U.S. next septembre. Of course, I will go to Green Bay to make a pilgrimage! Could you tell me how to proceed to get tickets for a Sunday game. I know that it is difficult but that is my only chance to see the Packers at Lambeau Field for a long time...
I thank you for your help!
March 17, 2010 at 06:51 am
Frenchy
You can get tickets on the Packers website or the Stubhub website. They are available from season ticket holders that can't make a particular game. You'll pay 1.5x to 2x real value but who cares? It's Lambeau Field! Good luck my friend
March 17, 2010 at 07:19 am
Thank you very much for the tip! You're right. I don't care the price since it'd be the rare time I see the Packers at LF in my life. There is no way I miss this opportunity!
Take care.
PackerAaron
March 17, 2010 at 08:24 am
When the schedule comes out, we always have affiliate links here on the site for each game - if you buy tix online, please do it through those links as it helps support CHTV :) Thanks.
March 17, 2010 at 11:51 am
Aaron, I WILL do that as well! I want to make my first trip to Lambeau this year and I'm always down to do anything to help out CHTV!!
March 17, 2010 at 08:33 am
OK I will. Do you know when the schedule comes out?
Thx.
PackerAaron
March 17, 2010 at 09:15 am
Sometime in early April. They have not announced a date yet. We will def post it once the date is published.
March 17, 2010 at 08:52 am
Nice reading material Aaron and Brett (thanks for the link). I am a huge TT fan since the day he was hired because he is a Wolf protege! He has done a fine job cleaning up the mess that Sherman left him. He lives football 24/7, played the game himself for 10 years and knows the kind of desire and commitment it takes. Anyone Favre lovers who think he should be fired don't know much about football. After prima donna's first retirement speech, who wouldn't question if his mind was in the game? It was time to move on and Ted had the balls to say we're moving on, nobody is bigger than their boss. Sure Ted has made some mistakes, so did Wolf and every other GM in the NFL. Ted will stay the course and continue to build throught the draft.
On a sidenote the Pack is getting better and the Falcons are.....well....they just signed Matt Giordano.
March 21, 2010 at 03:39 pm
Black Hawk - I totally agree. When the Soap Opera happened, I questioned the reasoning for it, outright. Favre had everything a Star Player could hope for - it had to have been greed. Then, the nonsense began, with the four-letter egging it on, over & over. TT was given an empty basket with which to go buy food for the family. And, yet, no one would read the tea leaves and wear his shoes.
I know at least one person who thinks it healthy to find fault with his career at Houston - even though, THEY'VE never played the game at all - never wore a jersey in regulation play, even in High School.
I have no doubt that if Trader Ted could have kept Wahle, he would have. That, was one of the sparks that set it all off in the public's eyes. Other events were occurring from within that didn't come to light until much later.
I'll keep the guy we have - comparing him to Ron Wolf in a realistic fashion we see that only in FA is there a lack of effort. Yet.. if we were to review FA in of itself, we would ALL see that the landscape has changed from what it was when we signed Reggie White - all Teams now handle FA from a different perspective altogether.
It's no wonder Ted doesn't go crazy in FA. Very rarely do I ever see a player in FA producing what he should AFTER the contract has been signed. Hate to say it, but even Antonio Freeman seemed to play with less enthusiasm once he got the BIG money in his final years at GBP. That's always the danger, isn't it?
March 17, 2010 at 09:23 am
I'm w/ you, leave the selecting to the real experts. To say a team should draft a particular position in a particular round is fool hardy. As I said in an earlier thread, I don't care what round TT takes a player as long as he turns out to be a difference maker even taking a punter in round two as long as it's a Ray Guy clone or what if he gets Clifton's replacement in round 3 (maybe Jason Fox). I'm not advocating this but can you imagine Packer fans outrage if TT takes Golden Tate in round one? Well what if he turns out to be better than Greg Jennings.
There's a lot of things we don't know that the personnel dept. spend hours and hours researching---character, injuries, etc. Hell, what if a player is gay, all aspects they know more about that we don't. In TT I Trust.
holly
March 17, 2010 at 09:59 am
This is my philosophy. I don't really care who Ted picks. I'll love them, because they're Green Bay Packers. Period.
March 17, 2010 at 11:01 am
Amen, Aaron.
March 17, 2010 at 11:18 am
I am always the optomist when it comes to the draft. Heck i remember being in 4th grade and talking myself into beliving Eric Affolter will be the next Steve Largent :). I remeber during the 2007 year when people were complaing about TT's drafting. And up until that point it was valid crticism with Shermans legacy still fresh in our minds. I also rember peopel saying Thompson should have drafted Luis castillo instead of Rodgers (uh.. maybe I was one of them :)....Thompson proved me wrong so many times in his 1st 3 years drafting that i now easily give him the benefit of the doubt. I think he is easily in the top 5 of GMs when it comes to drafting. Every single GM has mistakes and busts, but TT and his personel dept have established a dep and talented roster
March 17, 2010 at 11:48 am
Thx Aaron. I will be "on fire" as soon as dates are published!!!
March 17, 2010 at 02:33 pm
That's a big fat lie that draftinks don't own up to their mistakes.
I wanted the Pack to get Everette Brown and Jamon Meredith.
I couldn't be more wrong, and have said it before...
-
I agree, and have said so, that this draft is full of talented players, and that I believe in Ted, no matter what position he picks, as though we have a great roster, we could use talent almost everywhere.
But it's almost unanimous that this years' elite LT prospects will be gone by the early second round, contrary to RBs, CBs, S, OLBs, DEs and such.
Counting that it usually takes one year for a LT to develop, and that Clifton is in his last legs, spending a 1st on a LT is essencial, because if we wait till next year to find a LT, we'll have to throw him to the lions (not the Lions, that doesn't scare anyone. It's an expression, goddammit!).
March 17, 2010 at 06:23 pm
The draft can make anyone look like a fool or a genius. When jamarcus Russel came out he was a consensus first pick by most who know football. Sometimes players just don't make it. We are so lucky that Aaron Rodgers panned out, the next five years in green bay look promising.
March 19, 2010 at 12:35 am
I thought Ted wasn't married because he looks creepy. Oh, and what Holly said about loving them because they're Packers. But I can criticize those I love.
March 20, 2010 at 02:04 am
Nice post, Buzzkill. Did you run out of kids to tell, "there's no Santa"?
They're Draftniks. The draft turns them on. What do you expect? Atleast, now they're interacting with humans, instead of staring at a computer monitor 18 hrs a day like the other 10 month a year. (I know first hand. This is my brother. If it weren't for the draft and fantasy football he would have no human interaction at all) You run a football blog and put your opinion out for everyone to read. But, you get frustrated when you're asked the most obvious off season question? C'mon, what's the big deal? Answer the stupid question.
Who is your dream pick for the Packers at #23 in the draft!?
March 21, 2010 at 03:47 pm
I forgot to add, earlier.....
I have looked at Charles Brown (USC) as a possibility. But, it depends on whether he drops down in the rankings and no other Team has a need of his abilities before we get the chance to grab him.
I do criticize, but only when when it seems he's picking a player where we are already deep at that position. (Wide Receiver - remember?)
We'll see. I'm not so sure this is the deepest Draft ever. It's hard to compare 1983 when it comes to such stuff. I just hope the depth for O-Line personnel bears some fruit for Aaron Rodgers - he deserves ALL DAY IN THE POCKET. Rodgers is at least as good as Troy Aikman, so, let's do like Dallas did and give the man some protection for a change.