[ Respond | Cory's Packer Review ]
Posted by Dennis on 1/28/2011, 9:31 am, in reply to "Great article"
97.100.185.139
OK, Ted Thompson, you can stop now.
You can let go of that arm you have twisted behind my back because I'm giving up the fight, throwing in the towel, calling it quits.
Yes, you won. You've forced me to say "uncle."
In recent years, my take on Thompson, the polarizing general manager of the Green Bay Packers, remained unchanged. I loved the way he used the draft to acquire the heart and soul of his roster. I didn't like the way he ignored the other tools at his disposal — trades and free agency — to fill in gaps and put his team over the top.
I figured Thompson's draft-and-develop philosophy would build a solid, perennially young team that could be expected to contend every year for a long time. But I also thought the Packers would always be a couple of players away or just too inexperienced to ever make a long playoff run.
Green Bay's mad dash to Super Bowl XLV has finally convinced me that saturation drafting and paying your key players to stick around after you've developed them is a philosophy capable of producing a championship-caliber team.
It's still possible that this season is a perfect storm for the Packers. However, it's hard to argue with that three-game run through the playoffs to set up a Super Bowl date with Pittsburgh, easily the most well-known practitioner of the draft-and-develop philosophy in the NFL.
But the most convincing argument for Thompson's conservative approach was made by the three teams the Packers beat — all on the road — in the playoffs. Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago all made major trades and signed name free agents in recent years, but the Packers, who have made no splashy moves since 2006, were better than any of them by the end of the season despite suffering a rash of injuries that would have buried a team with less depth.
The Eagles had three players voted Pro Bowl starters this season and none was drafted by the team. Cornerback Astante Samuel was a free agent in 2008, quarterback Michael Vick was a free agent in 2009 and left tackle Jason Peters was acquired for a first-round draft pick in 2009. Two others who came via trades — linebacker Ernie Sims and end Darryl Tapp — bolstered the defense in 2010.
The Falcons were also flush with recent acquisitions at some of the NFL's most critical positions. Defensive end John Abraham went to Atlanta for a first-round pick in 2006, halfback Michael Turner and linebacker Mike Peterson were signed as free agents in 2008, tight end Tony Gonzalez cost the Falcons a second-round pick in 2009 and cornerback Dunta Robinson was a free agent in 2010. Abraham, Turner and Gonzalez were Pro Bowl selections this season.
It was much the same with the Bears, where general manager Jerry Angelo was fighting for his job after going three years without a playoff berth and was forced to be aggressive. His biggest acquisitions were quarterback Jay Cutler in 2009 and defensive end Julius Peppers in 2010.
Cutler cost the Bears quarterback Kyle Orton and two first-round draft picks. Peppers, voted to the Pro Bowl, cost them $91 million. The Bears also added key second-tier free agents such as left tackle Frank Omiyale and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa in 2009 and halfback Chester Taylor and cornerback Tim Jennings in 2010.
It's hard to argue with the decisions those teams made because they had the three best records in NFC. However, none of them is playing the Steelers in 11 days.
The last time the Packers made a truly bold move was 2006, when Thompson signed cornerback Charles Woodson and defensive lineman Ryan Pickett to hefty free agent deals in his second year on the job. Both remain major contributors, but that hasn't induced Thompson to dish out any more big-ticket contracts in free agency or make any blockbuster trades. Instead, he's used his money to lock up key contributors.
Thompson caught some heat this season when halfback Ryan Grant went down with an injury in the opener and he wasn't willing to cough up a high enough draft pick to land Buffalo's Marshawn Lynch as a replacement. Having Lynch all season might have given the Packers' home-field advantage in the playoffs, but their road-warrior act and the development of rookie James Starks over the past three weeks rendered that a non-issue.
Thompson, a quiet man who routinely deflects attention, just stayed the course — his course — and the result was a Super Bowl team.
Now, if I could just get him to let go of my arm.
Contact Tom Oates at toates@madison.com or 608-252-6172.
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