Thompson Blows It

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Thompson Blows It

Oct 15, 2008

8 comments

The Packers and Ted Thompson fell short in their bid to trade for tight end Tony Gonzalez. Bob McGinn has all the details. (Which you've no doubt read) PackerGeeks has some instant analysis (which you should read - I wish I could be as restrained as Andy)

This is a monumental blunder by Thompson.

Yes, I still think there was no need to trade for Randy Moss. Yes, Gonzalez would have made McCarthy's offense close to unstoppable. (Remember Keith Jackson in '96? This would have made that look like child's play) Yes, no less than receiving juggernaut CHRIS CHAMBERS was traded at this time last year for a second round pick. Thompson refused to offer more than a third.

It's simply unbelievable that Thompson wouldn't pull the trigger on this deal. And it continues his pattern of never being aggressive in any way shape or form when it comes to shaping the Packers roster. Not getting Randy Moss made perfect sense to me (I know Corey and others think otherwise) But this coupled with Thompson's refusal to deal his first round pick to the Browns two years ago, and instead wasting that pick on Justin Harrell, has me thinking that the way Thompson values his draft picks is starting to hurt the team.

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Comments (8)

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OFF

October 15, 2008 at 09:14 am

...and that's why you're not the GM of the Packers. What we DON'T need is someone who will chase a big name at any price. The job of an NFL GM is to evaluate talent and determine their worth and stick to your guns to not go above that. Name chasing and overpaying is not the way to build a team (see Vikings, Minnesota).

October 15, 2008 at 09:26 am

"Blows it" is a little strong. I believe a 3rd rand was fair and cant believe the Chiefs blew it.

PackerAaron

October 15, 2008 at 09:53 am

Thanks Dave. It's true, but it's a pattern that's concerning. And Gonzalez is more than 'a name' - he's the best to ever play his position and would have made the offense deadly. I understand the 'sticking to your guns' bit, but what if that ends up yielding you an above average team year after year? The goal is to win Championships. Hard to do that without ever taking a chance.

Alex Tallitsch

October 15, 2008 at 10:01 am

A good offense coordinator mixes up with a close to average spattering of passing and running.

A good GM should do the same with the draft and free-agency. Our GM does not. Pretty simple math.

My seat on the bandwagon is going to be open soon.

October 15, 2008 at 10:10 am

Hang on a second. This may not be TT's fault. KC didn't seem to want to trade Gonzalez. According to Jay Glazer, Gonzalez was told a 3rd round pick would get the deal done. The Packers offered a 3rd round pick and it didn't. In fact, the Packers offered the best deal of any team and it didn't get done. It is kind of hard to get something done if a team doesn't really want to trade a player.

To quote Gonzalez ""We've been talking about it for three weeks now, so we've had plenty of time to get it done. In the end, they had their agenda, and I don't know if they were serious about trading me or whether they were just trying to appease me."

October 15, 2008 at 10:29 am

I think a lot of times people think that when they sign a player that they're going to get what they have been up to that point. The truth is people get older and less effective. Gonzalez is in his early 30's now which puts him in his mid 30's in 3 years. Maybe he'll defy the odds and still be effective at that age, but maybe not.

The truth is I like Gonzo and would have loved to see him on the team. Hell, I might have even given up a two for him, but TT assessed his value and stuck with that. Just the behavior I want from my GM.

October 15, 2008 at 10:40 am

It comes down to whether they could have gotten a commitment that Gonzo would come back next year. If he would have come back next year, a second rounder would have been worth it. If he would have retired, a second rounder would have been too high.