Thompson's Way Paying Dividends
Green Bay's general manager shows faith in his players, and his players reward that faith with results on the football field.
In my newest weekly column, I praise general manager Ted Thompson's method of player development and the faith he places in the players he signs. It's paid off in the past, and it could pay off again in a player like wide receiver James Jones:
Some observers have argued that Jones is too inconsistent and should be allowed to walk away.
But that’s not the Thompson way. By rewarding him with a contract and showing faith in him, Jones could become the next player in a long line of Packers to show a return on investment.
The column appears in the Bliss Communications platform of publications including the Janesville Gazette, Janesville Messenger, Stateline News, Walworth County Today and Walworth County Sunday.
It also appears in the Reilly family of newspapers including the Dodgeville Chronicle, the Pecatonica Valley Leader and the Democrat Tribune of Mineral Point.
Follow the above link to read the column.
Comments (43)
January 12, 2011 at 09:48 am
James Jones is going nowhere, with Driver near the end of his illustrious career TT knows he can not afford to let Jones or Nelson go anywhere.
January 12, 2011 at 09:56 am
Congrats on the piece, Brian.
I've liked Thompson's performance, too. Really, the only possible gripe I could see with the man is his choice of punters and kickers. I'm deeply grateful he seems to have moved past that phase.
He axed Favre at the right time, though. And the depth on our team is amazing.
January 12, 2011 at 10:15 am
Where's Pack 66 and Toad from Minnesota now? TT isn't without faults: Every person who at one time worked with him has that has since gone elsewhere has mentioned his "work, work all the time" mentality. That can be difficult to understand (for the players) and to work with (the top brass in GB)
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Also, his hesitance to trade and pick up FA has been well documented. BUT I think TT's "my way or the highway" approach has proven the better course. Just look at the number of backups and street free agents that have contributed in meaningful ways this year! It's incredible! I have to admit, after the WSH game, I thought we were done due to injury.
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TT has proven once and for all this year that he is a first rate GM, and I, for one, will not be questioning his decisions at any point in the near future.
January 12, 2011 at 09:09 pm
"Where’s Pack 66 and Toad from Minnesota now?"
Shhhhhh! For the love of god, man, are you crazy?!
They haven't been around for a the last few weeks, and boy, has it been pleasant!! Then you go off and say "Beetlejuice" three times?
Don't jinx it!
January 12, 2011 at 10:19 am
So here's my idea Mr TT and it requires a lot of forgiveness on both sides:
No longer a threat to Rogers or Flynn, Favre signs with the Pack for the minimum and announces he is excited about serving as the third string quarterback. He attends all the mini camps, quarterback camps, etc and humbles himself for a year. But he'd also be available if disaster stikes. And then he can finally retire, as the great Packer he is.
January 12, 2011 at 10:28 am
I foresee a few problems with that:
1) The Packers only carry 2 QBs on the roster, and I don't think Favre is practice squad eligible anymore.
2) Favre's ego is so big that he thinks that people want to see cell phone photos of his junk. I'm assuming that will prevent him from serving as a 3rd string QB.
3) Favre hates the Packers front office with a white-hot, tiny-penised passion.
January 12, 2011 at 10:29 am
What are you smoking??
Favre will not allow others to be interviewed, etc after games; he will not allow himself to be out of the spotlight. He would be a lockerroom cancer.
Sign him, yes. One day contract, only.
I think this will happen after the 2011 season, not before. That way, all the reporters can get another 1599 stories written about him coming our of retirement. Also keeps the endorsement money rolling.
January 12, 2011 at 10:32 am
After the 2011 season? I think that's being very optimistic. I don't see him making amends until he's Canton bound.
January 12, 2011 at 10:59 am
This is honestly one of the worst ideas I've ever read on CHTV.
January 12, 2011 at 11:46 am
N.O. NO!
January 12, 2011 at 01:17 pm
I don't think BF wants it. It will take time for this to heal on all sides.
January 12, 2011 at 06:13 pm
If by "heal" you mean "run out of money". He might be losing half his fortune when Dede leaves.
January 12, 2011 at 10:31 am
There is no GM I'd rather have running the Packers.
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As far as Jones, it's such a hard call. The guy is only 26. He has a lot of maturing left to do and I'd hate to see him go somewhere else and finally put it all together.
January 12, 2011 at 10:35 am
This side of Ron Wolf, of course.
January 14, 2011 at 08:19 pm
jones shows a lot of spark.. he learns to concertrate and make the catch and he becomes a stud... a lot of young guys go through phases where they drop a lot of passes.. sometimes they fix it adn become studs.. other times they fall apart and vanish
January 12, 2011 at 10:44 am
There's no way Favre is coming back anytime soon, he's burned to many bridges and as someone said, his ego is WAY to big. I can see the Packers waiting 3-5 years before they retire his number, hopefully after we have won at least one SB if not more. Retire #4 on the first game of the season following a SB winning season. "Introducing,....former quarterback of the your Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers....Brett Favre".
January 12, 2011 at 10:45 am
We may be seeing how TT's player development and faith may be paying dividends in Jared Bush right now. How he's been kept on the roster has been a head scratcher for years, but now I'm willing to say he has been a real asset for the team. Perhaps Jones can blossom similarly in 2012.
January 12, 2011 at 10:53 am
Does anyone know who all the players are at the end of their contracts? I thought I saw a list recently and none of the people who could be gone really made me nervous. I thought Jones was the biggest name (following the Bishop and Williams re-signings).
January 12, 2011 at 11:02 am
Spitz, Jones, Jenkins and Kuhn are the biggest names, I believe.
Colledge, Bigby and Jolly will also be free agents, I think.
Of those names, I fully expect Spitz and Kuhn to get re-signed. And probably Jones.
January 12, 2011 at 11:09 am
Why do you fully expect Spitz to resign? They liked McDonald and Newhouse enough they were carried on the 53 all year (until IR for Newhouse).
If anything, Spitz looked lost, unprepared and weak when given a few snaps after the College injury. I would speculate Spitz is the most likely of all these guys to NOT be retained, even moreso than Bigby.
January 12, 2011 at 11:10 am
Oops. Was thinking of Sitton (who will not be a FA).
January 12, 2011 at 11:13 am
Not picking nits, or anything. Spitz, to me, is the only guy on this list that appears to have regressed yearly and not responded positively at all to increased competition.
January 12, 2011 at 11:14 am
No, yeah, I totally agree. I doubt he'll be back.
January 12, 2011 at 01:38 pm
Isn't Mason's contract also up?
January 12, 2011 at 02:09 pm
Yeah, I think you're right. I think they need to keep him.
January 12, 2011 at 02:39 pm
Absolutely agree.
January 12, 2011 at 11:28 am
Cullen Jenkins is also on that list.
January 12, 2011 at 11:51 am
I had Jenkins listed.
January 12, 2011 at 01:22 pm
i can see them letting both spitz and bigby go. spitz looked horrible and bigby can't stay healthy. i have a feeling that they will be drafting another o-lineman in either the 1st or 2nd rounds of the draft. does anyone know what's up with t.j. lang? is he healthy, can he play, is he a LT or RT?
January 12, 2011 at 02:08 pm
I think he projects as a RT. Maybe a guard.
January 12, 2011 at 11:29 am
(reposted in the right spot)
This season has made me appreciate the breadth of Thompson and his staff’s full responsibility within the Packer organization. I was very casual in my oversimplification of his/their job: scout college prospects, draft and deal with internal contracts, occasional external free agents.
206 missed starts later I realized the depth of scouting this group engages in. Shocking that they maintain a chart, stacked comparable to a draft board, of available PS players and street free agents….IN SEASON. And it’s not as simple as, “this guy has talent, sign him.” How does his ability/body type/skill set fit the offensive/defensive philosophy? What medical history, risk does he represent if signed?
Really, boggles the mind that they have such an extensive knowledge of the past while being grounded in the present (more fluid) situation, all while having an eye to the future of the franchise.
Do they sleep?
January 12, 2011 at 11:50 am
I agree with your general position that Ted is more-than-competent as a GM. He generally has an eye for talent, and seems to learn from his mistakes. I have no question that he leaves few if any stones unturned in his search to make the Packers a better team and franchise - this year's run of injuries and the Packers' success at patching together a winning roster is prime evidence.
At the same time, a good GM knows when to fish and when to cut bait. Justin Harrell, for all we wish him well, has in all likelihood seen his last game in green and gold. He couldn't produce due to injury. He'll have to make the same call on James Jones.
James Jones ... is streaky. He makes hard catches look easy (like the Philly TD - which was not an easy catch) and easy catches look hard (the Philly drop). Were I a GM, I'd have to ask myself, "What contract is JJ worth? Is he better than Brett Swain or someone else I might draft or find as an UDFA?" There are only so many roster spots to go around. He'll have been a Packer for four years - will he develop into a consistently good player next year, or is it time to find someone younger and cheaper? How will having him around eating up snaps retard Jordy Nelson's development, a player who is a year younger and still under contract?
To me, it's a tough judgment call. If he's able to return as maybe a small grade above camp fodder, i.e. a little-or-no-risk contract for the Packers, sure. If he wants a long-term contract for good money, good luck and goodbye.
January 12, 2011 at 01:22 pm
Another point to consider on players like Jones is that the new CBA MAY include more roster spots for each team. So, there may be more opportunities for all players, especially ones with such potentially strong upsides as Jones.
January 12, 2011 at 01:53 pm
James Jones … is streaky. He makes hard catches look easy (like the Philly TD – which was not an easy catch) and easy catches look hard (the Philly drop).
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Kind of reminds me of Braylon Edwards without the personality issues. Edwards could also make the tough go-up-and-get 'em catches but can't focus on the easy lobs or slants. Fact is, do we keep someone around like this or go try and find an all around guy?
January 12, 2011 at 02:10 pm
But the thing is, Braylon is a #1 where Jones is a #3/#4.
January 12, 2011 at 11:52 am
Great column. TT is one of the best in the game. I hope they re-sign Jones as he has a great deal of talent, good chemistry with AR, he runs hard and he appears to be a generally positive guy wih a good attitude. He has potential beyond the drops. DD is starting to slow down (barely) and Jones couldl potentially be the WR we need for the long-term.
In regards to bringing back Favre as a 3rd string QB - I hope for my health's sake that stays as someone's distorted fantasy as opposed to reality. On the "Packer Favre scale", I'm on the end opposite "the former Packer fan now turned Viking fan" spectrum. If he retired a Viking I'd be happy. We need a minimally endowed drama queen roaming the sidelines about as much as we need Randy Moss. Oh, and on that front, not bringing that nut ball to the Packers (regardless of Favre and general fan urging) was a great TT non-move.
January 12, 2011 at 11:56 am
@Brian or Aaron - Any chance we can get a detailed article about TT's critical staff? Perhaps in the offseason? Or maybe such an article already exists....
PackerAaron
January 12, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Working on one for the offseason. Hard to get too much new info because the Packers are so paranoid about people talking but def worth looking at.
January 12, 2011 at 12:33 pm
That would be great. Executives are only as good as their scouting departments, contracting and support personnel. Would be great to know who else to attribute the success too.
January 12, 2011 at 01:23 pm
In Ted We Trust
January 12, 2011 at 01:59 pm
I've definitely come around as a TT fan, not that I was one of the louder critics, but some of his moves obviously didn't work out and I was there with the rest of the fans criticizing him. But just like some players need a few years to develop to their full potential, so did TT. Same with coaches (Belicheck was fired in Cleveland remember). I'm not sure what kind of a contract TT has, but I hope they extend him for a long time. Not only is he a good judge of talent, he understands the kind of people we need in GB, which is not the same as most other cities/teams.
January 12, 2011 at 06:22 pm
Jones has made his share of miscues, but then so did Dez Bishop. He's working out pretty well.
January 13, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Bishop: add a little more black to that 55 and it'll dang near be a 66.