I think the recent picks of Raji, Matthews and Jones definitely made him safe. And after the dust settled, we have our future franchise QB

I think it would've taken a sub-.500 season for Ted's job to seriously be called into question, and even then, he probably would've been given one more year. His very first draft pick--Aaron Rodgers--goes a long, long way, especially now that he is in his second year of proving that he is a worthy successor to Favre.

There are still legitimate questions about his selection of Mike McCarthy as head coach, but those have been muted by McCarthy making a nice recovery this season after the team dropped to 4-4.

It's interesting that in spite of Thompson's reputation for being overly conservative, the position group that he has had the most trouble building is the O-line, which is the least flashy of the position groups and the one that most teams build almost exclusively through the draft. I still think that McCarthy's zone blocking scheme has not served us well.

Greg is wise this morning. McCarthy may be Thompson's worst move in all of his personal moves. The man just cannot motivate or discipline his football team. He's a lot more Wade Philips than Mike Tomlin, and I'll take Tomlin any day of the week. Sadly, it'll take a pretty big collapse to see McCarthy hit the skids while the Packers still keep Thompson, they're practically joined at the hip. It's a real shame because overall, I feel Thompson is a great GM, the 2009 draft is especially proving that to be true.

But McCarthy is going to have to have one hell of a team to do much other anything in a playoff game.

I'm not as down on McCarthy as you are. I think he is a decent coach. I'm just not sure if he is a Super Bowl caliber coach. I'm afraid he might be on the level of Mike Sherman. Not bad but not great either. He is still young and learning, though, and the team is on a roll, so I'm just going to sit back and see what happens.

Of course this year will buy TT and MM another year. The change in defense has made the difference in the record. It is likely that Capers had some input in the selection of Raji, Mathews and Jones, all contributors to this year's defensive success.

It will be interesting to see if TT finally addresses the cancer that is the offensive line. Currently, three leftover Sherman guys are the anchors that have brought a modest level of stability to that unit. Colledge and Sitton are ok, at best. They are not players who you build on for the future. Sitton might be someday, but not yet. After almost 4 full years, Colledge will not get any better than he is now. Lang might be one of the guys that meets the standard of future leader. He hasn't played enough to tell for sure. The rest are inadequate. Remember how bad the line was with Spitz at center. Breno and EDS stink.

Before TT gets too comfortable he needs to put the O line in order. That means he will have to access the FA market for at least one, preferably two good linemen in the coming year. Until then he hasn't done his job.

MM has changed his philoisophy some and it has helped. The ball controll type passing game has taken some of the heat off of Rodgers. He still has to get rid of Slocum regardless of their relationship. And he needs to convince TT that something has to be done with Crosby, 28th in accuracy and Kampinos 33.5 yds Net.

Both are back but there is still a lot to do in order to get to the top teir of teams. That, I asume, is the goal for the Packers. I seem top remember MM saying that when he came to GB. I give both MM and TT credit for the positive move this year, but as fans I hope we want more.

I was livid about the guy in the off-season, but I will give a resounding yes. I know Raji and Matthews aren't bona-fide stars just yet, but they're looking pretty close. Many first rounders never materialize and TT drafted too that just may. TJ Lang and Brad Jones are already contirbuting significantly with underwood and quinn providing depth. 2007 was an impressive draft year but this may be even more impressive. A lot of props should also go to dom capers as well.

Not out of the woods yet though. Got a lot of free agent this offseason with obvious needs on the oline and at safety.

I believe that with a playoff berth he stays.

My feeling on this is that after 5 years we should be able to do more than just reach the playoffs with a cupcake schedulle.

But I don't feel so beligerant right now, as opposed to how I felt after the second Vikings game...

Play offs or not both MM/TT appear safe . They have improved there record and frankly there is way too much turn over in the NFL as well as a ton of money owed both of them for the packers to make a move after the year.
My guess is we see 1-2 asst.Coach's get the boot but other then that it's the same group.

...and don't forget Finley, if you want to talk about superstars in the making.

Finely is the best 1st round player he picked in the 3rd round.

The notion that you're using statements "Ted Thompson will be back next year", "Ted Thompson has most likely done enough to spend another year in the Bay" is mind boggling. Instead Packerland should have included him in their Thanksgiving acknowledgements and be sending him gifts during the holiday season. Why?
The Q coming into this season was are we a 13-3 team or a 6-10 team?...9-4, playoff bound...asked and answered.
Was JET-tisoning BF the right move?...Rodgers...asked and answered.
Can a team lose a first ballot HOF QB w/o going into a prolonged slump?...2nd year playoff bound...asked and answered.
Can a GM significantly improve in a couple of years a team lacking talent in an unfriendly salary cap situation?...asked and answered.
Can a GM bring in playmakers?....Rodgers, Collins, Woodson, Jennings, Finley, Matthews...asked and answered.
Can he hire a good head coach?...MM's record as a 1st time HC is 36-25, an offensive minded coach his O will be in the top ten all four years, weathered the BF fiasco w/ steadiness, in his rookie season at a pivotal 4-8 led his team to 8-8, and this year at a crucial juncture of 4-4 after an embarassing loss to the Bucs led his team on a 5 game win streak w/ what looks like a 5th seed in the playoffs, hired Dom Capers and most importantly gave him free reign w/ the D...asked and answered.
After living through the 70's and 80's Packer fans should be grateful for the leadership TT has provided. Let us not forget he's done this w/ having the youngest team each of the last four years which creates a foundation for the team to compete for years. I feel he'll bring in the veteran FA's just like Ron Wolf did when he feels we're on a SB run. Right now he's letting the young talent develop. This team is very similar to the early 90's; learning how to win and then they'll have to learn how to win the big games (remember having to get over the hump of beating the Cowboys in the mid 90's).
History does repeat itself, let's learn from it.

I agree with Erik. McCarthy is Thompson's single worst personnel move. He needs to find someone with leadership ability. McCarthy is a technician. He's a damned fine QB coach. I don't think he makes a suitable offensive coordinator. I haven 't seen anything to suggest that he understands offensive line play or the running game. Head coach? Forget it.

I've never been down on Thompson. I don't miss Brent, and most of those who hate Thompson's guts will simply never forgive Thompson for trading Favre to the Jets. Thompson has bad luck with kickers and punters, it's true. I tend to think the O-Line is a matter of bad strategy. McCarthy wanted zone blocking, but I don't really think zone blocking is a good choice for a GM who believes in building from scratch. The linemen need a lot of savvy for zone blocking. By definition, you can't draft experienced linemen.

So the jackass should use a little thing called FREE AGENCY then for the O-Line no?

Ted is a moron....and you DESERVE him!