Ted Meet Bill
By Alex on May 19, 2010 with 27 Comments
There seems to be such a large amount of Ted hate going on that I needed to step back and analyze my stance. In order to do so, I had to take a look at several GM’s across the league. After looking at the track record of Colt’s GM Bill Polian, I have to agree that Ted Thompson still has a lot to learn.
Granted, Polian has been around slightly longer than Thompson, but clearly is considered one the better GM/Presidents in the league. His team the Indianapolis Colts are perennial playoff contenders and no one can argue one of the best teams in the NFL. To find out where Ted Thompson has failed, let’s first examine Polian’s successes in running the Colts.
1. He let two pro-bowl offensive leaders simply up and leave the team in favor of drafted talent. Both the newly drafted replacement players turned out to be pro-bowlers.
2. Signed a pro-bowl free-agent defensive end to a long term contract.
3. Made one of the top five record turnaround’s in NFL history.
4. Took a chance and drafted a first round perennial pro-bowl and MVP candidate quarterback.
5. Has had great success with UDFA’s with 3 or more currently starting on the roster.
6. Drafted two or more second round pro-bowlers.
7. Signed a free-agent in the secondary who would later become NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
8. Much to the dismay of the fans, had the intestinal fortitude to draft a receiver instead of defensive help. That receiver is now one of the best in the league.
9. Also, signed one of the best free-agent receivers in the game today.
10. Used free-agency to sign one of the top-two left tackles available.
11. Used free-agency to acquire of the top 10 right tackles available.
12. Used free-agency to sign one of the top 5 safeties in the NFL.
13. Helped mold a project tight-end into one of the best in the league.
14. Has drafted or signed 7 plus pro-bowl players.
15. Let his all time leading rusher go in favor of youth and the future.
16. Has let three or more big time free-agents walk to large contracts on other teams that did not pan out.
Quite a remarkable record, and one Ted Thompson should take a close hard look at befo… crap, I copied and pasted Thompson’s tenure instead. Which coincidentally can be substituted for Polian’s without an edit.
Hate on that.
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Ha! Awesome! You had me, hook, line, and sinker!
Nice!
Havent been on your website in a while, just following on twitter…
I still remember your writing style, I’m not saying i knew as soon as i started reading, but i caught on pretty quick.
That said… Awsome job
People need to let up off Ted, he knows how to run a team, despite our best efforts to second guess him.
Have a nice day
Good stuff man, good stuff
I’m a TT supporter…
That being said, Polian has only 1 SB…
But, yeah, that was a great find. It’s hard to dispute that Polian is a great GM. And, by analogy, you have to consider TT at least a very good GM…
Nice. Stay on that soap box for awhile; you’re speaking truth.
Nice angle piece.. any fishing done yet?
http://i270.photobucket.com/al.....93z/P1.png
93 – I was wondering where you had gone. No fishing yet, but the less I write here the more you will see of the fish. Good to hear from ya.
I think the “he hates Ted Thompson!” line gets thrown around too loosely. Greg Bedard wrote the other day, “So when it’s all said and done, if this Packers team does not go deep into the playoffs, they will have only themselves to blame. No excuses.”
So I linked to it at another Packers site, and this is how it was received. From someone who calls himself, “get_louder_at_lambeau”
“Mr. Bedard is a whiny little bitch, plain and simple. His blurb quoted above basically says that the Packers are in good shape to compete for a Championship, yet he somehow manages to say it in the bitchiest way possible, so he can position himself better to point his finger and say “I told you so!” if the Packers don’t win it all this year.
Fuck you, Greg. ”
Yikes.
But this is common reaction when anyone even hints at the fact that Ted may not be the second coming of Jesus Christ. I have been accused of being a Ted Thompson hater because I question him not bringing anyone in to compete for the kicking position.
So I guess if you ever question Ted for any reason, you are a “Ted Thompson hater.”
Good point IronMan. For me I waffle on it. Depends who I can piss off more at that time.
What a pile of bullschit.
Do you even believe this yourself? You must. Wow.
ERRORS and LIES. Nice journalism. Where to even begin? Well, let’s start with:
#1-”He let 2 pro-bowl offensive leaders simply up & leave the team in favor of drafted talent. Both the newly drafted replacement players turned out to be pro-bowlers.”
*FALSE. He let Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle go, two guards. Ted’s replacements were crap at first, but have settled on Daryn Colledge and Josh Sitton. NEITHER of these guys have made a single Pro-Bowl. Our only Pro Bowl OL have been the OT’s drafted BEFORE Ted got here, Clifton and Tauscher. LIES or ERRORS?
#2- “Signed a pro-bowl free-agent defensive end to a long term contract.”
*FALSE. Who? Did he sign Julius Peppers as the Bears just did? Did he bring in Jared Allen like the Vikings did 2 seasons ago? What Pro-Bowl DE did Ted bring in as a free agent? Ron Wolf brought two in with Reggie White and Sean Jones, plus a Pro-Bowl DT in Santana Dotson. Our only Pro Bowl DE the past 10 years was Aaron Kampman, who was drafted BEFORE Ted Thompson came aboard. SORRY. ERROR.
#9- “Signed one of the best free-agent receivers in the game today.”
*FALSE. Who? Donald Driver was drafted before Ted got here. He also drafted Jennings, Jones, and Jordy. Those are our 4 WR’s. Our 5th WR is either Brett Swain, or the kid in Canada. He has not signed “one of the best free-agents receivers” period. SORRY, LIE AGAIN.
#5- “Has had great success with UDFA’s with 3 or more currently starting on the roster.”
*BIG DEAL. In 6 off-seasons, he’s got a total of 3? That’s typical of NFL rosters. You don’t think the Cowboys (Tony Romo and Miles Austin, Steelers (James Harrison), Colts, or even Cardinals (Kurt Warner) have as many?
#10, #11, and #12 are also FALSE.
Thompson has not signed any top OT’s in the free agent market other than to bring back the 2 guys that were here already in Clifton and Tauscher.
He has not used FA to sign a top 5 safety. Our only possible top-5 safety is Nick Collins who was drafted. Bigby was undrafted and is not even a top-25 safety.
NICE SPIN THOUGH.
I bet you fooled some of the Kool-Aid drinkers.
Look, Ted has done a fine job. Rodgers, Jennings, Grant, Sitton, Jordy, James Jones, Matthews, Pickett, Collins, etc. This is a nice nucleus and the team might actually win a playoff game this year. But they haven’t yet. They’ve won ONE playoff game in the whole tenure of Ted Thompson.
Those are FACTS.
This story above is ERROR-CITY.
Wow Frank lay off the meth.
1. Favre and Walker (trade, you could sub Ahman Green and Grant) – result in Rodgers and Jennings.
2. Aaron Kampman 2005 (outbid the Vikes even)
3. Greg Jennings is one of the best receivers in league. He drafted and signed re-signed him. I guess technically you would have me as he wasn’t a free-agent on paper.
4. There are five I believe if you want to get technical.
10. Clifton and Tauscher were both free agents. Clifton was the second rated and Tauscher #6. A free agent is a free agent. He signed Collins as a free-agent.
Error city is in your head with the rest of the voices.
P.S. I knew you were a Reischel homer right away.
P.S.S. Owned
HAHA. I read his post… was gonna refute it, new you’d handle it, well done.
Yeah fRANK, lay off the meth. LOL
GBP 4 LIFE
I don’t think Collins was a FA. The rest I agree…
Collins was just an RFA signed a one year, and then got a long term.
Yeah, but a RFA isn’t exaclty a FA. The team still has the option to re-sign him, even if another teams makes an offer, unless there are poison pills…
Still a free-agent. Any team can have him.
C’mon RS… what’s an ‘R’ amongst friends? RFA, FA… it’s the intent, not the ‘letter’!
By the way, where’s fRANK??? Pretty quite. Scrub wrapped in a douche.
It was my fault, actually… I posted the article at packerforum.com, because I thought it was good. He’s from there. It surprised me the tone he used, he’s not like that in there…
About the “r” amongst friends… LMAO… But you gotta be specific in this case.
One point Alex made, but didn’t (you’ll see), is that TT got an elite RB from FA. The numbers are there to support that Grant is a top-10 RB.
“But you gotta be specific in this case”
True that.
So Alex was only 97% factual (That still gets you an A+ where I’m from)… Frank came here looking for a fight, and got WORKED. Poetry in motion!
By the way, RS. Are you a big fan of ‘the forum’? It makes my head hurt.
Yeah. First place I went to discuss the Pack. Like it in there. There are some very good posters. I didn’t know the “old school”, which went to another place…
Didn’t we give a 6th for Grant? So via trade maybe.
yeah, that’s right…
Alex,
I was reading that and thinking ” Ted’s done that, and that, and that…” nice work. He’s not perfect mind you, however, I think we are going to be a perennial championship caliber team with the young nucleus ‘HE’S’ assembled, for years to come.
GBP 4 LIFE
#1 offensive LEADERS says nothing about offensive lineman—your so wrong on this you should say sorry for not being able to comprehend it
Favre-Rodgers
Could been Walker or Bubba for Jennings or Finley
#2
Kampman… while he wasnt a true free agent, he got a 4 year deal hours before free agency started
#5 UDFA just sounds like your nit picking…if there was more you would say he cant draft right so he picks up un drafted players
#9 best free agent WR..I do not know what he meant by this
** btw, 5 comes after 9 so had to flip flop your order**
#10 Cliff was the BEST free agent left tackle..So EFFING what if he was a Packer before hand, he was a FREE AGENT…He went to Washington and prob would have signed there is GB didnt offer what they did..
#11
Same can be said for Mark T
#12 Again so EFFING what if Nick was drafted by the Pack he was a free agent..Get it through your head and that is who he is talking about, not Bigby
All your bitching your only point that MIGHT be valid is #9 cuz I think it was a typo
But all your other points you are 100% WRONG
Lets give you more sites
2010 NFL Free Agency Top Fives: Offensive Tackle | Bleacher Report
That has both Cliff and Mark listed..See they were free agents! or are they wrong?
Now for safeties
WalterFootball.com: 2010 NFL Free Agents – Safeties
oppps Nick is #1 but he wasnt a free agent so they are wrong! (according to you)
I enjoyed this did you?
#9 was a slightly off as Jennings was not quite officially a free-agent when he got his deal.
[...] Packers Lounge compared Ted Thompson to Colt’s GM Bill Polian. [...]
Ted’s draft last year definitely silenced his haters (myself being a big one). But TT’s roster and the organization has not been as consistent as Polian’s. Then again, Polian has had manning in his prime for about the last 11 years.
It would be interesting to insert the names of the people you’re referring to in each point both with Polian and Thompson. Might be surprised at who takes the cake on them (TT or BP).