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Success Breeds Success
or
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
Been giving a lot of thought to current state of the Packers. These current problems didn't just appear out of no where and all of sudden. Most might just be realizing them for the first time now. but signs have been there for awhile and comes as no surprise to many.
As Packer fans we have been spoiled since around '93. Younger fans won't remember, but those of us older fans growing up on the tail end of Lombardi era and then suffering through 20 some years of misery do. It's also why us older fans get concerned when we look to the not so distant future with all the uncertainty ahead. Our top players are getting older and their contracts also will be coming due right around the possible retirement time of Thompson and maybe Murphy.
Think about that for minute. Outside a few ups and downs....the year of Ray Rhodes as head coach, Mike Sherman era, Favre divorce, a down season here and there, this has been a competitive team and in the play offs.
The transition from GM Wolf to Sherman to Thompson out side a few hiccups went pretty smooth. The transition from President Harlan to Mark Murphy seemed to be a smooth one also.
But now we have a team that is getting older and has lost a lot of speed (more on that in awhile), a former MVP QB struggling since last season for whatever reason which has speculated deeply here and other places and whether it's mental, desire, decline in skills, or something else is up for debate, but bottom line is something is wrong and he's currently not the same QB everyone got used to.
Our head coach seems to be full of excuses and set in his ways, is in charge of the roster and this season decided that keeping 2 RBs...one older and wrong side of 30 and a younger one who has weight problems and can't stay healthy was a smart way to go and also for whatever reason cut his best and only Pro Bowl Guard without getting anything for him. His play calling has become so predictable that it seems other teams defense know our plays as we run them. We kept 7 WRs, signed a free agent TE and yet most of the WRs don't see the field and the TEs have been invisible in the passing game. Then there is some talk that there is a butting of heads maybe between Rodgers and McCarthy....it's like an endless drama and mess on what was a juggernaut of an Offense 2 years ago.
Then that brings us to our GM Thompson. The overall talent level and speed of this team has taken some serious hits over the last few years. For someone that relies primarily on draft and develop his draft record hasn't been too good over recent years. And as for development goes that is another debate of whether it's the players Thompson drafts or whether our positional coaches aren't doing a good job. Could just be a combination of both.
Of course the easy answer from fans is well clean house and start over. That's not so easy of a task. Great coaches and GMs don't grow on trees as neither do Franchise QBs. We have been spoiled in that regard. But more likely sooner then later we are going to be in the position of change anyways. Rodgers is in his prime (or maybe past it as some seem to think) but thinking he will be the same player and last until 40 is not just expecting a lot of a mobile QB, but very unlikely. Both Thompson and Murphy are now in their 60's and just how long either will stick around is anyone's guess, but it's not too far off and some speculate could be with-in the next 3 years. Any new GM would want his own head coach, so that means McCarthy's days are numbered also. And even IF Rodgers defies the odds and time, keeping an older QB with a new regime rebuilding wouldn't make much sense. The window on this team is closing fast if it hasn't already.
But back to the title of the thread. The price of success. Winning has it's price. It's hard to stay competitive. Losing players to age, free agency and then the unfortunate forced injury retirement adds up. All of these things have happened to the Pack over the years. Hard to keep replacing players when your team is successful as you pick in the lower portion of every round of the draft and have to hope a quality player falls to you or else roll the dice on a player for whatever the reason: comes from small school and needs to develop where you hope can make the jump and coaches can coach him up, or injury concern and hope he returns to form and so on. It's especially hard for a team to keep up levels and replace players when they rely solely on the draft and undrafted players and not use free agency or trades to acquire players.
Wonder why out talent level has dropped off and team speed? Will give some examples.....
We lost a special Safety in Nick Collins to injury retirement. Collins like former Safety Leroy Butler were Safeties with Corner skills and speed combined with athleticism. Collins was also timed in the 4.2 and 4.3 range on 40 yd dash prior to being drafted. Our current Safeties Burnett and Dix were both in the 4.58 range for 40s and neither have the skills Collins did.
JerMicheal Finley....yeah he used upset me with drops at times and not so great blocking, but still he had a TE body with skills and athleticism of a WR. We haven't replaced him with anyone close to being the kind of threat he was.
Jennings, Driver, Jones were all lost pretty much to age. But who on this team shows any resemblance of what these 3 brought together? Add in the Nelson is on the wrong side of 30 and maybe lost a step and the entire group has taken a step backwards from the last Super Bowl group.
Years ago on a few sites were a thing called Draft Theories, which I always used to refer to and link to but wasn't able to find in my brief time available when looking for them.
Anyways, rule number 1: Take best player and not for need. When taking best player even if it's already a strength on your team, will make it even better. Plus with injuries and free agency players come and go. And say everything is great and position is over loaded, well then can trade one of the players less talented for pick or player.
The problem with drafting for need is that if that player isn't highest rated on the board, you fill a need yes, but also reducing talent level overall of your team. Thompson can say what he wants but he's been drafting for need for a few years now.
How many picks has Thompson wasted on D-Line, O-Line, and OLB that haven't worked out while ignoring and passing over other talents such as ILB, TE, and WR??? Know he's currently hurt, but how good would a Dez Bryant have looked and been here? Yes we could have had him and Thompson passed over him for I believe an OT that is out of football now. and that's just one example.
And one step further....The year we drafted Dix, which is a good pick, but point being that year was unheard of number of top Safeties available. With multiple holes on the team, Thompson could have signed one and then drafted say a TE to replace Finley and 2 big holes filled instead of one. Free agency isn't bad or evil when used properly....see Bellichick in New England.
What am getting at here isn't a total bashing of QB, HC, and GM, but rather cause for concern of not only the current time but the future of the franchise.
As someone who has had his own businesses, played sports, and was in the Entertainment Industry for many years, knows the value of being able to work together with people and the value of team work. Said in beginning success can breed success or it can be your downfall. Seen it many times be a downfall as people start to get filled up themselves or believe their own press. Some ego is a good thing as is confidence, but when it goes to your head trouble starts and it's the beginning of the end.
It's why whether it was in a recording studio or on my office door my Rule#1 is "Check Your Ego at The Door!"
The time to win is now. All 3 would be wise to follow rule number one and work together and do whatever it takes. Whether they can and will is the million dollar question, as they are all at a crossroads of either fixing and righting the ship or the ship sinks. Time will tell.
or
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
Been giving a lot of thought to current state of the Packers. These current problems didn't just appear out of no where and all of sudden. Most might just be realizing them for the first time now. but signs have been there for awhile and comes as no surprise to many.
As Packer fans we have been spoiled since around '93. Younger fans won't remember, but those of us older fans growing up on the tail end of Lombardi era and then suffering through 20 some years of misery do. It's also why us older fans get concerned when we look to the not so distant future with all the uncertainty ahead. Our top players are getting older and their contracts also will be coming due right around the possible retirement time of Thompson and maybe Murphy.
Think about that for minute. Outside a few ups and downs....the year of Ray Rhodes as head coach, Mike Sherman era, Favre divorce, a down season here and there, this has been a competitive team and in the play offs.
The transition from GM Wolf to Sherman to Thompson out side a few hiccups went pretty smooth. The transition from President Harlan to Mark Murphy seemed to be a smooth one also.
But now we have a team that is getting older and has lost a lot of speed (more on that in awhile), a former MVP QB struggling since last season for whatever reason which has speculated deeply here and other places and whether it's mental, desire, decline in skills, or something else is up for debate, but bottom line is something is wrong and he's currently not the same QB everyone got used to.
Our head coach seems to be full of excuses and set in his ways, is in charge of the roster and this season decided that keeping 2 RBs...one older and wrong side of 30 and a younger one who has weight problems and can't stay healthy was a smart way to go and also for whatever reason cut his best and only Pro Bowl Guard without getting anything for him. His play calling has become so predictable that it seems other teams defense know our plays as we run them. We kept 7 WRs, signed a free agent TE and yet most of the WRs don't see the field and the TEs have been invisible in the passing game. Then there is some talk that there is a butting of heads maybe between Rodgers and McCarthy....it's like an endless drama and mess on what was a juggernaut of an Offense 2 years ago.
Then that brings us to our GM Thompson. The overall talent level and speed of this team has taken some serious hits over the last few years. For someone that relies primarily on draft and develop his draft record hasn't been too good over recent years. And as for development goes that is another debate of whether it's the players Thompson drafts or whether our positional coaches aren't doing a good job. Could just be a combination of both.
Of course the easy answer from fans is well clean house and start over. That's not so easy of a task. Great coaches and GMs don't grow on trees as neither do Franchise QBs. We have been spoiled in that regard. But more likely sooner then later we are going to be in the position of change anyways. Rodgers is in his prime (or maybe past it as some seem to think) but thinking he will be the same player and last until 40 is not just expecting a lot of a mobile QB, but very unlikely. Both Thompson and Murphy are now in their 60's and just how long either will stick around is anyone's guess, but it's not too far off and some speculate could be with-in the next 3 years. Any new GM would want his own head coach, so that means McCarthy's days are numbered also. And even IF Rodgers defies the odds and time, keeping an older QB with a new regime rebuilding wouldn't make much sense. The window on this team is closing fast if it hasn't already.
But back to the title of the thread. The price of success. Winning has it's price. It's hard to stay competitive. Losing players to age, free agency and then the unfortunate forced injury retirement adds up. All of these things have happened to the Pack over the years. Hard to keep replacing players when your team is successful as you pick in the lower portion of every round of the draft and have to hope a quality player falls to you or else roll the dice on a player for whatever the reason: comes from small school and needs to develop where you hope can make the jump and coaches can coach him up, or injury concern and hope he returns to form and so on. It's especially hard for a team to keep up levels and replace players when they rely solely on the draft and undrafted players and not use free agency or trades to acquire players.
Wonder why out talent level has dropped off and team speed? Will give some examples.....
We lost a special Safety in Nick Collins to injury retirement. Collins like former Safety Leroy Butler were Safeties with Corner skills and speed combined with athleticism. Collins was also timed in the 4.2 and 4.3 range on 40 yd dash prior to being drafted. Our current Safeties Burnett and Dix were both in the 4.58 range for 40s and neither have the skills Collins did.
JerMicheal Finley....yeah he used upset me with drops at times and not so great blocking, but still he had a TE body with skills and athleticism of a WR. We haven't replaced him with anyone close to being the kind of threat he was.
Jennings, Driver, Jones were all lost pretty much to age. But who on this team shows any resemblance of what these 3 brought together? Add in the Nelson is on the wrong side of 30 and maybe lost a step and the entire group has taken a step backwards from the last Super Bowl group.
Years ago on a few sites were a thing called Draft Theories, which I always used to refer to and link to but wasn't able to find in my brief time available when looking for them.
Anyways, rule number 1: Take best player and not for need. When taking best player even if it's already a strength on your team, will make it even better. Plus with injuries and free agency players come and go. And say everything is great and position is over loaded, well then can trade one of the players less talented for pick or player.
The problem with drafting for need is that if that player isn't highest rated on the board, you fill a need yes, but also reducing talent level overall of your team. Thompson can say what he wants but he's been drafting for need for a few years now.
How many picks has Thompson wasted on D-Line, O-Line, and OLB that haven't worked out while ignoring and passing over other talents such as ILB, TE, and WR??? Know he's currently hurt, but how good would a Dez Bryant have looked and been here? Yes we could have had him and Thompson passed over him for I believe an OT that is out of football now. and that's just one example.
And one step further....The year we drafted Dix, which is a good pick, but point being that year was unheard of number of top Safeties available. With multiple holes on the team, Thompson could have signed one and then drafted say a TE to replace Finley and 2 big holes filled instead of one. Free agency isn't bad or evil when used properly....see Bellichick in New England.
What am getting at here isn't a total bashing of QB, HC, and GM, but rather cause for concern of not only the current time but the future of the franchise.
As someone who has had his own businesses, played sports, and was in the Entertainment Industry for many years, knows the value of being able to work together with people and the value of team work. Said in beginning success can breed success or it can be your downfall. Seen it many times be a downfall as people start to get filled up themselves or believe their own press. Some ego is a good thing as is confidence, but when it goes to your head trouble starts and it's the beginning of the end.
It's why whether it was in a recording studio or on my office door my Rule#1 is "Check Your Ego at The Door!"
The time to win is now. All 3 would be wise to follow rule number one and work together and do whatever it takes. Whether they can and will is the million dollar question, as they are all at a crossroads of either fixing and righting the ship or the ship sinks. Time will tell.
