TED THOMPSON'S FIRST YEAR

Ted Thompson

I kept waiting for someone to notice that I left out General Manager Ted Thompson's first year at Green Bay in my last two posts, but nobody did or nobody cared, so here's why I did that.

 

I wanting to devote an entire post to just his first season after he was hired in January of 2005 and here it is.

 

It was said at the time that Thompson went to the powers that be after the season and said he couldn't work with Sherman, who was ignoring him the whole season. I guess that could have been the case, but I felt at the time that decision had already been made when Thompson was hired. I was surprised he didn't fire him immediately, so they wasted a year in getting the new front office on its feet.

 

Let's look at his first official act of signing rookie free agents for mini-camp. Not a single player of the 22 signed made the team. Not unusual for rookie free agents around the league, but as it turns out unusual for Thompson. One of his hallmarks is finding undrafted rookie free agents that end up making the team for a cheap rate. So I give Thompson a minor negative on his first official act.

 

Next up was designating TE Bubba Franks as a transition player. Bubba had been the go-to guy in the red zone for Brett Favre over his first five seasons starting almost every game and catching 28 touchdowns, including 27 the previous four years. But he only caught four touchdowns over the next three seasons after signing the big transition contract, including going on injured reserve with a neck injury after only 10 games in 2005. He was released after the 2007 season and joined Favre with the Jets in 2008, but even that didn't revive his career and he was released after eight games. So I give Thompson a BIG NEGATIVE on his second official act.

 

Thompson inherited a bad salary cap number, so his entire thinking at the time and since has been how not to spend money, so with that thinking in mind his third official act was to cut contracts. In order to do so, he got rid of three key starters by terminating the contracts of safety Darren Sharper and left guard Mike Wahle and letting future Packer of Hall of Fame inductee right guard Marco Rivera go in free agency. He later said he was wrong in letting Wahle and Rivera go because it set back the offense for two seasons.

Darren Sharper

 

Sharper signed with the Vikings (the pipeline continues) and led the league with nine interceptions and two touchdowns. He played four seasons with the Vikings finishing with a total of 18 interceptions (3 TDs). He was released and signed with the Saints in 2009 and again led the league with nine interceptions and three TDs. He was released midway through the 2010 season. Sharper was named to the NFL All-2000 Team and probably would have been elected to the Hall of Fame had he'd not been arrested as a serial rapist in 2014. But who knows since lover of child prostitutes Lawrence Taylor and murderer O.J. Simpson are still members of the Hall.

 

Rookie Nick Collins replaced him and ended up with one interception. It took Collins three seasons before he began to show signs of being an All-Pro, but more on him later. To be fair (damn I said it again) I thought Sharper had lost a step in 2004 and was beginning his downward spiral, so I wasn't upset at this move but I was wrong.

 

He also let safety Bhawoh Jue go to San Diego as a free agent, didn't re-sign the 2004 punter Bryan Barker, middle linebacker Torrance Marshall and backup quarterback Doug Pederson.

 

He replaced Barker with B.J. Sander, who was a 2004 3rd round draft pick, who was assigned to NFL Europe. He was ordinary to not so good in the first half of the season, but was horrible once it got cold (despite the fact he punted for Ohio State and was the Ray Guy winner as the best punter in college). In December he was placed on injured reserve with one of Jay Cutler's mysterious knee injuries and was replaced by Ryan Flinn. He wasn't any better.

 

He replaced Pederson, who had been Favre's backup for nine of the previous 11 seasons, with Rodgers. Considering the job anybody could have been Favre's backup, so this move didn't mean anything.

 

To his credit during training camp he cut overpaid defensive tackle Cletidus Hunt and that was a HUGE PLUS. But on the whole he gave up too much talent and experience so I give him a BIG NEGATIVE on the going-out part of his personnel moves.

 

On the coming-in part his first two unrestricted free agent signings were guard Adrian Klemm from New England and guard Matt O'Dwyer from Tampa Bay to replace Wahle and Rivera. O'Dwyer was cut in training camp and Whitticker ended up at right guard. Klemm began the season as the starting left guard, but was benched after eight games and replaced by second-year center Scott Wells.

Marco Rivera

 

He also signed street free agents TE Donald Lee, RB Samkon Gado (a favorite in the same vein as John Kuhn) and S Atari Bigby who would be valuable players. He also traded journeyman cornerback Chris Johnson to Rams for middle linebacker Robert Thomas, who became a starter before going on injured reserve in December.

 

He re-signed starters DE Aaron Kampman, LOLB Paris Lenon, DT/DE Cullen Jenkins and valuable reserves WR/KR Antonio Chatman (who ended up the second leading receiver), T Kevin Barry (of U71 fame) and C/G Grey Ruegamer. He also re-signed starting left outside linebacker Hannibal Navies, but he would be cut in training camp.

 

At the lower end of the roster he ended up cutting a lot of deadwood that was replaced by deadwood. So after the plusses and the minuses I would give him a NEGATIVE for the losses of Sharper, Wahle and Rivera without qualified replacements for a couple seasons and the punter situation.

 

So now let's look at his first draft. He couldn't have done any better on his first two picks than if he actually had the rights to all the players. His first pick at No. 24 was Aaron Rodgers (future reason Brett Favre was fired and future reason for the Packers' fourth Super Bowl win. I guess I didn't need to explain that).

 

No. 2-51 was S Nick Collins. I think he would have been one of the greatest free safeties in Packers history if he had not suffered a career ending neck injury in the second game of the 2011 season. INJURY

 

After those two picks the rest of his first year class was underwhelming at best or potential greatness ruined by injuries. We will never know which.

 

No. 3-58 was WR Terrence Murphy. He played in just three games with 5 catches for 36 yards. His career ended because of neck injury, very similar to Collins. Now that is spooky. INJURY

 

No. 4a-115 was DB Marviel Underwood. He was a backup his rookie season and was released after his third season. He missed the entire 2006 season after knee surgery and was cut during the pre-season in 2007. He was re-signed in November and released a week later. He finished the season with Denver, but was cut. He was picked up by Oakland before the 2008 season, but was cut a week later. In 2009 he was chosen in the inaugural draft of the United Football League (2009-12) by the California Redwoods, but his season and career ended with another injury. INJURY and UNDERWHELMING

 

No. 4b-125 was LB Brady Poppinga. He suffered from a hamstring injury in the pre-season and was a backup his rookie year. He earned a starting job at left outside linebacker in 2006, but that season was cut short because of a knee injury. He regained his starting job in 2007 and that impressed Thompson so much he re-signed to a five-year $17 million contract. He started 12 games in 2008, but fell off in 2009 with only three starts in 15 games. 2010 he played in six games with one start before going on injured reserve. He was released and started one season for the Rams, but was let go and finished up with the Cowboys in 2011 appearing in four games with one start. UNDERWHELMING and INJURY

 

No. 5a-143 was C Junius Coston. He played in only three games over his first two seasons before becoming a starter for seven games in 2007 because of an injury to Scott Wells that forced RG Jason Spitz to moved to center (sound familiar) and Coston starting at right guard before going on the injured reserve for a knee injury. 2008 saw him start the season with a calf injury and end it on injured reserve with a knee. He was waived injured and signed with Oakland. He was cut and signed with the Lions, but was also cut. After sitting out 2009 he signed with the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL, but never played for them. In 2011 he signed with the Calgary Stampederrs, but was traded to the Edmonton Eskimos and was waived injured. UNDERWHELMING and INJURY

 

No. 5b-167 was DB Mike Hawkins. He suffered cartilage damage in mini-camp and ended up playing 11 games (1 start) as a backup cornerback. He was released in training camp in 2006 and played seven games with the Browns before being cut. He was picked up by the Vikings (them again), but never played a game with them in 2006 He was waived-injured by the Vikings during the 2007 training camp. He reappears in 2009 with the Cowboys, but he was cut and picked up by the Bucs. He was cut a day later and picked up by the Raiders. He was waived two weeks later. UNDERWHELMING and INJURY

 

No. 6a-180 was DT Mike Montgomery. He was a backup defensive end his first three seasons and started eight of 14 games in 2008. He appeared in 10 games in 2009 with only two tackles and was cut during the off-season. He was picked up by the Vikings (who else?), but never played for them. He was re-signed by the Packers for two games, but was cut again. He wound up his career in 2011 with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL. UNDERWHELMING

 

No. 6b-195 was WR Craig Bragg. He was cut and signed to the practice squad, but was cut in November. He was signed to the Jets practice squad, but was cut two weeks later. He was signed by the Bears to their practice squad and signed to a futures contract. He was assigned to Amsterdam of the NFL-Europe, but was released in training camp. He was out of football in 2006. UNDERWHELMING

 

No. 7-a-245 was LB Kurt Campbell. He was placed on injured reserve during training camp and eventually released. He spent time on the practice squads of the Raiders and Titans in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and finished up with the Calagary Stampeders in 2009. He never played a down in a regular season game. INJURY and UNDERWHELMING

 

No. 7b-246 was T/G Will Whitticker. He started immediately at right guard as a rookie when Marco Rivera was allowed to leave as a free agent. He was a big man that didn't play like a big man. He was soft and was cut after the season. He went to the Dolphins and never played a down. UNDERWHELMING

 

To sum up the draft he made two outstanding picks in Aaron Rodgers and Nick Collins. Career-ending injuries ended Collins career in his prime and Murphy's career before it got started. Four picks became starters, but were eventually found lacking and released. So, (if you throw out Rodgers and Collins), his first draft was UNDERWHELMING and injury prone, so overall, I would give Thompson's first draft a WASH.

 

So let's review.

 

1. Rookie free agents: Minor Negative

 

2. Transitions Player: BIG NEGATIVE

 

3. Cutting the Roster: BIG NEGATIVE

 

4. Adding to the Roster: NEGATIVE

 

5. The Draft: WASH.

 

Now let's look how that first year worked out. The Packers were coming off two consecutive 10-6 seasons after going 12-4 the previous two years and four straight playoff appearances. Thompson's first year, if you don't remember, the Packers went 4-12 and, of course, missed the playoffs.

 

The next three years the Packers went 8-8 in 2006 and missed the playoffs, 13-3 in 2007 and lost in the conference title game to the Giants in what would be Favre's last season before dropping back in 2008 to 6-10.

 

So after going to the playoffs for four straight seasons with a composition record of 44-20 under General Manager/Head Coach Mike Sherman the Ted Thompson era began by missing the playoffs three out of four years while compiling a 31-33 record.

 

There you go. I feel Ted Thompson's first season as General Manager set the Packers back for four years when you throw out Brett Favre's final season.

 

Like I said at the end of my last post when I quoted Mark Twain, "There are lies, damned lies and statistics", I'm happy the statistics seemed to have lied about Thompson's next four years making me feel much better about jumping off the bus before it arrived at the TT Re-Education Center in the heart of downtown Atlanta, Texas and fighting through six deportations to Mexico (and I'm not a Mexican, but a home born American) during my trek through the Lone Star State on my way back home. What I go through to unveil and speak the truth even to the those TT lovers who hate upon anyone who dares say a word against TT.

 

Continuing to speak the truth from the Heartland. Until next time all you Packerbackers across America and the world.