Thompson’s Tight End Obsession

(Obsession is a sign of Alzheimer’s)

With all the problems with the Packers defense coming into the season you would think Packers General Manager Ted Thompson would have spent the offseason focusing like a laser to provide the Aaron Rodgers led offense with the last piece of the puzzle – a competent defense – to finally leap that last hurdle to seriously make a run for the Super Bowl and not just the playoffs.

So what did Thompson really do? After the season ended with a thud when the Falcons dismantled Dom Capers’ defense (in fact, since the Super Bowl it has been Dom Capers defense that has let the down the offense in the final game of the season) TT signed his practice squad to reserve/futures contracts (LB Reggie Gilbert, WR Antwan Goodley, LB Derrick Matthews, G Lucas Patrick, DT Brian Price, FS Jermaine Whitehead, C Jacob Flores, TE Beau Sandland) and then signed long snapper Taybor Pepper despite the fact their excellent long snapper Brett Goode had successfully returned from a serious knee in 2015 and played all 16 games, plus the playoffs.

If you look at his first transactions he re-signed 4 defensive players and 4 offensive players and then added a special teamer where he wasn’t needed. Curious.

Then it was getting rid of the dead wood releasing James Starks and Sam Shields, who never recovered from their injuries. Both players did well for the Packers and deserve our kudos.

Then NT Letroy Guion, who had been a good street free agent pickup when B.J. Raji went down with an injury and then basically retired while officially saying he was on “hiatus”, was suspended 4 games by the NFL for PED use.

Thompson then re-signed punter Jacob Schum, edge rusher Nick Perry and T/G/C Don Barclay. It is March 10 and unrestricted free agency is starting.

The Packers still need defensive help after deciding not to offer a contract to Julius Peppers, but later on March 10 the first unrestricted free agent signing by Thompson since 2012 when he signed DE Anthony Hargrove and C Jeff Saturday (He didn’t sign any other UFAs until this year) he signed tight end Martellus Bennett from the Patriots to replace TE Jared Cook, who’s contract talks had just broken off. The next day he signed street free agent TE Lance Kendricks from the Rams.

At the time did anyone think the main priority for the 2017 Packers was tight end? Well, evidently Thompson did. Since the end of the season he re-signed practice squad TE Beau Sandland and free agent TEs Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks and after not drafting a tight end he then signed Aaron Peck as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 5 and street free agent rookie Emmanuel Byrd, who had been cut by the Chiefs on August 8.

That means he added 5 tight ends. Both Peck and Byrd were later cut. However, Byrd has resurfaced when he was re-signed to the practice squad this past week to replace CB Donatello Brown who was elevated to the active squad to replace safety Kentrell Brice who was put on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

This obsession I think started with Thompson hating Richard Rodgers and intensified after losing Jared Cook, who came on late last year to become Aaron Rodgers favorite target. I think Thompson never really wanted to re-sign Cook, especially after Aaron Rodgers came out and said Cook should be re-signed. You know Thompson hates to be upstaged or told anything for that matter.

Last year the Packers tight ends were Cook (30-377-12.6-1TD), Rodgers (30-271-9.0-2TD) and Justin Perillo (4-35-8.8-0TD). Perillo was cut during the season and was signed to the practice squad by the Bears. He was later placed on injured reserve and was cut in training camp this year and not picked up.

Martellus Bennett did well with the Patriots (55-701-12.7-7TD), but he wasn’t re-signed. Lance Kendricks did well with the Rams (50-499-9.98-2TD), but was cut. Sandland spent last season on the Packers practice squad.

The tight end obsession has resulted in Bennett starting the first 7 games with 24 catches for 233 yards with 0 TDs and a 9.7 average per catch and Kendricks playing in all 7 games, starting 1 when they opened with a 2 tight end set, with 6 catches for 94 yards and 1 TD averaging 15.7 per catch. Rodgers had also played in all 7 games with 3 catches for 38 yards and 0 TDs averaging 12.7 per catch.

Jared Cook signed with the Raiders for much less than the contract supposedly he declined (and I think the leak of the size of the contract was another Thompson FAKE NEWS story) and has started all 8 games with 31 catches for 373 yards and 1 TD averaging 12.0 per catch.

To wrap it all up tight end style Bennett announced on October 26 he would probably retire at the end of the season. That was before the bye week. Then Bennett has come up with a mysterious shoulder injury after that. At the time the Packers announced he would miss Thursday’s practice they didn’t know any details about the injury. He then missed Friday’s practice and will probably be inactive Monday night against the Lions.

The timing of the injury is suspicious and I will make this prediction. The way things are going with injuries Ted Thompson’s marquis free agent signing will be placed on injured reserve making him a big bust resulting in Thompson being more adverse to signing free agents even more than he is normally.

OBTW: Thompson finally addressed the loss of Peppers when he signed another veteran street free agent former 49ers pass rushing specialist Ahmad Brooks. However, Brooks has been plagued with concussion and back issues and has played in just 4 of the 7 games starting 2 and has 5 solo tackles and 1 sack while Peppers has played the same role he did last year when he was relegated to being a pass rushing specialist when Nick Perry took over his starting job (he still ended up with 7.5 sacks second on the team behind Perry’s 11 and ahead of Clay Matthews’ 5 sacks) and he is tied for 7th in the league in sacks with 7.5 already for the Panthers. It seems Peppers isn’t washed up after all. Just another example of great decision making by the best General Manager and talent evaluator in the game today. NOT.