The Glacier Known as the Packers Hasn’t Moved Yet

The Packers made no moves last night after the worst loss at Lambeau Field in many, many, many years, but the other disappointing teams not run by Ted Thompson have made their moves and if I was Mark Murphy I would jump on two coaches immediately to fill the coordinator jobs. I still hope a hot shot young assistant coach at the pro level (not Josh McDaniels) or a hot shot college head coach would be the best hire for the head coach position.

First, I would hire Adam Gase as Offensive Coordinator. Anybody who could make Jay Cutler look good is a miracle worker and certainly could solve whatever ills or bad habits Aaron Rodgers has or has gotten into.

Second, I would hire Gregg Williams as Defensive Coordinator. Putting Bounty Gate aside Williams is a defensive genius in the mold of Phil Bengston, Hawg Hanner and Fritz Shumur. Also he spells his first name with 2 g’s like Forrest Gregg and that is a good sign he belongs in Green Bay.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are at a Crossroads

I think it would be safe to say if Aaron Rodgers played like Aaron Rodgers the Packers would be in the playoffs, despite the terrible leadership and play calling of Mike McCarthy and the terrible leadership and team building of Ted Thompson and his successor Brian Gutekunst. Rodgers had always overcompensated for those frauds Thompson and McCarthy, but for some unknown reason he hasn’t been able to do that this year for Gutekunst and McCarthy.

Oh Say It Ain’t So

I don’t know if it was as easy for you as it was for me, but the firing of Mike McCarthy was easy as pie (by the way where did that saying come from? I have made pies and cakes and it is a lot easier to make a cake than a pie) for me. I was so ready to NOT see that chubby fellow hidden behind his play sheet on the sidelines calling plays I predicted he would call, which predictably failed most of the time, especially after a timeout. I didn’t miss him at all. Not at all. I wonder how many others felt that way. Joe Philbin has revitalized Aaron Rodgers in particular and the offense in general. I also don’t miss Dom Capers up in his perch but for an entirely different reason. Mike Pettine sits in Capers seat and the Packers defense fails just as often as Capers’ defense did. It’s as if Dom just had a makeover.

But now word has come out that the Packers have interviewed two coaches. Before I mention their sorry names I want to make a comparison. When Ted Thompson was promoted and put in charge of tutoring his bastard son Brian Gutekunst the Packers didn’t miss a beat – the Thompson Beat I mean.

You See I (We) Were Right

The local kiss-ass media is an exact reflection of how the Ted Thompson Era (we are still in it until that man departs 1265 Lombardi Avenue for real) of the Green Bay Packers reacted to the thoughts of Packer Backers – total and complete ignorment (I know it’s not a word, but it is now) about transactions, lack of transactions and any criticism of the play on the field. They have spent the time since 2006 brushing away the criticism and spouting out the company line at every instance.

A Reality Check for the Local Kiss-Ass Media

All the buzz this week from the local kiss-ass media is the arrival of wide receiver Jake Kumerow on his white horse to save the Packers season. Who is Jake Kumerow and when was his All-Pro years and why wasn’t he playing earlier when he, evidently, pushed Jordy Nelson out the door?

All good questions except for the local kiss-ass media, who for some reason think Mr. Kumerow, who played college ball at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, making him the local boy made good, is the missing part of the playoff puzzle. But wait.

I’m Back and I’m Still Not a Happy Packer Backer

It’s been many, many weeks since I’ve weighed in on the sinking ship that is the 2018 Packers, but, at least, for today, I’m to give my 6 cents on what’s happened and is happening and what will happen.

Mike McCarthy has coached the Packers longer than anyone else since Curly Lambeau. The immortal Curly Lambeau won 6 titles in 31 years and the extremely mortal Mike McCarthy has won 1 in his 13 years as head coach. Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr were coach for 9 years and Mike Holmgren for 7 years and Mike Sherman 6.

One of the reasons I haven’t commented on the terrible play in general, the yearly rash of injuries and the terrible play calling of Mike McCarthy is because what I had to say was something I’ve been saying for years now and again after the “new beginning” during the offseason.

I wanted McCarthy fired years ago for not firing Dom Capers. Remember McCarthy kept Dom Capers on WAY TOO LONG after he became a liability. I was calling for Capers to be fired since the 2011 season and it took him 7 years to do so. The hallmark of a Capers defense is that in a crunch it will fail and it seems Mike Pettine’s defense isn’t much better.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART 36

(this is one that is completely American made)

Simply stated there is NOTHING sublime these days, so let’s get right to the

RIDICULOUS:

On Nov. 6th it was announced that current/former Packers General Manager and chief cook and bottle washer Ted Thompson will be inducted in the Packers Hall of Fame next year on May 4, 2019 in its 49th induction.

 

Ted Thompson interviewed by Bagdad Larry about being selected to the Packers Hall of Fame

The official announcement was: “We are thrilled to present Ted as the 162nd inductee into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame,” said Tom Konop, president of Packers Hall of Fame Inc. “The Hall of Fame nominating committee, made up of some of the most respected football purists, pointed to Ted’s accomplishments of nine playoff seasons, and winning Super Bowl XLV, as part of his acumen resulting in this honor. His drafting of Aaron Rodgers was obviously one of the most important draft picks in Packers history. Ted was also responsible for assisting with the success of numerous coaches and scouts around the league. With his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame we are proud and honored that Ted will take his rightful place as part of Packers history forever.”

Most of Thompson’s great draft picks came in his first six years and all of the great accomplishments came during that time. The last seven years have been a major disappointment with no Super Bowl titles with that great draft pick Aaron Rodgers at the helm.

25 Questions and Answers About Bills Game

1. Is Mike McCarthy still head coach? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

2. Is Mike McCarthy still calling the plays? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

3. Is Mike Pettine still defensive coordinator? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

4. Is Mark Murphy still CEO? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

5. Is Ted Thompson still working for the Packers? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

6. Is Eliot Wolf working for the Packers? No. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

7. Is Brian Gutekunst still General Manager? Yes. So the Packers might lose to Buffalo.

Some More Things We Now Know

After last season when the basically season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers showed some stark realities to the local kiss ass media and the lovers of Ted Thompson or the “Tedders” as I call them that except for Rodgers the Packers 52 + 10 rest of the roster was not championship quality. So a meeting of the minds in 1265 Lombardi Avenue resulted in the “big spring of change” during the offseason and the Packers were now new and improved and totally energized to make a serious run for the Super Bowl.

However after seven weeks of games the Packers sitting in second place in the North Division behind da Bears of all teams at 1-1-1. In this short time we have learned that the “big spring of change” was just smoke blown up our collective skirts by the local kiss ass media and the brain trust of the Packers.

Packers – Redskins

The Packers are 1-0-1 and are lucky to be that. I gave up being proud a long time ago and will accept the former rookie place kicker for the Vikings gave the Packers the tie. The 38-yard field goal was normally a give-me, but I felt the rookie was already rattled and would probably have missed a 10-yard field goal at that point. Cutting him was cruel. If he was good enough to win the job then he should have been given the time to grow into the job. Mason Crosby had his trial by fire in 2012 (making only 21 of 33 field goals and he was a veteran, but nobody would have griped if he was cut, but head coach Mike McCarthy stayed with him and since then he’s made 125 of 147 field goals coming into the season and this year he’s made 5 of 6, but the one miss was for the win last week. He didn’t get cut.

The Packers offense is ranked 17th in the league with a one-legged Aaron Rodgers, who is only one hit away from being lost for a long period of time. DeShone Kizer is NOT a quality backup and the Packers need a veteran behind Rodgers ASAP. But the stubborn Ted Thompson influenced front office WILL NOT admit they made a mistake and sign one.

What Have We Learned After the First Two Games

1. Aaron Rodgers is the Packers MVP.

2. Aaron Rodgers is one tough son of a bitch.

3. If Aaron Rodgers goes down for good the Packers don’t have a second string quarterback for the second straight season. TT/BG should have signed a veteran quarterback after what happened last year.

4. If Aaron Rodgers goes down the Packers won’t win another game.

5. Mike McCarthy’s offensve scheme makes it harder to be Aaron Rodgers.

It’s All About Me

I just can’t believe what happened, except for the fact it was me that caused everything to happen Sunday night when Aaron Rodgers pulled a Willis Reed and led the Packers to a 4th quarter comeback for the ages after being down 20-0 in the 3rd quarter.

I watched the 1st half of the game in my living room, which I normally don’t do, and the result of breaking my normal routine was disastrous, which was also something I should have known because like I said before it’s all about me.

Week 1 and Hopefully not Done

The Packers open the season at LAMBBBBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAUUUUU Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin against da Bears. The first week power rankings has the Packers dropping two spots to No. 9 while the Bears rose nine spots to 15 after making the trade Brian Gutekunst should have made for Kahlil Mack.

Sunday Night Is Football Night at Lambeau Field

The team that takes the field Sunday night against the Bears is a team we haven’t seen since ever. The offensive skill starters hardly played in the preseason, which is no surprise because Coach Mike McCarthy does that every year since Jordy Nelson was hurt in the second preseason game three years ago and pretty much before that, but it's worse now.

The Packers are notorious slow starters at the beginning of the season and I think that is a direct cause of this practice. So come Sunday night Aaron Rodgers will be under center Corey Linsley. Justin McCray is the new right guard replacing Jahri Evans. Lane Taylor missed most of the preseason and returns at left guard. David Bakhtiari is back at left tackle and Bryan Bulaga returns at right tackle after missing the last eight games of the season on injured reserve for the third time in his 8-year career and second because of knee surgery. The first was a hip fracture.

The Cuts and Signings: The Aftermath

The NFL cut down day was Saturday and the Packers made those cuts and I was wrong on 11 of them. The first day after the Day was Sunday and Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst was silent on adjusting the lineup, but, of course, they signed 8 of those cuts to the practice squad and 3 of those signings were 3 players I had kept, but were cut (running back Joel Bouagnon, fullback Joe Kerridge and guard/tackle Adam Pankey).

The other practice squad signees signed on Sunday were center Austin Davis, outside linebacker Kendall Donnerson, defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster, defensive tackle James Looney and inside linebacker Greer Martini leaving two spots open. Other moves were waiving running back Devante Mays, tackle Kyle Murphy and cornerback Quinten Rollins from injured reserve with injury settlements even though those moves haven't been officially announced yet and may never be.  

The Cuts Are Really In And….

The cut to 53 has come, but it probably hasn’t gone because what was left from Saturday’s cutdown leaves more moves to come to actually fill out the roster, but if there are not any changes then some of the positions have been left in a lurch. So let’s see how I did position by position.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART 35

Sublime

The preseason is over and the season starts next week against da Bears at Laaaammmmbeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Blonde Sublime

I will be going to The Cellar this season because of the loss of two of the Packer Backers. I’ve been watching the Packers games at The Cellar since 1994.

 

Wisconsin Girl from Milwaukee

The first set of Packer Backers from 1994 to 1997 were Patrick Immel and a very blonde radio and tv major at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale from Kenosha, Wisconsin. I really didn’t know her name, so I called her “Kenosha”. She was a true Wisconsin Packer girl. This was prior to watching the preseason games on the internet and The Cellar had the preseason package. I would guess her final year at SIU I was down at the bar on a Friday night and I think the Packers were playing the Dolphins in the first preseason game. I was there and she showed up for the kickoff. She had just arrived back in town and had her boyfriend drop her off at the bar to watch the game even before they got back to their apartment. She knew football like all the Packer Backer girls. We all have our little superstitions or things. Her thing was placing her keys in the middle of the table as she sat down.

Da Bears, Oh My

I think if Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst had listened to me and threw Clay Matthews into the mix the Packers would have gotten Khalil Mack instead of the formerly hated Chicago da Bears.

Faint Heart Never Won No Lady

Reportedly the Bears gave up 2 No. 1 draft picks and possibly more, but I think a No. 1, Clay Matthews and a No. 2 or 3 or 4 or all or a 2nd No. 1 would have swung the trade the Packers way. But the current version of the Packers doesn’t have the stones or the strong heart to make a season or team changing move like the Mack trade and I will NOT go out on a limb to say if the current front office faint hearters were in charge of the Packers in 1992 they wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on Reggie White and the Packers never would have won the 1996 Super Bowl.

The Cuts Are In (At Least Mine Are)

Here’s my prediction for the roster cutdown (just to show how good I am I’m also a picker (not like Mike and Frank of American Pickers) for the paper I work for on the high school games in our region and I went 13-6 last week leaving me tied for second to last out of eight pickers), so give my picks the grain of salt they deserve since I have found the Packers management doesn’t listen to me.

My Preseason Wrap Up

The Packers did what the Packers always do under the leadership of Mike McCarthy – stunk up the last preseason game, so the Packers won’t have any momentum heading into the first game of the 2018 season. The second thing the Packers did during the preseason was not play the starters much, so they have to develop chemistry during the 1st 3 games. Back in the day the offensive starters would play a quarter in the first game, a half in the second, into the third quarter in the third and a quarter or a half in the fourth and would be ready for the season opener. McCarthy doesn’t do that and the Packers are never ready for the opener offensively.

Thank God for the Seahawks

Ever since the Failed Mary I would never have thought I would be singing the praises of the Seattle Seahawks, but today I can truly say, “Thank God for the Seahawks”.

Now why would I say that? It’s very simple Seahawks General Manager John Schneider (a former Packer) and/or Head Coach Pete Carroll were the only people to want former Ted Thompson Aaron Rodgers heir apparent Brett Hundley and thank God they were desperate enough to want him.

Déjà vu and Other Observations

The 2018 new look Green Bay Packers opened the season with a 31-17 win over the Tennessee Titans at LAMMMMMMbeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I watched the entire game except for 8 minutes in the second quarter when my stream froze up. But to me the new look Packers looked a whole lot like the old look Packers.

I was anxious to see how the Packers looked because all the press reports from the local kiss ass media was so positive I was almost in diabetic shock from the sweetness. But I have to admit a couple of the things the LDAM has been saying turned out to be true, but only a few.

My FIRST IMPRESSION was the Packers were playing like it was 2017. The Packers kick off and it seemed they were sleepwalking on the kickoff coverage team letting the Titans return the kickoff for over 30 yards. Then the Mike Pettrine super aggressive defense and not the old Dom Capers no pass rush, let them complete 3rd down passes down the middle and let them score so the Packers are behind, but I didn’t see that. What I saw was Déjà vu all over again when the Titans marched down the field and scored.

Ted Gutekunst And His Disrespect For Guards

Glancing at the Packers depth chart (however, I had to go to Ourlads.com because the new and improved Packers.com no longer posts a depth chart), I noticed (although I already knew) Lane Taylor and Justin McCray are listed as the starting guards. This got me thinking about how much disrespect former (and maybe current by proxy) General Manager Ted Thompson (BG: “He’s one of the best evaluators that has ever done this,”) had and has for the guard position and the offensive line in general.

Now You Tell Me Ted Thompson Isn’t Still Running The Packers

It’s been almost 7 months since Head Honcho, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson, who ran the operation like President Donald J. Trump runs the country by being accountable to no one, transitioned to Senior Advisor to Football Operations and Director of Player Personnel Brian Gutekunst was promoted to General Manager, but not as Executive Vice President and/or Director of Football Operations. Instead Vice President of Football Administration/Player Finance Russ Ball was promoted to Executive Vice President/Director of Football Operations.

So January 7th the 3-headed Ted Thompson monster had been cut in two and one more important thing happened when President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy’s small balls only grew 2 sizes that day instead of the 3 The Grinch’s heart grew when he finally saw the light.

The President of the “In Ted We Trust” cult and Ted Thompson’s chief ass kisser wanted his power back after 12 years of having his subordinate ignore him daily by having Gutekunst, Ball and Head Coach Mike McCarthy report directly to him instead of the previous arrangement of those men reporting to Thompson alone. However, in a sign Murphy hasn’t dealt with his Thompson man-crush issues evidently Thompson still reports to no one.

So with this new structure in place and a new man in charge of personnel decisions I was hoping the Packers, who had gone extremely stale and chaep under the Ted Thompson II Regime, were going to go a different direction after the front office shakeup. But it seems it was just cosmetic because the leadership of Gutekunst and Ball looks a whole like the leadership of King Ted the Terrible.

THOMPSON’S FAKE NEWS operation is working overtime in Packerland

Ted J. Trump

I was researching a future column about Aaron Rodgers and tight ends with all the hype about the signing of Jimmy Graham and I came across a very disturbing item on Packers.com that shows that Ted Thompson is still in charge or Brian Gutekunst is just a chip off the old lying block.

I was looking up the stats for the tight end positions and when I got to last year’s stats I found much to my surprise that Lance Kendricks was the leading tight end with 18 catches followed by Richard Rodgers with 12 catches and Emanuel Byrd with 2 catches. However and evidently I am wrong I thought the Packers had another tight end on the roster or maybe it was just a nightmare because he was the premier free agent acquisition by the best general manager in the history of the NFL and he ended up being cut and sued for spite.

Does anyone remember Martellus Bennett? Evidently the Packers front office doesn’t. He started the first 7 games and had 24 catches for 233 yards and no TDs or at least I thought he did. However, it seems the Packers front office is allowed to scrub his stats from the official records as if he was never on the Packers roster. However, they haven’t completed their rewriting because he still appears on the all-time roster and in the transactions. But when they remember he is still there that might be next.

Dez Bryant Is A Pill The Packers Need To Swallow

I loved Golden Richards, Bob “The Bullet” Hayes, Lance “Bambi” Alworth. I hated with a passion and still hate “Cocaine” Michael Irvin and Terrell (I will never call him TO because he likes it) Owens. And I never liked Dez Bryant. OBTW I hated and still hate Deion Sanders, even though he has nothing to do with this article except he is a former Cowboy I despise even more now that he is a talking head. That said the other talking heads I don’t despise are buzzing about the Packers maybe signing Bryant and I might agree it might be a good move.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART चौंतीस

(Indian and check at the end to find out why)

DÉJÀ VU RIDICULOUS

J-Al at Mini-Camp

I had my doubts about all the “glowing” accolades the Packers No. 1 draft pick got from the local kiss-ass media, especially since none of them on draft day had a thing to say about the “Buckley Rule”, which Hall of Famer Ron Wolf lived by after he made the mistake of drafting its namesake and Ted Thompson also followed the whole time he was Packers Head Honcho until he was forced to share his job with “Gute” at least in name only.

The Packers Punting Game Is In The Hands and Feet Of Babies

Friday the Packers solidified (let’s hope) its kicking game with the signing of 5th round draft pick (#138) punter J.K. Scott and 7th round draft pick (#239) long snapper Hunter Bradley and the cutting of last year’s punter Justin Vogel, which added to not offering a tender to long-time long snapper Brett Goode means the Packers will begin the 2018 season with rookies in 2 of the 3 critical kicking positions without any fallback position in the case both or either fail.

This seems like a  classic Ted “one of the best talent evaluators that have ever done this” Thompson move like leaving no viable backups for the offensive line or just undrafted free agents as backups for the secondary, so it just proves that Thompson is still running the Packers show and not his personal puppet Brian Gutekunst. When will we ever get rid of him?

Post Draft Analysis

2018 was supposed to be a new beginning with Executive Vice President/General Manager/Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson pushed out after 13 seasons at the helm and a brand new younger General Manager taking over in hopes of revitalizing the Packers after seven years of atrophy following the team’s fifth Super Bowl appearance and fourth Super Bowl title falling from Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers to the “Just Good Enough” Packers where the front office was “just” happy to make the playoffs each year before having the playoff streak of 8 snapped last year when the loss of Aaron Rodgers showed the talent level of the next 52 plus 10 was not even average in the NFL. Sorry for the long sentence.

However, the “Big” change was only cosmetic. Ted Thompson wasn’t fired or retired he was just bumped upstairs as a senior advisor The “New” General Manager Brian Gutekunst was not new he was actually Thompson’s assistant and Russ Ball, another Thompson assistant, was also promoted to Director of Football Operations as CEO Mark Murphy restructured the front office to take Thompson’s 3 jobs and move the power into the himself, Gutekunst and Ball.

And Now For The Rest Of The Draft

After all the wheeling and dealing the Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst Collaboration did on Day One and Two (acquiring 9 draft picks and trading away eight, including the Damarious Randall trade before the draft) the Packers had  eight picks in the final four rounds.

According to most pundits the Packers were looking for cornerbacks, linebackers, offensive linemen, wide receivers. I added a pass rusher and a safety.

In the past the local kiss-ass media has revered Ted Thompson for his drafting prowess on Day Three of the draft, so you would expect Saturday to be an overwhelming success, but we’ll see.

Draft: Day Two: Déjà Vu All Over Again

Day Two of the Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst Collaboration Arrangement was second verse same as the first – a blast from the past (and not that far past) that turned out to be a major disaster.

Let’s step into Mister Peabody’s Wayback Machine to April 30, 2015 and Ted Thompson the Magnificent – the Know All and Be All – was conducting his 11th draft with a need to rebuild the secondary. Sound familiar. Day One Ted Terrific drafts Damarious Randall, a safety he will convert to an All-Pro cornerback to replace Tramon Williams, who was let go. On Day Two in the second round he drafted cornerback Quinten Rollins, to add to the competition and then added wide receiver Ty Montgomery to help rebuild that position.

Now back into the Wayback Machine to today, Day Two saw the TT/BG two headed monster draft, wait for it, wait for it, a cornerback (wow, who could have seen that). This time it wasn’t Quinten Rollins the Second or at least we hope not, it was Josh Jackson the First from Iowa.

At that point the Packers could put their feet up and wait out the rest of the 2nd round because “Gute” had traded away the Packers only 3rd round pick to get the first cornerback Jaire Alexander on Day One. But, noooooooo, “Gute” who likes his new found power of wheeling and dealing saw his version of an inside linebacker continue to fall, so he jumped with both feet and traded away his top pick in the 4th round (#101) and his 2nd pick (acquired on Day One in another trade) in the 5th round (#147) to get the 88th pick in the 3rd round to draft Vanderbilt linebacker Oren Burks. But don’t worry the theme of wide receiver will make a comeback times 3.

Draft Day One: The Long and the Short of It

Overview:

Green Bay Packers new General Manager Dynamic Duo (Brian Gutekundst and Ted Thompson) pulled off a great trade Thursday night trading away the No. 14 pick in the first round along with the 76th pick in the 3rd round and the 186th pick in the 6th round to get the 18th pick in the first round as well as the 147th pick in the 5th round, the 248th pick in the 7th round and, and this is great part, a 1-32 pick in next year’s draft.

The trade was also great because the Packers ended up getting the player they wanted and the player almost all the pundits said the Packers would draft at 14 and all it cost was losing a 3rd round pick altogether dropping 71 picks with the pickup of the 147th pick in the 5th round and losing a 6th round pick dropping 62 picks with the pickup of the 248th pick in the 7th round.

Pre-Draft Analysis

The roster former General Manager Ted Thompson left the new guy left a lot to be desired if the Green Bay Packers are to return to the Super Bowl while Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback.

The “Tedders”, who worshipped Ted Thompson and the local kiss ass media who are just as delusional still can’t see the forest for the trees and for some delusional reason think the return of Aaron Rodgers is the only thing that needs to be done this season to return to Super Bowl contention.

I hate to break your bubble (actually I love to break your bubble) the Packers haven’t been in the Super Bowl for the last seven years when Rodgers was the best quarterback in football and Jordy Nelson was one of the best wide receivers, Eddie Lacy was one of the best backs, Clay Matthews was the best pass rusher, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields were the cornerbacks, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was an up-and-comer and Josh Sitton and T. J. Lang were the Pro Bowl guards.

None of that except for Rodgers is still happening, but what is is that Ted Thompson and his cheap-ass ways turned a budding Super Bowl dynasty into the “Just Good Enough” Packers built around failed top draft picks and undrafted free agents. Ted Thompson and his enablers have wasted the prime years of the best quarterback in the game and will never see another Super Bowl unless the current management cuts the ties to Thompson and takes some chances.

Position Evaluation: Secondary

Cornerback is the position former Head Honcho Ted Thompson (or is he, but more on that later) worked on the most in his final years and the position that was the least improved and the main reason, in addition to Dom Capers, the Packers defense sucked for the last several seasons.

Cornerback has been a major disaster after the loss of Tramon Williams and Sam Shields, despite being filled by three high draft choices. Thompson began to rebuild the unit by drafting Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins No. 1 and No 2 in 2015 and then Kevin King No. 2 (he was actually Thompson’s top draft pick when he traded out of the 1st round) last season. In addition, he drafted Demetri Goodson No. 6 in 2014.

Position Evaluation: Linebackers

The linebackers for the Packers are average at best. Former All-World Pass Rusher Clay Matthews is a shadow of his former self and in my opinion should be cut. He is entering the final year of a 5-year, $66,000,000 contract. He began his career with 50 sacks in his first 5 seasons earning Pro Bowl berths in his first four seasons, but missing his fifth when he fell to 7.5 sacks playing with a broken thumb.

The 1st year after the signing of the contract, which was justified at the time, Matthews spend half the season at outside linebacker and the last half at inside linebacker and rebounded with 11 sacks returning to the Pro Bowl.

In his 1st 6 seasons Matthews had 61 sacks, but the last 3 seasons have been below par. In 2015 he was named to the Pro Bowl, but that was on reputation alone because he only had 6.5 sacks. In 2016 he appeared in just 12 games with 9 starts because of hamstring and a more serious shoulder injury finishing with 5 sacks. Last season he was a situational player with 7.5 sacks sitting out half the downs and key moments in the game when he would normally be playing.

Watching him play last season was pitiful. He no longer had his burst to the quarterback and routinely missed the quarterback when he got there. It’s time to move on.

Position Evaluation: Defensive Line

Under former Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s coaching mentor Dom Capers the defensive line was the red-headed step child of his defense. While he was officially listed as running a 3-4 scheme in practical terms he really had only two defensive linemen on the field most of the snaps.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS, PART ahh33

(This time it’s in Texican because the NFL Draft is in Arlington, Texas)

SUBLIME OR RIDICULOUS (YOU MAKE THE CALL)

Danica Patrick and Her Super Bowl Trophy

The continuing saga of Aaron Rodgers’ love life made another famous turn when Mr. Rodgers finally replaced his former actress Tiger Lady Olivia Munn on a permanent (we’ll see) basis for the most high profile female in sports former race car driver Danica Patrick.

Position Evaluation: Offensive Line

The offensive line of 2017 was a mess, but a predictable mess because the offensive line has been Ted Thompson’s red-headed stepchild since he became Head Honcho in 2005 and released All-Pro right guard Marco Rivera and left guard Mike Wahle right off the bat to sabotage Mike Sherman and it worked as the Packers fell from 10-6-0 and 13 straight years of .500 or better teams and four straight playoff appearances to 4-12-0 and the beginning of two straight non-playoff teams.

Position Evaluation: Running Backs, Fullbacks and Tight Ends Oh My

Running Backs and Tight Ends were the two positions besides cornerbacks Ted Thompson worked on last year. He drafted three running backs in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds and signed five tight ends, one unrestricted free agent, three street free agents and one undrafted free agent and hit big at running back and crapped out at tight end. The best you could hope from Ted Thompson since 2010 was 50 percent.

Position Evaluation: Quarterbacks and Receivers

I’ve been reading the pap and FAKE NEWS coming out of Green Bay since the end of the season and the restructuring of the front office and have a few observations. First, FAKE NEWS is alive and well with Ted Thompson now behind the curtain running the show instead of being the tired old face of the team like he’s been for the last 13 years.

The pap usually reserved for Larry McCarren and his “happy news reports” has been almost universal, especially in the evaluation of the Ted Thompson’s roster despite the fact the Packers could only beat the Bears, Bucs and Browns when the crutch (Aaron Rodgers) was removed. I’ve seen reports that the Packers will automatically be in the hunt for the Super Bowl once again, despite the fact the Packers haven’t been for many years, Dom Capers’ incompetence accepted. It’s like the old joke, “A man needs surgery on his hand and asks his doctor if he will be able to play the piano after the surgery. The doctors says of course, and he said, that’s funny I couldn’t play the piano before.”

With all of that aside I will evaluated the Packers roster over the next few days starting with the quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Speaking of Dynasties

If the New England Patriots had won the Super Bowl that would have solidified the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady Era as the greatest dynasty of all time with its sixth Super Bowl titles tying them with the Pittsburgh Steelers and snapping the tie they are currently in with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys with five Super Bowl titles.

Just noting the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants are next with four Super Bowl titles. Another note the Packers lead the league with 13 total titles and the Chicago Bears next with nine, including one Super Bowl title just two years after George “Papa Bear" Halas died with the Mike Ditka led Super Bowl Shuffle team.

What Murphy and the LOCAL KISS ASS MEDIA Has Wrought

Ding, Dong, The Ted is Dead. Ding, Dong, The Dom is Dead. Those two refrains should be enough for any Packer Backer to be dancing in the streets and for most of us we are, if for no other reason that Dom Capers’ wide open in the middle, laid back pass coverage and “No Tackle” zone defensive is really gone.

However, in the infinite wisdom of the Packers Brain Trust (I have my doubts about the brain part) Ted Thompson wasn’t fired or retired, but given a promotion where he could and probably will be influencing the moves “new” general manager Brian Gutekunst will be making this offseason, including the upcoming draft. I have acid indigestion over the thought that the man who gave us a team that needed overtime to beat the 0-16 Browns is still wielding influence.

A Great Wrong Has Finally Been Righted

It may have took 45 years, but a great wrong has finally been righted when Jerry Kramer of Lombardi’s power sweep and the block that beat the Cowboys in the Ice Bowl (sorry Ken Bowman) fame has been finally elected to the NFL Hall of Fame today.

It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving player. Jerry Kramer is the 10th player elected to the Hall from the 1962 team that is considered the greatest team of all time led by the greatest coach of all time, Vince Lombardi.

Why Are These Men Still In The Building?

I have been sitting here (well, some of the time) watching the Green Bay Packers shuffle the deck chairs on their Titanic and wondering why the buffoons who used to call themselves the “I Trust in Ted” crowds or “Tedders” as I call them cheer the moves the Board of Directors made (I know President Mark Murphy said he made those decisions all by his little lonesome, but we all know that is just the latest from the Ted Thompson Fake News Division) concerning the front office and coaching staff. But I want to make clear to all of you that basically the same mind set that gave the Packers 1 Super Bowl appearance in 13 years with arguably the best 2 quarterbacks in NFL history is alive and well at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

Tyrant Ted’s Legacy

The 13-year reign of Ted Thompson is finally over or is it? The irony of Thompson’s business style was he was hired to break up exactly what he eventually ended up becoming – one man rule.

Let’s look back to what brought Tyrant Ted back to Green Bay in the 1st place. Mike Sherman was the last of the General Manager/Head Coaches that had started with Curly Lambeau and ended the 1st time with Gene Rozani in 1953 when Vern Lewellen became General Manager. It started again when Vince Lombardi was hired in 1959 and ended the second time in 1980 when Bart Starr had his power over personnel removed when Dick Corrick was hired as Director of Football Operations. Tom Braatz replaced Corrick in 1987 and remained as defacto General Manager until 1991 when Ron Wolf was hired as General Manager. When Wolf retired in 2001 Mike Sherman was hired as the 1st General Manager/Head Coach since 1980 and it was his time in both offices that brought us Ted Thompson I. A combination of the disastrous signing of Joe Johnson in 2002 and the lack of playoff success (2-4), including the 1st playoff loss at Lambeau Field in 2002 (ironically Mike McCarthy has lost at Lambeau Field a total of 3 times in the playoffs - 2007, 2011,2013 and he didn’t get fired) brought Green Bay to a crisis moment and it was Tyrant Ted to the rescue in 2005 when Sherman was stripped of his General Managership. Sherman was fired the next season and Mundane Mike McCarthy was hired and the front office was set for the next 12 years.

The 1st 6 years of Tyrant Ted’s reign was magical. It started with the firing of Brett Favre after the 2007 season and a loss to Giants at Lambeau Field to the hiring of Mark Murphy as CEO and President in 2008 and ended in 2010 with Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay for the 1st time since 1996.

Happy Days were here again and the promise of a new Packers Dynasty was on the horizon with the best quarterback in football at the helm, but something went terribly wrong and the best way it came be described is by the phrase, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

I’ve Been To The Mountain Top…..At Least For A Day And A Half

It’s been an emotional nine days. The Packers savior – I’m not the savior – Aaron Rodgers couldn’t pull off another miracle and Brett Hundley, who is not a NFL starting quarterback who couldn’t beat anyone, but the da’ Bears, the 0-16 Browns (needed overtime) and the still disappointing Bucs even without Vinny Testaverde, even though both former General Manager (I love that) Ted Thompson and current (I hate that) head coach Mike McCarthy think otherwise., drove a nail into the season with two losses to the Vikings (ouch) by his second shutout (OUCH) and the Lions (ouch).

The season ended with a rout and then within hours word began to leak out of Thompson’s FAKE NEWS operation that Dom Capers was actually being fired. Could it be? Or were they just screwing with the Packers Backers who have been hoping for this moment since 2011? Mike McCarthy loves the man. He didn’t care if the defense sucked or gave up a chance to go to the Super Bowl three years ago because McCarthy had Rodgers to bail the team out. He didn’t care that the same problems kept popping up game after game, year after year, because he had Rodgers to bail the team out. He didn’t care…..

So I was trying not to get too excited, but it seems there is another force acting here since the Packers just had their eight-year playoff streak broken and even the “Tedders” had to have a scapegoat since they couldn’t blame their demigod Ted Thompson for putting together a lousy roster. However by the time I went to bed Sunday night Dom Capers was still officially the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers.