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.

Why is President and CEO Mark Murphy still here? This incompetent recently admitted that Executive Vice President Ted Thompson was really in charge and all he had to do, especially, the last 2 years, was to show up at the annual shareholders’ meeting and parrot what The Ted sent him to say while not really knowing what was actually going on because he very seldom sat down and had a talk with Thompson.

Why is Senior Advisor to Football Operations Ted Thompson still here? The Ted got so comfortable with the lack of leadership by Murphy that he did anything he wanted including cutting 2 All-Pros (Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang) and letting go 2 future All-Pros (Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde) at positions that were left totally undermanned and a liability to the team. In addition, with his tight-fisted policies he dismantled the Super Bowl team and left in its place a team that needed overtime to beat the 0-16 Cleveland Browns.

Pay No Attention to that man behind the curtin! However, to the fanfare of many (not me) Murphy gave Thompson a promotion instead of FIRING HIS ASS and having him escorted out of the building. The Ted is now in charge of scouting and player procurement, despite what the front office flow chart says about Russ Ball being in charge. Remember that same flow chart said Murphy was the boss of Thompson, but nothing could have been farther from the truth. Murphy still has a man crush on Thompson and until Thompson is totally and really gone the Packers will not move forward.

One More Thing about The Ted. Since Murphy decided to promote The Ted instead of handing him a gold watch I expect sometime within the next few seasons a proposal will be presented to add another statue to the front of Lambeau Field. Remember you heard it here first.

To Sum Up: The Front Office has been reorganized with only Eliot Wolf leaving to become assistant general manager with the Cleveland Browns and no newcomers. The flow chart has been changed, but it’s still the same old, same old.

Why is Head Coach Mike McCarthy still here? Mike McCarthy has been head coach of the Green Bay Packers longer than anyone that the immortal Curly Lambeau, who was coach and General Manager for 31 seasons. Vince Lombardi was coach and GM for 9 seasons as was Bart Starr and Mike Holmgren was head coach for 7 seasons while Mundane Mike has spoke behind his play card for 12 seasons and counting. Lombardi won 5 championships and Holmgren won 1 championship while making back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. However, McCarthy has been in charge of the “Just Good Enough” Packers making 8 straight playoff appearances, but advancing to the Super Bowl just once with the greatest quarterback in the game at the helm.

McCarthy’s play calling is stale at best and keeping Dom Capers as Defensive Coordinator 5 years longer that he should have would be reason to FIRE HIS ASS, but in the cautious world of Green Bay, Wisconsin you must be incompetent for five straight years before you are even considered to be FIRED or promoted.

Why is Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers still here? OOOPPPS. McCarthy did FIRE HIS ASS. I had a senior moment and had a flashback of a question I’ve been asking since the end of the 2011 season, so forgive me. Instead I will sing to mountain tops, “DING, DONG, THE DOM IS DEAD!!!!!”

To sum it up. The Front Office has been reorganized, but has it really? Mark Murphy is still President and CEO. Ted Thompson has been promoted and still has an office. His protégé Brian Gutekunst was promoted to General Manager of the Player Personnel Division and Russ Ball has been promoted to Director of Football Operations (the 2 jobs The Ted formally held). Ed Policy was promoted to Chief Operating Officers and General Counsel. No new blood and a lot of old, tired blood still there, so I don’t understand all the cheering about a new direction for the Packers.

The Coaching  Staff. Now here there has been some change, but the same old, same old is still in charge. The defensive staff has been rebuilt with the firing (good riddance) of Dom Capers, but has it really? Former Browns head coach Mike Pettine has taken over, but for some reason has retained Winston Moss (associate head coach/linebackers) for the time being, Scott McCurley (defensive assistant), who was fired, but re-hired (so much for change), Joe Witt, Jr., who was promoted to passing game coordinator when he was coach of the worst position on a terrible defense, the cornerbacks (heaven help us) and Jerry Montgomery (defensive line).

The only newcomers are Jason Simmons, who was moved from special teams assistant to secondary coach, Patrick Graham as inside linebackers/running game coordinator from the New York Giants and Ryan Downard as defensive quality control from Bowling Green. So once again the good ship Titanic had its defensive chairs rearranged.

At the end of the day Dom Capers, Mike Trgovac (defensive line), Tim McGarigle (defensive quality control) and Darren Perry (safeties) have left the team with McGarigle leaving to go the University of Illinois. Capers and Trgovac were the only ones actually fired, if you don’t include McCurley.

The Offense had some change at the top, but like the rest of this reorganization most of the same people are still in charge. Offensive Coordinator Edgar Bennett, quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt and wide receiver coach Luke Getsy are gone, but only Van Pelt was fired and I think he was a scapegoat for McCarthy’s incompetence as the self-proclaimed Quarterback Guru. Getsy left for a college job and Bennett was offered his job, but decided to leave instead of taking the demotion. James Campen was promoted to run game coordinator as well as keeping offensive line and David Raih was promoted from offensive perimeter to wide receivers coach.

The other holdovers are tight ends coach Brian Angelichio, running backs coach Ben Sirmans and assistant offensive line coach Jeff Blasko.

The newcomers are former Packers offensive coordinator and Miami Dolphin head coach Joe Philbin as offensive coordinator, former Colts tight end coach Jim Hostler as passing game coordinator and former Giants quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti, Jr. as quarterbacks coach.

Special Teams (Ron Zook and Maurice Drayton) are the same except for losing Simmons and the 4 Strength and Conditions Coaches are the same despite being incompetent.

To Sum It Up Again: Mike McCarthy is still head coach. Both coordinators are new with only two new assistant coaches on defense and two new coaches on offense with 10 returning assistant coaches. The same old, same old, once again.

So To Really Sum It Up: The Brand New Start is really a rehash of the Bad Old Start. I hope I’m wrong, because I lived through the Wilderness Years (1968-1991), but I was younger then. The “Just Good Enough” Era (2011-present) where the Packers make the playoffs, but are not a Super Bowl contending team is stressing my old heart.

We hope that the off-season maneuvering would return the Packers to a contender, but as you can see the same people are still in charge and the fresh start is just another example of FAKE NEWS.