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.

Whatever Happened to No. 26 Ty Montgomery?

"Not Me"

This week Ty Montgomery was placed on injured reserve for a wrist injury and not the broken ribs he had been suffering from ending the season for the former No. 3 draft pick. He began the season as the No. 1 running back after being an emergency replacement for Eddie Lacy and James Starks when General Manager Ted Thompson left the position unprepared for injuries. Does that sound familiar? But I digress with a very old and very repetitive complaint of mine.

After last season it was assumed that Montgomery was going to have to change his number since he finished the season as a running back and it was announced almost immediately he was going to be the starting running back this season because of NFL rule 5, Section 3, Article 3c which states running backs must wear numerals between 20 and 49 while wide receivers and tight ends must wear between 80 and 89 and 10 to 19.

Then on January 26th in his year end press conference Head Coach Mike McCarthy said this, "He's a running back. He wants to change his number." By saying that he stated directly that it was a decision by Montgomery and had nothing to do with the NFL rule. I wonder why he thought he needed to say that? Later it was revealed his new number would be 26.

FAKE NEWS – Thompson Style

The reports coming out of 1265 Lombardi Avenue are that Packers General Manager Ted Thompson and/or his personnel department tried to sign Brian Hoyer, but somehow the rascally Bill Belichik and the New England Patriots beat him to the punch and signed him to replace Jimmy Garappolo as the backup to Tom Brady. I don't believe a word of it.

But let's say it did happen then I can see just 1 reason or maybe 2 Hoyer might choose the Patriots over the Packers. The first could be Thompson only offered him a 1-year incentive laded contract instead of the 3-year contract he received from Belichik. The second could be he wanted to win and the Packers are going nowhere.

I can see the first happening, but the second doesn’t fit with Hoyer’s past. He wants to play and he would have taken over for Brett Hundley next week if given a chance and had a chance to work with the great receiver corps of the Packers and possible Offensive Rookie of the Year Aaron Jones for the next 7 games to show he still has a future as a starting quarterback.

It is also possible McCarthy informed him that Brett Hundley is the man and he would only be a hedge against him being injured. However, that didn’t happen because McCarthy said after not confirming the report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that the Packers tried to sign Hoyer, "From the time Aaron's been injured I've never once been involved in a conversation about bringing in a veteran quarterback. From the Minnesota to here today, the direction that we're going with the quarterbacks is Brett Hundley and the guys we have here."

I would tend to believe McCarthy on this because he is completely contradicting what the back channels told Rapoport. So I think the back channels (directed by the puppet master TT) were self-serving to get the pressure off Ted Thompson for not bringing in a veteran quarterback because no General Manager worth his salt would make a trade or a signing without discussing it with his head coach.

FAKE NEWS - Packers Edition

            “There certainly are some indications that the Packers might be a little more aggressive in free agency this year,” Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network. “From what I am told, I would think the Packers are going to try to get some free agents this year, along with trying to re-sign Jared Cook.”

            If anyone, and I mean anyone, including the "Tedders" and "Ask Vic", who drink so much Ted Thompson Kool-Aid their tongues are a permanent purple (think about that Tedders as you wear your green and gold proudly, but underneath it all you are, yuk, purple as you pledge your allegiance to a man blindly like shorn sheep) think The Ted is going to change his stripes now you are sadly mistaken.