Your Green Bay Packers!
http://espn.go.com/nfl/insider...xt-three-seasons-nfl
Okay, it's a typical off-season story, but it's still nice to see. I'm a little surprised to see MN ranked as high as they are. I'd sure like to see more than three good games out of Bridewater before betting the farm on them.
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I expected to see the Carolina Panthers at No.1. What a pleasant surprise.
33/1 "we are on our way up Minny" vs 33/1 "WTF we were favorites to win it all last year SF" in SF is a great week 1 test for Teddy and the Caveman coach.
Winner of that game will still suck. The loser will really suck.
We won a Super Bowl 5 years ago. We've been in the playoffs every year since. We blew a chance to play in the Super Bowl last year. We're the favorite to win this year. We have one of the youngest rosters in football. We're $16 million under the cap. We have the best QB in football. We have one of the best offensive lines in football. We have one of the best WR groups in football. We have one of the best running backs in football. We have one of the best linebackers in football. We have the best stadium in football.
We should win another Super Bowl. We might not.
But if anyone isn't fully on board with the job Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy has done the past 9 years then go away. Nothing is going to make you fully get behind an NFL team if this GM hasn't.
The job Ted has done these past 9 years is as great a run a GM could ever possibly pull off in the last 25 years. Its historical stuff. And it's not done. It could actually get better.
Well said, Chilli.
After the 29 year drought those of us who hung around are REALLY enjoying this! To those who missed the joys of the 60's and the horors of the 70's and 80's, enjoy the ride! It can disappear in a heartbeat.
"It can disappear in a heartbeat."
I suppose so. I expect down years to come. Even stretches with little success. But the change that made the Packers relevant again was a change from an 'old boys management style to a professional organization. Putting the football people in charge and letting the financials follow from success on the field. I don't see the Packers ever moving off that model as it's the only one that allows them to persist, much less thrive. To me that means the statistical average will be their floor.
There are still some in the NFL(Snyder, Jones) who don't really care about the success of their franchise so long as they get to play at GM. Of the others, the owner personality type works against long term success. How often will a wealthy businessman, after investing hundreds of millions of dollars, hire a gm who's going to ignore his "suggestions"?
The coaching philosophy in GB is a HUGE benefit to the franchise. The idea that everyone in camp has a legitimate shot at making the team. It draws better talent from the free agent ranks and it draws better effort from that talent.
Most other teams, it's apparent guy # 85 on the 90 man roster is a camp body. He knows he's gonna get cut and hopes some other team sees enough to pick him up later.
