McGinn rips Ted Thompson on in-season adjustments

TT's aversion to adding players from other teams (whether through unrestricted free agency, street free agency, or trades) is just odd, because no other NFL GM constructs his roster that way. No one.

The point is not whether Tyler Polumbus is a better option than Don Barclay as a backup T or whether Mason Foster would be an improvement over Jake Ryan THIS SEASON, but rather that TT virtually never sees a player on another NFL team as a viable alternative to what he's got on his roster (including practice squad).

That is just weird and leads to seasons where the likes of M.D. Jennings/Jerron McMillian (in 2013) are allowed to play meaningful minutes just because they were homegrown. 

TT has done many things well as the Packers' GM. He has a significant blindspot that has hamstrung the Packers, however, and McGinn rightly points that out.

Go check out Pittsburgh's roster.

Funny, Rick spielman spends first portion of tenure as mn gm spending like a drunken sailor in free agency. Team loses continuously and his job gets on thin ice.

Then he scraps that for building through the draft. Here they are today.

More often than not, TT is right & everyone else is wrong.

Let's talk about Jarius Byrd. Anyone remember that name? If not, let me refresh your recollection.

Signed by the Saints for a boatload of money & he hasn't done $hit except collect a paycheck & get injured.

Yet all the jeenyuses on this site clamoring for a FA signing plus Bob McGinn rip on TT for not getting him.

Fast forward to this year & our safety position is in great shape. Meanwhile, the Saints are out of the playoffs & probably need a new QB.

ROTTT!!

It shouldn't be discounted how well Ted and Russ Ball manage the cap also. We seem to have a lot of cap space every year and Ted ends up spending it by the end of the year, so he can't be that inactive. Ted always has an eye on next year, NOT signing an FA this year could potentially allow you to keep a talented players you already have next year. If we sign one or two modest FA's, that potentially means we don't have cap space to keep Cobb or Bulaga or Daniels. In the end keeping talent that you already have that knows the culture and the system, that you already know fits personality/attitude wise, is better than going with an unknown. 

Boris posted:

More often than not, TT is right & everyone else is wrong.

Let's talk about Jarius Byrd. Anyone remember that name? If not, let me refresh your recollection.

Signed by the Saints for a boatload of money & he hasn't done $hit except collect a paycheck & get injured.

Yet all the jeenyuses on this site clamoring for a FA signing plus Bob McGinn rip on TT for not getting him.

Fast forward to this year & our safety position is in great shape. Meanwhile, the Saints are out of the playoffs & probably need a new QB.

ROTTT!!

Where is anyone saying spend a boatload of cash on on, big-name guy? Total strawman.

Exactly. For example, why not sign Owen Daniels two years ago? Worked out for the Packers and wound up signing for less than Quarless. Those are the kind of free agent signings that could help plug holes without screwing up the cap.

Exactly.. Plug a hole with vet here and there while you continue to draft and develop.

It doesn't have to be either or.  

Quarless signed for a lot less than Daniels. Daniels cap number in 2015 is double what Q's cap number is this year and its higher next year. That's not to say Daniels would have been a bad pickup, but signing him probably means NOT signing either Raji or Guion. I'd rather have depth on the DL.

A lot of people wanted Byrd to "shore up" our safety position. The antithesis of a strawman

heyward posted:

Exactly. For example, why not sign Owen Daniels two years ago? Worked out for the Packers and wound up signing for less than Quarless. Those are the kind of free agent signings that could help plug holes without screwing up the cap.

From what I've read, Daniels wanted to follow Kubiak as he has played for him at several stops.

It does take two to tango, maybe all those players didn't want to come to GB?

Why is Don Barclay still on the roster?

I know TT signed him to a decent deal this offseason, but after his pathetic showing this season (beginning in game 4 in SF) he is now behind Sitton and Tretter as the backup LT?

What a cluster****.

Admit your mistake and move on. 

BrainDed posted:

Free Agency is an option.  Trade is an option.

I'm listening, which trade should Ted have made, V. Davis or Jimmy Graham?   Which free agent TE did we sit on our hands with?  

My complaint is people talk like Ted turns his nose at free agents when they are all just sitting there or like TE (and middle linebacker, and offensive line, and d line...) is the one thing he needed to focus on but he neglected it.  

Orlando Wolf posted:

Go check out Pittsburgh's roster.

I did.

Will Allen & Mike Mitchell are free agents who start at safety. Another S Ross Ventrone began his career in NE. CB Brandon Boykin was picked up in a trade this pre-season (as was former kicker Josh Scobee). CBs Antwon Blake and Ross Cockrell started with Jax and Buffalo, respectively. Another CB William Gay is like James Jones (in GB) in that he left Pitt for a year before he was re-signed as a free agent, just like OLBer James Harrison.

LB Arthur Moats came over from Buffalo 2 seasons ago. LB LJ Fort was formerly in Cleve & Seattle.

DE Cam Thomas arrived in Pitt in 2013 after 4 years with San Diego.

Meanwhile on O, WR Darius Heyward Bey was added to a deep WR group through free agency. Backup TE Matt Spaeth, like Gay, played in Chicago for 2 seasons before returning to Pitt.

Last night's staring RB T. Fitzgerald was with Balt. last season. The other RB Todman was in Jax. They were filling in for DeAngelo Williams who was signed this past offseason after many years in Carolina. Backup QB Mike Vick has been everywhere.

At C, Cody Wallace has been with SF, TB, and Detroit.

Clearly Pittsburgh's roster, like those of NE, Denver, KC, Seattle, Minn., Wash., Carolina, Arizona, includes many, many players who have played on other teams and who have been obtained through free agency or trades. 

CUPackFan posted:

Oh, and Vernon Davis has been benched by the Broncos and the fans have completely turned on him.  By all accounts, every Broncos media member and fan considers that a failed trade.  A good gamble, but failed nonetheless.  

I don't know, it gets annoying that whenever the Packers don't win the Super Bowl it's TT and MM's fault and they should be fired.  Part of our fan base has become like a bunch trust fund kids, expecting Super Bowl every single year and when it doesn't happen, expect the entire front office, the coaching staff and half the team fired.  Talk to fans from any franchise not named the Patriots, Broncos, Steelers and Ravens about down times.  We haven't had extended periods of losing in over 25 years.  Only the Patriots have won more than us in that time.  

In theory, each team should one win a Super bowl every 32 years.  If you remove the truly inept franchises, it's about 1 every 25 years.  Well we have 2 in the last 20 years, so we're not doing that bad.  Let's not burn down 1265 Lombardi Ave quite yet......

Rant over.

Saving this to copy-pasta in the post-game thread, regardless of result. Well put!

Boris posted:

A lot of people wanted Byrd to "shore up" our safety position. The antithesis of a strawman

I don't remember if Byrd was the anointed savior or not, but yes many an X4 poster has **** their diaper at an ESPN glory boy signing with another team.

SteveLuke posted:

Why is Don Barclay still on the roster?

I know TT signed him to a decent deal this offseason, but after his pathetic showing this season (beginning in game 4 in SF) he is now behind Sitton and Tretter as the backup LT?

What a cluster****.

Admit your mistake and move on. 

Because....uh....which all-pro LT is twiddling his thumbs on the street market right now?

I'm not saying MM/TT are off the hook in regards to the O-Line this year. They made a major mistake in not starting Tretter and trading Linsley to the gypsies. But what you posted is just foolishness. Stick to shredding Hold The Line and Africa thankyouverymuch.

My final statement:

There's a reason why Ted Thompson has been employed in the NFL the past two decades and Bob McGinn continues to be employed by a dying communications medium.

Go Pack Go.

Rusty posted:

SteveLuke posted:

Why is Don Barclay still on the roster?

I know TT signed him to a decent deal this offseason, but after his pathetic showing this season (beginning in game 4 in SF) he is now behind Sitton and Tretter as the backup LT?

What a cluster****.

Admit your mistake and move on. 

Because....uh....which all-pro LT is twiddling his thumbs on the street market right now?

I'm not saying MM/TT are off the hook in regards to the O-Line this year. They made a major mistake in not starting Tretter and trading Linsley to the gypsies. But what you posted is just foolishness. Stick to shredding Hold The Line and Africa thankyouverymuch.

Right, only an "all-pro LT" could fill in for Bakhtiari.

The team had all off-season to get a competent (not all-pro, merely competent) BACKUP LT and the selection they made was Don Barclay. Why? Because he was the best available alternative or because he was already in GB?

Barclay has been so bad (at RT as well as LT) that the Pack has had to move a Guard and now backup Center to LT in his stead.

That is a huge personnel miss, and arguing otherwise sure sounds like letting the personnel decision makers off the hook.

Tolzien, peppers, guion, Thomas, Kuhn.

anyone?

anyone?

Orlando Wolf posted:

Tolzien, peppers, guion, Thomas, Kuhn.

anyone?

anyone?

Thy don't count.

Next up is the McGinn article complementing TT on picking up Randall, Rollins and Gunter......

**** McGinn

McGinn sure does think highly of the Patriots though

Well, the Patriots are one of the model franchises in all of sports.  Clearly a lot to think highly of there.  

As do a lot of this forum.

It's CHOWDAH!!

I think Bob has a darn good perspective of where this Packers team is at.  TT has to evolve more and MM has to get more imaginative.   After the first quarter tonight, MM could have been packing his bags.  Luckily, the Packers found a spark and their confidence was restored.  I thought they would have played better after the Hail Mary win in Detroit.  MM has to use this win tonight to get a good showing against the Cards.  TT has to change his style for the future.

I f Bob knows so much why doesn't he apply for a job in the NFL?

Lots easier what he does.

That is a good point.  Also why I feel everything LeRoy Butler says is crap.  If he had any insights, he would be working for a team.  

You guys expect Bob McGinn to be a homer?   He is reporting and writing what he sees, hears and thinks.   He is a professional and he is not a fan.   That's his job.   Maybe you wanna read some goofball blogger instead who sits in front of the TV and computer and then writes some regurgitated blither?  

As much as I find some of what Bob writes to be bluntly negative and starkly adverse to what I want to hear, I think he paints a pretty good picture of what has happened, is happening and will happen with the Packers.

And the day he is done will be a down day for Packer fans who can handle the truth.

And if you are gonna be professional and objective, you can't ignore what the Patriots have done for 15 years now.  

GBP1 posted:

You guys expect Bob McGinn to be a homer?   He is reporting and writing what he sees, hears and thinks.   He is a professional and he is not a fan.   That's his job.   Maybe you wanna read some goofball blogger instead who sits in front of the TV and computer and then writes some regurgitated blither?  

As much as I find some of what Bob writes to be bluntly negative and starkly adverse to what I want to hear, I think he paints a pretty good picture of what has happened, is happening and will happen with the Packers.

And the day he is done will be a down day for Packer fans who can handle the truth.

Bob is full of it half the time.  Read his columns over time, he swings back and forth like a weather vane.  Team does well, he's all on board with glowing columns.  Team does poorly, he jumps on with both feet.  

He has precious little insight on his own.  Most of his columns are a "personnel guy/scout" told me this or that, with some marginal value to those quotes.  When he throws out his own opinions, a  couple  of which I highlighted earlier, and you are reading Sybil.

CAPackFan95 posted:

And if you are gonna be professional and objective, you can't ignore what the Patriots have done for 15 years now.  

Except for the cheating parts.

Bob's opinions and analysis of actual on-field football are not bad, it's all the off-field personnel/front office stuff that he sucks at. Bob seems to always take a "controversial" opinion on front office issues and then backs his opinion up with "an anonymous source". That's the laziest form of journalism because it doesnt require him to back up that opinion/source with any facts and it can't be fact checked. 

This criticism of TT is garbage. He is the GM by which all others are measured and any team in the NFL would kill to have him running their show. He has made the Packers the model of the NFL that all successful teams are trying to replicate.

McGinn is a hack who offers no fresh insight into the Packers and isn't worth his weight in crap. Same goes for all so called sports reporters. Give me an AP report of the results of the game and some real Packer fan bloggers who give a crap about the team to give some takes that I care about.  Would be far better than the current system.

Grab a paper towel and a tic-tac.

The only good thing I can say about McGinn is, he's better than Bedard.

slowmo posted:

GBP1 posted:

You guys expect Bob McGinn to be a homer?   He is reporting and writing what he sees, hears and thinks.   He is a professional and he is not a fan.   That's his job.   Maybe you wanna read some goofball blogger instead who sits in front of the TV and computer and then writes some regurgitated blither?  

As much as I find some of what Bob writes to be bluntly negative and starkly adverse to what I want to hear, I think he paints a pretty good picture of what has happened, is happening and will happen with the Packers.

And the day he is done will be a down day for Packer fans who can handle the truth.

Bob is full of it half the time.  Read his columns over time, he swings back and forth like a weather vane.  Team does well, he's all on board with glowing columns.  Team does poorly, he jumps on with both feet.  

He has precious little insight on his own.  Most of his columns are a "personnel guy/scout" told me this or that, with some marginal value to those quotes.  When he throws out his own opinions, a  couple  of which I highlighted earlier, and you are reading Sybil.

BINGO!