The Invisible Man known as Ted Thompson

I agree it would be nice to see a more unified front, but do you really see every other GM in the league stand up and be accountable for losses? I don't keep up with other teams press conferences, but are Dave Gettleman and Steve Keim taking the heat for their coaches right now? Maybe they are, I honestly don't know, but my hunch is that most GM's stay out of the spotlight as much as possible. Guys like Jerry Jones do it because they love the attention, but I don't think that is part of the GM's job. Ron Wolf took that on because he's a great guy, but I don't think that should be an expectation. 

And really do you WANT TT to give a press conference? There's really nothing to say and even if there was something to say he wouldn't say it. People get frustrated when McCarthy gets up their and basically says nothing, TT's says even less than him. TT and MM are a lot alike in terms their record. Both have specialty that I think they're both very good at, TT is a really good at college scouting and drafting/McCarthy with the offense, but they both struggle with the opposite side of their job. McCarthy can't consistently field a competent defense and TT can't consistently make hay with the free agency/pro personnel area. Despite their struggles this year, overall in their careers they've both been good with what they know and mediocre with what they don't. McCarthy has to get a better DC to help him out, TT needs to beef up the pro personnel side. 

Thompson doesn't answer when he answers, expecting something different after 11 years of that is pointless IMO.

I'm torn on this.

 When the Packers were having success, nobody cared that Thompson stayed behind the scenes.  Everyone thought he was a football genius being able to put a competitive team on the field thru his draft and develop scheme.  I distinctly remember the whole "In Ted We Trust" and "Next Man Up".

Now that the team is struggling, fans want to hear what he has to say about the lack of talent and his failing philosophies.

I understand where you're coming from

The theory local reporters and radio guys here were pointing out last week is that if Ted had to regularly meet with the media, answer the tough questions that undoubtedly would be thrown at him, be subject to the exposure that other GM's or owners have to do around the NFL, that it's at least plausible TT would feel more pressured to make moves in FA and feel some heat to perform better.

But just as importantly, it's also rather unfair to MM to have to wear the hat of GM and answer roster questions, questions on why they did/didn't sign X player, why the roster is littered with under performing players etc. that Ted just simply ducks from.

When you have no owner to be accountable to, no media to answer to or feel pressure from, then it's no wonder TT embraces We Do What We Do .

He can simply hide from everyone, including fans who own the franchise.

packerboi posted:

But just as importantly, it's also rather unfair to MM to have to wear the hat of GM and answer roster questions, questions on why they did/didn't sign X player, why the roster is littered with under performing players etc. that Ted just simply ducks from.

Do dumbarse reporters actually ask the Head Coach these types of questions?  If so, I hope MM gives a quick "you'll have to ask Ted" or at least a "no comment". 

For the record, I see no value in having TT do press conferences during the season.

Sure they do. Because, what other options do they have? Not like TT will make himself available to answer them. There is no owner. Mark Murphy is little more then window dressing.

Did everyone forget the slew of questions asked to MM on what happened with Josh Sitton? That was a GM decision, and an inexplicable one at that. And the one left answering everything was MM.

I wish none of them gave press conferences or made commercials.....I wish they could put a product on the field that resembled their former selves instead of the Washington Generals.  For Allahs sake they can't draft, coach, block or freaking tackle.  Cleveland, a franchise that is trying to lose looks better than this team.

i feel better now.    Peace.

Okay, that's cold. Yes, Ted is pretty pale, but invisible???

TT's condescending, passive-aggressive Nathan Jessup act is rather tiring, but I'm not sure there's any solution to that. I don't think he's built to be a public speaker and he's been given the leeway to take advantage of that. That's as much structure as anything. 

Ron Wolf was at home in a crowd. He came in to a moribund situation and made himself the focal point. I do see many other GMs being more up-front than TT but I doubt that will change, regardless. 

I am fine with TT not doing those things.  I want a GM doing his job behind the scenes not acting like Kevin Bacon in Animal house saying there is nothing to see here.

somebody posted:

The theory local reporters and radio guys here were pointing out last week is that if Ted had to regularly meet with the media, answer the tough questions that undoubtedly would be thrown at him, be subject to the exposure that other GM's or owners have to do around the NFL, that it's at least plausible TT would feel more pressured to make moves in FA and feel some heat to perform better.

TT won't suddenly change his ways because a couple of idiot reporters ask pointed questions and rile up the dumdums. The reporters want to stir schit; that's their job and they are bummed they don't get a shot at TT. So they whine like little pussies. (or big pussies)

But they are jumping the shark if they really think any of their inane questions will change the lifelong philosophy of Theodore.

This premise is Sofa King we Todd did.

MM and TT divide the duties according to their skillsets - nothing the beatmonkeys say or think impacts that in any way, nor should it.

On the rare occasions that GB does talk to FAs ( Peppers/Cook) MM is the one doing the talking, its just not TT's forte and he knows it.

" A man's gotta know his limitations"

There are a plethora of theories about how to fix this Packers team, but suggesting that "TT needs to face the reporters"  as a solution is really ****ing stooopid.

This premise is Sofa King we Todd did.

Do other team's GMs talk during the season?

Other than Jerruh Jones that is.

I guess the question is: what do you want him to say? What do you want any of these guys to say? Of course they know it's partly their fault, they're more frustrated than fans are. What does it matter what they say, do you think it's going to make you feel better? McCarthy isn't going to say it's all his fault because it's not and he's not going to throw anyone under the bus, which he shouldn't. Same for TT. It's not 100% his fault, so why would he say it is? He's not going to get up and say he should have found better players because that's a slap in the face to the players he has, even if some of them do suck you're not going to validate that, finger pointing isn't the answer. There are answers to the issues facing the team, none of them involve speaking the media/fans. 

Public stonings are clearly the path forward 

I would love to get stoned with TT and MM. It's on my  bucket list. 

I think what fans want is accountability. Thompson's communication style + the unique structure of power in GB makes accountability a greater challenge here than elsewhere.

Obviously that's a non-issue when things are going well. Likewise, it's irrelevant what other GMs do b/c every other GM has an owner who often addresses the concerns of disappointing seasons though words, actions, or both.

In the 90's you had two strong people in Harlan and Wolf, who would join Holmgren, who would address the state of the team through thick and thin. That doesn't happen now with Murphy and TT. MM is left on his own to address it, and frankly, that's dysfunctional.

Part of the role of a President/CEO/GM is to communicate with team owners. The Packers reap a lot of benefit from having thousands of team "owners" when it comes time to stadium renovations and making the franchise $. But with that benefit should come the responsibility of at least acknowledging the product on the field isn't what is should be and what will be on the table to fix that.

Whether he talks or not is meaningless....I'll say it again, meaningless.

He needs to scout better,  draft better, sign better players, nothing more, nothing less.  

The reporters are just pissed that TT isn't making their job easier for them.

Don't care whether Ted talks to the media or not. He didn't give them anything when he was hitting on drafts,  and he hasn't given them anything while he has been missing on drafts. 

I do hope that the Packer brass (Board of Directors, Murphy, etc...) take a close look at how Ted has performed recently. Why has the draft success dropped off ? Is it the loss of John Dorsey, JohnShnieder, Reggie McKenzie, etc... ? Why have they drafted so many players from the PAC 12 lately ? They haven't exactly hit the jack-pot there. Do they need to adjust the scouting philosophy ? Is he properly using all of the avenues available to him to build a championship roster ? It seems current successful organizations are able to mix the draft, trades, and FA acquisitions to boost their production AND still balance their cap, while Ted uses a more restrictive approach. Lord knows he has had success in the past but if you're not hitting on your primary means of talent acquisition along with a restrictive approach, you're going to fall behind. 

packerboi posted:

Did everyone forget the slew of questions asked to MM on what happened with Josh Sitton? That was a GM decision, and an inexplicable one at that. And the one left answering everything was MM.

I found this to be gutless. He doesn't have make himself front and center for everything but when controversial decisions are made, he needs to stand and answer questions. He can go Belechick on the bit and answer with non-answers but at the very least he needs to make himself present.

~Aloysius Pendergast~

Pendergast is always described as being tall and slender. He is fit, graceful in movement and physically powerful despite his slight frame. His skin is very pale and many people refer to him as "corpse-like" or as an "albino". He has platinum blond hair and ice-blue eyes that often look grey depending on the lighting. Pendergast religiously dresses in a black, hand-tailored suit made of a special blend of wool made only in the 1950s, thus he is often described as looking like an undertaker.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloysius_Pendergast

"The theory local reporters and radio guys here were pointing out last week ..."

The difference between these guys and the guy on the next stool at the bar is a microphone.

He doesn't owe us any answers.  That's not how being a fan works.  We are complete outsiders to the organization, just consumers of the product the Packers offer (yes, even as owners).  We're no different than consumers that buy Apple products (or even an Apple shareholder).  Apple doesn't tell their consumers any real information that isn't required by law, so why do you expect your sports team?  Yeah it would be cool to know more about the inner workings of the Packers but that's not part of the NFL.  And it's not going to change.  

And the media can go f*&k themselves.  They just want a story that gets clicks so not surprising they want TT to spoon-feed them stories.  

Apple CEO reports to the shareholders every 3 months.  So does every other publicly traded org.   

Bad example.

Except that the Packers are not a publicly traded organization.  Duh.

If you're not drafting at the top of the first round, you're not getting elite talent and your team will be relatively worse. Draft and develop is a concept to avoid taking players with major flaws to fill out your roster but it cannot make your team dominant.

Beginning with the 1976 draft 46 first round draft choices have made the HOF. That compares with 26 other players from all other rounds (AND free agents) combined. What's more, 38 of those first rounders were chosen in the top half of the round-14 or higher. 32 were selected in the top 10. Only 4 were found in the last 1/4 of the round, 21 or higher.

The most recent draft class inducted is 1997 so using that time frame: The chance your first round pick was elite was about 8%- 1 in 12; a top ten pick hit big about 15% of the time- 1 in 7

Compare that to rounds 2-8 (Richard Dent was the last 8th+ rounder) . Those picks made the HOF at a little over 2/3%- roughly one in 150. Free agents are so much worse it's impossible to estimate. Only Warren Moon and John Randle of ALL undrafted free agents between 1976 and 1997 made the NFL HOF. And Moon came from a celebrated career in the CFL.

The media always wants more access and it's just part of the job. NFL has a media policy and anything beyond that is at TT's discretion.  Pretty sure he gives McGinn an annual interview and not quite sure why some fans think he needs to publicly explain his personnel moves.  

grignon posted:

If you're not drafting at the top of the first round, you're not getting elite talent and your team will be relatively worse. Draft and develop is a concept to avoid taking players with major flaws to fill out your roster but it cannot make your team dominant.

You are correct but when you find yourself in a very nice situation like that, you use other resources like a team in the Pacific Northwest and a team in the Northeast does.

BrainDed posted:

Apple CEO reports to the shareholders every 3 months.  So does every other publicly traded org.   

Bad example.

And that is why I said "by law" in my original post.  Apple gives you the required info in their 10Q (quarterly) and 10K (annually) in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which is further regulated by Regulations S-X and S-K.  These laws lay out exactly what needs to be disclosed in their public filings.   Companies put the minimum information required by law in their public filings. Trust me, Apple isn't giving you any additional once they've met those regulations.  

Wow, never thought I'd bring my work into these boards.  My apologies.  

But back to TT and disclosing info.  It is none of our business.  Again, we are fans.  We are consumers.  If TT thought for a second that he answered directly to us, the Packers would turn into a disaster.  Would I like more info?  Of course.  But we're not going to get it unless we hire guys like Rex Ryan.  

He would look good with Doms headset on.....

CUPackFan posted:

He doesn't owe us any answers.  That's not how being a fan works.  

Piss off, CU. Next you will tell me I can't see the draft board the day before the draft.

CUPackFan posted:

BrainDed posted:

Apple CEO reports to the shareholders every 3 months.  So does every other publicly traded org.   

Bad example.

And that is why I said "by law" in my original post.  Apple gives you the required info in their 10Q (quarterly) and 10K (annually) in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which is further regulated by Regulations S-X and S-K.  These laws lay out exactly what needs to be disclosed in their public filings.   Companies put the minimum information required by law in their public filings. Trust me, Apple isn't giving you any additional once they've met those regulations.  

Bull****. Tim Cook is out front doing interviews, talking about the company status, upcoming products, or being out front when speculation is bad or good, as well as doing the shareholder presentations. It's not confidential company information, but he sure as heck doesn't hide from news, good or bad.  

Quit whining about "the media" like it's some sort of bogeyman. They serve a function. 

What would change on the field with this team (which is all that matters) if he spoke every month, week or day for that matter? 

Answer.......nothing

It likely wouldn't change much, but it it's good PR and management regardless. 

Agree, especially when fans are as disappointed as this year. A little PR and media management wouldn't hurt TT now and then.