Tag Archives: Ted Thompson

The Packer Way – Character Matters

December 14, 2014 – 5:36 pm

There was an inspiring piece in the Journal Sentinel this morning (Sunday December 14, 2014) written by Packers beat writer Tyler Dunne about Packers RB James Starks returning this week to the Buffalo area where he grew up.  Here is the link in case you haven’t had a chance to read the article:  http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/starks-has-hopes-for-homecoming-b99407678z1-285733991.html

With all the negativity that seems to dominate the news it’s refreshing to see a positive and high character story like this.  You can’t help but tip your hat to a guy like Starks.  How can you not root for a guy who, despite having an uphill journey to begin with, has repeatedly had setbacks which caused him to lift himself up over and over again?  He’s an inspiration and a role model for kids to look up to.

While reading the comments on this article I noticed folks commenting on how proud they were that Ted Thompson drafted Starks.  One guy said that Starks is the epitome of a Ted Thompson/Packers RB.  Another told a story about how apparently the Packers swooped in and plucked Starks out from under the Chicago Bears grasp.

The draft related comments got me thinking about something I once heard from an NFL scout whose name eludes me at this moment. The scout stated that the two biggest reasons why draft choices don’t pan out are (1) injury and (2) character.

If you stop and think about it, that’s absolutely true.  And you know what else is true?  Successful organizations pay attention to character.  Look at the Pittsburgh Steelers…  the Green Bay Packers…  The New York Giants…   These organizations are known for class and integrity in their dealings.  A tone is set in each of these organizations where character matters from the top of the organization down.  Players form these organizations talk about the “Steeler Way” or “New York Giants Football”.

It’s not that these types of organizations never have bad apples.  The NFL is a violent game and NFL players live on the edge so bad things can and do happen to teams with the best intentions but by setting a standard where character matters and by bringing in high character players (like James Starks) the Packers brass are helping to lessen the odds that our starting QB will be found on a houseboat with a bunch of (cough) escorts.

As we watch the drama of NFL circus acts like the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns unfold before our eyes each year, and as we remember how terrible the Oakland Raiders were towards the final years of Al Davis’ life, it quickly becomes apparent why some organizations succeed and others fail.

Character matters.

By rgureski | Posted in Richard Gureski | Also tagged , | Comments (1)

Which Is More Important?

March 4, 2014 – 3:01 pm

After last week’s “Fiasco by the Bay”, in which what was thought to be a rather competent franchise tried to “trade” their highly successful head coach to Cleveland Browns, I thought I’d weigh in. Now, whether this is a reflection of Jim Harbaugh’s inability to get along with management, a reputation that’s been earned since his earliest days in the college ranks, or not, he has still taken the 49er’s to three straight NFC Championship games and a berth in the Superbowl. This in turn sparked a debate on local sports radio of which is more important; the GM or the head coach. And who would you rather trade, Ted Thompson or Mike McCarthy?

I’d like to begin by starting with my recollections of the arrival of these two men to the Green Bay Packer’s franchise. When Ted Thompson was hired, the divide between those who were in favor and those who were not was sharp and very deep. Even though he had helped put together a Superbowl worthy team in Seattle, and was a Ron Wolf protégé, many were still unhappy with his hire. Many were backers of the man that he replaced as GM, Mike Sherman, and in retrospect, it would seem some of the anger could even be traced back to his perceived sexual orientation.

When Mike McCarthy was hired, not only did he receive the additional wrath of the Mike Sherman fans, but he was coming from San Francisco as the Offensive Coordinator of the worst offense in the league. All of this also combined to give more ammo to the Ted Thompson haters. Of course, the only thing the two of them have done since then is deliver a 15-1 season, several Division titles and a fourth Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay. Now, neither man has been perfect. From Ted’s numerous first round strike outs to Mike’s home playoff losses, there is still some room for criticism. But then again, we are not the aforementioned Cleveland Browns.

So, who would I rather trade away, or conversely, keep? Ted Thompson. I have always been in the school of thought that successful franchises are run from the top down. The GM hires the Head Coach that he wants, and then provides him with the best players possible. It is much easier for a mediocre coach to be successful with top end talent than it is for a great coach to succeed with middle of the road players. And one needs look no further than Ted Thompson’s former employer, the reigning Superbowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Even with all of the recent praise being heaped on Pete Carroll, you can not deny that his NFL career up to this point has been at best mediocre. You can even argue that his success at the college level only came with a significant bending of the rules.

What Seahawks General Manager John Schneider did was supply Carroll with some of the best players at their position in the league. Through the draft and savvy use of the free agent market, he put together a championship caliber team. In particular a defense that even in the hands of a less than stellar coach, went out and dominated one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history in the biggest game of the season.

By andylwellman | Posted in Andy Wellman | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

In Defense of Dom

January 20, 2014 – 4:30 pm

As I write this piece it’s been exactly two weeks since a 33 yard Phil Dawson Field Goal ended the Green Bay Packers dreams of playing in Super Bowl XLVIII. Since that time it’s been impossible (in Wisconsin) to turn on a radio, pick up a newspaper or flip on the T.V. without finding someone explaining exactly what went wrong with the 2013-2014 Packers. Sadly, some of the comments being made have been ill informed personal attacks as opposed to objective critiques. Public enemy number one is none other than Dom Capers. No member of the Packers organization has been more maligned than Dom Capers. Spend fifteen minutes listening to sports radio and you will walk away thinking that Dom Capers single handedly ruined the Packers season. I for one am tired of hearing the uninformed point their fingers at Dom Capers for the Packers defensive troubles. Why someone in the media hasn’t written this piece yet is beyond me but It’s time someone stood up…. “In Defense of Dom”.

Just how maligned has Capers been of late? One sports radio host was recently outraged when at the teams season ending press conference Mike McCarthy responded to a question by calling Dom Capers an “Excellent Football Coach”. Allow me to set the record straight here. Capers has been coaching football for over 40 years; 25 of those years in the NFL and most of those 25 years in the capacity of Defensive Coordinator or Head Coach. To translate, Capers has spent the majority of the past 25 years coaching as either a head coach or defensive coordinator in the worlds highest level of professional football. He IS an excellent coach, period. To infer anything otherwise offends my senses. Furthermore, it’s ill-informed to say that Capers hasn’t been an “Excellent” Defensive Coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Did I mention he won a Super Bowl in 2010 with the Packers?

Looking at the Packers Defensive Team Rankings since Capers came aboard in 2009 you’ll find that Capers’ defense has ranked 7th, 2nd, 19th, 11th and 24th in points allowed. You have to go back to the turn of the century and then back to the Reggie White led Super Bowl defense of the 90’s to find another stretch that is equally or more impressive than what Capers has done over the past five years. In fact, going back to 1999 thru 2008 only three Packer teams achieved a ‘defensive points allowed’ ranking of 11th or better. Capers has hit that mark three times in the past five years!

What about defensive rankings for yards allowed?

Since taking over the team in 2009 Capers’ defense has ranked 2nd, 5th, 32nd, 11th, and 25th in defensive yards allowed. Only twice between 1999 and 2008 have the Packers achieved a ranking of 11th or higher. (*twice teams finished 12th). Capers’ teams topped that mark three times in the past five years. In both the defensive scoring and defensive yards allowed categories the Packers were ranked in the 20’s the year prior to Capers joining the team. Based on the numbers it’s safe to say that Capers has had a tremendously positive effect on the Packers defense.

But I can just hear that radio host saying in response that Capers sure wasn’t excellent in 2013. While I agree that the Packers defense in 2013 was poor, I would disagree that Capers is responsible for the team’s defensive shortcomings. First, let’s not act like there weren’t extenuating circumstances that contributed to the poor defensive showing. Injuries were huge. Losing Clay Matthews and several other players for chunks of the season was a major factor as was the loss of Aaron Rodgers on offense. With Rodgers out the offense struggled to move the ball which led to the defense being on the field longer and more often than they would’ve had Rodgers been under center.

I can hear the detractors all but screaming that I’m making excuses but I’m not. Coaching a talented veteran is much easier than coaching a younger inexperienced player. I think that Capers did a magnificent job of coaching the younger players who were forced to play as a result of the injuries. Injuries forced several first and second year players onto the field that in many cases were not ready to play. Heck, not only were some of these guys not ready to play anything more than special teams, in some cases these same players were forced to play out of position! Capers took rookies, second year players and undrafted free agents and he got these guys to go toe to toe with the San Francisco 49ers, a team that just took Seattle to the brink in the NFC Championship game. Let’s not forget that the Packers defense did their job against the 49ers. They held that team to 23 points. The Packers offense should normally win if the defense holds the opposition to 23 points or less. Instead of praise for Capers coaching the young guys up to play there is nothing but criticism and calls for his firing.

Capers did not do a bad job of coaching in 2013. Ask yourself if the failures of the 2013 defense were due to the coaching and schemes of Dom Capers or was it more the lack of talent and experienced playmakers on the defensive side of the ball? To put it bluntly, is it Dom Capers fault that Ted Thompson has yet to find a capable replacement for Nick Collins? Is it Dom Capers fault that the team continues to play late round and street free agent rookies and second year players at safety and other starting positions? Is it Capers fault that the team has yet to fill the void created at Defensive End when Cullen Jenkins left via free agency? Is it Capers fault that the Packers had to depend on a guy who spent the last couple years between jail and house arrest to bolster the defensive line in Johnny Jolly? If you’re going to gauge the job Capers has done then you need to factor in the talent that the defensive side of the ball has been given to work with. Wolfgang Puck is one of the top chefs in the world yet even he can’t make an omelet without eggs.

While disappointment over the season ending loss to the 49ers naturally runs deep, honest Packer fans should be willing to admit that hopes for the 2013 team to raise the Lombardi trophy were a long shot. True, the team could’ve gone on a hot streak like that of the 2010 team but objectively speaking, the Green Bay Packer roster that limped into January 2014 did not have the horses to run a Super Bowl race. Injuries, under performing players and a general lack of experienced depth are not part of the template for playoff success. Contrary to what you may be hearing, the Packers didn’t fail because of Dom Capers. If you must blame someone then you need to look at the front office. Ted Thompson stocks the cupboard with players. If Dom Capers reaches in and the cupboard is bare then that’s on Ted Thompson. Let’s hope Ted stocks the cupboard on defense this year because Dom Capers has proven what he can do when given the talent to work with.

By rgureski | Posted in Richard Gureski | Also tagged , , , | Comments (1)