My fellow writer Jonathan Barnett at Last Word on Sports wrote a great piece on if the Green Bay Packers are going to make some changes this off season after the Packers nightmarish season that Packers general manager Ted Thompson shouldn’t be one of them.
Although Jonathan made some great points on why Thompson should be around, the proof is is showing otherwise. Thompson has done a solid job building the Packers roster, it was Thompson that built the Packers roster that won a Super Bowl in 2010. But living off of past performances isn’t going to win the Packers a Super Bowl now.
As the core of the Packers roster has gotten older, Thompson has insisted on building through the draft instead of bringing in veterans to help the Packers core. As key players like quarterback Aaron Rodgers and outside linebacker Clay Matthews have gotten older, Thompson has continually surrounded them with young and inexperienced players.
Building a roster the total opposite way the Washington Redskins have done, spending wildly in free agency on free agents who have known “names,” doesn’t work either. But for a team like the Packers who in recent seasons have been one or two experienced players short of making a trip back to the Super Bowl, Thompson has gone out of his way to shun the free agency process and instead looked for draft picks or even un-drafted free agents to fill vital roster spots for the Packers.
You don’t have to look far for evidence for how Thompson’s draft and develop process has failed the Packers this season. When Packers cornerback Demetri Goodson went down with a knee injury in their loss to the Washington Redskins, it was deemed a “major loss.” But when a player of Goodson’s stature, or lack thereof, goes down and is considered a “major loss,” that illustrates how poor your team’s depth is as cornerback. The Packers have been forced to put players like Goodson in prominent roles because of injuries to their top cornerbacks, Damarious Randall (groin) and Sam Shields (concussion). With the absence of Randall and Shields, the Packers starting cornerbacks have been former un-drafted free agent Ladarius Gunter and last year’s second round draft pick Quinten Rollins, a player who has battled a nagging groin injury this season.
Thompson and the Packers wouldn’t be in this situation if Thompson had re-signed Casey Hayward (signed by the Chargers last offseason) and/or Tramon Williams (signed by the Browns before the 2015 season). The Packers weak secondary would have looked a whole lot different if Hayward or Williams had been around to fill the spots of either Randall or Shields.
The secondary isn’t the only position that Thompson has struck out at. When the Packers top running backs, Eddie Lacy and James Starks, went down with injuries, the Packers were scrambling, and still are, to find a running back. It got so bad that Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was forced to move wide receiver Ty Montgomery into a starting running back role.
Draft and develop isn’t a bad way to build a roster, especially a roster that is young and needs to build cohesiveness, but the Packers are past that point. Thompson not only needs to find players through the draft and even through un-drafted free agency, but also through free agency and/or trades. What makes the draft and develop process, when you don’t use the other tools, even harder is when you miss on draft picks. Defensive lineman Datone Jones (first round), linebacker Carl Bradford (fourth round), offensive tackle Derek Sherrod (first round) and Justin Harrell (first round) have either fizzled out or haven’t panned out as of yet, making even it even tougher for the Packers and their depth.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote that the time has come for the Packers to part ways with head coach Mike McCarthy. But after studying what McCarthy has had to coach with, he might not be the issue. If Thompson isn’t going to lose his job, he surely needs to change his thinking or the Packers will continue to struggle.
