{"id":20307,"date":"2017-05-04T15:10:31","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T19:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=20307"},"modified":"2021-03-13T11:39:44","modified_gmt":"2021-03-13T16:39:44","slug":"closer-look-green-bay-packers-scouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/05\/04\/closer-look-green-bay-packers-scouts\/","title":{"rendered":"A Closer Look at the Green Bay Packers Scouts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lately, much has been said about Ted Thompson<\/a>\u2019<\/strong>s ability to retain players and the decision making process behind his choices.\u00a0<\/a>As soon as the first free agents moved on to other teams, fans and media just about broke Twitter. \u201cTed Thompson should be fired for losing T.J. Lang<\/a><\/strong>\u201d and \u201cHe\u2019s wasting Aaron Rodgers<\/a><\/strong>‘\u00a0prime\u201d, they tweeted. At times, it seemed difficult to follow the logic of Thompson\u2019s decisions. At the same time, one has to realize that he has a whole crew of scouts working for him. There is likely a plan, and it is built on information Thompson will have been fed from his staff. So who\u2019s on that crew? Let\u2019s take a look at Green Bay\u2019s Recon Team: the scouts.<\/p>\n

A Closer Look at the Green Bay Packers Scouts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Do you have to be a retired player to have a shot, or can anyone be, let\u2019s say, a scout? In the NHL, we see fans and former players become equipment managers, team physiotherapists, color commentators and sportswriters. So how did the Green Bay Packers scouts land here? Judging from their careers, there doesn\u2019t seem to be a set path. Instead, the Packers\u2019 scouts have varied backgrounds, but with some commonalities. For example, all have a background playing football in college, and successfully at that.\u00a0Jon-Eric Sullivan<\/a><\/strong>, Sam Seale<\/a><\/strong>, John Wojciechowski<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0come to mind here. As it turns out, scouting isn\u2019t just \u201ca thing\u201d for former NFL, NBA and NHL players. Of course it helps to have a background in the league if you want to \u201cwork for\u201d the Packers organization. Chad Brinker<\/strong> and Seale were both signed players before landing front office positions with the Packers.<\/p>\n

Previous Experience<\/h3>\n

Some of Green Bay\u2019s scouts were hired from other NFL teams. Matt Malaspina<\/strong>, a recent addition to the Packers\u2019 scouting crew, has a long list of NFL teams on his resume. John Wojciechowski was a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys before joining the Packers scouting crew. He began his NFL career as a player personnel assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He\u2019s been on the payroll of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Carolina Panthers. Like Malaspina, some of the scouts have served as scouting interns or worked their way up through the organization. Jon-Eric Sullivan was a scouting intern during the Packers\u2019 2003 training camp. He then worked his way up the ranks to finally become director of college scouting last year. Richmond Williams<\/strong> and Charles Walls<\/strong> were also a scouting intern for the Packers earlier in their careers.<\/p>\n

Not Your Average Students<\/h3>\n

If the scouts have all played college football, then they\u2019ve obviously attended post secondary education. There is, however, no commonality in the subjects they\u2019ve studied. The degrees include one B.A. in social science, one in sports management, another in economics. One scout holds an M.A. in sports administration, and Malaspina is currently pursuing an M.A. in public administration. Other choices include a certificate of entrepreneurship, a specialized-studies degree in exercise science, a degree in sociology, and a minor in African-American studies. Education, apparently, is really where you find the commonality; these are not just your average graduates. Several scouts have more than one degree, and between them, they have been awarded the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner\u2019s Award, the Carl Smith<\/a> Award for outstanding achievement in academics and athletics, and the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner\u2019s Award in recognition of academic success, and at least one of them has graduated summa cum.<\/p>\n

Not Your Average Fan<\/h3>\n

Some of the scouts currently on the Packers\u2019 payroll, including\u00a0Alonzo Dotson<\/strong>, Sullivan\u00a0and Williams, come from families with histories in football. In a world where \u201cwho you know\u201d is what counts, that should be a factor. Instead it seems that in this case, it\u2019s about \u201cwhat you know.” Apparently being \u201cwell-rounded\u201d is a prerequisite for the job. Think of it: there are literally millions of football fans. Of them, a small percentage have the prerequisite background and training, and know the game as well as these guys. And among them, only a small group will have graduated with honors or received awards like these individuals. Even fewer have stayed active in their communities by volunteering. A glance at the scouts\u2019 resumes shows them taking the time to support their communities in a variety of ways<\/a>. It\u2019s anything from coaching little league to co-chairing a youth community initiative.<\/p>\n

Interpreting the Game<\/h3>\n

Scouting is very much about how you interpret what you see. You\u2019d have to be well rounded and have an ear to the ground to be able to interpret players. This should enable a scout to pick a player that\u2019s not \u201cjust\u201d a great player, but one that will fit in with the team\u2019s culture. Once these guys recognize \u201cthat player,” they have to present their findings. Then, after that, it\u2019s up to management to make the right decisions for the team. That\u2019s where Ted Thompson has to strategize like a chess player. That\u2019s also where the gap between management and fans exists. Management has scouting reports. Fans don\u2019t. Ted Thompson knows stuff going into free agency that the average fan doesn\u2019t know. He has the scouting reports, and the scouts know the terrain that lies ahead. They are, after all Green Bay\u2019s\u00a0recon team.<\/p>\n

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