I’ll grant you the fact that the Packers are in much better cap shape now than they were previously (when Andrew Brandt had to do some gymnastics every year to get everyone signed, usually by going to Favre and asking for a couple million back). In this day and age, that’s huge, and Thompson should be commended for it. But I think it’s a stretch to say Favre’s numbers were bad at the end of ‘04. Yes, everybody remembers the playoff game. But look at the two weeks before that: He led that comeback win over the Vikings and was sharp when he played against the Bears before they pulled him. The Packers were 6-2 after the bye week to win the division. Now, they were stuck in a pattern of 10-6 teams with bend-but-don’t-break defenses. All I’m saying is, Thompson chose to address it strictly with a build-young approach, rather than making a move or two where needed. Has it rebuilt the defense? Yes, although I’m still not completely sold on Atari Bigby, Johnny Jolly, A.J. Hawk and some of their other inconsistent performers. But that’s the conflict with Thompson. He’s got his approach, he sticks with it and rarely defers from it. This isn’t a referendum on his football acumen. It’s more a look at why Packer fans are so conflicted about him.

And I wouldn’t say the late-round drafting under Sherman was awful: Corey Williams and Scott Wells in ‘04, Aaron Kampman in ‘02. The bigger problem was an inability to get long-term playmakers at the top of the draft (some of which was caused by picking late every year). But of Sherman’s first-rounders, only Nick Barnett is still with the team, or even a consistent performer anywhere in the league.

As far as emotion, or candor, or openness, or whatever you want to call it: No, you’re not going to see Bill Belichick opening up much. Most NFL executives don’t. I just think in Green Bay (especially with Ron Wolf), we were used to a different standard. As I said, Thompson has his way of doing things. He believes in it, and he sticks with it. But he’s also found himself in some situations where a little more openness probably would have curried favor with fans. This is a unique market from anywhere else in professional sports, and I think you have to behave a little differently there.

Again, none of this is a referendum on Thompson. I think he’s a solid football guy, and he’s set the team up well financially. At some point, though, you have to take a shot to get over the top. It doesn’t do any good to be the youngest team in the league, have oodles of cap room and make an early exit every year. Did that chance come and go in ‘07? We’ll have to wait and see. But if this approach doesn’t get Thompson a ring, that year (and Favre) will be a bigger part of his legacy that what he wants.

We’re just trying to look at why Thompson gets such different reactions from Packers fans. Sure, all GMs will; it comes with the territory of making uncomfortable decisions. It just seems with Thompson, there’s something different there. And my point is, though the Favre decision doesn’t define his reputation, the Favre situation was a major factor in legacy from Day One.

Love the back-and-forth, so if you’ve got more thoughts, keep ‘em coming.

–Gene Bosling

I’m critical of TT’s ability to build the offensive line and running game at this point in his tenure and little else. Please, reference another GM that shows emotion? Can’t huh? It’s like getting Bill Belicheck to disclose the specifics of an injury, “it’s somewhere on the body……”