Is Ted Thompson any good?

In the beginning Ted Thompson (TT from now on) was thought to be a great mind, a very good drafter, and a person with Packer blood flowing somewhere in his veins.
He didn't make a big splash in free agency in 2005, prior to his first draft. A couple of guards that didn’t do much. Both gone now. He did draft a QB named Aaron Rodgers though, who is now the most mentioned name in Wisconsin. Collins and Poppinga were also grabbed in his first draft. Fans became irate, and grew madder still as the team finished 4-12 that year. Many fans and media were calling for mutiny.
Tosa Jimmy and I were both stewing, but remained calm, knowing that it wasn’t an overnight fix. Then in the 2006 off-season, as patience was wearing thin, TT grabbed Ryan Pickett and Charles Woodson as free agents, for huge dollars. Both had question marks, but the fan mutiny effort did quiet a little. TT grabbed AJ Hawk in the first round in 2006, and Greg Jennings, Jason Spitz and Daryn Colledge in the next few picks. All are quality contributors. The team finished the year 8-8, with a four game winning streak. Things were looking up, we just needed a few more pieces, and we’d compete for a division title!
With a ton of cash to spend, our young guys a year older and wiser, TT splashed into the 2007 free agent pool with the force of a child in diapers and water wings. All the banter was about Randy Moss, and how Favre wanted Moss real bad. Moss wanted to play with Favre. Oakland wanted him gone… it seemed so logical.
But TT never really wanted that to happen. Oh, he had to seem interested, but he presented his offer to Moss hoping for a rejection. With all the young talent here, he figured, why set it aside so we can have this guy for one year, then try to rebuild when he leaves? TT has always thought in the future. He’s not a Jiffy Lube, he’s more like your local mechanic. Thinks long term.
He drafted Justin Harrell, Brandon Jackson and James Jones early, along with starters Corey Hall and Mason Crosby in the later rounds of the 2007 draft. Seemingly, another solid group.
Now that we’ve witnessed a great Packer season and the retiring of the greatest of all Packers, all eyes have turned to what TT will do with a very young, talented and deep team. Will he trade up? Will he make a big trade? Or will he sit on his $35 million (once Favre turns in his retirement papers) and focus on re-upping current players, knowing that the fans will again turn on him if we fall short in the playoffs?
Either way, the answer is yes, Ted Thompson is very good.

P. Higgins
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