Wednesday, October 20, 2010

PACKERS FINALLY, FINALLY CUT RB JOHNSON!!

Oh wait. Not that Johnson. Damnit...

This was supposed to be an exciting post about Ted Thompson bucking his own trends by finally giving underachieving FB Quinn Johnson the boot. Fie on it, ah fie! As it turns out, in a relatively un-newsworthy transaction, the Packers have cut practice squad running back James Johnson (who?), and signed Saints' practice squad DT, Jay Ross (say it with me this time - "Who?"). Details can be seen over at Packers.com.

Uh-Oh, I smell an editorial rant. Fair Warning!

Just Sayin'...

OK. I don't hate Ted Thompson. But winning the Super Bowl is what NFL football is all about. His unwillingness to put his busted draft picks (see Quinn Johnson) on the trading block is sometimes infuriating. His stubbornness in the realm of midseason trades is also something fans are tiring of. Building through the draft is healthy. It's the point of the draft. However, free agency and player trades are another part of front office life. As with all things, a balanced approach is best. In Thompson's case, building a strong, deep team through the draft is a solid approach, but, after 5 years, not having much of anything to show for it is hard for fans to swallow. I'm not advising the Ziggy Wilf approach of constantly flushing money into a team in the desperate pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy (#Minnesota Vikings), but somewhere in the middle would be refreshing. Example: HB Marshawn Lynch was traded from Buffalo to Seattle for a 4th round draft pick and a conditional pick in the next draft... and Thompson reportedly had an offer in?! What was his offer? A 7th round pick and two Brewers tickets in section 435? I mean seriously. Buffalo traded a starting running back for peanuts because they're a sinking ship looking to lighten the load before a rebuilding. Green Bay lost it's steady HB Ryan Grant in the first game. Although I had posted many times about giving HB Brandon Jackson a chance, after a few games it's clear that his skill set leaves Green Bay without an every down back. The results have been two-fold. With opposing teams no longer respecting the run-game, the receivers have had to work much harder for their yards. If logic follows a chain of events, star TE Jermichael Finley's season-ending injury could at least partly be blamed on his increased workload due to the constant need for the Packers to gain 8+ yards without a ground-game. Coach McCarthy has been steadfast in his stance on this particular issue, but nobody is expecting him to defy the GM during a press conference. That just doesn't happen. I'm not saying throw the bums out. I am saying that in the NFL winning is everything. Green Bay's last Super Bowl bid was 1997. At this rate, Packer Fans may start to hunker down for another 30 year drought in Title Town. I don't believe that will be the case, but I'm just sayin'...

2 comments:

  1. Yea, section 435 is not good...

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  2. The Seahawks certainly didn't think so. My friend Joe said it best, "Thompson seems to have decided that winning is less important than winning his way." Couldn't agree more, Joe.

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