In Ted Thompson We Trust

There is seldom talk about who will be the next big name to join the Green Bay Packers through free agency. Idle speculation, such as the rumors about CB Nnamdi Asomugha that circulated during the lockout, can almost always be attributed back to bored sportswriters looking for a headline that will catch attention. It has never been Ted Thompson’s way to build a football team through paying big money to free agents, and he’s not about to start now.

Last season’s Super Bowl victory has effectively silenced many of Ted Thompson’s critics for the time being. It’s difficult to find fault with a man who was able to plug holes as big as those left by RB Ryan Grant, OT Mark Tauscher, TE Jermichael Finley, and the 13 others who were placed on the injured reserve list during the 2010 season and still win when the chips were down. Yet, somehow, Ted Thompson managed.

Despite the overwhelming odds against him, Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy came through week after week, in many cases signing players off the street with the expectation that come Sunday they would be ready to suit up and start in a league where winning a starting job can take years. Week after week, those players rose to the challenge, performing their jobs spectacularly.

The Packers were 10-6 during last year’s regular season, a mediocre record barely enough to squeak into the playoffs. There are many who are quick to point out the inconsistencies and to lament the difficulties the team will surely face this season with the championship target on our backs.

They lost to weak teams last year: the Redskins (6-10), the Lions (6-10), and the Dolphins (7-9). They also lost games to the Bears (11-5), the Falcons (13-3), and the Patriots (14-2). In hindsight, the most important thing to take away from those losses is this: every one of those games was decided by four points or less.

On one hand, a claim can be made that the Packers coaching staff lacks the skill to win a close game. On the other hand, such a claim discounts the four games that the Packers won by seven points or less during the regular season. It also glosses over the massive effort put forth by coaches and teammates alike to continually absorb new, inexperienced players into the offense, defense, and special teams while still remaining competitive. Overcoming those odds and either winning or remaining competitive throughout nine close games last season speaks more about the team in retrospect than the Ws and Ls that were recorded.

Regardless of the close games last season, it is unfair to compare last year’s championship team with the team that will remain in Green Bay by the time Ted Thompson has whittled the current 90-man roster down to 53 players.

The Packers have already parted ways with some of the men who played for the team in 2010, either through roster cuts or free agency, a sad but inevitable part of the process for a championship team. For many of these players, the time is right to leave. Their newly-minted Super Bowl rings command higher salaries and greater respect around the league as struggling teams try to imbue themselves with a touch of greatness for the upcoming year.

The cuts aren’t over yet. There are many difficult decisions to come, as the players who sat on IR last year take the field this month to compete for their positions. In an ideal world, all of that talent – old and new – would stick around in Green Bay. Realistically, it won’t. It can’t. Green Bay comes into the 2011 year with an embarrassment of riches at many positions. There simply aren’t enough roster spots for some of these talented men to make the team, and there isn’t enough space under the new salary cap to pay them all what they’re worth.

It ultimately comes down to Ted Thompson to decide who will make the team, and who will not be wearing green and gold on Sept. 8. Fans will once again put our faith in his judgment, although we might not always understand or agree with his reasoning.

He has already demonstrated his ability to build a Super Bowl championship team in the face of overwhelming odds. It’s time to see whether he can do it again, this time with a giant target on his back.