Yoop wrote: ↑28 May 2021 14:59
Rodgers was throwing 70% completion ratio in 07, that his first two seasons in backup roll where much poorer, says to me the team wasn't very good either, that vid showed Rodgers under pressure on every snap against NE
sure what was not to like with Ted, we had just been through 5 years of Mike Sherman near ineptitude as a GM, Ted came in fixed the cap and got the offense back on track, Jennings and Grant, Ted was a very good GM, early years especially.
Rodgers needed to sit just like Love needs to sit, I think thats true of every QB thats ever played
Oh, I don't think Rodgers' preseason clips, brief game moments, and early struggles have anything to do with the quality of the team for which he played. Watching him move, it's a whole different world. His dropbacks look so much more labored and sluggish. His release took longer. There's a clip in that preseason rookie highlights where he gets pressured and makes an off schedule throw from a different platform and it's the ONE moment where he looks like Rodgers to me. Even the moving around in the pocket, while yes he still did/does that when he was good, his escapes looked more panicked and less planned. I dunno, just my take.
But LOTS of people found PLENTY not to like about Ted Thompson.
Until Rodgers actually played, he was still viewed by many as a wasted pick. Until Nick Collins started catching interceptions, he was always viewed as a reach and/or a bad pick. Terrance Murphy looked like a solid young receiver for a half second and then ended his career. TT's whole first draft was hated for a good 2 years before most came around on him
I was lucky. I met him and the team in 2005 and so I had reason to like him, personally. It helped me see through some things. But I also liked Nick Collins before most people because a) I respected the hell out of Ozzie Newsome, who said he planned to take Nick Collins for the Ravens if we hadn't, and b) I was into advanced stats before a lot of people were, before Football Outsiders was a partnership with ESPN and PFF existed. And Nick Collins coverage stats were lit from day one.
So yeah, I liked TT in 2008. Most Packers fans didn't. Like really, MOST didn't. Even a 74-year old memory should be able to remember and accept that. People hated TT because they thought that drafting Rodgers was a move motivated by his ego to win his own way with his own team. Sticking with Rodgers when Favre wanted to return in 2008 was seen as a battle of arrogant egos, not as a rational decision-making process that was difficult to navigate.
It's all the same things now. I mean it's nearly exact in fan response. People saying Gutey has an ego and is trying to show Rodgers who's boss. People saying Gutey didn't want to win with Rodgers because it wasn't "his" guy. I don't know Gutey (I think he was there in 2005 but nothing stands out in my memory), but I take all that with a grain of salt because it is EXACTLY what people said about TT when I personally KNEW that wasn't true.
So ya know, haters gonna hate. People are gonna retcon their memories. Hindsight is gonna hindsight.
But from 2005 through 2008, TT was polarizing at best, hated at worst. Many loud and public calls (including websites) for his firing. Many death threats received. I'm not going to get caught up in what people think about these personalities because I see that there is a plan. And I know how much a QB's development and transition matters to his success. And while the whole league keeps spinning their danged wheels around how to find the next QB, a few teams, like us, know the formula and keep grinding. I don't know if we'll get 3 HoFers in a row. But I sure as heck agree with the old Ron Wolf cliche that the best time to get a QB is when you don't need one and the worst time to get a QB is when you need one.
Hopefully Love is an All Pro and some people FINALLY start learning lessons about how to handle the position... maybe like Joe Montana to Steve Young; like Favre to Rodgers; like Rodgers to Love. Maybe you do it early. And maybe you do a better job of managing the communication so your whiny little QB won't blow up the whole team at the very thought of being replaced.
If Rodgers wants to be like Brady, he could respond to Jordan Love's being drafted the way Brady responded to Jimmy G. Win two Super Bowls and let them trade the kid because you're too good. Worked out for everyone. Jimmy G is rich. The Pats won Super Bowls. The Pats got a good pick for Jimmy. And the 49ers got TO the Super Bowl with him. If Rodgers wasn't such a pissant, that could have been us. But if he's gonna refuse to play, cool. We'll Favre him instead of Jimmying Love.
