Bob McGinn was lucky enough to get himself an interview with Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson on Saturday.
Actually, maybe lucky is not the right word. Talking to Thompson seems a lot like having a nice conversation with a plant.
Ted dodged or refused to answer a large number of McGinn’s questions, but more on that in a moment.
The daddy comment was clearly the highlight of reading this exercise in watching paint dry. McGinn asked Thompson if consistently winning in the regular season is enough to make the Packers an elite franchise.
Ted replied with this gem.
“I don’t know about that. People can rank people the way they want to. I don’t know if I’m going to get involved in a contest of who said what and whose daddy is bigger than the other daddy. I think we’re a competitive football team with talented players at the superstar level. That’s a combination that gets you a little bit ahead in this league to start with. The playoffs are the playoffs. It’s not an easy league.”
Whose daddy is bigger than the other daddy?
Was that a penis reference?
It’s a new one to us, that’s for sure. Who knew Big Ted had such a way with words?
Well, at least when he actually chooses to use them.
Here is a list of questions Ted did not know the answer to or just refused to address.
- What was missing from the Packers defense in 2015? (Ted didn’t know)
- Like other great players, shouldn’t Aaron Rodgers be expected to win multiple championships? (Ted didn’t get the point of the question)
- Did Mike McCarthy and Thompson meet to discuss McCarthy’s frustrations from last season? (Ted wouldn’t discuss it and then denied a meeting took place)
- Did Eddie Lacy have a maturity issue last year? (Ted took the fifth)
- Did the Packers investigate Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers based on the Al Jazeera report? (Ted refused to talk about that)
- Would you like Matthews and Peppers to talk to NFL investigators? (Ted did not want to discuss other people’s business)
- Why did you prevent Eliot Wolf from interviewing for the Lions’ GM job? (Ted refused to answer)
- Other personnel guys were also prevented from interviewing for outside jobs — why don’t you let them? (Ted accused McGinn of misinterpreting the facts and refused to answer)
- Do you support frequent turnover on the coaching staff? (Ted didn’t know)
- Do you support McCarthy when he decides to fire a coach? (Ted wouldn’t answer the question the way it was stated)
Pearls of wisdom, people.
What we got the heartiest chuckle from — other than the daddy bit — was when McGinn asserted that Thompson is much more focused on college scouting than pro scouting. All evidence points to this being 100 percent true. We called Thompson a glorified college scouting director when he showed up at the Wisconsin Badgers pro day on the first day of free agency this year. That’s an event you send your director of college scouting to. Thompson somehow has the GM title when he only does half the job.
What did Ted have to say to that?
“Both. When you get to be an executive like me you do both.”
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Right, Ted. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
I would have asked…….Did you, or anyone in the Packers organization try to persuade Peppers and Mathews to voluntarily interview with the NFL?
More on this when time allows.
Holy hell, that’s almost Belichickian/Belichickesque with those lack of answers! Speculation on the Mike Heller Show last Thursday or Friday that this might be Ted’s final hurrah as they won’t be able to keep Wolf down any longer. We shall see.
Damn funny article Mordecai….
Truly remarkable to see Ted acting like a jerk in an interview geared towards answering many a Packers fans questions/concerns….
Perhaps he’s auditioning for a move to New England …..
I love McGinn because he doesn’t give two shits who you are. He would ask Rodgers how tight Olivia’s pussy is if he thought it was a story that had to be told. “Rodgers Defends Girlfriends Pussy Despite Rumors. Says Munn’s is the Best he’s Had.” But most of these beat writers ask the same shit year after year, just lob softballs at em after every practice and game. Fuck that, I give McGinn the Big Balls for Beat Writers award every year because hes tough with everybody.
The difference is, McGinn isn’t afraid of the Packers like other writers. He’s established and made a name for himself as a long tenured writer for the Milw. Journal. Writers like those at the Green Bay Gazette and others, feel the need to be “Packer friendly”. Mainly because they are afraid of losing their credentials. They have seen, or experienced 1st hand the wrath you get from the Packers when they ask questions of accountability or asking the tough questions that need to be asked. Unfortunately the best writer here would fit in well at the Gazette. The Packers, Ted, and mostly McCarthy will be very terse and unpleasant to Wisconsin sports writers that pose questions of accountability, or questions they are uncomfortable dealing with, no matter how valid the question is. By doing this, they are setting a tone for others of what they may, or may not ask them. Thereby instilling fear as a way of neutering the the press.
Things get different when they have to deal with the National media. That’s when you will see people like McCarthy trying to be personable and likeable. Because most of those writers aren’t worried and could care less if McCarthy jumped down their throats. That’s why you see a different persona, because McCarthy can’t control these writers with fear.
I wish more sports writers had the balls to ask those kinds of questions!
Of course he’s not going to answer questions related to organizational operations, no competent high-level manager would. He’s especially not going to answer questions related to his employees’ futures, especially ones currently under investigation, just look at the circus revolving around Eddie Lacy’s weight, people are STILL talking about that shit incessantly.
There is only one reason people are still talking about Lacys weight. that’s because he didn’t lose that much. That and because McCarthy brought it up to the media himself. So be mad at McCarthy, he FED the story. If Lacy lost like 25 lbs, they wouldn’t be talking about, other than giving him praise. I’m not gonna give it up for him, he lost maybe 10, 12lbs. but that was from about 260. To me, he still looks fat, just not as fat. It’s a “circus” because he’s still got a gut, and won’t say what he weighs when asked, and is kind of a smart ass in doing so.
In comparison, and fairness. McCarthy also gave Richard Rodgers a target of getting down to 258 lbs from weighing in the mid 270’s. Well the difference with Rodgers and Lacy is that Rodgers made his target weight. Notice no one is still talking about it?
Ted Thompson made a few nice moves, years ago. He’s still living off of them, because he hasn’t done shit lately. Wait….maybe he’s busy not second guessing people he gets paid to 2nd guess. Or does he just get paid to be a college scout? I get confused.
NO, McCarthy replied to a question concerning Lacy’s weight after half a season of being pestered with that question, he did NOT bring it up himself. Furthermore, it’s not specifically about Lacy’s weight, but his conditioning (endurance), two related but different issues.
As for TT, uh Rollins, Randall, Cook, that’s just in the past year and change. He’s made PLENTY of good moves and continues to do so.
Guion, Daniels, Cobb, etc.
Rollins and Randall showed both flashes, and busted plays. Lets see what players they become before we call them crowning jewels of Ted Thompson. Guion is a capable body. Ted clearly over paid for Cobb. I think it’s fairly safe to say James Jones outperformed him last season. Daniels is on the come, and i like him, but he’ll be the next player called out to lose some weight. I mean, he looks like he’s about to shoot out twins. As far as Cook, Ted didn’t have to stick his neck out on this signing, he didn’t have to give up anything because the rams released him (curious in its self). He also signed him on the cheap for 1 year, so it’s very low risk. And let’s be honest, Ted had pressure to participate in free agency, almost as if he had a gun to his head to “do something”.
So you can crown Thompson for these moves if you’d like. But as the GM of the Packers, what matters are results.
The results have been, plenty of playoff appearances in a weak NFC North (good job). But in the playoffs (when shit really matters). Too many losses, most in very embarrassing fashion. I don’t care who the GM is, if you have Aaron Rodgers at QB, you are going to the playoffs, even without Jordy Nelson.
Rollins had the lowest QB rating against of all qualifiers, Randall was up there in PDs and INTs going against no. 1s for much of the year.
Cobb had one bad season and was the focus of the defense, defenses with 8 and 9 man boxes, ya know, where slot receivers operate. He also took less money to stay in GB (reportedly). Exactly, we give up no compensatory picks to get the required TE type with high upside. No, not a mystery, the Rams WAAAAY overpaid him and wanted to get rid of his contract. Interestingly, another player TT picked up after he was released was Julius Peppers. I think we can all agree that’s worked out in our favor. You do realize people have different muscle comps right? My HS gym teacher had a barrel chest and belly but he was pure fucking muscle. Again it’s not about WEIGHT, but CONDITIONING. Mike Daniels is no twig, but he manages to go full throttle all game.
Almost NO ONE EVER talked about RichRodg’s weight because the media never blew the story out of proportion in the first place, because no one in the media gives a single fuck about him because he won’t garner more than a handful of clicks, unlike Lacy, I thought that was patently obvious.
Great story, especially about your HS teacher. BTW…i don’t know if you noticed Daniels huffing and puffing like he was gonna drop (in practice), but i did. So yea, maybe its not about having your gut almost touching your knee’s, it’s just about conditioning.
I have posted about R Rogers gut, long before it came to light.
Yes, Peppers was a decent signing almost 3 years ago.
Now, instaed of ignoring my last paragraph concerning results…Any thoughts sparky?