Last week, there was some talk about the nature of how Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson drafts. That coach Mike McCarthy has no idea who the pick will be.
This came from veteran Packers beat writer Tom Silverstein, so we took it seriously and outlined why that could be to the detriment of the team.
Well, Big Ted gave his always informational pre-draft press conference on Wednesday and disputed that notion.
Thompson insisted he does talk to McCarthy about the pick during the draft.
“We’ve always conducted it like a partnership,” Thompson said.
Okay, so it’s not surprising that a Packers beat writer was wrong about something.
The question that wasn’t asked is probably this. How much input does McCarthy get on the pick?
We know the Packers draft for need, at least in the first round or two, despite them saying otherwise. Despite that, McCarthy has historically never been quick to play those players. A recent example is Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Despite a gaping hole at safety, he didn’t start until the seventh game of his rookie season.
So is McCarthy the cuckold in this partnership? Or is that just the way things are done — we don’t start rookies immediately?
A lot of people have partnerships, but communication and compromise dictates those that are strong.
So that question remains.