As we told you earlier in the day, the Green Bay Packers lost senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith to the Cleveland Browns. Highsmith will serve as vice president of football operations with the Browns under another former Packers executive, John Dorsey.
That’s a promotion and good for Highsmith. He spent 19 years with the Packers. Although it was assumed he would get a chance to replace Ted Thompson as general manager, Highsmith said he didn’t think he would get the opportunity to interview.
What’s interesting is what Highsmith said on his way out the door.
No. 1: He didn’t feel trusted.
“We discussed so many ideas and all kinds of stuff,” Highsmith said. “I was exposed to so much stuff today. That’s why I thought it was as great opportunity. It feels good to go somewhere that you feel like you’re trusted.”
No. 2: He felt stagnant and wasn’t having fun.
“This is an opportunity to build something from the ground up, having an input, working with John Dorsey, who I respect a great deal,” Highsmith said. “To watch his work ethic today — we watched film all day. He made me feel rejuvenated. It was a lot of fun today.”
No. 3: Other front office personnel will be leaving.
“It was a great 19 years,” Highsmith said. “I hope I did my part for the Packers to make them better. Now I’m gone and you know what, I won’t be the last guy.”
So much to process.
Let’s deal with the last one first. The Packers’ internal general manager candidates are Brian Gutenkunst, Eliot Wolf and Russ Ball. The first two are personnel guys. The latter is a finance guy.
If Ball or an outside candidate gets hired to replace Ted Thompson, Gutenkunst and Wolf are likely gone. Dorsey might just be able to rebuild the Packers’ front office in Cleveland.
If Gutenkunst or Wolf gets the job, we hear the other will stay. Who knows about Ball in that scenario, although we wouldn’t expect him to go anywhere.
It appears Highsmith believes Ball or an outsider will get the job. Ball is tight with team president Mark Murphy. They both have the same mindset — money.
The other two Highsmith comments can only be seen as shots at Thompson. He didn’t trust his personnel men or at least he didn’t make them feel trusted. Plus, it sucked to work for the guy.
Not surprising, considering the things we’ve witnessed and heard.
Betchta ol mark just loves hearin about his front office in the papers like this.
Who cares what Alfred E. Neuman thinks. This doesn’t sound good. Highsmith seems pretty excited to be somewhere else.
The players aren’t held accountable. The front office has problems. Who the hell is the president of this shit show? This is on Murphy. Murphy was and is in charge of the Packers based on his title. Murphy stands up and tells a shit load of half truths today. Trys to joke to coverup his bullshit stories. I guess what do you excpect from a guy with a law degree. A bunch of bullshit double speak. Murphy is a product of institutions he will never make a hard decision without the cover of others. Did anyone catch his bullshit about hiring a consultant, Jed Hughes, to help in the GM search. Jed Hughes is the consultant that fucking helped the Packers find that law graduate Mark Murphy. Yes this ought to go well the guy who let the team go to hell as President, and CEO of the team, along with the guy who helped find him making a decision on the new GM. I don’t have great faith.
lol…yea, his fake ass laugh was amusing. The old saying is correct, problems start at the top, shit flows downhill.
Mark Murphy is the essence, of not holding anyone accountable, and he set that pace, and made it acceptable, for everyone below him.
What we thought was a great move, and overdue, has the potential to be a train wreck. As more info comes out, it seems we learn more about the front office dysfunction.
According to Murphy, there was no firing of the GM, but rather a mutually agreed “transition”. Nothing to see here, move along people…lol
My best guess…… Murphy’s plan is to “transition” Russ Ball into the General Manager, thereby utilizing Thompson’s transition as the new Senior Adviser of football operations, specifically to help the new GM as Murphy referenced in his presser.
Now, i’m not saying i’m right on this, but lets face the facts of how highly successful i’ve been on here in the past. It also wouldn’t be out of line for my genius and brilliance to be recognized by all you fine people.
This us exactly why I thought it would be worse. If Ball ends up being GM, this will be disaster. Much worse than TT getting about one pick right per draft
If I am Aaron Rodgers I don’t resign with this mess
So according to an article I read on SI, Russ Ball is apparently the favorite. Ugh. With TT whispering in his ear. I have my doubts about Wolf, but damn, I feel loads better about someone that has been a scout as opposed to a finance guy. Oh, and Guttenkunst is supposedly interested in the Texans job.
Even considering Russ Ball — even giving him an interview — is a mark of high incompetence. Murphy wants someone he can control who kisses his ass and that is more important than actual competence for the job. A GM should be one of the 32 best qualified FOOTBALL GURUS. Ball is utterly unqualified. I could find a better GM in the window of my local Taco Bell. (+ she is nice with a sweet voice that totally belies the arm tattoos.)
If Ball is not hired it will only be due to the public outcry pre-hire. If he thinks he can get away with it, it will be Ball.
Mark my words: Ball will make you wish you had Trent Baalke as GM. That’s right, I just issued the most severe GM critique possible to mankind. And I mean it.
Well, this is just marvelous. The foolish “leadership” of Murphy must be ended. The board must act.