THE FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW DIRECTION OF THE GREEN BAY PACKERS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WITH THREE KEY COMPONENTS OF OBTAINING “PACKER PEOPLE,” CREATING “STABLE STRUCTURE” AND CONCENTRATING ON ‘CHARACTER AND CHEMISTRY. – Mike McCarthy Mission Statement from 2006 as it appears on Packers.com
I think it might be time for coach Mike McCarthy to update his mission statement. Or maybe it’s time for general manager Brian Gutekunst to read it. After all, wasn’t this new triumvirate of disaster Packers’ president Mark Murphy put together supposed to break down those silos that existed and help communication at the top levels?
Great start fellas.
Part 1: “Obtaining Packer people”
How can an organization talk about obtaining Packer people when the people at the top of the totem pole are the polar opposite of what they claim to be seeking?
News Flash Packers Nation! Your team is no longer run by Packer people. Your team no longer holds themselves to the standards the franchise was built on and what they did when they celebrated the ultimate successes. This is not the team I know and love.
Brian Gutekunst. You’ve got some balls man. Who are you to spit in the face of one of the all-time great Packers to ever lace them up? What’s your contribution to this organization’s success over the years? This is not rhetorical at all. I really don’t know what players you uncovered or championed… good or bad.
BUT… you were in the right place at the right time when a weak president showed a dearth of leadership rarely seen at this level of business or professional sports. I guess that alone gives you the right to insult not only Jordy Nelson, but pretty much every other player on the Packers’ roster.
Several sources (most notably Jason Wilde ESPN Wisconsin) have reported Nelson was offered slightly more than the league minimum for a 10-year vet, just over a million dollars a year. Earlier today, Nelson received full realization on just how insulting the Packers’ offer was when he signed a deal paying him $13 million guaranteed over two years with the Oakland Raiders.
Part 2: “Stable Structure.”
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
Sorry! Try again! You guys just cut the heart and soul of your entire organization, the best locker room guy and teammate in order to sign an aging tight end. Not just the heart and soul mind you, but the one player who embodies and has embodied everything this organization is supposed to pride itself on. Everything this organization USED to pride itself on.
Part 3:” Focusing on Character and Chemistry.”
Once upon a time the Packers team I grew up loving would value Jordy Nelson’s character and what he brought to the locker room. But times change and values change, even for organizations.
Mark Murphy buckled like a belt and abandoned his plan to name Russ Ball general manager once Mike McCarthy stuck his nose in those proceedings. The head coach then got his man in Brian Gutekunst, who promptly went against every point of McCarthy’s mission statement in cutting Jordy Nelson.
If this is the Packers’ leadership being on the same page philosophically, then expect a lot more failures than successes in the season to come.
They say winning cures all ills. Well you know what? I don’t even care if it turns out to be the right moves personnel-wise, because as a fan of this team, as someone who has always taken pride in the phrase “Packer People” and what it is SUPPOSED to mean, I am severely disappointed in the manner in which this decision played out and am deeply concerned about the direction of this franchise.