Packers promote Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst, but Thompson says it's not about the future

Terranimal said:
Maybe everyone reading too much into this? Makes for discussion in the slow off season though.

But this much do know. When that day comes and TT retires or whatever, if it's Wolf of Schneider, things will change slightly. In that we will see some free agents signed. Also think tighter leash on players not catching on cutting it being cut loose. Would also expect to see more trading.

IMO like Wolf. The year we went to the Super Bowl and had all the injuries, it was Wolf that had done the homework on players brought in and tried out.

Schneider had the luxury of lots of cap room for making errors on players and money to sign all of those players because Wilson had a bargain cap number. Now that Wilson is paid as a Franchise QB, will be interesting to see how he does on a level playing field.

Wolf on the other hand has had the benefit of seeing two different approaches and IMO could and would use the best of the two systems RW and TT used. No proof of course but more of gut feeling.
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I don't see things changing. Even after Wilson Seattle traded for Graham. As long as Rodgers Matthews Nelson and Cobb are here there will be minimal cap room to make a FA splash. Will Wolf trade number 1 pick a to aquire players? Doubtful. It still comes down to cap room and philosophy things were different in 1996. MORE FA movement. Different cap rules.
 
Sometimes promoting from within works out but it can also blow up. The Packers have been over conservative with Murphy and TT in charge. Wolf has been groomed by TT so I see very very little change if he takes over.

I think the franchise would be better served if they looked at a broad group of candidates and choose the most qualified. They will have to comply with the Rooney rule so Wolf just can't be elevated without at least one other person interviewed. Not a popular outlook but my take.
 
Guess my LOT is that maybe along the lines of coach B and the Pat's when it comes to the way they do moves for trades and use free agency. Their model obviously works by the number of super bowls they have been in during this new era.
 
Mark87 said:
Always been the guy on my radar screen as well. It will be Murphy and the BOD that make the decision not TT, in reality you can read too much into this but it's interesting timing.
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I think this pretty much means Schneider isn't coming back.. There really is no way to bring him in without taking some power away from the guys they just promoted.

I always hoped they would infuse new blood into the organization with TT's replacements. But I'm not surprised they went this route. The #1 thing with Murphy and the BOD is the bottom line (which it should be). TT is steady as she goes very little risk. Don't see why Wolfe will be any different. Even if he wanted to the BOD would put the kabash on that.

GB is about to build a mini town next to Lambeau which will bring in even more $$.. They definitely aren't gonna bring someone in who will take risks because with risk comes possible negative consequences. You may never hit a big payoff (read: SB title) with the steady as she goes approach. But on the flip side you aren't gonna get yourself in major cap/cash flow problems like NO....

Now there is the possibility that they do bring in someone else to function as a "GM"... But the real power is in the hands of these two now at a team level.

Also means MM is safe for as long as he wants to be here. Even after TT leaves,
 
Man, there are soooo many unknowns that all this talk is pure speculation. But my usual sig has been "Speculation and hindsight - the two true talents of a football fan", so whattaheck:

a) When Schneider negotiated that return clause, the Packers were clearly "his team". But is it still? He has worked hard in SEA, and made that team his own. Would he abandon his baby, and even want come back to his old fave?

b) We have zero idea what Wolf's philosophy of building a team is. None. Maybe he'd be carbon copy of TT, maybe he'd go all youthful gambler on UFAs and trades. Maybe he'd keep MM, maybe bring in his own man. (BTW, is "Wolfe" a nickname for E. Wolf, or just a very common misspelling?)

c) The situation may be different when the new GM sits in that chair. If it's in two years, THAT's when there's real reason to go all-in to capitalize on ARods final prime years. When GB starts handing out way bigger signing bonuses in extensions, that's the first sign all the chips are going in. UFA splashes will follow after that.

d) I doubt Mark Murphy would look for total outsider for GM, but it can't be ruled out. Depends on when TT hangs up...his tapes?...and who's in the house and available at that point.
 
To me this is about several things.

Rewards Wolf and Gutekunst for jobs well done and adds more responsibility and decision making to both their plates and takes them off of TT's plate. TT is not getting younger, appears to wear down at times and so maybe this is part of the process of making his work week a little lighter down the stretch. Higher pay and makes it harder for team to snag them.

It seems to put Wolf in the driver's seat for the GM job, but I'm sure the team will do some due diligence when TT is ready to step down, which could be sooner than later - as I said, there seem to be times when he looks worn out.

Schneider is certainly a wild card and I'm not sure he will step away from his situation in Seattle with a young franchise QB to go to a team in the last few years with it's franchise QB and having to face a rebuild.

Wolf serving under TT tells me nothing. Wolf also served under Wolf. The idea that Wolf would just be a TT clone is likely incorrect. I'm sure there are things that TT does on a regular basis that Wolf disagrees with. He's obviously smart enough, observant enough and likely well enough connected with the NFL to have come to his own conclusions about how to run a team. There is no guarantee that Wolf would just run things the same way TT does.
 
Seems to me that the Director of Pro Personnel is a little overkill and has about as much to do as the Maytag repairman. (Prior to that, he was the Director of Pro Personnel, a position which focuses on scouting players in the NFL, CFL, and other professional leagues.) 98% of Packer players have never played for another NFL team and they may bring one in every other year or so. That guy has enough time on his hands to be on the shout box from morning to night.
 
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salmar80 said:
b) We have zero idea what Wolf's philosophy of building a team is. None. Maybe he'd be carbon copy of TT, maybe he'd go all youthful gambler on UFAs and trades. Maybe he'd keep MM, maybe bring in his own man.
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Exactly. I think the assumption that because he came up mostly under TT, he'd probably do things the way Ted does them is very flawed. Just because he learned from the man doesn't mean he's going to copy everything he does. My father was one of the finest men I ever knew, but he also had his flaws. I learned everything I know about how to be a good man from watching him, but quite frankly, a lot of things I learned were more about how not to do things than how to do them the way he did them. I learned how to follow his good examples, and I learned how not to make the same mistakes he did.

I think that's what most intelligent people do when they have a boss who mentors them over a period of several years. Aaron Rodgers didn't spend 3 seasons standing on the sidelines watching Brett Favre and saying to himself, "Oh, boy, I can't wait until it's my turn to get in there and throw all those interceptions!" I doubt Elliot Wolf is sitting in his office thinking, "Man, just a couple more years until i get to take the phone off the hook during the entire off-season and study tape of DIII linebackers to sign as UFDAS." I would hope the man is smart enough to take what works from Ted's philosophy, and add his own ideas on how to do it better. And if he isn't smart enough to do that, I wouldn't want him as GM.

I'm not saying that if he gets the job, he'll be better than Ted, or necessarily even as good - cuz TT, despite his faults, really is a decent GM. I'm just saying that if he does get the chance, I'd be very surprised if he did everything the same way Ted does. McKenzie, Schneider, and Dorsey all learned under Ted too, but did they go out and become carbon copies as soon as they got their chance? If the answer is no, then why would we expect it of Wolf?
 
salmar80 said:
Man, there are soooo many unknowns that all this talk is pure speculation. But my usual sig has been "Speculation and hindsight - the two true talents of a football fan", so whattaheck:

a) When Schneider negotiated that return clause, the Packers were clearly "his team". But is it still? He has worked hard in SEA, and made that team his own. Would he abandon his baby, and even want come back to his old fave?

b) We have zero idea what Wolf's philosophy of building a team is. None. Maybe he'd be carbon copy of TT, maybe he'd go all youthful gambler on UFAs and trades. Maybe he'd keep MM, maybe bring in his own man. (BTW, is "Wolfe" a nickname for E. Wolf, or just a very common misspelling?)

c) The situation may be different when the new GM sits in that chair. If it's in two years, THAT's when there's real reason to go all-in to capitalize on ARods final prime years. When GB starts handing out way bigger signing bonuses in extensions, that's the first sign all the chips are going in. UFA splashes will follow after that.

d) I doubt Mark Murphy would look for total outsider for GM, but it can't be ruled out. Depends on when TT hangs up...his tapes?...and who's in the house and available at that point.
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A) that is a fair point..

B) TT would not keep someone around, much less promote them, if they had drastically different philosophies than his own. You don't do that in business and hope to keep things running smoothly. Everyone has to be on the same page and buy into the philosophy or it breaks down. Might he deviate a little? Sure, but things won't change much IMHO.

C) Agreed. That will be an interesting time for this organization.

D) Agree there is a chance he brings someone in from the outside. But I think it's slim.
 
Cheesedog said:
B) TT would not keep someone around, much less promote them, if they had drastically different philosophies than his own. You don't do that in business and hope to keep things running smoothly. Everyone has to be on the same page and buy into the philosophy or it breaks down. Might he deviate a little? Sure, but things won't change much IMHO.
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I'm not so sure on that. TT may have no idea what Elliot's philosophy is. It's not like this is a democracy where Wolf gets to make some decisions once in a while for TT to evaluate. TT makes the decisions, Wolf provides information and input. Until he's actually the one pulling the trigger who knows how he'll decide.

That said, I do agree that Wolf is not likely going to be 180 degrees different, but I don't think most people are asking for a complete 180, just a little more willing to take a risk on say a FA every year or two.

My boss and I have very different philosophies but we work well together. I do my part of the job, provide input and opinions, and get out of the way and provide support once the decision is made. I'm a team player even when we disagree. Maybe it's that way with Wolf and TT.
 
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