Packers GM Ted Thompson focused on retaining top executives

[FlaPack]

I occasionally misread or misstate and therefore end up on a tangent. For the bold, did that come up in our discussion before? Never thought about.

On the contract side, I'm obviously one of those that believes "you sign it, you live with it". Mark's position may be true, but, regarding a signed contract, we now have an unwritten rule not to enforce a written rule? If so, why bother to put the clause in that allows the organization to refuse? Nobody who was depending on the unwritten rule would ever agree to a position with the Pack. For me, while interesting, this is starting to veer OT, so I'll leave it up to the folks who know about this.

It's not a team rike it's actually a league rule. That's my understanding. I also don't believe it's specifically in the contract. Maybe wrong on that.

I get the you sign it live with it thing. But that's not the way the league works. Unfortunately. As I said a guy signs a 5 year contract he can get related at anytime and if there is no guarantee money left he's SOL.

 

[Dubz41]

Funny how we can read the same article and take different things away from it. TT is trying to run the Packers. Not be a springboard. They were 'top heavy' a few years ago and three guys left in just a couple of years. I have no problem denying permission, especially for interviews with divisional opponents. I like seeing the lions struggle.
Anyway, here's my telling part of the article:

"A little bit," the executive said. "But nobody really complains about Ted. They like working for him. I think it's a good environment.
"Nobody's really trying to cut Ted's legs out. Alonzo would never do that. I don't think 'Gouty' would ever do that. Eliot is just waiting for his time."
He said Green Bay and Pittsburgh were the two NFL franchises in which complaints seldom were heard from employees.
How prevalent is infighting in NFL front offices?
"It goes on in 30 of the 32 organizations," the scout said. "You always have somebody that's trying to work the owner or the owner's son, or be buddies with the head coach and then the head coach can get the GM.
"Even though we're all grown men you almost have to have a baby sitter at times. It changes when guys start making a lot of money and egos get out of control."

 

[Half Empty]

It's not a team rike it's actually a league rule. That's my understanding. I also don't believe it's specifically in the contract. Maybe wrong on that.

I get the you sign it live with it thing. But that's not the way the league works. Unfortunately. As I said a guy signs a 5 year contract he can get related at anytime and if there is no guarantee money left he's SOL.

OK, I lied, I just can't let it go. As to your second point, the potential for getting released anytime after signing that 5 year contract IS IN THAT 5 YEAR CONTRACT (caps just for emphasis, as that's my whole argument). It's not fine print, it's not an unwritten rule, you know it, I know it, the agents know it, and, as you said, that's the way it is. Negotiate as much guaranteed money as you can, fine. After that, live by the contract.

Obviously, I'm way old school (not to mention just way old). I am a fan and root for the team, but I really loved it in the old days when there was no right to work in the NFL (play for the team with your rights or go find a real job), no guarantees (produce or be gone), and compensation that I could understand (play football now and sell cars or have a restaurant the rest of the year). Purely personal, purely subjective, but obviously important to the discussion. NOW, I'll try to stay out of it (as long as nobody hits an exposed nerve).

 

[FlaPack]

The devil is in the details. I've seen a standard player contract but have never seen a front office contract. I'm not sure if there is even verbiage in the contracts that state a team can block your opportunity to interview. But then there are many things in the NFL that technically are illegal such as the draft but it's protected by anti trust.
Emailed
My overall take away from this article is that the succession plan is deeper and more detailed than we suspected. Or than I suspected. Denying one guy to interview in Detroit I get that. But 3 guys?

 

[eyecatcher]

I can understand blocking 100 guys from interviewing for Detroit. I wouldn't want to allow them to hire any insider from GB. The Philadelphia block though seems like it is preventing the future successor from leaving.

 

[GBkrzygrl]

I was a little surprised to see Elliot giving a press conference. My 1st thought is that he really is being groomed to replace TT. Is that because he has a new title? Was that something that TT has done in the past and just let Elliot give the info.?

 

[Mark87]

I was a little surprised to see Elliot giving a press conference. My 1st thought is that he really is being groomed to replace TT. Is that because he has a new title? Was that something that TT has done in the past and just let Elliot give the info.?

No he did that the last couple yrs.. they trade off between TT...MM ..the area scouts and Wolf. They changed that when they reshuffled the PR dept.

 

[salmar80]

I was a little surprised to see Elliot giving a press conference. My 1st thought is that he really is being groomed to replace TT. Is that because he has a new title? Was that something that TT has done in the past and just let Elliot give the info.?

My first though was that who punched Elliot in the nose to make it curved?

Like Mark said, Packers give the podium to guys you less often hear from in the 3rd day of the draft. Doubt that it's grooming, more likely TT's having some well-earned champagne by the time those guys take the podium.

Sam Seale's press conference was a riot, though. I doubt TT liked him being that open...