How It All Went Wrong in Packerland https://www.si.com
A one-of-a-kind franchise, a front office’s conservative approach, a roster caught in limbo, and the friction between the legendary quarterback and the embattled head coach. A closer examination of what has led to the Green Bay Packers’ most disappointing season of the past decade.
By Kalyn Kahler
November 29, 2018
Is he going to say it?
Twice a week, every week, for the past month, Aaron Rodgers has stood in front of a sea of recorders, cameras and phones, all patiently waiting to capture the speech.
In 2014, it was “R-E-L-A-X.” In 2016, “run the table.” But now it’s getting late. Rodgers and the Packers have just lost aSunday Night Football game in Minnesota, falling to 4-6-1 on the season. Those reporters, like the rest of the football-watching world, are still waiting for the quarterback to say something—anything—that will ensure the Green Bay Packers’ 2018 season will turn out O.K. Instead, Rodgers stands at the podium, left foot casually crossed in front of his right, and stoically repeats a variation of this phrase: “We’re going to need some help.”
It doesn’t feel like 2016, when they fell to 4-6 then ran the table, making it to the NFC championship. It doesn’t feel like 2014, when they were blown out in two of their first three games before flipping the switch, finishing 12-4 and coming within an onside kick recovery of the Super Bowl. As November turns into December, the Packers face the prospect of missing the playoffs with a healthy Rodgers for the first time since 2008—his first year as the starter. Observers can’t help but wonder: What is wrong with the Packers?
It’s been nearly a year since Ted Thompson stepped down as general manager. But to understand what is happening in 2018, you must look back a few years. Many interviewed for this story say the Packers’ struggles can be traced back to Thompson’s final years as GM; others who won’t say it still suggest it with their actions.
Thompson, of course, had a wildly successful overall run in Green Bay. He began his career as a front-office executive in Green Bay in 1992. After leaving for a five-year stint in Seattle, he returned to the Packers as general manager in 2005. The first selection of his first draft was Aaron Rodgers, and the team went to the postseason nine times in 13 seasons of Thompson’s GM tenure, including a Super Bowl XLV title. He will deservedly be inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in May.
Thompson was devoted to a strict draft-and-develop model, rarely signing free agents or making trades; it drove Green Bay’s success during the most of his tenure. But the draft-and-develop model falls apart quickly if the team doesn’t draft well. For instance, of the Packers’ eight draft picks in 2015, just one remains on the roster, linebacker Jake Ryan (who is currently on injured reserve). Only wideout Davante Adams and center Corey Linsley remain from 2014’s nine-man class. But even as holes in the roster began to show the past few years, the Packers remained conservative in free agency.
Some in the organization felt the reduced talent on the roster put a strain on the coaching staff. And many in the front office were frustrated as well. Sources familiar with the inner workings of the organization said that lower level personnel employees explored trades and initiated conversations with other teams, around three or four times each year, but they could never get far without the ability to counter offer, which would require Thompson’s cooperation and approval. Scouts on the pro side were often frustrated because they felt like their hard work went to waste. They would spend weeks putting together reports on all the available free agents, and Thompson would rarely sign any. At various points during Thompson’s tenure, the Packers had chances to land Randy Moss, Marshawn Lynch (a collegiate teammate of Rodgers’s) and Tony Gonzalez, but did not move on any of them. (A team spokesperson declined an interview request for Thompson.)
Ted Thompson, in the war room during the 2014 draft, served as Packers GM from 2005-17 and still consults with the team.
Evan Siegle/Green Bay Press-Gazette/AP
Multiple sourced noted the Packers’ low tolerance for “loud guys,” a general term for players who are outspoken with the media or even those who complain privately about the organization. Thompson was fiercely and famously private—if he had it his way, the team wouldn’t have put out press releases at all, even for good news like a player signing a contract extension. The term “bad guy” was thrown around amongst team decision makers, a descriptor that could range from a guy with a sordid past, or just a player who talks too much. (Example of the latter: Martellus Bennett, last season. “Yeah, that was never going to work,” says one person familiar with the inner workings of the front office.)
Thompson had full autonomy over football operations. Team president Mark Murphy, who arrived in 2007, says he met with his GM regularly, but that he doesn’t involve himself in any football decisions. Some in the organization believed that because Green Bay has no actual owner (Murphy serves as a de facto owner), Thompson’s power went unchecked. The front office as a whole got too comfortable. And the conservative, traditional culture being created became stifling for some.
Ron Wolf, the Hall of Fame GM who ran the Packers from 1991-2001, had a saying: Football is the most important thing. If we do the football part right, the result will be wins. It was a message about seeing the bigger picture, not sweating the small stuff, and taking care of the things that really mattered. Some in the organization felt like that message had been lost.
Some of the team rules became byzantine. No backwards hats on the sidelines. No undershirts showing from underneath practice jerseys. All players must coordinate and wear the same color shoes, as determined by the team. When players leave the locker room for practice, the equipment staff tidies each locker, clearing it of any unsightly hangers or extra gear.
Thompson set the rules, and it was up to Russ Ball, the VP of football administration/player finance who was seen as the only person in the building with Thompson’s full trust, to enforce them. One former Packer said that over time, these small rules add up and wear players down, causing some to question why certain things are the way they are.
“It’s an insane level of control,” says one person close to the organization. “No fun, it’s all about the Packer brand and being a vice president. The most important people in the organization are the VPs. The players and all that, that comes later.”