Here's an accounting of what I would do if I were Murphy. Some may agree some will not agree. but here it goes.

There is little you can do about this problem today. Contracts are in place, your personnel is pretty much set.
As we finish out the year, You have McCarthy tell all the players they are being evaluated very closely and you are looking for a nucleus of talent to take into the future and about 80% of the roster is going to change over the next 2 years.

You cant keep sending Rodger's down this path, he'll be dead by the time he's 27. This OL is a disaster, Clifton and Tauscher are old stopgap tackles at best, the rest of the line blocks like scarecrows. I like Ryan Grant, but he's no gamebreaker and the rest are dime a dozen backs. Our backup QB's are a joke.

Going over to the defensive side of the ball. I cant really complain too much about our DL. For the most part they do a pretty good job against the run which in the 3/4 is their primary job. Id like to see more pressure on the QB from them. The linebackers are a joke. Hawk and Barnett are both ineffective, (hawk had a sack today and a pick called back, I just about fell out of my chair) Matthews shows much promise but will likely fall into the "just being another guy and do enough to keep my job" mode like so many do. The linebackers are supposed to be the strength of the 3/4, we have circus clowns running out there. The secondary has a pair of aging corners. I love Woodson, and Harris is getting older. Both of these guys are winding down and will need to be replaced in the next 2 years. The safeties are a major concern. Bigby cant stay on the field , and Collins disappears for months at a time.

Our special teams arent so special. Kickoff coverage is terrible, Crosby is inconsistent a long ranges. blocked punts and on and on and on.

If Im Murphy, I finish out this year and see where we are. One thing is clear. this team needs to be blown up. We are getting old in key spots and many current players should be entering their prime arent even close. Our depth isnt very impressive.

We cant keep going down this same road. Thompson has had time to develop this roster and has failed. Take aside the questionable starters on this team and look at just the backups. Its terrible.

As a Team President, Ive got to look at the rebuilding this roster and the process of how to do it.

Look at some of these 1st round and second round picks and the impact. These need to be IMPACT players. The foundation of your franchise. You wont hit on every one but just take a look.

Colledge
Harrell
Hawk
Brandon Jackson
Brian Brohm
Jordy Nelson

Disappointments galore. Is Thompson the guy you want making your picks for your rebuild project??

When you dont go after free agents (although I think its pretty tough to get them to GB) you cant afford misses on draft, and certainly not a draft record like above. He's had his share of hits too, but the entire roster speaks volumes

I would seriously think about handing Thompson $6 million and saying thanks we are going in another direction. We are stuck with McCarthy for a couple more years at least because his contract (3 more years /$4mill per)is too big to get out of.

I know many will disagree with this post, but I dont have enough confidence in Thompson's drafting. We got a lot of holes to fill and If Im Murphy, Im concerned about who is filling them.

I agree.

There is no reason to believe Thompson can right the ship.

The biggest hole on the team is the OL. Thompson has produced ONE decent player on the offensive line (Sitton) in five seasons.

What a joke.

I would say this team cant afford another three years of MM as HC before I would say we cant afford to fire him

The problem is two-fold for the Packers' organization right now. On the one hand, they may be hampered from doing anything about MM and/or TT because of their contracts (this is why you don't award big contracts after one good season). On the other hand, if they are going to do anything, they would need to get rid of both of them IMO. Say they fire TT and keep MM. Any new GM is going to want to bring in their own HC eventually. MM would be a lame duck in the same way Sherman was. If MM is the problem, TT can bring in a different coach, but how long does that buy him if things don't turn around? If things don't turn around and the organization wants to get rid of TT after a couple of seasons, you are back to square one where you have a new GM and likely another new HC.

Personally, I think the Packers are stuck with TT and MM for at least one more season. Maybe things will turn around, but I have little hope in the long run for the Packers with the current front office. They have had 5 years to turn things around, but this team has not gotten better.

Those would be my thoughts exactly.

If it came down to firing McCarthy and the thing holding you back was the large buyout sum, I don't think that would hold me back.

Let's not forget that he may be willing to negotiate to a lower price.

But if I had to choose between McCarthy and Thompson on who we would be better off with, I'd take Thompson. Because I disagree with the talent assessment. It's not to much different from the 2007 team, and I think the thing that can turn it all around is getting an offensive line that can excel. I don't mind the current make-up of the team. Get a couple lock-down lineman and a head coach who can manage a team, I think we could go far.

Why would McCarthy negotiate a lower price?

Rumor was that one of the reasons John Jones was let go was because he didn't agree with the decisions Ted Thompson was making. Same for why Andrew Brandt and, of course, Brett Favre decided to leave. Starting to look like they were right.


Anyway, I don't think Thompson's or McCarthy's jobs are in danger as long as Mark Murphy is in charge.

Obviously you haven't read Andrew Brandt's accounting of it. Ridiculous claims.

The GM: if this is what you're seeing as Murphy, then you're unfit for your job and should move further down the ladder. His scope is a little larger than, "Why is Nick Collins not showing up in the stat box?"

Brandt's a smart dude. He has plans for future success in this league. He's not going to spew off on National Football Post about what caused the parting between him and Green Bay. It's bad business.

One winning season. 6 wins since Indy last year. Det twice, Chicago twice, St Louis and Cleveland, and major holes in this roster with little or no depth.

QUOTE (Ammek )
Look at some of these 1st round and second round picks and the impact. These need to be IMPACT players. The foundation of your franchise. You wont hit on every one but just take a look.

Terrell Buckley
Mark D'Onofrio
George Teague
Craig Newsome
John Michels
Derrick Mayes

Disappointments galore. Is Wolf the guy you want making your picks for your rebuild project??
********************************************************************************
****************

No, but he's the guy I want making trades and using Free Agency

Reggie White
Santana Dotson
Keith Jackson
Andre Rison
Eugene Robinson
Ahman Green

Ammek, when you are looking to build thru the draft you have to hit on more than Thomspon has. Wold was also able to build depth by bringing in Jones, Jackson, Dotson. Sure the landscape has changed in regards to FA's but Wolf has his share of "hits" in building that team
Bennett
Levens
Henderson
Freeman
Sharper
Wahle
Franks
Rivera
Churma
McKenzie

Not bad picks and all contributed at a high level

and to add to that list, off the top of my head:

Driver
Flannagan
KGB
Timmerman


Wolf had some great late round picks that proved to be very good.

I don't think anyone's getting fired this year. Next year's schedule looks brutal. Maybe after 2010 we can afford to let both MM and TT go and start over. As it is, we're sort of financially tied to them. Maybe we can afford to punt on one of them this year and the other next year? I'm really not clear on how much money we can afford to throw away.


Also, can we stop talking about Reggie White? There will never again be another Reggie White caliber player in free agency.

Werd, look at how Albert Haynesworth is performing on that huge contract of his. Reggie White was a product of a different FA and cap system -- pointing at him as a 1:1 correlation to what anyone in the league is doing now isn't reasonable.

I think at this point MM's gone after the season unless he really puts together something spectacular in the next couple of weeks. He just isn't looking like he can do the things an NFL HC needs to do, specifically in terms of player development. All of his midrange guys -- the non-probowlers who need coaching because they're not perfect naturals -- just seem to get worse every year, and you can't field a competitive team without those guys.

I doubt the Packers dump TT, even though I know a lot of folks want him gone. And I really don't see him as the problem at this moment -- his main job is player acquisition, and the Packers' issue is that they are badly underperforming as a team given their talent. They should be better based on who they have on the field, and it's a coaching issue that they are not.

(I understand that TT is responsible for hiring the head coach. He gave MM a chance and he couldn't hack it -- this happens all the time in the league with head coaches. I'm not ready to advocate an entire turnover based on that given the trouble other teams have had with that maneuver.)

Anyhow, just my thinking. I'm completely new to the "fire MM" crowd too, so take that into consideration.

I agree, but the OP was claiming that hitting on early-round picks was essential to building a roster. I took the worst six players from the early rounds in Wolf's first five drafts — as the OP did for Thompson — to show that the problems are not as black-and-white as he was making out. Thompson has also had his share of 'hits' in the draft — more than Wolf at this stage in his tenure.

Free agency is another matter, and I've been vocal in my criticism of Thompson for his complacency regarding the current roster. But perhaps more than anything, Thompson's biggest flaw is his inability to find 'hidden gems' in the lower rounds of the draft. Wolf was a genius (or damn lucky) at that; the likes of Pittsburgh and Indy, whom we are meant to be emulating, do a great job. So far Thompson has unearthed Jolly, Crosby, Sitton and perhaps Lang outside the first three rounds, in spite of his famed 'trading down' strategy. That's not going to get it done.

W don't know Mark Murphy, but I just have this sinking feeling that he's in over his head. I don't believe in automatically giving a GM or HC 3 years..5 years, etc. All I look at the end of a season is realistically where does the team stand, and how long has the GM and/or HC been in place.

If things keeping going in this direction, you would have to say TT/MM have had plenty of time to build a better team than this.

Apple and Oranges: Two different systems, Under Thompsons system without using free agency or making many trades you must hit on a strong majority of your picks. You cant afford a track record like his in the top rounds where the top talent is. It doesnt mean later round players cant be good, but he isnt hitting on many of those either.

Thompson is probably 35/65 in nailing a draft pick. But is there something that shows all GM's draft successes (or failures). I really doubt Thompson ranks as low among GM's as you make it seem. I would think he's about tenth or better. But maybe I'm wrong.

Take away the 2007 season which I call "the perfect storm". His draft record and team record isnt very impressive. Whats the win lose average, like 6 wins a year???? IMO his free agent and draft philosophy isnt what is needed to rebuild this roster which under his current methods with huge OT problems and aging corners is going to get worse before it gets better.

Thompson's way of rebuilding a team, and make no mistake after Shermans GMmanship it needed rebuilding, was likely to take 5 or more years. And the Favre thing WAS going to happen with him one way or another. Both sides had a hand in that bit of bungling so I don't blame the whole episode on TT. Well ,we are at five years now and I'm just not seeing it. So, part of my discontent lies with him, but in his favor he has put the Packers on a sound financial footing which is also a large part of the GMs responsibility. Every week I become more convinced that McCarthy is our main problem. This team has zero passion. Zero. They do not win the individual matchups, and it's because the other guy wants it more. I see no urgency anywhere. I believe we have playoff caliber players on this team but the results on the field do not reflect that. That has to be laid at the coaching staffs feet.

When Murphy was hired as President we all wondered if he could make the hard decisions, and I'm sure he was hoping not to have to do so this early in his tenure, but after this season I believe he is going to have to. Some have said that the size of TT and MMs contracts will protect them. I don't think it will or should. I believe MMs team will need to almost win out for him to remain. Not so sure what will happen to TT. I think he gets a second chance with a different coach. Time will tell, and if the players tune out it's over for MM, if it's not already. And let's not talk about in season firings, it's rarely done and usually only by idiots like Al Davis or Daniel Snyder. It's disrespectful, and hugely disruptive to an organization. And unlikely to help the situation.

Well; the way I see it; for better or worse-

These guys TT & MM dug their own graves with their egos. Rodgers is a very good QB; but obviously an old Brett with all of his experience made the talent level seem better then it is and audible better then MM called plays.

When RR lost a certain game and Wolf figured out that he had lost control of the team; from that point forward he was on the search for a new HC. Didn't matter if we made the play-offs or not; Rhodes was finished. Well; this team is worse then that year. I (Murphy) would already be ringing phones and flying out of town looking for replacements. Have to let current staff finish the year out.

Now normally GM hires new coach. However; this situation is a bit different. Murphy played the game; so hopefully he learned a thing or two. And depending on the replacement of HC and maybe that person also wanting to be GM would depend on whether just MM goes or both TT and MM go. And i would believe even if a Shanahan or MH type would take the job; they would still want say/final say on player personnel and TT's duty and power would change.