Ted Thompson

For the pilot, see Alaska Airlines Flight 261.

Ted Thompson (born January 17, 1953, in Atlanta, Texas) is the current general manager of the NFL's Green Bay Packers franchise. Thompson was named to the post on January 14, 2005 by Packers president and CEO Bob Harlan. Thompson took over the general manager duties from Mike Sherman who had been serving as both head coach and general manager. Prior to becoming the Packers' general manager, Thompson served with the Seattle Seahawks as their vice president of operations from 2000 to 2004. Thompson had previously worked for the Packers organization from 1992 to 1999, serving as their assistant director of pro personnel in 1992, their director of pro personnel from 1993 to 1997, and as their director of player personnel from 1997 to 1999. Thompson also had a 10 year playing career in the NFL as a linebacker and special teams player with the Houston Oilers from 1975 to 1984.

Biography

Career as a Player

Ted Thompson was signed by the Houston Oilers as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Methodist University in 1975. Thompson won a spot as a back-up linebacker and special teams player and held this position for 10 years. Although Thompson only started eight games during his career, he proved durable playing in 146 of 147 games.

Front Office

Seattle days

Thompson worked in Seattle along with former Packers and Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren. During Thompson's five seasons in Seattle, the Seahawks advanced to the playoffs twice. Several players Thompson helped acquire through the draft played key roles on these teams. Some of the notable players Thompson selected in his tenure with the Seahawks were running back Shaun Alexander, kicker Josh Brown, guard Steve Hutchinson, and wide receiver Darrell Jackson, cornerbacks Marcus Trufant and Ken Lucas, safeties Ken Hamlin and Michael Boulware.

Thompson did make some questionable first day draft picks in Seattle, however, including first round pick Chris McIntosh in 2000, second round pick Ike Charlton in 2000, first round pick Koren Robinson in 2001, second round pick Anton Palepoi in 2002, third round pick Kris Richard in 2002, and first round pick Marcus Tubbs in 2004. In 2005, following Thompson's departure to the Packers, the Seahawks had their best success in team history, reaching the Super Bowl.

Packers

2005

Thompson replaced Mike Sherman as general manager of the Packers in 2005. When Thompson was hired the Packers were over the salary cap for the upcoming 2005 season. Some of Thompson's first decisions included declining to resign starting guard Marco Rivera and releasing starting guard Mike Wahle and starting safety Darren Sharper, three key components of the team's three-time NFC North division championship team. Thompson's first draft netted a quarterback in first round pick Aaron Rodgers, as well as defensive starters in safety Nick Collins and linebacker Brady Poppinga. The drafting of Rodgers was especially notable in that he had been expected to be selected much earlier in the draft but wound up falling to the late first round. In free agency following the draft, Thompson signed low-priced players, picking up guards Matt O'Dwyer and Adrian Klemm to make up for the losses of Wahle and Rivera. However, O'Dwyer was cut during training camp, and Klemm was benched towards the end of the season. Thompson acquired several free agents during the season that proved more successful, including running back Samkon Gado, tight end Donald Lee and wide receiver Rod Gardner. Still, the team struggled to overcome injuries at numerous offensive skill positions, most notably season-ending injuries to #1 running back Ahman Green, #2 RB Najeh Davenport and #1 wide receiver Javon Walker, and Green Bay finished the season with a 4-12 record, the worst record for the franchise since 1991.

2006

Thompson's first action during the 2006 offseason was the firing of head coach Mike Sherman, stating "This was more thinking in terms of where we are and where we need to get to." [1] Sherman was replaced on January 12, 2006 by Mike McCarthy, who came to the Packers after previously serving in the role of offensive coordinator for both the San Francisco 49ers's 32nd-ranked offense[2] and New Orleans Saints. McCarthy also served as quarterback coach for the Packers in 1999, giving him hands-on experience with franchise quarterback Brett Favre and some familiarity with Thompson.[3] The hiring was considered a surprise to many in NFL circles, as McCarthy was not considered a prime head coaching candidate despite the number of head coaching vacancies.

The Packers entered the offseason with a league best $32 million available under the salary cap. However, Thompson elected not to retain several veterans including kicker Ryan Longwell, center Mike Flanagan, or linebacker Na'il Diggs. Thompson retained several other veterans, as the team resigned Pro Bowl defensive end Aaron Kampman, running back Ahman Green, guard Kevin Barry and fullback William Henderson to new contracts. Thompson also was more active in free agency than he was in 2005, focusing mostly on defense by signing safety Marquand Manuel from the Seattle Seahawks, defensive tackle Ryan Pickett from the St. Louis Rams, linebacker Ben Taylor from the Cleveland Browns, and defensive back Charles Woodson from the Oakland Raiders.

In the 2006 NFL Draft, Thompson amassed 12 picks and continued his restructuring on the defensive side of the football. With the fifth overall pick in the draft, Thompson selected linebacker A.J. Hawk from Ohio State. Thompson later added another Big Ten linebacker, Abdul Hodge from Iowa. Thompson also nabbed eventual starter Johnny Jolly with a 6th round pick. Thompson also addressed offensive deficiencies during the draft by nabbing wide receiver Greg Jennings, guard Jason Spitz and guard Daryn Colledge. Several of these draft picks have contributed almost immediately to the Packers' lineup. Jennings, Colledge, Spitz, and Hawk started the entire year and a 5th round pick, Tony Moll, started 10 games in his rookie season while other offensive linemen were out with injuries. Jennings, Hawk, and Colledge were also selected to NFL's official all-rookie team.

2007

The 2007 season was a successful one for Thompson and the Packers. With a league-best $21 million available below the salary cap, the Packers' lone free agent signing in the offseason was former NY Giants cornerback Frank Walker. There were rumors indicating that the team was interested in trading for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss, but Moss was instead dealt to the New England Patriots. Most notably, in September Thompson traded a 6th round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft for New York Giants' running back Ryan Grant, who was starting by game eight and went on to have an outstanding season.

In the 2007 NFL Draft, Thompson selected University of Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell with the #16 overall selection in the first round (they received this pick from another team). This move was a surprise selection to many fans because Harrell was not a widely known player, had a long history of injury, and many felt the team had more pressing needs. In addition, more widely-acclaimed players such as Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn were still available at that selection. Fans and draft prognosticators also widely panned Thompson's selection of James Jones in the third round. Despite heavy criticism, Jones, and several of Thompson's other 2007 draft picks, played significant roles for the Packers during the 2007 season. Although Harrell was recovering from a college biceps injury, he played in the Packers final five games. Harrell played in seven games in 2007, starting in two. He subsequently played in six games in 2008 and is presently on Injured Reserve.[4] James Jones served as the Packers' third receiver and finished third among rookies in receiving (47 receptions for 676 yards). Other notable members of the Packers' 2007 draft class include running backs Brandon Jackson and DeShawn Wynn, who were early season starters for the Packers, Korey Hall, who served as the team's starting fullback, safety Aaron Rouse, who tallied two interceptions while filling in for injured players, and kicker Mason Crosby, who led the NFL in scoring in 2007.

Despite the offseason criticism preceding the 2007 season, Thompson and the Packers were the surprise team of the NFL through the 2007 season, as they finished the regular season with a 13–3 record. The Packers made it to the NFC Championship game, losing to eventual Super Bowl champions the New York Giants, 23-20 in overtime.

Thompson was voted Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year for his 2007 work on March 25, 2008. [5]

2008

The 2008 off-season and training camp was a rather rocky one for Thompson. While free agency was quiet, with the team's lone signing being linebacker Brandon Chillar, Thompson was at the center of a controversy surrounding quarterback Brett Favre's desire to play during the 2008 season. Thompson, along with Packers' management and head coach Mike McCarthy, were adamant about their desire to move on with Aaron Rodgers as the team's new starting quarterback. Favre, meanwhile, expressed frustration with Thompson regarding hiring and personnel decisions. As a result, on July 11, 2008, Favre asked for his unconditional release from the Green Bay Packers. Thompson had repeatedly stated that the team will not release him and at the time were engaged in a standoff with Favre that could have ended with Favre taking up to a $25 million buyout to remain retired and participate in a marketing and merchandising role with the team.

On August 6, 2008, Thompson and Favre agreed on a trade and he was sent to the New York Jets for a conditional 4th round pick. The pick was to become a third-round pick if Favre took the majority of the team's snaps at quarterback, a second-round pick if he took 70 percent of the snaps and the team made the playoffs, and a first-round pick if Favre took 80 percent of the snaps at quarterback and the Jets reached Super Bowl XLIII. The Jets failed to make the playoffs but Favre took the majority of the teams snaps; so the 4th round pick became a 3rd round pick. Favre made the AFC Pro Bowl and led the Jets to a 9-7 record, while the Packers fell to 6-10 including losing 5 of their last 6 games of the season.

Besides the obvious controversy concerning the Brett Favre unretirement and trade, Thompson was considerably criticized by his decision in the 2008 offseason to waive punter Jon Ryan. After an excellent season, Thompson chose to waive the punter. The punter was quickly picked up by Seattle and had another impressive season while the Packers filtered though punters Derrick Frost and Jeremy Kapinos. Ultimately the loss of a good punter contributed to several momentum shifts during games due to poor punts aiding the Packers in achieving a 6-10 season. After the season Thompson went on record to say that while the team did not perform well at least they did not spend alot of money on them.

2009

So far in the 2009 offseason, Ted Thompson has continued to uphold his philosophy to build through the draft. The 1st pick by the Packers (9th overall) was B.J. Raji, a defensive nose tackle who at midseason had contributed 8 solo tackles and 3 assists in a back-up role.[6] Ted Thompson, contrary to previous drafts where he was prone to trade down, traded up to obtain linebacker Clay Matthews (15 solo tackles, 7 assists, 3 sacks)[7] with the 26th pick in the draft. Thompson also made some resignings in the offseason with Jarrett Bush, Tramon Williams, Michael Montgomery, Atari Bigby, and John Kuhn to name a few. Besides that there have been few moves by the Packers organization.

Thompson has come under criticism[8] for the quality of the offensive line after starting QB Aaron Rodgers has been sacked a league-high 37 times[9] as of midseason. After the Packers handed the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first win of the season, discussion has begun as to whether the Packers should continue on with Thompson as their General Manager after the 2009 season.[10]

External links

• Profile of Ted Thompson
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article highlighting the hiring of Ted Thompson as Packers GM
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article discussing 2006 free agency to date