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I hate the Packers (FTP!) but there's a great Detroit Lions nugget in this paywall article. Enjoy!!
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has the magic touch
The "complicated fella," Miami Dolphins and others do not. Somehow, the Packers are 6-2. Sunday cast a magnifying glass over NFL GMs... for better and worse. Also inside: Quitting is in vogue.
Tyler Dunne
Oct 28, 2024
Hysteria reaches its apex the week after a soul-crushing postseason defeat. Shock shifts to anger. Questions must be answered. The Green Bay Packers have suffered their share of agonizing defeats and, to an extent, the reaction of Ted Thompson was downright admirable: He never blinked.
After Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers Tasered the Packers defense in the 2012 playoffs, the GM’s constituents (owners, technically) were understandably incensed. That night, Green Bay made the read option resemble a play from a faraway future in which there’s flying cars and vacations on Mars. Accountability was demanded. Changes. NOW. Our comment sections at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel were on fire.
Down at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. — just a few days after the 45-31 loss — I caught up with the late-great Packers boss and his stone-cold demeanor was Vintage Ted. He reiterated faith in the coaching staff and cited the team’s resolve through injuries. He promised no big changes were coming, and promptly kept that promise. From 2005 to 2017, the man who was born to scout football players built a perennial contender with such resolute calm and restraint. In hindsight, however, those fans raising Cain weren’t off-base. Football was evolving. The Draft & Develop philosophy was just then becoming outdated. Those Packers needed a jolt of urgency.
Signing more vets in the offseason and firing under-performing players during the season would’ve led to one more Super Bowl. Maybe two.
Brian Gutekunst, the team’s GM since 2017, learned the trade from Thompson. He, too, drafted a quarterback when he did not need one — took the bullets — and it paid off. Gutekunst is the first to praise his old boss at the lectern. As he should. Thompson will live forever in Packers lore. But Gutekunst’s actions suggest he has also learned from his mentor’s one mistake. GMs in charge of contending teams must be bold. Week 8 of this 2024 NFL season drew that line in the sand.
The proactive execs were rewarded.
The reactive execs (and “complicated fella” de facto GMs) are now scrambling to save their seasons.
Start with those Packers.
Last-second wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars typically do not warrant jumping for joy. But given how the first half of this season has unfolded, the Packers should pop in that Eddy J polka cassette. An MCL injury sidelined Love two games. A groin injury shut him down on Sunday. These Packers should be staring down the barrel of 3-6 into an NFC North showdown vs. Detroit. Instead, they’re 6-2. The ground underneath this franchise’s feet did not cave in.
On the cusp of the season — unhappy with the two QBs drafted in back-to-back years — Gutekunst traded for Malik Willis. And, again, Willis made the plays required to win.
Gutekunst dumped one under-performing kicker for a veteran that has now drilled game-winners in back-to-back weeks.
Aaron Jones has not slowed down in Minnesota. But Josh Jacobs has been the upgrade Green Bay needs. He’s on pace for nearly 1,500 rushing yards, currently fourth in the NFL. With one 38-yard scoring burst, we saw why Gutekunst moved on from one of the team’s most popular players. After taking the shotgun handoff, Jacobs clowns rookie cornerback De’Antre Prince with a disrespectful shimmy outside — Prince comically dives in blooper fashion — before then breaking through the arms of linebacker Ventrell Miller to gain the corner. And he’s gone.
Jacobs is younger and more durable.
Yes, the Packers have drafted receivers galore the last few years. Matt LaFleur’s offense hums best when rooted in the run game. Jacobs was identified as the man to make things go.
Safety Xavier McKinney has been worth every penny of his four-year, $67 million contract. He’s up to six interceptions on the season. Quite a departure from the days of the Packers going the entire 2013 season without a safety logging one interception. That group placed false hope into fringe pros like M.D. Jennings (787 snaps), Jerron McMillian (190 snaps) and Sean Richardson (154 snaps). Those Packers of 2011-on lacked bite on defense. Reflecting back, defensive tackle Mike Daniels was blunt to Go Long.
After Love threw an interception deep in Jags territory, McKinney got the Packers the ball right back.
All while the Packers continue to hit the jackpot on mid-round picks.
When Evan Williams — a 111th overall selection last spring — departed with a hamstring injury, this was a completely different Packers defense. He’s been a gem. Romeo Doubs was pissed off about something three weeks ago, but this wide receiver and the Packers were always best together. The 132nd overall pick in 2022 had more clutch grabs on Sunday. Love has no qualms giving him a shot in tight 1-on-1 situations. Tucker Kraft, the 78th pick in 2023, is already a top 5 tight end. The scout who saw shades of “Gronk” in the former South Dakota State Jackrabbit should get a promotion. Kraft celebrated National Tight Ends Day in style with this Gronky 67-yarder.
Gutekunst knew that drafting Love would make him Public Enemy No. 1.
Aaron Rodgers even worked the surrogates the offseason of 2021 in a failed attempt to get the GM fired.
But drafting a franchise quarterback was only the start. The best GMs are aggressive in free agency, hit on picks and stay light on their feet with the 53. Other teams that paid their quarterback over the offseason are in total panic mode. The yang to the Packers’ yin has been the Miami Dolphins. Six hours before Gutekunst extended Love at $55 million per year, Dolphins GM Chris Grier re-upped Tua Tagovailoa at $53.1M. Which is fine. We’ve seen how valuable Tua is to Mike McDaniel’s operation this season.
The problem was having no semblance of a plan in event of injury.
Tua’s injury history dates back to the dislocated right hip at Tuscaloosa. His concussions were undoubtedly a serious concern through the months of contract negotiations. The Dolphins should’ve known heading into this 2024 season that there was a very good chance they’d need to survive three to five games without their QB1. At some point. A team that went all, all, all in via mega contracts to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey and Bradley Chubb long term was A-OK being one Tua injury away from the Skylar Thompson Experience.
There were options in March. Joe Flacco signed for $8.7 million in Indianapolis. I love St. Elmo’s cocktail sauce, too, but life in South Beach probably would’ve been a smidge more appealing. Miami should’ve made Flacco an offer he cannot refuse.
Instead, a failure to invest in an adequate backup just might’ve nuked Miami’s season.
The offense was dreadful through a Tua-less 1-3 stretch. By the time Tagovailoa returned to action, on Sunday, the Dolphins were already in a must-win predicament. There was no margin for error against the Arizona Cardinals. After a 28-27 loss, they’re now 2-6 with looming road trips to Buffalo and the L.A. Rams.
This gaffe’s compounded by other gaffes, too.
Like failing to re-sign Andrew Van Ginkel, who’s been a maniac in the Minnesota Vikings’ defense.
To the extreme, of course, are those Rodgers-led Jets. The moment everyone boarded a plane west to bend the knee, and beg the QB to join them, the decision was made. Aaron Rodgers would be in charge — not Joe Douglas, not Robert Saleh. He already informed the masses that he’s got what it takes to be a general manager. After holding the Packers hostage from April to July in 2021, Rodgers of course held his infamous airing-of-grievances press conference in which he admonished Gutekunst. It made no sense then. Name to name, he listed off the players the Packers failed to keep… even though he was proving the Packers’ point all along. It was smart for Gutekunst to cut ties with most of those players. A year too early is always better than a year too late.
The Jets sold their souls, allowed their savior to sign the bones of Randall Cobb (amongst other laughable transactions), Rodgers tore his Achilles in Year 1 and — miraculously — Year 2 has somehow gone even worse. The Jets lost to the New England Patriots on Sunday to drop to 2-6. The same Patriots labeled “soft” by their own head coach. Rodgers has now gone 31 straight games without throwing for 300 yards, inconceivable in a sport rigged in the offense’s favor. He’s gotten his head coach fired. He snookered the Jets into trading for Davante Adams (and his bloated contract). None of it has changed a thing.
continued..
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has the magic touch
The "complicated fella," Miami Dolphins and others do not. Somehow, the Packers are 6-2. Sunday cast a magnifying glass over NFL GMs... for better and worse. Also inside: Quitting is in vogue.
Tyler Dunne
Oct 28, 2024
Hysteria reaches its apex the week after a soul-crushing postseason defeat. Shock shifts to anger. Questions must be answered. The Green Bay Packers have suffered their share of agonizing defeats and, to an extent, the reaction of Ted Thompson was downright admirable: He never blinked.
After Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers Tasered the Packers defense in the 2012 playoffs, the GM’s constituents (owners, technically) were understandably incensed. That night, Green Bay made the read option resemble a play from a faraway future in which there’s flying cars and vacations on Mars. Accountability was demanded. Changes. NOW. Our comment sections at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel were on fire.
Down at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. — just a few days after the 45-31 loss — I caught up with the late-great Packers boss and his stone-cold demeanor was Vintage Ted. He reiterated faith in the coaching staff and cited the team’s resolve through injuries. He promised no big changes were coming, and promptly kept that promise. From 2005 to 2017, the man who was born to scout football players built a perennial contender with such resolute calm and restraint. In hindsight, however, those fans raising Cain weren’t off-base. Football was evolving. The Draft & Develop philosophy was just then becoming outdated. Those Packers needed a jolt of urgency.
Signing more vets in the offseason and firing under-performing players during the season would’ve led to one more Super Bowl. Maybe two.
Brian Gutekunst, the team’s GM since 2017, learned the trade from Thompson. He, too, drafted a quarterback when he did not need one — took the bullets — and it paid off. Gutekunst is the first to praise his old boss at the lectern. As he should. Thompson will live forever in Packers lore. But Gutekunst’s actions suggest he has also learned from his mentor’s one mistake. GMs in charge of contending teams must be bold. Week 8 of this 2024 NFL season drew that line in the sand.
The proactive execs were rewarded.
The reactive execs (and “complicated fella” de facto GMs) are now scrambling to save their seasons.
Start with those Packers.
Last-second wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars typically do not warrant jumping for joy. But given how the first half of this season has unfolded, the Packers should pop in that Eddy J polka cassette. An MCL injury sidelined Love two games. A groin injury shut him down on Sunday. These Packers should be staring down the barrel of 3-6 into an NFC North showdown vs. Detroit. Instead, they’re 6-2. The ground underneath this franchise’s feet did not cave in.
On the cusp of the season — unhappy with the two QBs drafted in back-to-back years — Gutekunst traded for Malik Willis. And, again, Willis made the plays required to win.
Gutekunst dumped one under-performing kicker for a veteran that has now drilled game-winners in back-to-back weeks.
Aaron Jones has not slowed down in Minnesota. But Josh Jacobs has been the upgrade Green Bay needs. He’s on pace for nearly 1,500 rushing yards, currently fourth in the NFL. With one 38-yard scoring burst, we saw why Gutekunst moved on from one of the team’s most popular players. After taking the shotgun handoff, Jacobs clowns rookie cornerback De’Antre Prince with a disrespectful shimmy outside — Prince comically dives in blooper fashion — before then breaking through the arms of linebacker Ventrell Miller to gain the corner. And he’s gone.
Jacobs is younger and more durable.
Yes, the Packers have drafted receivers galore the last few years. Matt LaFleur’s offense hums best when rooted in the run game. Jacobs was identified as the man to make things go.
Safety Xavier McKinney has been worth every penny of his four-year, $67 million contract. He’s up to six interceptions on the season. Quite a departure from the days of the Packers going the entire 2013 season without a safety logging one interception. That group placed false hope into fringe pros like M.D. Jennings (787 snaps), Jerron McMillian (190 snaps) and Sean Richardson (154 snaps). Those Packers of 2011-on lacked bite on defense. Reflecting back, defensive tackle Mike Daniels was blunt to Go Long.
After Love threw an interception deep in Jags territory, McKinney got the Packers the ball right back.
All while the Packers continue to hit the jackpot on mid-round picks.
When Evan Williams — a 111th overall selection last spring — departed with a hamstring injury, this was a completely different Packers defense. He’s been a gem. Romeo Doubs was pissed off about something three weeks ago, but this wide receiver and the Packers were always best together. The 132nd overall pick in 2022 had more clutch grabs on Sunday. Love has no qualms giving him a shot in tight 1-on-1 situations. Tucker Kraft, the 78th pick in 2023, is already a top 5 tight end. The scout who saw shades of “Gronk” in the former South Dakota State Jackrabbit should get a promotion. Kraft celebrated National Tight Ends Day in style with this Gronky 67-yarder.
Gutekunst knew that drafting Love would make him Public Enemy No. 1.
Aaron Rodgers even worked the surrogates the offseason of 2021 in a failed attempt to get the GM fired.
But drafting a franchise quarterback was only the start. The best GMs are aggressive in free agency, hit on picks and stay light on their feet with the 53. Other teams that paid their quarterback over the offseason are in total panic mode. The yang to the Packers’ yin has been the Miami Dolphins. Six hours before Gutekunst extended Love at $55 million per year, Dolphins GM Chris Grier re-upped Tua Tagovailoa at $53.1M. Which is fine. We’ve seen how valuable Tua is to Mike McDaniel’s operation this season.
The problem was having no semblance of a plan in event of injury.
Tua’s injury history dates back to the dislocated right hip at Tuscaloosa. His concussions were undoubtedly a serious concern through the months of contract negotiations. The Dolphins should’ve known heading into this 2024 season that there was a very good chance they’d need to survive three to five games without their QB1. At some point. A team that went all, all, all in via mega contracts to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey and Bradley Chubb long term was A-OK being one Tua injury away from the Skylar Thompson Experience.
There were options in March. Joe Flacco signed for $8.7 million in Indianapolis. I love St. Elmo’s cocktail sauce, too, but life in South Beach probably would’ve been a smidge more appealing. Miami should’ve made Flacco an offer he cannot refuse.
Instead, a failure to invest in an adequate backup just might’ve nuked Miami’s season.
The offense was dreadful through a Tua-less 1-3 stretch. By the time Tagovailoa returned to action, on Sunday, the Dolphins were already in a must-win predicament. There was no margin for error against the Arizona Cardinals. After a 28-27 loss, they’re now 2-6 with looming road trips to Buffalo and the L.A. Rams.
This gaffe’s compounded by other gaffes, too.
Like failing to re-sign Andrew Van Ginkel, who’s been a maniac in the Minnesota Vikings’ defense.
To the extreme, of course, are those Rodgers-led Jets. The moment everyone boarded a plane west to bend the knee, and beg the QB to join them, the decision was made. Aaron Rodgers would be in charge — not Joe Douglas, not Robert Saleh. He already informed the masses that he’s got what it takes to be a general manager. After holding the Packers hostage from April to July in 2021, Rodgers of course held his infamous airing-of-grievances press conference in which he admonished Gutekunst. It made no sense then. Name to name, he listed off the players the Packers failed to keep… even though he was proving the Packers’ point all along. It was smart for Gutekunst to cut ties with most of those players. A year too early is always better than a year too late.
The Jets sold their souls, allowed their savior to sign the bones of Randall Cobb (amongst other laughable transactions), Rodgers tore his Achilles in Year 1 and — miraculously — Year 2 has somehow gone even worse. The Jets lost to the New England Patriots on Sunday to drop to 2-6. The same Patriots labeled “soft” by their own head coach. Rodgers has now gone 31 straight games without throwing for 300 yards, inconceivable in a sport rigged in the offense’s favor. He’s gotten his head coach fired. He snookered the Jets into trading for Davante Adams (and his bloated contract). None of it has changed a thing.
continued..
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