There’s a lot of hot takes out there (it pains me to use that phrase, but I can’t think of anything else) and most of them are stupid. The #FireTed narrative that went on from 2005 to 2009 and resumed from 2011 to present day is one of them.
There’s a lot of reasons to defend Ted. The easiest is to ask “Who else would you rather have?” to which so many detractors respond “Anybody.” Asking a Ted hater to answer that question without using the word “anybody” is like asking a Patriots fan to explain how Brady is better than Rodgers without using the word “Rings.”
Today, over on Packers.com Insiders Inbox (which I highly recommend to anyone who doesn’t read it six times a week), David from Danville, CA made a great point about the 2015 draft – particularly the cornerback options. Yes, I plucked it right from today’s column and shamelessly pasted it in here for your entertainment. Enjoy.
David from Danville, CA
This narrative that Ted Thompson whiffed on the 2015 draft is becoming irritating. What lazy analysts fail to mention is that the 2015 draft was a bust for just about EVERY GM. Only eight players picked in the first round before the Packers have made the Pro Bowl. Winston, Cooper, Gurley and Peters being the best, but all have had up-and-down careers thus far. After the Packers took Randall, 23 other cornerbacks were drafted, including Rollins. Not a single one has anywhere close to the combination of career tackles, pass break-ups, or interceptions as Randall and only two others match Rollins’ production. Of the 226 players picked after Randall, a total of six players have made a Pro Bowl and none are currently upper-tier impact players today. You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip. 2015 was simply a weak year for talent. Why the anti-Ted narrative?
Well said, David.