I admit I'm not doing cartwheels over the Packers 2007 draft. Ted Thompson once again played things pretty safe, which kind of mirrors his personality. He's a guy that has a history of not taking too many chances and he certainly didn't take any here either.
He could have pushed harder for Randy Moss, but apparently the asking price was too high. I don't know a lot about the 11 players the Packers selected. What I do know is that Ted Thompson has done next to nothing in terms of helping his football team for the immediate future.
But I was also completely shocked at the Packers fans that showed up at the team's draft party and booed the General Manager when he came out on stage. Fans want the prime time players, players they've heard of before. Not that people haven't heard of Justin Harrell, they just want Brett Favre to have more weapons to work with. But booing?
Ted Thompson's philosophy is and always has been to build through the draft. Don't reach for players. Take the best player available.
The Packers hold draft parties to both sell their product, but also give back to the fans. Ted Thompson is simply following through with the organizations desire to give back to its fans. He's coming out to talk to the fans as a courtesy. Booing him after the first round pick was down right rude and uncalled for. If fans want to take him to task for not spending any money on outside free agents, well that's another thing. But to boo Ted for taking Tennessee tackle Justin Harrell is unreal.
When I heard the chorus of boo's, I thought I was witnessing New York Jets fans in action. I always thought Packers fans were better than that.
If and when, this particular draft class doesn't pan out, 2 to 3 years down the road, then you can take your shots. But since Ted Thompson has been in Green Bay, a large majority of his picks have made and are still on this roster. I know Mike Sherman ran this ship aground and your patience is wearing thin. But don't you think booing the general manager at the draft party is a little over the edge?