Green Bay Packers Management Analysis, 2008 and Beyond

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The foul stench that emanated from Lambeau Field in 2008 cannot be fully blamed on the players and coaches, nor can it be placed entirely on injuries. It requires an analysis from the top—the seeds of failure are often sown in the spring leading up the season.

Hence, I finish my examination of the Packers 2008 season and immediate future by looking at management: General Manager Ted Thompson and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy (filling the role an owner would fill in every other organization, not owned by the community).

Mark Murphy (became team CEO in December of 2007)

Murphy has the responsibility of pushing Thompson in the right direction. In his first full season in charge of the team, he failed to do that.

Typically, you want to give a guy—even if you did not hire him—the latitude to make decisions he believes in. And coming off having been the executive of the year, Thompson had earned that autonomy.

However, I believe it was Murphy's responsibility to push buttons in two areas that Thompson was clearly failing in:

Signing Free Agents

Murphy could have convinced Thompson that he needed to not make the mistake he had in 2007, when one more signing could have provided the Packers the one play they were missing to get past the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Perhaps then Favre feels satisfied enough to retire gracefully and the team avoids the mess that follows in the offseason; which brings me to the second issue...

Brett Favre

Murphy should have been able to see that Thompson was over his head and stepped in to represent the organization without fearing how Thompson's role would have been perceived.

Since Murphy is technically the ultimate authority, as Harry Truman said, "The buck stops here." He has to bear the responsibility of a team that struggled both on and off the field, and cannot receive higher than a C- for 2008 despite the many unforeseen problems the team encountered. We also have little to go on for his role in the future but what we saw in 2008, so I grade his future a C-, as well.

Ted Thompson (starting fifth season as Packers GM)

The Good

Thompson made the decision to keep Aaron Rodgers over Brett Favre. This was a controversial decision and a primarily unpopular one.

But it was the right one, both for the future and for the 2008 season. Not only did Rodgers have a better season than Favre in 2008, he had a better season than most of Favre's previous 16 despite it being his first year starting.

Thompson also signed linebacker Brandon Chillar to a free agent contract, and Chillar got ample playing time because of the injury to Nick Barnett. He drafted back-up QB Matt Flynn in the seventh round, and drafted other players who made significant contributions in WR Jordy Nelson (36th pick, 336 yards and 2 TDs) and TE JerMichael Finley (91st pick, 74 yards, 1 TD).

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