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As Packers General Manager Ted Thompson awkwardly attempts to keep the fans happy while keeping the franchise’s most popular player away, he had a rough go of it today at the team’s shareholders’ meeting.
Multiple reports indicate that the majority of the thousands of shareholders who showed up today in Green Bay were anti-Thompson and pro-Brett Favre.
The Green Bay Press Gazette reports that Thompson was greeted by a number of fans shouting, “Bring Brett back.” And a PFT reader who attended the meeting estimated that three-fourths of those in attendance were booing Thompson.
For his part, Thompson tried to stay positive and look forward, not backward.
“We are family here, but family sometime disagree. But we’ll always be family,” he said. ” We’re very excited about this team coming forward.”
July 24th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
If you went to a Favre shareholder meeting, I’ll bet that the crowd would be pro favre. DUH
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 24th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
When all is said and done if Rodgers can’t do what Favre did last year - those who claimed they supported Thompson will be never heard from again.
If Bears only had a QB and Lions a GM, Thompson’s Packers would have the basement to themselves and for as long as he is there.
Favre forgot more about football when he was 25 than that career perrennial special teams player ever will know about the NFL.
Will Thompson ever be a NFL Hall of Fame GM like real GMs are? Face it- only reason Thompson got the job - those cheapskates who run the Packers hired him to do WHATEVER THEY ORDER - and of course he took the job. He had never made the money playing footbal Favre had earned because Favre unlike him, was very skilled.
Thompson is nothing more than hired help. That board doesnt want to pay another $12 million this year.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
July 24th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
All you Packer fans that don’t want him:
I hope you get your wish. You’re on a runaway train to 6-10.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Shareholders? Oh, please. The so-called Packers shareholders have as much power as the Royal Family has in the UK. Just a nice sounding title and no real power.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 24th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Support for Favre muted as Pack shareholders meet
By CHRIS JENKINS, Associated Press
Last update: July 24, 2008 - 1:17 PM
GREEN BAY, Wis. - There were plenty of No. 4 jerseys in the stands and a smattering of jeers for general manager Ted Thompson at Thursday morning’s annual meeting of Green Bay Packers shareholders at Lambeau Field.
But the meeting hardly turned into a bring-back-Brett Favre rally.
Most of the 9,375 shareholders attending the meeting pleasantly applauded Thompson and team president and CEO Mark Murphy, then gave a raucous standing ovation to head coach Mike McCarthy. The reaction seemed to indicate that many of the fans who own a tiny stake in the team they love are backing the front office in its ongoing standoff with the semiretired franchise quarterback.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
If getting a standing ovation is being rough on a person, then yeah, we were rough on Thompson. Nothing is ever lost in the telling, that is for sure.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
As a Packers fan and shareholder (though not at the meeting today), I have full faith in TT and MM. Favre did not get us to the NFC title game all by himself, and they are trying to balance their duty to the franchise with Brett’s desire to come back.
My guess is that the shareholder’s meeting did not boo Ted Thompson, but just because they cheered him doesn’t mean they don’t support Brett. He’s right, we’re family, and we’ll get through this.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
What the hell does not being as highly paid a football player as Favre have to do with Thompson’s ability to GM? That makes no sense.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
all you Favre brashers don’t know what you have. It’s like a year Old Milwaukee, it is still beer still just as good, drink it and enjoy well you can.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
wow florio, you mean your previous articles about fans turning against favre were not etirely correct?
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Bob S., how the hell does how much money Thompson made as a player have anything to do with him being a quality GM? Are you saying Brett Favre, once fully retired, will be one of the best GM’s ever?
The truth is that Thompson built this team around Favre, and that is what delivered the Pack to the NFC title game. Right now he is trying to balance what is best for the team with Brett’s desire to come back. That is no walk in the park. What’s lost in all this is that many Packer fans - myself included - are in full support of both TT and Brett. I’d like to see Favre come back, but not at the expense of the franchise.
And whoever said we shareholders don’t have any real power - try telling that to an OLD Cleveland Browns or Houston Oilers fan.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
This is laughable. I love it when fans of other teams weigh in on topics they really have no knowledge of. This PFT article was a hasty generalization (which is fine). TT is not the devil and neither is Favre. They’re both at fault for the way they handled this. The support for TT comes from the fact that whether aaron rodgers sucks or not, he has built a very, very good and young team in a short time. In the NFC north it would only take an average QB to take them to the playoffs. The Bears suck, the lions suck, and the queens have 3/4 of a team (unfortunatley it will be tough to win with no QB and no WR).
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 24th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
@46and2
“Shareholders updates: Thompson signs autographs in Atrium” How does that headline seem to indicate that it was pro Favre. Furthermore if you say ahh they changed the headline in the 2 hours, what in that article seems to say pro Favre. The quotes at the end? There were probably triple the quotes the other way, it’s not like that was a large sample. Please leave your parent’s basement.
@ BobS
Did you read your BS of a post before you hit submit. Yes Thompson skill or lack of skill as a player has a direct impact on his ability as a GM. Just like great players always make great coaches.
I for one will not in the short term change my opinion about Ted Thompson. Even if Rodgers does tank it, Thompson has done plenty right so far. His future does not hang on one event.
Lastly who are these people that run the Packers? You don’t even know, yet thanks to the internet you have a way to spout your uninformed opinion. Your ignorance is quite clear and in a way funny.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
This is not the same story I heard from those who actually attended - Nice try Mike “the real Len Pasqarelli” Florio.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
@swannyrivers,,,
You called the coach “McChunky”…? LOL
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
“When all is said and done if Rodgers can’t do what Favre did last year - those who claimed they supported Thompson will be never heard from again.”
LOL. Nobody except Favre Homers are expecting that out of Rodgers in his first year. Most rational and objective people understand that’s he’s a first year starter and that there will be growing pains. They also realize that favre has bene very underwhelming the 2nd half of his career and that last year was the exception with Brett Favre, NOT the norm. I swear, you guys are actually hoping the Packers will lose next year. The Favre homers are placing the player before the team…..and proving they are not actually Packers fans but, rather, simply Brett Favre fans.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 24th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
There is no winners here. What seems to be lost in all this mess are the simple facts:
1. After Lombardi and before Favre the Packers were crap. Favre put the Packers back on the map. You think if Aaron Rogers were the starting QB they would of earned enough money to renovate the stadium? Who did? Thats right Brett Favre.
2. Did Thompson help with the success of the Packers the last decade? No. Who did? Thats right Brett Favre. Only thing Thompson did was runout the legend Packer players and Favre is just his next victim.
3. It is well known in NFL circles that Thompson has been trying to get rid of Favre for years now and he finally got his chance to get rid of him and try and save face. Only to have Favre pull a 1-80 and put Thompson back on the hot seat. How does it feel Thompson? You will be the next one sent packing!
4. For all the Favre haters you all fail to remember who started all this crap. The Packers. They leaked out that Favre wanted back and instead of going to the media Favre sent a text to a friend to try and keep it quiet. Then the media went crazy and made Favre the lead story EVERY day. The only time we heard from Favre was on the Fox News Interview. Yet we continued to hear comments from the Packers brass. Even since his interview Favre has not talked, but the Packers do. So before you blame Favre for all the media hype don’t forget to point the finger at the ones who continue this madness and that is the Packers and the media.
5. Finally, for what Favre has done for the Packers they should step up and be men about it and say “You know what Brett we value what you did so we will honor your request” and release him. Instead they want to say he can be a backup or try and trade him to a crappy team in honor of ‘protecting his legacy’. The Packers organization are a joke and I hope Favre is traded to Tampa Bay then traded the next day to Minnesota or Chicago. Now that would be a fitting end to this story!
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July 24th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
I was at the shareholders meeting. There were a few people booing and making Anti TT comments but not very many. Most did applaude for TT.
One board member who is retiring this year even had a great comment “I told Mark Murphy that I wouldn’t ask to be traded to another team after I retire”. Most people laughed at that one. It was easy to see who there few uneducated fans were, the ones who booed and were making stupid comments about TT. It was actually a very nice time and most fans were supportive of TT and the entire team.
No way was it 3/4 of the crowd booing, very small group you could barely hear over the clapping.
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July 24th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Hey MDS,
I think you have been unfairly accused of being Mr. Mike Florio in a couple of these posts. We have never known you to be Florio up to now, and I don’t believe that’s the case now.
Second, I want to call attention to the local gazette readers posting here who seem to distrust the coverage with the thought they are close to the team management for info for stories and such. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Finally, the pattern I observe on the commentary on Favre is that the national audience is not too sypmathetic to the player. But locally in Wisconsin it seems like everything points to a very supportive fan base that wants to seem Brett come back and lead the team. The players seem to support him as well…
F2B
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July 24th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Bottom line is at the heart of the “bring back brett” rally less than 50 people showed up. What does that tell you? Minimal support, at best, for Favre.
Think of this way: If the Pats cut Brady or the Colts cut Manning thousands of people would show up. Heck, if this were 2000 then thousands would’ve shown up in support for Brett.
Support in GB is clearly in TT’s corner.
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July 24th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Well, somebody is being misleading in their reporting. Sal Pal of ESPN said that Thompson and McCarthy received standing ovations and that there were very few booing Thompson. Hmm
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July 24th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Big deal, Thompson isn’t answerable to the riff raff that showed up for the shareholders meeting. His bosses are still the board of directors and the original shareholders.
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July 24th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
This is significant and have been waiting to see how the shareholders would behave today. This type of treatment Thompson deserves, if for no other reason for the way he’s handling this and for dragging the rest of us through the mud, instead of resolving the Favre situation behind closed doors.
More here…
http://www.writing.com/main/books/action/view/entry_id/597125
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July 24th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
“Will Thompson ever be a NFL Hall of Fame GM like real GMs are? Face it- only reason Thompson got the job - those cheapskates who run the Packers hired him to do WHATEVER THEY ORDER - and of course he took the job. He had never made the money playing footbal Favre had earned because Favre unlike him, was very skilled.”
I kinda think that Berty Farve will never make the money running teams that TT has for much the same reasons.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 24th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
This post is an out and out lie. I’ve not heard or read anything that people were hostile to Thompson. If anything, they’re not buying Brett’s nonsense anymore.
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