Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Big Ups to Ted

This space is usually used to rip on Ted Thompson. Not today friends, not today. Reports out of Green Bay indicate that TT and the Pack signed my boy Greg to a long term deal.

I won't give you all the specs because I'm not that technical. I will give you my reaction though: this is good, an A-/B+ move for Ted. Why not just a straight up A? Because, I don't know if Greg is the 2nd best WR in the entire NFL just yet. Has he even been voted to a Pro Bowl yet? I guess the Pro Bowl is kind of overrated anyhow. I can live with the contract though, because as new guys get contracts they'll get more money, so it's not a huge issue. Overall I'm stoked. Here's why:

1. Jennings is the prototype of the Ted Thompson strategy. Draft a guy you've never heard of, develop him in your system, and then if he pans out pay him well. So, it's nice to see the TT philosophy playing out well in the long term, although it does make me scream at the TV occasionally in the short term.

2. There's probably not going to be a salary cap next year about this time, as it will be the last year of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFLPA and owners. So, to resign him at this time next year would have cost way, way, way more money.

3. I like Greg, he's a fan favorite, so it's nice to see Ted being interested in keeping him around.

Unrelated side note: the picture above is from what is potentially my favorite Greg Jennings moment thus far: when Favre hit him streaking down the sideline in OT vs. the Broncos. Unfortunately, I didn't see it in real time because I was moving my car as I was watching it at Spencer's dorm, and nobody ever wins on the first play from scrimmage in OT. Except then. Funny enough, Spencer and his then roommate Andrew exploded in applause, screaming at the top of their lungs, and, although they lived all the way down the hall from the elevator, could still be heard in the elevator a few floors down as I was riding back up. The girl in the elevator with me remarked about how people are idiots, and I kind of mumbled in agreement before I realized who was yelling. When I heard that it was Spencer and Andrew, I took off sprinting down the hallway as soon as the elevator doors closed.

2 comments:

  1. That was sweet! What a magical season. I'm so glad we went to a game during that season. That catch seemed to be almost typical or something to be expected during that season. Remember the big bomb that Jennings caught at the game we went to? It was right there along the sideline we were nearest to. I hope that Rodgers can master that deep ball to Jennings to stretch the field and really do some damage.

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