Another National Football League Trading deadline has come and gone and once again, the Green Bay Packers have stayed on the sidelines. Oh, there were plenty of incoming and outgoing phone calls, but General Manager Brian Gutekunst wasn’t able to complete a deal.
In the case of Pittsburgh sending wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears no less, there were reports Gutekunst matched Chicago’s bait of a second round pick next year, but the Steelers must feel Chicago’s pick will be a little higher up the board. By not adding another target for the “work in progress” passing game this year, Gutekunst is going to get roasted by the populace. If he claims they tried, that faction of fandom will dismiss it with “same old Packers”. They may have a point that from Ron Wolf, through Ted Thompson and now Gutekunst, Green Bay GM’s have, like most of the league up until this year, yawned at the mid-season wheeling and dealing deadline.
A total of ten deadline day deals were made in the NFL, ten. That’s as robust as it’s ever been. In the past, most were content to play out a season with the roster they had. Considering the Head Coaching turnover in recent years, already an early season dismissal in Carolina, franchises appear to be more desperate to roll the dice or push the chips all in for that one, big run to the Super Bowl. The odds are stacked against ’em.
The patient approach, in line with what the Packers have done since Wolf arrived 31 years ago this month, is draft well, identify and retain core players and yes, line up every Sunday with a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback. Wolf knew he was going to trade for Brett Favre his first week on the job, hoping to get a glimpse of him as a Falcon in 1991. Thompson, some seem to forget, drafted Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Those hall of famers didn’t fall into their lap maybe Rodgers did with his first round slide.
I can already hear the clamor: “You’ve won only 2 Super Bowls in 30 years with those quarterbacks!”
True, but there have been four Head Coaching changes since Mike Holmgren arrived. Personnel turnover has been constant and outside of a few serious bumps in the road, the Ray Rhodes experiment for one, a couple broken collarbones for another, the Packers have been considered a serious Super Bowl contender for nearly the entire three decades. Since 1992, the Packers have won 15 Division titles, made the playoffs 22 times and reached the Conference Championship Game nine times. Yes, just a pair of Vince Lombardi trophies added. Consistently being in the conversation for another is the blueprint and my argument is the Packers have done this about as well as any franchise in the league outside of the Belichick-Brady marriage in New England and possibly the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Consider this. Since 1992, 18 of the NFL’s 32 franchises are without a Super Bowl victory. 56% of the league, and their fan bases, can only dream of how the Packers have sustained one of the most competitive teams. 8 teams haven’t even made it to the big game: Minnesota and Detroit from the good old Black and Blue, no wonder they despise the Pack out of envy. Washington, Miami and the New York Jets’ long ago glory has been forgotten. Cleveland, Jacksonville and Houston are hoping some year they’ll make it. In the last 30 years, four franchises haven’t even made it to a conference championship game (Washington, Detroit, Cleveland, Houston).
There are one year wonders almost every year. Give me a club in the hunt annually.
It may not happen this year in Titletown. At 3-5 and teetering on the brink of “wait ’till next year”, the Packers have decided against compromising future draft picks for a quick fix right now. Gutekunst was willing to add to the wide receiver mix but appears fine letting the current cast heal up and have the entire offense, pick up it’s game and fast. The Packers have not had their preferred five receivers, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson on the field together for a single game this season. The curiosity to see that group develop probably killed the cat on a deal. They may have less than a third of the 2022 season to show what it could be like.
Thompson always said of his position, “This ain’t fantasy football.”
I can only imagine what social media and talk show pontificators would have said about how the Packer franchise operated from Dan Devine’s hiring to Lindy Infante’s firing. I covered nearly all of it. A down year is hard to watch, no question, but think of all those fans for all those teams that long for what the Packers have consistently delivered.
No deal on trade deadline day again?
No big deal.
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