What is going on at 1265 Lombardi Avenue? Seems like nobody knows, not even the Packers’ brass. In an offseason of discontent, the ouster of team President John Jones just four days before he was replace Bob Harlan leaves the Packers looking like a rudderless boat in the vast Bering Sea. In fact, it appears Harlan is about to leave the Packers in the same position he assumed them, wondering aimlessly from year-to-year. Not good.
Packers’ fans have been calling for the head of general manager Ted Thompson ever since he forwent free agency and didn’t address the Packers’ woeful offense in the draft or trade for receiver Randy Moss. I’m not quite that far with the Thompson firing, but if the Packers go 4-12 this year it will be clear he has made the wrong moves, or should I say lack of moves, thus far this year. Of course, Mr. Harlan himself is as much to blame for this mess as anyone.
Harlan certainly is responsible for the hiring of Ron Wolf, which in turn brought a Super Bowl team back to Green Bay, and his work to save Lambeau Field ensures the Packers’ future in the NFL. However, his decisions to hire Mike Sherman as general manger and now his blunder with Jones all of a sudden has the Packers spiraling out of control it seems. All we need now is for some players to get arrested and we are right back where we started from.
Harlan now has one more decision to make, and boy, is it a biggy. If Harlan fails on this one, everything he built could be destroyed. In this day and age, the Packers will not survive 25 years of losing football games like they did in the 70s and 80s. Too much money is involved and losing teams do not generate revenue.
So who do I think he should hire? Mike Holmgren. If Holmgren would be interested in leaving the Seahawks after the 2007 season, he is simply the perfect choice to replace Harlan. The Packers wouldn’t miss a beat and I promise you Mike Holmgren would not allow a losing team on the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field. Holmgren has all the qualities the Packers need, knowledge of the league as a coach, general manager and executive, not to mention his charisma, which is Harlan’s strong suit.
Certainly there is a good chance that Holmgren would not be interested in the job, Holmgren’s ego tells me there is no way he could resist it. If Holmgren has interest, the search begins and ends in the same place, at least in my mind.
Granted, saying the Packers are headed for NFL oblivion may be a bit premature, this offseason has not been one of the best. Especially when your star player, a three-time NFL MVP rips his teams’ lack of offseason moves. Thompson gives the impression that he doesn’t care what the media and public have to say and seems very comfortable with the way he is building the team. I can’t wait until training camp and preseason so we can finally see what exactly is going on here. It is going to be a long seven weeks, that’s for sure.
By Al Davis