Former Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson passed away yesterday. He was 68. Thompson is one of the biggest figures in recent Packers history. He only stepped down recently in a stunning announcement on New Year’s Eve. But Thompson’s impact is all over this team. From Aaron Rodgers, Corey Linsley, Kenny Clark, they’re all Thompson guys. He drafted and developed better than most. Sure, sometimes it led to Packers’ fans wanting to riot, but it mostly led to success. Thompson picked up the ball from Mike Sherman and turned the Green Bay Packers into perennial winners. Sure they only won one Super Bowl, but Green Bay always found their way to the top of the standings. Nothing did Thompson love more than to build a winner.

Listening to a variety of people talk about Thompson, it is hard to believe that people criticized him so much. All he wanted to do was build a fucking winner for the Green Bay Packers. He loved the Packers more than any of us. Sometimes in life, we don’t know until it’s gone, and maybe in a few years, there will be more of an appreciation for Thompson by the fans. It has gotten better as time went on, but that man took all the smoke and did not give one fuck.

That is the part that I respect the most about Thompson and what made me a Ted guy early on. There are some GMs that would have quivered at Brett Favre’s demands to come back to Green Bay. Then that same GM would have traded Aaron Rodgers leading to one of the biggest mistakes in NFL history. Not Ted. He stood his ground and made his decision at quarterback with Rodgers. Despite the ire from half of the fan base, Rodgers took over, and it paid off with a Super Bowl in 2010.

The mantra ‘Win it for Ted’ is out there and could not love it more. Thank you Ted and Rest in Peace.

Charlie.