ToughJ.Riggins
Hall of Famer
By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 26, 2008
No slack: One of the more memorable moments of the Packers' draft last season came when fans at the team's draft party at Lambeau Field showered Thompson with boos shortly after he made the surprise pick of defensive tackle Justin Harrell at No. 16 overall.
Green Bay's faithful was a bit more reserved at the party this time around, though not by a whole lot.
News of Thompson's trade out of the first round was received with cheers by the crowd of an estimated 2,000, especially after one of the Packers' projected possibilities at No. 30, cornerback Antoine Cason, went to San Diego at No. 27. The pick of Jordy Nelson at No. 36 roughly a half-hour later was met with relative silence at first and then a smattering of boos.
When Thompson made his way out to the stage, crowd reaction was split about 60-40 between boos and cheers. Thompson, true to form, responded with a wry grin before getting into the specifics surrounding Nelson's selection.
"I don't think so," said Thompson when asked later if he deserved to be booed. "But who knows? We'll see. I think the kid's going to be a really good player."
Jordy Nelson transcript
By Greg A. Bedard
Saturday, Apr 26 2008, 08:03 PM
Green Bay - Here's what Jordy Nelson had to say:
(Where are you and what are you doing)
I'm actually at a restaurant that my family just opened last November or December. So we're up here with some family and friends watching the draft. Just sitting around, I watched the whole thing, just waiting and the phone finally rang in the second round. I got it a pick or two before Green Bay was up so I didn't know who it was. I answered the phone and it was Green Bay. They said they were going to take me. I got awfully excited. I'd like to thank Mr. Murphy, coach McCarthy and all those guys up there in the organization for taking (inaudible). I'm real excited and ready to get started.
(Are you a run after the catch guy or a catch after the run guy)
I think so. It's something I've developed over the years at K State. I've been able to make a couple guys miss and get vertical, something I hope to do a lot. Not too much juking, but get vertical and get what I can get right away and not waste any time. I think at the next level where the speed is even faster than it was in college, I think that it's important not to waste a lot of time just dancing around and get vertical and get the ball north and south. I think I'll fit in well with Green Bay and I'm excited to get stated next week.
(Were you expecting to get drafted high in the second round)
It's something we really didn't know where. We were real confident about the second round, but as this last week went on I've been moving up rapidly, thinking low second round and possibly slipping into the first. I was just going to sit back and wait for the phone call and just wait for it to happen. I'm glad it did and I'm happy to be with Green Bay.
(You're going to a deep receiving corp)
They did not tell me how they're going to use me. It was just a quick conversation with a couple of guys in the room, and they told me congrats and said they were excited to have me up there. I'm just looking forward to getting into rookie minicamp up there, getting started and getting the playbook and practicing hard and doing what I can to help the program.
(Were you a regular on special teams?)
Yes, that's soemthign at K-State we focus on a lot. Our last two coaches if we weren't playing special teams we weren't playing offense or defense. So I was on punt team, returned some punts this last year, blocked on kickoff returns, so I've been involved with special teams and it's something I look forward to doing in the NFL, helping out wherever I can to keep winning in Green Bay.
(Who is your agent)
Vann McElroy.
(Could you ever imagine you'd go from walk-on defensive back to second-round pick)
Um, not really. It's something all kids dream about, wanting to play professional sports, playing football in the backyard and stuff like that. But as my career at K-State kept piling up, year after year great things are happening to me and I think that I've gotten a lot of luck. I've been healthy for the most part. I've gotten a lot of help from a lot of people that kept me improving and staying on me year in and year out to try to make the next step. It's just something that everything kept rolling. As the year went on, I got more and more, I guess, thinking that I would be making the NFL and these last couple of weeks, I've been real confident about being picked on the first day. And I'm glad they did it. I'm just ready to play some more football.
(How did you injure your PCL and were there any other injuries teams cared about)
My PCL happened my junior year. I just got tackled, I landed wrong on it, just the way I landed, I kind of strained it a little bit. It's nothing that was serious. I went all of last year without any pain. It just kept nagging me my junior year and wasn't allowing me to play full speed. But completely healthy. That's the only, that's the biggest injury I had. Everything else was just sprained ankles, little things like that, that you always get banged up playing football. I've been real lucky playing football and hopefully it continues.
(How much did you match up with Talib?)
Um, it was off and on. That was something when I was used at K-State, I moved around a lot, played a lot of slot, played outside with two receivers or one receiver. It was hit and miss when we matched up. Obviously, I think about everyone saw the play where I scored on him. But Talib's a great player. We had our battles and I think we both won our share. Everyone saw how we matched up and I think it was just a battle between two great plays.
(Know anything about GB)
I know they have quite a few guys, a lot of good guys I know. Obviously, with the stats Brett Favre has put up, he has had some guys to throw to. So I know they have a good crew, a core group of receivers and I'm just looking forward to working with those guys and hopefully mesh and become one of the best tandems in the league.
Comments
BrettYouNeedToQuit
(Are you a run after the catch guy or a catch after the run guy)
I think so.
Huh??
April 26, 2008 8:06 PM | ReportAbuse
mongoose33
Man, look at the videos. Look at how he follows blockers on that punt return. The guy looks like he's got a clue.
April 26, 2008 8:19 PM | ReportAbuse
sncalum42
BYNTQ - Huh indeed
Are they implying some receivers walk their route as opposed to running it?
April 26, 2008 8:22 PM | ReportAbuse
chris6523
Dude caught a lot of passes last year and outran Aqib Talib a couple times. Fast riser. Interesting pick.
Well, I was one of the fools that was holding out some hope TT would trade up in the first, especially with Jenkins and Mendenhall lasting longer than most expected. Today is evidence that Ted will never, ever, under any circumstances move up in the draft, I believe.
I was glad they took Brohm and not Henne. I like the Lee pick as well. I wouldn't mind seeing another d-backfield pick fairly early tomorrow. There might be a chance at RB later in the day who might surprise.
April 26, 2008 8:26 PM | ReportAbuse
eawagor
Not a bad 1st day, really like the first 2 picks, and Lee may work his way onto the field at some point this year. Nelson and Brohm are great additions both in ability and character. Both will see playing time, maybe more than we expect right now. Those 2 are as NFL ready as rookies come IMO. Lee is more raw comming in, but it sounds like his style fits the defense. Lots of early picks tomorrow, rds. 3 & 4. Can't wait till the morning!
April 26, 2008 8:33 PM | ReportAbuse
PackerTim
(Are you a run after the catch guy or a catch after the run guy)
I'm guessing he only heard the first part...
Never heard of a player being called a catch after the run guy anyway. Who the hell asked that question?
April 26, 2008 8:58 PM | ReportAbuse
Strohman
Looking like a damm good start to the draft. Nelson was a surprise pick again, but that seems to be Thompsons M.O. He has HIS draft board and clearly he sets it according to what he thinks... NOT the talking head, so-called experts.
I give up trying to guess what he is going to do. LOL At least until next year!
Nelson, Brohm, Lee... Brohm ans Lee cover two of our bigger needs. Nelson doesn't seem to, but KRob has knee problems, and DD isn't getting younger. Jennings and Jones are really good so I am looking forward to seeing these guys next year and into the future.
Brohm falling to 56 was unbelievable! Never in a million years did I see that happening... Just our good fortune I guess.
April 26, 2008 9:09 PM | ReportAbuse
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 26, 2008
No slack: One of the more memorable moments of the Packers' draft last season came when fans at the team's draft party at Lambeau Field showered Thompson with boos shortly after he made the surprise pick of defensive tackle Justin Harrell at No. 16 overall.
Green Bay's faithful was a bit more reserved at the party this time around, though not by a whole lot.
News of Thompson's trade out of the first round was received with cheers by the crowd of an estimated 2,000, especially after one of the Packers' projected possibilities at No. 30, cornerback Antoine Cason, went to San Diego at No. 27. The pick of Jordy Nelson at No. 36 roughly a half-hour later was met with relative silence at first and then a smattering of boos.
When Thompson made his way out to the stage, crowd reaction was split about 60-40 between boos and cheers. Thompson, true to form, responded with a wry grin before getting into the specifics surrounding Nelson's selection.
"I don't think so," said Thompson when asked later if he deserved to be booed. "But who knows? We'll see. I think the kid's going to be a really good player."
Jordy Nelson transcript
By Greg A. Bedard
Saturday, Apr 26 2008, 08:03 PM
Green Bay - Here's what Jordy Nelson had to say:
(Where are you and what are you doing)
I'm actually at a restaurant that my family just opened last November or December. So we're up here with some family and friends watching the draft. Just sitting around, I watched the whole thing, just waiting and the phone finally rang in the second round. I got it a pick or two before Green Bay was up so I didn't know who it was. I answered the phone and it was Green Bay. They said they were going to take me. I got awfully excited. I'd like to thank Mr. Murphy, coach McCarthy and all those guys up there in the organization for taking (inaudible). I'm real excited and ready to get started.
(Are you a run after the catch guy or a catch after the run guy)
I think so. It's something I've developed over the years at K State. I've been able to make a couple guys miss and get vertical, something I hope to do a lot. Not too much juking, but get vertical and get what I can get right away and not waste any time. I think at the next level where the speed is even faster than it was in college, I think that it's important not to waste a lot of time just dancing around and get vertical and get the ball north and south. I think I'll fit in well with Green Bay and I'm excited to get stated next week.
(Were you expecting to get drafted high in the second round)
It's something we really didn't know where. We were real confident about the second round, but as this last week went on I've been moving up rapidly, thinking low second round and possibly slipping into the first. I was just going to sit back and wait for the phone call and just wait for it to happen. I'm glad it did and I'm happy to be with Green Bay.
(You're going to a deep receiving corp)
They did not tell me how they're going to use me. It was just a quick conversation with a couple of guys in the room, and they told me congrats and said they were excited to have me up there. I'm just looking forward to getting into rookie minicamp up there, getting started and getting the playbook and practicing hard and doing what I can to help the program.
(Were you a regular on special teams?)
Yes, that's soemthign at K-State we focus on a lot. Our last two coaches if we weren't playing special teams we weren't playing offense or defense. So I was on punt team, returned some punts this last year, blocked on kickoff returns, so I've been involved with special teams and it's something I look forward to doing in the NFL, helping out wherever I can to keep winning in Green Bay.
(Who is your agent)
Vann McElroy.
(Could you ever imagine you'd go from walk-on defensive back to second-round pick)
Um, not really. It's something all kids dream about, wanting to play professional sports, playing football in the backyard and stuff like that. But as my career at K-State kept piling up, year after year great things are happening to me and I think that I've gotten a lot of luck. I've been healthy for the most part. I've gotten a lot of help from a lot of people that kept me improving and staying on me year in and year out to try to make the next step. It's just something that everything kept rolling. As the year went on, I got more and more, I guess, thinking that I would be making the NFL and these last couple of weeks, I've been real confident about being picked on the first day. And I'm glad they did it. I'm just ready to play some more football.
(How did you injure your PCL and were there any other injuries teams cared about)
My PCL happened my junior year. I just got tackled, I landed wrong on it, just the way I landed, I kind of strained it a little bit. It's nothing that was serious. I went all of last year without any pain. It just kept nagging me my junior year and wasn't allowing me to play full speed. But completely healthy. That's the only, that's the biggest injury I had. Everything else was just sprained ankles, little things like that, that you always get banged up playing football. I've been real lucky playing football and hopefully it continues.
(How much did you match up with Talib?)
Um, it was off and on. That was something when I was used at K-State, I moved around a lot, played a lot of slot, played outside with two receivers or one receiver. It was hit and miss when we matched up. Obviously, I think about everyone saw the play where I scored on him. But Talib's a great player. We had our battles and I think we both won our share. Everyone saw how we matched up and I think it was just a battle between two great plays.
(Know anything about GB)
I know they have quite a few guys, a lot of good guys I know. Obviously, with the stats Brett Favre has put up, he has had some guys to throw to. So I know they have a good crew, a core group of receivers and I'm just looking forward to working with those guys and hopefully mesh and become one of the best tandems in the league.
Comments
BrettYouNeedToQuit
(Are you a run after the catch guy or a catch after the run guy)
I think so.
Huh??
April 26, 2008 8:06 PM | ReportAbuse
mongoose33
Man, look at the videos. Look at how he follows blockers on that punt return. The guy looks like he's got a clue.
April 26, 2008 8:19 PM | ReportAbuse
sncalum42
BYNTQ - Huh indeed
Are they implying some receivers walk their route as opposed to running it?
April 26, 2008 8:22 PM | ReportAbuse
chris6523
Dude caught a lot of passes last year and outran Aqib Talib a couple times. Fast riser. Interesting pick.
Well, I was one of the fools that was holding out some hope TT would trade up in the first, especially with Jenkins and Mendenhall lasting longer than most expected. Today is evidence that Ted will never, ever, under any circumstances move up in the draft, I believe.
I was glad they took Brohm and not Henne. I like the Lee pick as well. I wouldn't mind seeing another d-backfield pick fairly early tomorrow. There might be a chance at RB later in the day who might surprise.
April 26, 2008 8:26 PM | ReportAbuse
eawagor
Not a bad 1st day, really like the first 2 picks, and Lee may work his way onto the field at some point this year. Nelson and Brohm are great additions both in ability and character. Both will see playing time, maybe more than we expect right now. Those 2 are as NFL ready as rookies come IMO. Lee is more raw comming in, but it sounds like his style fits the defense. Lots of early picks tomorrow, rds. 3 & 4. Can't wait till the morning!
April 26, 2008 8:33 PM | ReportAbuse
PackerTim
(Are you a run after the catch guy or a catch after the run guy)
I'm guessing he only heard the first part...
Never heard of a player being called a catch after the run guy anyway. Who the hell asked that question?
April 26, 2008 8:58 PM | ReportAbuse
Strohman
Looking like a damm good start to the draft. Nelson was a surprise pick again, but that seems to be Thompsons M.O. He has HIS draft board and clearly he sets it according to what he thinks... NOT the talking head, so-called experts.
I give up trying to guess what he is going to do. LOL At least until next year!
Nelson, Brohm, Lee... Brohm ans Lee cover two of our bigger needs. Nelson doesn't seem to, but KRob has knee problems, and DD isn't getting younger. Jennings and Jones are really good so I am looking forward to seeing these guys next year and into the future.
Brohm falling to 56 was unbelievable! Never in a million years did I see that happening... Just our good fortune I guess.
April 26, 2008 9:09 PM | ReportAbuse
