Without a doubt, at this point, with a lackluster 4-4 record midway through the season, there's plenty of blame to go around at 1265 Lombardi Avenue, but in the end, this possible disaster of a season lies solely at the feet of the general manager and his hand-picked head coach.
For all his talk about building through the draft - a respectable notion, to be sure - Thompson has practically come up empty.
Taking 2009 out of the equation (it's way, way too early to assess this year's selections), Thompson has made 43 choices and, heading into the year, only 10 were starters. Only one of those players, safety Nick Collins, has played in the Pro Bowl.
Nowhere is Thompson's draft futility more evident than on the Packers' offensive line.
The Packers' biggest and most-glaring weakness thus far has been its sieve-like front five. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been sacked a league-leading 37 times. Will Whitticker, Darren College, Allen Barbre and Jason Spitz are among the picks spent with the hops of bolstering the offensive line, but none have emerged as Pro Bowl caliber talent.
With Rodgers penchant for eating turf in mind, McCarthy is the next logical culprit.
That the head coach hasn't adjusted his game plan to include more short drops and quick outs - plays that would allow his quarterback to stay upright and his offense to move the ball - is nothing short of mind-boggling.
Rodgers has got to be the best-conditioned quarterback in the league, considering how frequently he's been on the run this season. One would have to think that Rodgers' numbers, as well as those of the offense, would be greatly improved ifhe had any sort of protection ... or a legitimate running game to keep opposing defenses honest.
It's looking more and more like that 13-3 record in 2007 was a fluke. Even if Thompson hasn't provided top-caliber talent, it's still up to McCarthy to make sure those players - regardless of their ability - are ready to go come Sunday afternoon.
When a team commits the second-most penalties in the league (57, for 477 yards), that's a sure-fire sign that McCarthy is not preparing his team or instilling a sense of discipline.
Forget for a second about the whole Brett Favre thing. He's come, he's kicked the Packers' butts twice and, sadly, it didn't have to be that way. The Packers' problems lie much, much deeper than the current Minnesota Vikings quarterback.
Even Favre couldn't save this team.
Aaron Rodgers, assuming he's still able to walk after this season, is a franchise quarterback. Say what you want about Favre, but Thompson should be credited for making the difficult decision to hand Rodgers the reigns.
It had to happen sooner or later, and the timing was right.
Rodgers is a franchise quarterback. It's that simple. He's shown, given the right protection and surrounding talent, he has what it takes to be "the guy" in the National Football League.
The fifth-year pro leads the league with a 110.4 passer rating and is near the top with 1,989 yards (seventh), completing 65.3 percent of his passes (11th) and 14 touchdowns (fourth). All that despite the porous offensive line.
His numbers are there, even if the results (10-14 as a starter) are not.
The kid, too, is to blame for this mess. He holds the ball too long. He doesn't have the vision that his predecessor did. But really, that's about it. He's young. He's still learning.
Naturally, the players are just as much to blame as the coaches and general manager. After all, all the teaching in the world can't guarantee a student will ace an exam.
There's still time to salvage this season. It's not the end of the world to be 4-4 with a favorable schedule looming ahead. But as the season winds down, and if things don't start to improve, it's time for team CEO Mark Murphy to decide if its time for a changing of the guard.
