Confessions of a Polluted Mindset – The Policy of Truth

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Ed Policy, the current Packers Chief Operating Officer and second-in command on the administrative side, has been selected to replace Mark Murphy when he faces mandatory retirement next July. The Packers conducted an “expansive and inclusive search” over the last year, which led them to ( if they were willing to tell the truth) where they surely expected to end up anyway. Policy has been Murphy’s right-hand man as COO over the last seven years as well as the Packers’ Chief Legal Counsel. The big question everyone is pondering is what might change under Ed Policy? Truthfully, my early guess would be, not a lot. 

Ron Wolf wrote a book called “The Packer Way,” subtitled “Nine Stepping Stones to Building a Winning Organization.” The Packer Way is very different from how most NFL teams operate these days, mostly thanks to the lack of a meddling billionaire owner. Policy has been educated in the “Packers Way” of doing things over his 12 years with the organization. While you may mostly think of “The Packer Way” in terms of building their football team (players and coaches), those policies carry over to the rest of the organization. They most likely develop business-side personnel like they develop players. Cross-train in different disciplines, encourage versatility, provide opportunities and new responsibilities, trust them to execute, and promote from within to those who’ve earned it.

In addition to his work on the legal side Policy spearheaded the Titletown development project and was also in charge of multiple other departments in the Packers’ organization; communications, marketing and fan engagement, sales and business development, security, and development and hospitality departments. In short, While we don’t know for sure, Policy has seemingly touched every aspect of the Packers Organization except one – the football side.

And that brings us to Mark Murphy, who has been a bit of a lightning rod for those looking to blame someone for the Packers’ lack of Super Bowls during the Rodgers Era.  I remember our own Ken Lass wrote a fine article on January 30th of 2023, after the disappointing 2022 season, on why “Murphy is not the Problem.” Lass opined that he didn’t believe Murphy was pulling any strings on football decisions and more importantly critical decisions like whether to part ways with future HOF quarterback Aaron Rodgers. From Lass:

Was it Murphy who actually made the call that the Packers were going to stick with the reigning two time MVP, and re-sign him for three years to the richest deal in league history?  Or was he just approving a strategy that Gutekunst/LaFleur/Ball came up with?  Publicly at least, there was no indication Murphy played a role in bringing the future Hall of Fame signal caller back, except to give the ultimate okay. 

While nothing more than pure speculation, I’ve always felt and continue to feel that Brian Gutekunst had had enough of the Rodgers ego and drama and was ready to trade him then, even if they weren’t sure about Jordan Love at the time. In my mind, it was Murphy and LaFleur who lobbied hard to keep Rodgers in Green Bay and make another run or two at a Super Bowl. Murphy not wanting to give up on the golden goose that Rodgers was from a revenue standpoint and LaFleur finding it difficult to part with arguably the best NFL quarterback of the last 15 years. This is pure speculation, of course, and I’m comfortable with that. We don’t know what actually happened, as the Packers “mode” has not been one of a “Policy of Truth.”

Now you’re standing there tongue-tied
You better learn your lesson well
Hide what you have to hide
And tell what you have to tell

Okay, that was a stretch, but I had to work “Policy of Truth” in there somehow.

There won’t be a Polluted Mindset” next week, as I’ll be “down the shore” on a family vacation and hope to unplug as much as humanly possible. Enjoy your summer and see you again in two weeks!

Go Pack Go!