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Carl Peterson

Here's some quotes from a Packers Insider article on Russ Ball that I can't quote in its entirety:

In just 3½ years as contract negotiator and confidant to club leaders, Ball has made a keen impression with his humble, effective management style. Without self-promotion, Ball now finds himself positioned perfectly for advancement with an organization that places a premium on selflessness and commitment.

"He's outstanding," Packers President Mark Murphy said. "In a lot of ways, he's the unsung hero of our Super Bowl."

When asked if Ball would be the perfect candidate to succeed Thompson should he retire or be unable to perform his duties, Murphy said, "I don't want to speculate. I will answer it more broadly. There's no question that he's going to be a very strong candidate to be a general manager somewhere in the NFL some day."

"Russ manages the cap but his people skills are second to none," said McCarthy, who worked with Ball in Kansas City from 1993-'98 and in New Orleans from 2002-'04. "He has so much more on his plate than I think people realize. He gives Ted the ability to be a GM and for me to coach. He is as involved as he (can be) in the personnel part of it.

"Russ will get mad at me for saying all this. He's a very humble person and respects the chain of command as far as Ted out there. But he's outstanding."

Asked if the 52-year-old Ball had another major career step in him, McCarthy said, "Absolutely. No question about it. I'd hire him. He's the best I've ever been around."

Like Murphy, Ball owns a multifaceted background and has worked in a variety of positions all over the country. McCarthy called Ball the bridge between football and administration departments. Murphy labeled Ball as the liaison.

"There's not a person in this building that doesn't like him," said one Packers' employee, referring to Ball. "He's got that Bob Harlan style about him. He's good at bringing groups together."

At the risk of oversimplification, you're either categorized as a football guy or a business guy.

Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson are football guys. Dick Corrick, Tom Braatz and Mark Hatley were football guys.

Bob Harlan, Chuck Hutchison, Mike Reinfeldt, Lance Lopes and Andrew Brandt were seen as business guys.

Russ Ball might be both.

"What I like about Russ, Russ is so well-rounded," said McCarthy. "He spent 10 years in the coaching ranks. He came up that way. He knows what the equipment guys do. He knows the job of the trainers."

Besides McCarthy, Ball worked alongside Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, Howard Mudd, Al Saunders, Gunther Cunningham, Herm Edwards, Alex Gibbs, Paul Hackett and Jimmy Raye, among others, with the Chiefs.

Two of his former colleagues chose the word "honorable" in describing Ball. Said one veteran agent: "I trust him more than anybody. He knows more about football. He's probably the best guy to deal with in the league."

To me, he's a great guy for Stephen Ross to put in charge of the organization and be his trusted voice and the guy that keeps everyone on the same page, between the coach, scouts, player development people, etc.
 
Russ Ball would be a very nice get for this organization.

I've posted my thoughts on the Gruden thing, it's a no for me. And I like Cowher but I wonder how successful he'd be without Dick Lebeau as his DC...let's face it, the common theme in Cowher's super bowl team and Tomlin's super bowl team in Pittsburgh is the staff...that was Cowher's OC and DC and they won't be coming here. Parcells never won a super bowl without Belichick as his DC...Belichick hasn't won a super bowl without Weis and Romeo Crennell and coming close doesn't count. Shula never went to a super bowl with Bill Arnsparger I don't think. Sometimes the chemistry between coaches is just as important as the talent on the field.

Marty Schottenheimer probably wouldn't come here. That would be pretty tough on him to have to coach against his son twice a year.
 
How Bill Cowher fills out his staff would definitely be important.

I just think that the bigger concerns for me about Cowher were:

1. How innovative would he be in applying new ideas to offense and defense, as well as team management
2. Is he still the same guy that tried to get away with Neil O'Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox as his QB?
3. Would he demand too much power over the personnel side of the organization, or conversely end up too at odds with the personnel department?

I think you can satisfy fear #2 if you're getting an Andrew Luck in the Draft...and also Russ Ball comes from two places in New Orleans and Green Bay where quarterback became a BIG deal. As for fear #3, I think Russ Ball is exactly what is needed there. You need a layer between a Head Coach like Cowher, who is very dominating, and the personnel side. That layer has to act as both a firewall, and a bridge...because you can't have the two sides at war with one another, nor can you have a situation where one side is dominating the other.
 
Thanks for the quotes on Ball, CK. He sounds like he would be an outstanding hire.
 
With a few rumors going around that he could be linked to Miami, what's the story behind this guy? Good, bad? Was he forced to resign or was he just tired of the chiefs?

Juyst look at KC's record while he was in charge. They were a train wreck worse then us while he was there. As bad as we play, if we had a coach that can get people to be their best, we have the personell to be competitive with anybody in the league. KC didn't even have that.
 
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