GREEN BAY -- Ted Thompson is well aware of how Packers fans feel about him in the aftermath of the Brett Favre saga.

While the Packers' fourth-year general manager doesn't bother to read the Internet postings or listen to the sports-talk radio airwaves, he knows that there's a portion of the fan base that will never forgive him for not accepting unretiring quarterback Brett Favre back to the team with open arms and subsequently trading him to the New York Jets.

Perhaps that's why Thompson was so looking forward to tonight's regular-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.

"It was certainly a hectic summer," Thompson said in his typically understated way. "And we got to where we got to."

And now, Thompson-bashers wonder where they're headed with new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the controls. Thompson answered that question and others in a sit-down interview in his Lambeau Field office late last week for this edition of Milwaukee Talks.

OnMilwaukee.com: Do you guys know what you're doing? Because there is a troubling number of so-called Packers fans that don't think you do after the way the Favre saga played out.

Ted Thompson: It was certainly a hectic summer, and we got to where we got to. I can understand the questions people have. But the answer to your question is yes, we do. We know what we're doing. We're trying to put together the best team we can.

OMC: You talk about appreciating their passion and you talk about how you understand when they boo a draft pick, but you also want people to believe the Packers are in good hands.

TT: I do. I think that's really important. Something as sensitive as what we went through, I can understand that. I wish people didn't have to go through it. I wish none of us had to go through it. But I do want them to think the Packers are in good hands. That is important.

And like I've said before, when people question a personnel decision, that's OK. But I do want them to know we're good people and we're doing the best we can. If they know that, at least that's something.

OMC: So then it bothers you that people think you're a raging egomaniac? Does that get to you? Because that's personal, not professional.

TT: The personal part I'm OK with, even. But the big picture, macro view, if they think there's some mad scientist here that doesn't care about anybody else and is only out for his own ego, then they're misinformed.

We literally get up every day and pray that we do a good job that day. Because we know how important it is to people. Again, that doesn't mean everybody's going to agree with us. It'd be nice if everybody knew that that's the way we approach our jobs.

OMC: Was there a point where you sat there and thought, "How on earth has it come to this?"

TT: All the time. I never imagined it (happening). I think the whole thing was unfortunate.

OMC: You've been adamant that it's about the team stepping up, not Aaron replacing Brett. But the bottom line is that your success and failure this season is predicated on how well Rodgers plays, isn't it? If he plays well and stays healthy, you'll win; if he plays poorly or gets hurt, you'll be in trouble, right?

TT: It's a reflection of the team, though. I do think this is the ultimate team sport. We were 13-3 last year in the regular season, 14-4 overall, because we had a remarkably good team. They liked each other, they were accountable to each other, they depended on each other. If we have that kind of relationship amongst our team this year, I think we'll be a good team.

I think we'll have a chance to win. Does that mean we'll win as many games, or we'll win more? I don't know. But it is the ultimate team sport, and if there is a weak link, the NFL will find it. If there's dissention, the NFL will find it. I was very proud of the team last year.

OMC: You've talked before about how when you watch practice, you're not necessarily looking at footwork or fundamentals at practice. What else are you looking at?

TT: I look at athleticism and movement and plays. I do look at the football part. But there are often times when you might think that's what I'm looking at but I'm watching a guy come back from just going through a tough period and seeing how his teammates respond to him and how he responds to them.

The reason I go down on the sidelines in preseason some is to get that interaction. I think from having been a player, it's not that I get any special insight, but you see the real people in those situations. Sometimes stressful, sometimes complete elation, sometimes depression. I've watched guys interact and I watch the team very closely.

OMC: You were asked many times this off-season whether Favre or Rodgers gave you a better chance to win in 2008, and you never really answered the question. Why are you so sure that this 24-year-old kid with 59 regular-season pass attempts can do the job? Is there one personality trait that makes you think he's better prepared for the challenge of following a legend than others who've tried and failed?

TT: I think he's physically talented enough to play the position. I think, and I've said this before, I think him watching for three years is going to be a benefit to him. It doesn't replace experience, but I do think it's a benefit in the long run. I think he is a good teammate and I think his teammates respect him and respect his work. He wants to be a good player, and that is sometimes overlooked. And we'll see.

Now, he has to play. And we've talked about all these different things -- leadership, being the face of the franchise -- but none of that really matters. As Mike has said several times, his job is to play quarterback. And that's what we're going to ask him to do.

OMC: You didn't go into the '05 draft expecting to draft him, did you? You didn't expect him to be your proverbial "best player available," did you?

TT: No. I did not. I did do some work leading up to that draft day because I kept hearing he was falling and I couldn't figure out why. We were at 24, and I'd heard he was going to be top 5, so we didn't spend a lot of time on him. In fact, I did some extra work to make sure we saw what we saw.

We were very pleased with everything we saw. He just kept getting closer and closer and closer, and finally it was our pick and he was still there. Several picks it got to our pick, I said, "Well, if they're just going to give him to us, we're going to take him." And it just worked out that way.

OMC: What about your backup quarterbacks? They're both rookies, and it takes time to develop them. What happens if Rodgers gets hurt and you don't have that time -- you have to play Matt Flynn or Brian Brohm immediately. Then what? Is there a microwave method to getting them ready to play?

TT: First of all, preseason play, you can't necessarily go by that. We go by the whole body of work -- practice and everything. And we've seen continued improvement from both those guys. We think they're going to be good players in the NFL.

In 1993, it was decided at the end of training camp to go with Brett Favre, who was really a second-year player; Ty Detmer, who'd never played a down; and Mark Brunell. And people thought the world was coming to an end. I'm not saying we're going to be as good as that, because that was a great threesome, but that's just the way you have to develop players.

OMC: Is it fair to say that when given the choice between a player with experience but a limited ceiling and an inexperienced young player with a higher ceiling, you'll opt for the latter every time?

TT: If I felt like the net result of either player playing that year was even. If I felt the net result of the older player playing was better, I'd keep the older player. All things being equal, and I didn't know the ceiling of one player but I had kind of figured out the ceiling of the other, then I think you would choose the guy with the higher ceiling. I'm not going to sacrifice anything for the present for the future.

OMC: It would appear you're going to be the youngest team in the league in terms of average age for the third year running. But you have some true veterans at some key positions -- Donald Driver at wide receiver, Al Harris and Charles Woodson at corner, and Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton at tackle. Are there other guys on this team you view as so-called "leaders?"

TT: It's a different kind of young though. All our so-called sophomores and juniors are a year older. Now, you have taken out two players off of last year's roster that bumped the age up, but my guess is, our median age has gotten higher. I'm not a mathematician. I like veteran players.

Our two corners, I love the fact that those guys have played and understand the game and can help our young guys grow. I do think you have to continually try to upgrade the talent on your team. And I think we were in a position when we first got here in 2005 where we were a little bit heavy the other way. And I think there had to be a process. But that doesn't mean we're going to continually get younger.

In a perfect world, you're going to lose some players, but you keep those core players that you want long-term and you gradually get older as you mature. You have your Barnetts and your Kampmans and your Picketts and Kabeers -- guys who have played, too. Veterans have always been important, and that's why we do the extensions with those guys. It's not, "We're just going to keep Ted's guys." That's never been the case. I know it's been portrayed as that, but that's not the way we look at it.

OMC: Last year, you won the regular-season opener with your special teams. This year, you're going in with a new long-snapper, in Brett Goode, who replaces what would've been a new snapper anyway in J.J. Jansen, who got hurt in the final preseason game. And by cutting Jon Ryan the week of the opener, a new punter and a new holder. Explain to me why that's not a huge risk given the premium you guys put on special teams.

TT: The snapper thing was unavoidable, and it was a shame, because J.J. had made our team. In terms of the punter/holder, it's not a knock against Jon Ryan. We feel like Derrick has the ability to be a more consistent, more steady player at both positions.

OMC: How do you evaluate yourself and the job that you've done? What do you think you have done well, and what mistakes have you made?

TT: I don't really think about that. You're so busy trying to keep the wheel turning that you don't have time for that. I don't know. I think it's best for someone else to do that. I suppose if one was to evaluate oneself, you'd be inclined to be more favorable to yourself. I think we're honest in that we go back and we evaluate each draft, each decision we make. We go back and study how we could've done it better. But in terms of big-picture, how-do-I-think-I'm-doing, I never really think in those terms.

OMC: You went 13-3 last year, you were an overtime interception away from the Super Bowl. You talk all the time about improving from within, but where is that improvement going to come from? There's really only two more steps you can go to improve on last year -- reaching the Super Bowl, and winning it.

TT: In your whole body of work as a player and as an administrator, you remember certain things. Sometimes a regular season game you just played the previous year, you may not remember any of the details. But games like that NFC Championship Game, you'll always remember. I'll always remember our win against Carolina to go to the Super Bowl in '96. I'll always remember the Denver Super Bowl loss, because it was so disappointing.

The loss in San Francisco (in the playoffs) the following year, I'll always remember that. And the loss to the Giants goes amongst those. The difference between winning and losing in this league is so minute, to be on the losing side is so disheartening, you have to try to shield yourself. The important ones like that one, I don't think you ever let it go._ You play it week-to-week. You try to put yourself in position so you have a team that can compete and win week-in and week-out.

Do you win 'em all? No. But if you play well, you have a chance to win. That's all you can ask for in the NFL. Every year, your schedule is different, things are topsy-turvy. I've never tried to predict seasons or how many games we're going to win. But I do think we have a good team, and I expect this team to win.