A way to read Wolf
Basis of son’s strategy in father’s book on Packers
As Eliot Wolf approaches the NFL Draft, even after a few months on the job as Patriots de facto general manager, it can be a challenge trying to discern his team-building approach. Over the course of the pre-draft process, we’ve heard buzzwords — “collaborate” and “draft and develop” are to Eliot what “it is what it is” and “do your job” were to the previous administration.
But beyond the surface phrases, what sort of vision does Wolf have for the franchise?
Through the early stages, it appears the best way to figure out how he’ll chart a course is to take a page out of his father’s book. Literally.
In many ways, the early stages of Eliot Wolf ’s team-building philosophy are laid out in “The Packer Way,” written by his father, Ron Wolf, a personnel executive who laid the groundwork for the great Green Bay teams of the 1990s. Published in 1998, it details the steps his father took to restore luster to a once-great franchise.
And while that Packers’ rebuild is 30-plus years old, there are lessons from the book that can apply to what the Patriots are facing now.
Using what he calls the nine steppingstones, Ron Wolf, who joined the Packers in November 1991, lays out a vision for putting together a championship football team, one that takes a steady hand and plenty of patience.
“The resurrection of the Packers came about through a methodical, focused approach that measured progress, not by touchdowns, but by first downs,” he wrote. “Or, if I can borrow from baseball, by singles, not home runs. I joined the Packers, knowing we wouldn’t win a championship my first year, but I darn well expected to win one sooner rather than later.”
The combination of a “methodical, focused approach” and a realistic level of expectation when you discuss the starting point (“knowing we wouldn’t win a championship my first year”) is being preached behind the scenes in Foxborough, with the understanding that the Patriots are likely facing a multiyear process to get to where they want to be.
Some of the steps the younger Wolf has taken are straight from the pages of his father’s work — for one thing, identifying what needs to be fixed while maintaining foundational pieces (which helps continuity and stability, Ron says). To that point, Eliot has purged some of the more disappointing elements of last year’s team (particularly on offense) while keeping key figures in place on the defense and focusing on the best ways to replace the departing players. That meant a particular emphasis on the draft.
“We would use trades and the free-agent options available to fill in the most glaring holes with other veterans,” Wolf wrote. “At the same time — and this was the most essential element — we wanted to use the draft to pick potential stars who could be groomed in [coach Mike Holmgren’s] system, and who eventually would become much better than the starters we currently had on the roster.
“That was key to making this work — by the time the youngsters were ready to blend with the rest of the veterans, they had to raise our talent level far higher than it currently stood. If they did, we could compete for a title.”
When it comes to veterans, you need your core players to return; Eliot Wolf has been able to retain solid, workmanlike professionals like Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Dugger, Hunter Henry, Josh Uche, and Mike Onwenu while adding respected veterans such as Jacoby Brissett, K.J. Osborn, and Sione Takitaki.
At the same time, while the elder Wolf advocates for well-placed trades (and is perhaps bestknown for wooing free agent Reggie White to Green Bay), drafting and development remain at the heart of his approach, one of the biggest reasons why this draft is so important to the Patriots. A feeder system of young talent can go a long way toward creating a stable franchise.
“I wanted to rely most heavily on the draft,” wrote Wolf, “because I felt the long-term stability of the roster was dependent on the number of young quality players we obtained. And the draft was the best method to acquire these youngsters.
“We needed a solid first draft to initiate our approach to building the roster. I also knew we couldn’t forget this was a long-term proposition. We weren’t going to remake the Packers overnight. So it was important that we exhibited the patience to allow our system to function properly.”
However, in the end — and maybe the most important takeaway for the Patriots in this draft — quarterback is king. Wolf says getting it right at that position can change everything.
“I was convinced that unless we truly found stars to become our quarterback and our coach the Packers would never threaten for a championship,” he wrote. “If you find a good quarterback, you can compete. If you find a great one, you have a chance to be great.
“But have an average one, and it’s difficult to be more than average.”
Ron Wolf took over the Packers in November 1991, and by 1993, they were in the playoffs. In his fifth season at the helm, the Packers won it all, punctuated by a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
Thirty-plus years later, could the Patriots follow the same road map, the son on a path set by the father?
That answer should start to become clearer after this week’s draft.
“Every rebuilding situation is faced with a list of problems as lengthy as the one I was contemplating,” Wolf wrote. “You can react one of two ways. You can stare at all the needs, and wonder how you’ll ever get them fixed.
“Or, more intelligently, you can accept the fact everything won’t be solved overnight. Then, you can methodically prioritize your solutions, knowing all the while that patience becomes paramount in these circumstances.”