wpr
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14 years ago
Who Will Be the Featured Back 

With aging wide receivers, tackles and corner backs, the biggest needs for the 2012 NFL draft are set in stone for the Green Bay Packers, but the biggest question mark isn't one of those positions. The Super Bowl champs' biggest uncertainty isn't even at defensive end where Johnny Jolly and Cullen Jenkins seem to be out of the picture but at running back.

In a spread offense like the Packers run, the running back position can easily be overlooked. Everyone knows the names of Greg Jennings, Aaron Rodgers, Donald Driver, and after the Super Bowl, the names like James Jones and Jordy Nelson became known by the casual football fan too.

But if I asked who was the season leader in rushing yards for the Packers was, about 90 percent of the fans (hardcore or not) would get it wrong. The answer? Ryan Grant? Nope he was hurt after one game. James Starks? He was the main back mostly in the postseason, but in the regular season he only had 101 yards. The answer is Brandon Jackson, a current free agent when the CBA gets solved.

No one really knows who will finish the season as the starter or who will be the starter in 2012, but most are assuming right now that Ryan Grant has the job locked at least to start off the 2011 season. You are probably asking, “ If he is the starter to begin the season then why is RB a big need?”

Well to start off, this is assuming that Ryan Grant has fully recovered from his injury that ended his year last season. Nothing is certain, especially when he has has around 800 carries the three seasons before he got hurt. As far as all-around backs go, Grant is by far the best, but this is his last year on his contract, and with the amount of money he is making currently, there is no way the Packers could keep him at that price.

Outside of the majority (Grant supporters) the rest is mostly made up of fans that think that sophomore James Starks will be the feature back in 2012. Starks was on the Physically Unable to Perform list until mid-season last year and is still very raw and unproven.

His low rushing yards is tricky because it seems like he has had barely any carries at all, but when you add the four playoff games under his belt, he seems like he could be a pretty capable starter, nothing flashy but for sure worth that sixth-round pick the White Wizard used on him.

Brandon Jackson, although the starter and leading rusher for last year, doesn't figure to be back for next season. I don't want to say that he is in the NFL just for money, but he has acknowledged several times that he left Nebraska early so that way he could cash in money and help his mom and the rest of his family out.

He seems like a good character, but with Drew Rosenhaus as his new agent and the Packers saving some RB money for the potential 2012 Grant signing, I can't see Jackson being back in Green and Gold next year.

The interesting thing about McCarthy and his offense is that it really likes pass-catching RB's. Ricky Williams, Arron Stecker, Deuce McAllister, Frank Gore, Kevan Barlow, Vernand Morency and Noah Herron are some of the many RB's that he has used as pass catchers out of the backfield since starting out as a OC in New Orleans in 2000.

The latest RB who played that role for him was Brandon Jackson. So as far as the difference between this year and last year, it should be business as usual except the receptions out of the backfield from Jackson, no one will really miss his east/west running style that never seems to payoff. But the fact that he had more receptions per game than the probable No. 2 WR (Jordy Nelson) next year means that he will be significantly missed in the passing game.

Knock, knock. Who's there? Alex Green, future star running back of the Green Bay Packers. The rusher from Hawaii played in the perfect offense to be the third-down RB for Green Bay, almost passing 80 percent of the time while in the Rainbow State.

The rookie was drafted at the end of the third round in this year's draft, and as we have seen recently, rookie running backs are one of the easiest transitions for the NFL. Not only should he be the third-down back/pass catcher from the backfield that McCarthy needs to replace, but he is a bigger bodied back so he could also grind and pound the ball late in the game and on short yard plays. Nothing is better than fresh legs in the fourth quarter. James Starks is kind of tall and skinny, a good change-of-pace back but not the McCarthy feature back type.

See anything in common? These are McCarthy's leaders in rushing yard ever since he became a OC: Ricky Williams 2000-2001 (5'11” 230); Deuce McAllister 2002-2004 (6'1” 232); Kevan Barlow 2005 (6'2” 235); Ahman Green 2006 (6'0” 220); Ryan Grant 2007-2009 (6'1” 222); and Brandon Jackson 2010 (5'10” 216).

It seems like McCarthy always used bigger backs until he arrive in Green Bay and just worked with what he had. Obviously last year that came back and bit him in the butt when he couldn't run the ball at the end of the year.

Alex Green was brought in to bring the power catching back (6'0” 230) to Green Bay. After talking to several semi-pro and pro scouts, the general consensus is that Alex Green is a copy of Deuce McAllister, McCarthy's former lead back. Only time will tell, but it seems like Alex Green has a good shot at being the Packers' feature back for the years to come as long as Mike is still running the offense.



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nerdmann
14 years ago
I've been a Starks guy since he was drafted, but I am VERY excited about Alex Green. Bjack was ok on screens, but there was always something awkward about it with him. Just didn't seem natural. Alex Green is all about screens. He's got speed and quickness too. This could be the greatest offense of all time. LOL. Yeah I know, but it's true!
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”
beast
14 years ago

I've been a Starks guy since he was drafted, but I am VERY excited about Alex Green. Bjack was ok on screens, but there was always something awkward about it with him. Just didn't seem natural. Alex Green is all about screens. He's got speed and quickness too. This could be the greatest offense of all time. LOL. Yeah I know, but it's true!

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 




B-Jack seemed subconsciously afraid to get hit and to hit the hole... or to use any sort of power game (if he had any). He had big thighs and was short... some other RBs who fit that description have been able to get lower, use their natural shorterness leverage and drive pills back... not Jackson.

Honestly I'm not too worried about RB. As long as injuries don't take two of them. Even then they might be still better than last year if they resign Kuhn.

1) Grant seems to play his best with a chip on his shoulder and feels pushed or slighted... questions about him coming off an injury, Starks playoff play, contract year and the drafting of Green gives him a pretty big chip to possible work with.

2) If Grant get injured again there is Starks who played pretty well in the playoffs (where teams are suppose to be better). His pass blocking wasn't near Jackson but they kept him in the game on passing plays to have the threat of possible running and they got some play action back with Starks in.

3) Yes Green is a rookie and the lockout gives him less time to learn the system but they say RB is one of the easily positions to transfer from college to the pros. Also the parts that some college RBs sometimes struggle with pass blocking and route running Green is pretty good at already. Needs to use his hands better in pass protection for over all seemed pretty good.
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azrunning
13 years ago
"aging wide receivers, tackles and cornerbacks"

Really? Jennings, Nelson, Bulaga, Sherrod, Williams and Shields are aging?

Back on topic, I'm big on Starks. I think he'll grab the starters role.
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Greg C.
13 years ago

But if I asked who was the season leader in rushing yards for the Packers was, about 90 percent of the fans (hardcore or not) would get it wrong.



Ha ha, what a knee slapper. How stupid does this guy think we are? Everybody knows that Grant got hurt in the first game and Starks famously had only about 100 yards rushing in the regular season.

His analysis is dumb anyway. Grant may not be recovered from his injury? Why not? I heard that Grant's injury was similar to Dorsey Levens' injury in 1998, and like Dorsey, he could've played at the end of the season if he had been kept on the roster.

What is it with all of these crappy articles lately?
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Zero2Cool
13 years ago
I think the Packers go into the season with an idea of a 70/30 kind of split for carriers. Grant getting the larger portion while Starks gets the smaller. I think this makes sense because I believe it'll preserve Starks while get him valuable experience and it runs the wheels off Grant (so to speak) while he's (i believe) in his last year of his contract.

Then in 2012, if Starks holds up, he'll probably be the starter as they'll let Grant go because of age or maybe another reason.
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nerdmann
13 years ago
Does anyone really view Grant as the best "all around back?" By this do they mean, a plodder between the tackles who can't catch, lacks vision and has to stop in order cut?
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”
Greg C.
13 years ago

Does anyone really view Grant as the best "all around back?" By this do they mean, a plodder between the tackles who can't catch, lacks vision and has to stop in order cut?

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 



Yep, most of us view Grant as the best all around back, and you've done nothing to change anybody's mind about it. This continuous Grant bashing from you has gotten tiring.

I think most people regard Starks as having a similar skill set, though, and because he's young, he could pass up Grant at some point this year and start getting the bulk of the carries. But my money is still on Grant for this year.
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beast
13 years ago

But if I asked who was the season leader in rushing yards for the Packers was, about 90 percent of the fans (hardcore or not) would get it wrong.

Originally Posted by: Greg C. 


Ha ha, what a knee slapper. How stupid does this guy think we are? Everybody knows that Grant got hurt in the first game and Starks famously had only about 100 yards rushing in the regular season



It depends if he means Packers fans or NFL fans... if he means Packers fans, then I'd agree with you, that Packers fans should know who had the most running yards as it wasn't very close.

But my guess is he meant NFL fans... which I'm guessing most NFL fans have no idea who Brandon Jackson is...

What is it with all of these crappy articles lately?

Originally Posted by: Greg C. 



Off-season + Lock out = Crappy articles
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Greg C.
13 years ago

Ha ha, what a knee slapper. How stupid does this guy think we are? Everybody knows that Grant got hurt in the first game and Starks famously had only about 100 yards rushing in the regular season

Originally Posted by: beast 



It depends if he means Packers fans or NFL fans... if he means Packers fans, then I'd agree with you, that Packers fans should know who had the most running yards as it wasn't very close.

But my guess is he meant NFL fans... which I'm guessing most NFL fans have no idea who Brandon Jackson is...



Ah, I hadn't thought of that. I still think most NFL fans know it was Jackson, because if they watched the playoffs and the Super Bowl (not to mention some prime time regular season Packer games) they heard the story of the Packers' running game several times. But it would not be as stupid of a statement if he's referring to NFL fans. Just a highly questionable one.
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