What's wrong with Ryan Grant? The Packers running back ran for 929 yards in the last 10 regular season games of 2007, but has only amassed 186 rushing yards on 55 attempts (3.4 avg.) this season, and has yet to score a rushing touchdown.
"He doesn't look like the same player this year," said a long-time NFL defensive coach. "Defensive coordinators have spent time studying his tendencies over the offseason, and he hasn't responded to the way that defenses have adjusted to his game."
Although Grant had a solid performance in the season opener against the Vikings (12 carries for 92 yards), he averaged a measly 31.3 yards per game in the past three games, and only mustered 2.2 yards per attempt during the same span. Some league observers wonder if his decline is directly tied to Brett Favre's departure.
With the future Hall of Famer Favre under center, defenses were reluctant to commit eight defenders to the running game for fear of leaving their cornerbacks vulnerable in man coverage. Thus, the Packers were never outmanned in the running game, and Grant was able to find huge seams between the tackles. However, with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, defenses are stacking extra defenders at the line and daring the Packers to beat them with the pass.
"You can game plan differently with Favre no longer in the lineup," said a long-time NFL defensive coach. "As long as [Favre] was there, you had to respect the deep ball, and you were reluctant to sell out to stop the run. But with Aaron Rodgers in the game, you put the emphasis on stopping Grant and challenge Rodgers to make clutch throws to beat you."
The Packers' last two opponents (Bucs and Cowboys) crowded the line with eight-man fronts and used an assortment of pressures to batter Rodgers in the pocket. Based on Rodgers' performance in both games (he completed 56 percent of his passes against the Cowboys and only 51 percent against the Bucs), the approach appears to be a successful one, and others will surely follow it.