Other than last week's Monday night game in Denver, the Packers haven't had much of a running game this season. It's kind of odd -- Brett Favre has almost always had a reliable back, whether it was Edgar Bennett, Dorsey Levens, or Ahman Green.
With Green now in Houston, Green Bay had been relying on rookie DeShawn Wynn until he landed on injured reserve, and now it's up to Ryan Grant and Vernand Morency. But that'll likely change this off-season.
Unless new starter Ryan Grant takes off in the final half of this season like Dorsey Levens in the second half of 1996 or Green in the second half of 2000, finding a franchise halfback has to be among [GM Ted] Thompson's priorities. Coach Mike McCarthy wants to run the ball, and to do it he needs a big-time back. ...Depending on how the season shakes out, the Packers might not be in position to land a go-to back. Obviously, Darren McFadden is The Guy coming out of college, and after that it gets a bit muddled. Maybe Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, or Michigan's Mike Hart, or West Virginia's Steve Slaton.
Thompson .... [and] the entire college scouting department, have been visiting college campuses each week all season looking at prospects in person and on videotape and doing background research for next year's draft. They'll continue to until the college regular season ends in the next two to three weeks.
Green Bay might instead choose to look to free agency. If that's the case, the list begins and ends with one name: Michael Turner. Whether the Chargers will let him go is another issue entirely. Either way, come training camp 2008, expect the Packers to have a shiny, new running back.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-06-2007 @ 11:24AM
W. Erickson said...
What Ted Thompson needs to be looking for this off-season is a new job! He has placed the whole of the Packers offense on Favre for some time now. As I watch other teams and see how many ex-Packers are out there starting and playing well for other teams I am reminded that TT sees the Packers as strictly a business. There are those players he was correct to part company with but he done an exceptionally poor job of bringing in solid free agents. He has often let key players go before having a proven replacement on staff. He may be good for business in terms of dollars and cents, but he has squandered opportunities and let the locker room fall apart instead of building a solid group of players that would ensure competativeness for an extended period. Somebody call Ron Wolf!
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11-06-2007 @ 4:48PM
David said...
Thompson's job last draft was to find a running back. Instead of a running back, with our 16th pick he chose to go with a defensive player hurt all of the previous year. That pick worked out real well since he's been hurt most of this year. Imagine if we could have traded down to Minnesota's pick and grabbed Peterson! Oh and how about the fact that we could have picked up a troublemaking receiver by the name of Moss for a 4th round pick. Good question, where is Ron Wolf when you need him??
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11-08-2007 @ 3:36AM
nastynate said...
I would love to see us pick up Mike Hart in the next draft... He is a workhorse back that has taken a beating in college but continues to produce (and he has only lost one fumble in his college career to date). I am a Wolverine fan so I have been watching him for almost 4 years now, and he is the real deal. If at all possible, i would trade up to get Darren McFadden, but he looks to be going to New England next year with the number 5 pick (unless an unexpected thing happens which is highly likely)... once we get a big time back in the first, i think we look into solidifying our O-line since Tauscher and Clifton are not gonna be around much longer
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11-10-2007 @ 12:01AM
George B Vieto said...
If Brett Favre's Packers win the Super Bowl without a reliable running game it will be a miracle.
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