RAY RICE

[Bretsky]

I really like this guy; a nice pick with one of our second round picks IMO

Stronger than Marice Jones Drew coming out of college
Very Good Speed

If he was taller he'd be a 1st rounder


I'm on the Rice Wagon !!

[Partial]

I was tooting his horn since last year. He's a nice player. Would not mind a little spitfire like him at all.

[Deputy Nutz]

I don't know if it has anything to do with height, but overall size. he is 200 pounds and 5-7. He is compact and has a tough running style. I saw the bit on ESPN too. I like him, I wouldn't be shocked if the Pack or any team used a second on him.

Better than Mike Hart or Steve Slaton.

[HarveyWallbangers]

He has a ton of mileage on those legs. He averaged over 350+ carries/year the last two years (not including catches) in just 13 games/year. That worries me.

[run pMc]

Agree he's a good player and has some mileage with all the carries. I assume that was a big reason for declaring early. I don't think he's a full time starter -- more of a #2 guy who would play in a RBBC and would spell your starter and give you 8-12 touches a game.
I also doubt that he's better than Ryan Grant.
I wouldn't be upset if TT dropped a pick on him. Who knows what TT is thinking, maybe he expects Jackson, Herron, Morency, and Wynn to provide competition and hope someone emerges.

[The Leaper]

I like Rice...but I'm not sure he fits our situation. I would prefer more of a bruising RB with some size to compliment Grant and Jackson.

[texaspackerbacker]

I agree about the mileage. I think Thompson finds some Grant-like gem in later rounds or maybe a different type of back--like Rice, but lower down and with less mileage in college.

Also, I see Corey White as having a chance to win a spot and do well. I rate him as better than anybody we have now other than Grant and Jackson.

[BallHawk]

I like Rice...but I'm not sure he fits our situation. I would prefer more of a bruising RB with some size to compliment Grant and Jackson.

Agreed.

[Tarlam!]

Also, I see Corey White as having a chance to win a spot and do well. I rate him as better than anybody we have now other than Grant and Jackson.

I admit he intrigues me more that most others we have, except maybe Wynn. And Wynn showed he can run, he was just outta NFL shape. If Wynn comes back with any kind of work ethic, my bet is Grant Jackson Wynn and White are on the roster, barring anything TT drafts. I thinks Jackson might even be the designated #2 due to draft status.

Pretty scary thought not having a seasoned (i.e. long term starting) vet anywhere on your roster at RB...

[Gunakor]

He has a ton of mileage on those legs. He averaged over 350+ carries/year the last two years (not including catches) in just 13 games/year. That worries me.


I have been on the Ray Rice bandwagon since Rutgers' impressive run a couple seasons ago. He has a ton of milage on him, but if he were drafted as a Packer he'd be splitting time with Ryan Grant in the backfield. I'm not quite as concerned with the milage as I would be if we were expecting him to be our workhorse. I couldn't imagine a season where he'd carry the ball over 250 times in a season, unless Grant were seriously injured and we'd need him to carry the ball 20+ times a game. But as long as he's splitting time with Grant I wouldn't think he'd be asked to carry the ball more than 15 times a game, and Grant carrying it 20-25 times. I was in favor of drafting him in the second round originally, but with the resigning of Morency it seems the RB stables are a full right now. I had hoped to see Grant, Rice, and then Jackson - in that order - on the depth chart. Oh well. B-Jax showed flashes late in the season, so hopefully he will continue to improve and develop into the back TT envisioned when he used a second round pick on him.

[RashanGary]

I like him a lot too. Not a zone runner though. I wouldn't be suprised if other teams value him more. Kevin Smith has zone RB written all over him.

[Deputy Nutz]

I like Rice...but I'm not sure he fits our situation. I would prefer more of a bruising RB with some size to compliment Grant and Jackson.

Agreed.

Like TJ Duckett or Ron Dayne?

Just not sold on the bruising type running back, besides, who said that we need to keep the guy for his whole career? 350 carries a season tells me he is dependable. He is solidly built, good build and weight for his height. He isn't a twig more like Jones-Drew.

[red]

I don't know if it has anything to do with height, but overall size. he is 200 pounds and 5-7. He is compact and has a tough running style. I saw the bit on ESPN too. I like him, I wouldn't be shocked if the Pack or any team used a second on him.

Better than Mike Hart or Steve Slaton.

hey, the best running back of all time IMO was a midget. well 5'8

height has nothing to do with being a good RB

[Deputy Nutz]

Also, I see Corey White as having a chance to win a spot and do well. I rate him as better than anybody we have now other than Grant and Jackson.

I admit he intrigues me more that most others we have, except maybe Wynn. And Wynn showed he can run, he was just outta NFL shape. If Wynn comes back with any kind of work ethic, my bet is Grant Jackson Wynn and White are on the roster, barring anything TT drafts. I thinks Jackson might even be the designated #2 due to draft status.

Pretty scary thought not having a seasoned (i.e. long term starting) vet anywhere on your roster at RB...

I liked Cory White, tough runner who hit the hole and gained what he gained. Really reminds me of Ryan Grant, not especially fast, gritty, best when going in a straight line.

[Maxie the Taxi]

The Ray Rice/Emmitt Smith stories are so much alike it's scary. Both "undersized." Both with "mileage" on their legs in college. Both stars in college. Both in the draft as juniors. Both with similar running styles and speed. Both with similar heart and character. Both (Rice likely to be) overlooked in the draft. Both coming to the NFL with something to prove. Both durable and tough...

Put it this way, if you were TT with the 30th pick and an Emmitt Smith clone was still available (which he's likely to be), how do you pass on him?

A better question: With the 22nd and 28th picks overall, how does Dallas pass on him?

[The Leaper]

I like Rice...but I'm not sure he fits our situation. I would prefer more of a bruising RB with some size to compliment Grant and Jackson.

Agreed.

Like TJ Duckett or Ron Dayne?

No, like Jackson in St. Louis or Gore in SF.

[KYPack]

The Ray Rice/Emmitt Smith stories are so much alike it's scary. Both "undersized." Both with "mileage" on their legs in college. Both stars in college. Both in the draft as juniors. Both with similar running styles and speed. Both with similar heart and character. Both (Rice likely to be) overlooked in the draft. Both coming to the NFL with something to prove. Both durable and tough...

Put it this way, if you were TT with the 30th pick and an Emmitt Smith clone was still available (which he's likely to be), how do you pass on him?

A better question: With the 22nd and 28th picks overall, how does Dallas pass on him?

When you look at the short RB's, everybody dreams of getting the next Thurman Thomas or Emmitt Smith.

Everybody misses, but what if Rice was a Emmitt clone?

The guy won't slip to 3, if he did, it'd be a no-brainer.

[The Leaper]

Everybody misses, but what if Rice was a Emmitt clone?

Emmitt would've been an average RB if he wasn't behind an elite OL. If you think you are going to be getting a stud out of some shrimp of a RB, then you better have the OL of the Cowboys in the early 90s to work with.

[red]

Everybody misses, but what if Rice was a Emmitt clone?

Emmitt would've been an average RB if he wasn't behind an elite OL. If you think you are going to be getting a stud out of some shrimp of a RB, then you better have the OL of the Cowboys in the early 90s to work with.

i agree, i think emmitt would have been better then average, but not all world hall of famer if not for that line. he had massive holes to run through

he wasn't at all like sanders or peyton where they could create their own running lanes out of nothing

emmit to me is the most over rated player of my time

[Partial]

I like Rice...but I'm not sure he fits our situation. I would prefer more of a bruising RB with some size to compliment Grant and Jackson.

Agreed.

Like TJ Duckett or Ron Dayne?

Just not sold on the bruising type running back, besides, who said that we need to keep the guy for his whole career? 350 carries a season tells me he is dependable. He is solidly built, good build and weight for his height. He isn't a twig more like Jones-Drew.

That is exactly who I would compare him to, and I think he's one of the better backs in th league stuck behind a legend. He's my favorite non-packer.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Hat tip to Bretsky, Partial and all of us who saw potential in this guy.

The following is from Rotoworld:


Ray Rice leads all NFL running backs with 61 catches.

Not only does Rice have great hands, he's turned into one of the best backs in the league in open space. He's topped 100 total yards in eight straight games and there's no reason to think he'll slow down. The only concern is a Week 16 matchup in Pittsburgh, but he just put up 155 yards on them last week.

Let's hope the Pack is a "concern" he hadn't anticipated. Hope we make a statement Monday night and holds him under a 100. Great player, but I don't wish him well Monday.

[Bretsky]

He's going to be an outstanding RB IMO. I'd have been elated if he fell a couple more picks and GB nabbed him.

[wist43]

I own him in quite a few FF leagues... got him in the 6th round in most of those drafts. Good player...

Myself??? I like those shorter backs that are strong runners... good change of direction, low center of gravity. Being shorter helps them hide behind offensive linemen too. Green Bay has never targetted those types of guys though.

[The Leaper]

I thought Rice would be a solid back...but even I'm surprised at how well he's looked so far. He very easily could develop into a gamebreaker.

[MichiganPackerFan]

I own him in quite a few FF leagues... got him in the 6th round in most of those drafts. Good player...

Myself??? I like those shorter backs that are strong runners... good change of direction, low center of gravity. Being shorter helps them hide behind offensive linemen too. Green Bay has never targetted those types of guys though.

Wasn't Ahman Green close to this description? If not, how was he different? Maybe a bit taller, but definitely a shifty power runner.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Reviewing what I wanted TT to do and what he actually did is a humbling experience. :oops: Sort of proves the whole draft is very, very chancy beyond the first round or two...

MY 2008 DRAFT WISH LIST...
Rnd Pick Player

1 30 30 Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers (Starter, Ravins…Star)
2 25 56 John Carlson), TE, Notre Dame (Starter, Seahawks)
2 29 60 Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky (Cut, Redskins)
3 28 91 Steve Justice, C, Wake Forest (Cut, Colts)
4 29 128 Zack Bowman, CB, Nebraska (Starter, Bears)
4 36 135 Brian Johnston, DE, Gardner-Webb (Out of football)
5 27 162 Mackenzy Bernadeau, OG, Bentley (Starter, Carolina)
7 30 237 Tim Bugg, LS, Indiana (Out of football)

PACKERS ACTUAL 2008 DRAFT...

2 5 36 Jordy Nelson WR Kansas State (Part-time starter)
2 25 56 Brian Brohm QB Louisville (Bench, Buffalo)
2 29 60 Patrick Lee DB Auburn (Bench, Packers)
3 28 91 Jermichael Finley TE Texas (Starter, Emerging Star)
4 3 102 Jeremy Thompson DE Wake Forest (Bench)
4 36 135 Josh Sitton T Central Florida (Starter)
5 15 150 Breno Giacomini T Louisville (Bench)
7 2 209 Matt Flynn QB Louisiana State (Bench)
7 10 217 Brett Swain WR San Diego State (Bench, Injured)

[RashanGary]

I like our guys. Swain and Flynn both have a good chance to have long NFL careers. Brohm and Patrick Lee picks were awful though.

[Smidgeon]

I like our guys. Swain and Flynn both have a good chance to have long NFL careers. Brohm and Patrick Lee picks were awful though.

You don't know about Pat Lee yet. That's premature speculation. Especially since it's injury based. It's not like he's been around in the program enough that he was cut because he was bad and nobody put a waiver on him... Kind of like how Harrell isn't a bad pick because he has talent, but until there's no more hope, you can't quite write him off. This is only Lee's second year. Give him another to see what happens.

[Brandon494]

I like our guys. Swain and Flynn both have a good chance to have long NFL careers. Brohm and Patrick Lee picks were awful though.

Swain has a chance at a long NFL career? :shock:

[Brandon494]

I like our guys. Swain and Flynn both have a good chance to have long NFL careers. Brohm and Patrick Lee picks were awful though.

You don't know about Pat Lee yet. That's premature speculation. Especially since it's injury based. It's not like he's been around in the program enough that he was cut because he was bad and nobody put a waiver on him... Kind of like how Harrell isn't a bad pick because he has talent, but until there's no more hope, you can't quite write him off. This is only Lee's second year. Give him another to see what happens.

Pat Lee was a project coming out of college and has shown little since coming to the Packers. I hope he'll turn it around next season but so far I have not seen anything from him to make me think he is not a bust.

[Smidgeon]

I like our guys. Swain and Flynn both have a good chance to have long NFL careers. Brohm and Patrick Lee picks were awful though.

You don't know about Pat Lee yet. That's premature speculation. Especially since it's injury based. It's not like he's been around in the program enough that he was cut because he was bad and nobody put a waiver on him... Kind of like how Harrell isn't a bad pick because he has talent, but until there's no more hope, you can't quite write him off. This is only Lee's second year. Give him another to see what happens.

Pat Lee was a project coming out of college and has shown little since coming to the Packers. I hope he'll turn it around next season but so far I have not seen anything from him to make me think he is not a bust.

Personally, I think the sign about whether a player is a bust or not is how quickly and why a team moves on from a player. Which is why Brohm is a bust (considering how quickly and why the team moved on) though he was on the team a shorter time than Harrell who appears to still be in the team's plans. Same thing with Lee. The team hasn't given up on him. The NFL is a cutthroat business. Players don't stick around no matter how high they were drafted if they are talent busts (see: Mandarich, Tony). I would expect Harrell to get one more year and Lee to get two more. Until either get on the field and suck consistently (see: Carroll, Ahmad), then they can't even be considered talent busts because the injuries precluded that. By that logic, I would also say that Cedric Benson was a bust for the Bears despite doing well with the Bengals.

Granted, you have to stay healthy to stay on the team, but you can't control all injuries (or even most). GB's top 2 rookies both had injury issues early in the year. Harris and Kampman are both on IR and have reputations of keeping their bodies in amazing condition. So though some injuries can be placed on the shoulders of the player (see: Hunt, Cleditus), I don't think you can hold a player responsible for the injuries they happened to be a part of. So personally (and I stress personally), I don't consider a player a bust due to injuries unless it's injures the player knew better than to have (see: Wynn, Deshawn).

[rbaloha1]

Thought RR was a good college rb (like Ian Johnson) due to a lack of speed.

Just shows how far desire and toughness can take you.

[woodbuck27]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-ravens-packers&prov=ap&type=lgns

Ravens RB Rice provides test for stingy Packers

[swede]

Everybody misses, but what if Rice was a Emmitt clone?

Emmitt would've been an average RB if he wasn't behind an elite OL. If you think you are going to be getting a stud out of some shrimp of a RB, then you better have the OL of the Cowboys in the early 90s to work with.

Agreed, although he did have the ability to plant, stop, and fire off in a new direction. I remember one play in particular from the 4th quarter of an NFC Championship game against Dallas where he did that while his line kind of seal blocked as he stopped in the backfield and cut back to the right. I think he either got an important first down or he might have even scored. Dayum! We were leading in the 4th quarter!

:cry:


Once Emmit blew out his groin he became really average.

As for the running back, I don't think it looks good for Rice or any other exciting RB prospect. TT doesn't nudge RB's up his draft board because it would be really sweet to see this guy or that guy run in the pros the way he ran in college.


I suddenly have a question. Would TT have taken Adrian Peterson if he had had the 7th pick tin 2007? Hmmmmm?

[Brandon494]

Everybody misses, but what if Rice was a Emmitt clone?

Emmitt would've been an average RB if he wasn't behind an elite OL. If you think you are going to be getting a stud out of some shrimp of a RB, then you better have the OL of the Cowboys in the early 90s to work with.

Agreed, although he did have the ability to plant, stop, and fire off in a new direction. I remember one play in particular from the 4th quarter of an NFC Championship game against Dallas where he did that while his line kind of seal blocked as he stopped in the backfield and cut back to the right. I think he either got an important first down or he might have even scored. Dayum! We were leading in the 4th quarter!

:cry:


Once Emmit blew out his groin he became really average.

As for the running back, I don't think it looks good for Rice or any other exciting RB prospect. TT doesn't nudge RB's up his draft board because it would be really sweet to see this guy or that guy run in the pros the way he ran in college.


I suddenly have a question. Would TT have taken Adrian Peterson if he had had the 7th pick tin 2007? Hmmmmm?

You guys are crazy if you did Emmit was an average RB if not for his O-line. I remember when he held out in the 1993 season and the team looked horrible without him losing their first two games. When he game back the team went on to go 12-4 and won the SB. Its a reason Aikman never threw 20 TDs in his career, because Emitt carried that team.

Also Ray Rice is good in all but he is no where near a clone of Emitt Smith. Rice has much better hands than Smith but is no wear near the runner he is. If you want to compare a smaller back to Smith it would have to be Maruice Jones Drew.