PaCkFan_n_MD
08-15-2006, 11:11 PM
He will likely start against Atlanta
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 15, 2006
Green Bay - For the time being, it's Najeh Davenport's world.
With Ahman Green taking part in a full-pads workout for the first time Tuesday night and Samkon Gado sidelined with a groin injury, the Green Bay Packers' starting halfback job belongs to Davenport. If there ever has been a do-or-die situation, it's right now because Davenport won't get another opportunity like this one the rest of training camp.
After four years of teetering between being a force to be reckoned with and an injury waiting to happen, Davenport is facing life in a new system. If he doesn't show he's a good fit for it and doesn't do the other things that constitute being a complete back, it's not inconceivable that he could be out of a job.
"You worry about that and you won't wind up doing anything," Davenport said Tuesday between practices. "I'm trying to show I'm healthy and ready to go for the season."
Coming off a broken ankle that required several screws to be surgically inserted into the bone, Davenport has yet to show he can be the back who gained 178 yards against St. Louis two years ago and 54 yards in 12 carries against New Orleans last year before suffering his season-ending injury.
Despite Gado being healthy last week, the coaches started Davenport ahead of him against the San Diego Chargers in the exhibition opener Saturday. Davenport took part in 16 plays and carried a team-high six times for 12 yards in what was a horrendous performance all around for the offense.
To some, Davenport looked hesitant and out of kilter, but how much of that was due to the offensive line getting ripped to shreds by the Chargers is unknown. Gado didn't fare much better with 6 yards in three carries before exiting with the groin pull, and Noah Herron managed just 4 yards in three carries.
"They stressed as long as we get 4 yards a carry it was all good," Davenport said. "We were aiming for four. The whole play could go to hell, but as long as we get 4 yards on the run, it's all right. That's how I went into it. I didn't think it would be that bad. Obviously, we had our troubles up front, but they started getting it together."
This is how Davenport's night went: Run for no gain, catch for 9 yards, run for no gain, dropped pass, run for 5, run for 4, run for no gain, run for 3. It was hardly an auspicious start, but it was also the first game back for a guy who didn't take part in any football activity during the off-season and was playing behind a non-functioning offensive line.
In the new zone-blocking system, the backs are responsible for picking one of three holes to run through and then taking off with no hesitation. The only significant run of the game came when Davenport got a small crease and carried several defenders with him for a few yards on a 5-yard gain.
"I'd like to see us run the ball a little more than I did to get a little better read on them (the backs), but we've got some things we need to improve in that area," coach Mike McCarthy said. "The passing game, they really didn't factor in this game. But as far as running the ball, we need to get more attempts. The decision-making process, we can improve on. It wasn't our best performance."
Showing better hands in the passing game and a willingness to protect the quarterback at all costs are things Davenport needs to improve on to be Green's backup this season. Davenport will probably get the start again Saturday against Atlanta, and assuming there aren't the massive breakdowns upfront as there were last weekend, the coaches will get a better feel for his ability in this offense.
Against the Chargers, Davenport said he graded 16 for 16 in assignments and 12 for 16 in technique. That means he was consistently in the right place, but not always up to task in carrying out his duties the way the coaches want it.
"As far as my reads, he (running backs coach Edgar Bennett) thought I should have picked another hole on one, but I got 4 yards on it so it doesn't matter," Davenport said. "They didn't really stress anything like that."
The worst-looking play Davenport was involved in was a sack of quarterback Brett Favre in which linebacker Stephen Cooper ran right through him. It looked as if Davenport gave up on the play and let Cooper blitz freely.
"That wasn't even my duty," Davenport said. "That was like a blown assignment. That was me coming off on a fake, and he stopped to look at me on the fake, and I put my hands on him to try to stop him, but once I had my hands up, and he saw I didn't have the ball, he took off. My responsibility is the corner or safety. I was just carrying out the fake."
As training camp goes on, it will become clearer whether Davenport is a fit for this offense or a better fit for the power gap system the team used the past couple of years under former coach Mike Sherman. In the previous system, Davenport often followed lead blockers - sometimes pulling guards - into the hole and seemed to have success running "downhill" into a specific hole.
"I've got a feel for Najeh," general manager Ted Thompson said. "He ran hard (Saturday). I think there's a place for big backs who can run behind their pads. He's best when he's running downhill, but he's got quick feet and can move a little."
In the 39 (out of 64) games he was healthy, Davenport averaged 4.9 yards per carry. His unwillingness to run with his pads lower so he absorbs less punishment probably has kept him from having more than just 217 carries in his career, but with a blocker in front of him, he was hard to bring down.
This system requires tougher decision-making because most of the time there is no prescribed hole and once the back makes the cut, there's no dancing around. Davenport doesn't see any problem fitting into this system with the way he plays the game.
"I know my strengths and my weaknesses," Davenport said. "If we line up and race about 60 yards and 70 yards, I'm in the top seven on this team. You want to do 5-10-5, real quickness stuff, I'm not as quick as somebody 210 pounds. I'm 250 pounds. I'm not going to be as quick as them.
"A lot of systems allow their backs to be quick and shifty. That's not me. I'm a one-cut guy, get to my top speed and go."
The Packers will probably keep five running backs, at least three of whom are halfbacks and possibly four if one of them shows he can play both positions. The coaches like Herron a lot because he can catch and is tough between the tackles, and they also like rookie free agent Arliss Beach because he reaches a second gear quickly.
But Davenport, who in the off-season signed a one-year deal worth $655,280, including a $25,000 roster bonus and a $45,000 workout bonus, has the best combination of size and speed of the bunch. He just has to show he's back from the ankle injury and capable of being the starter if something goes wrong with Green.
"I don't know how it will go," Thompson said of the roster. "We'll keep the best players and if that warrants three halfbacks, we'll do that. I don't know that we would keep a lesser player for that."
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 15, 2006
Green Bay - For the time being, it's Najeh Davenport's world.
With Ahman Green taking part in a full-pads workout for the first time Tuesday night and Samkon Gado sidelined with a groin injury, the Green Bay Packers' starting halfback job belongs to Davenport. If there ever has been a do-or-die situation, it's right now because Davenport won't get another opportunity like this one the rest of training camp.
After four years of teetering between being a force to be reckoned with and an injury waiting to happen, Davenport is facing life in a new system. If he doesn't show he's a good fit for it and doesn't do the other things that constitute being a complete back, it's not inconceivable that he could be out of a job.
"You worry about that and you won't wind up doing anything," Davenport said Tuesday between practices. "I'm trying to show I'm healthy and ready to go for the season."
Coming off a broken ankle that required several screws to be surgically inserted into the bone, Davenport has yet to show he can be the back who gained 178 yards against St. Louis two years ago and 54 yards in 12 carries against New Orleans last year before suffering his season-ending injury.
Despite Gado being healthy last week, the coaches started Davenport ahead of him against the San Diego Chargers in the exhibition opener Saturday. Davenport took part in 16 plays and carried a team-high six times for 12 yards in what was a horrendous performance all around for the offense.
To some, Davenport looked hesitant and out of kilter, but how much of that was due to the offensive line getting ripped to shreds by the Chargers is unknown. Gado didn't fare much better with 6 yards in three carries before exiting with the groin pull, and Noah Herron managed just 4 yards in three carries.
"They stressed as long as we get 4 yards a carry it was all good," Davenport said. "We were aiming for four. The whole play could go to hell, but as long as we get 4 yards on the run, it's all right. That's how I went into it. I didn't think it would be that bad. Obviously, we had our troubles up front, but they started getting it together."
This is how Davenport's night went: Run for no gain, catch for 9 yards, run for no gain, dropped pass, run for 5, run for 4, run for no gain, run for 3. It was hardly an auspicious start, but it was also the first game back for a guy who didn't take part in any football activity during the off-season and was playing behind a non-functioning offensive line.
In the new zone-blocking system, the backs are responsible for picking one of three holes to run through and then taking off with no hesitation. The only significant run of the game came when Davenport got a small crease and carried several defenders with him for a few yards on a 5-yard gain.
"I'd like to see us run the ball a little more than I did to get a little better read on them (the backs), but we've got some things we need to improve in that area," coach Mike McCarthy said. "The passing game, they really didn't factor in this game. But as far as running the ball, we need to get more attempts. The decision-making process, we can improve on. It wasn't our best performance."
Showing better hands in the passing game and a willingness to protect the quarterback at all costs are things Davenport needs to improve on to be Green's backup this season. Davenport will probably get the start again Saturday against Atlanta, and assuming there aren't the massive breakdowns upfront as there were last weekend, the coaches will get a better feel for his ability in this offense.
Against the Chargers, Davenport said he graded 16 for 16 in assignments and 12 for 16 in technique. That means he was consistently in the right place, but not always up to task in carrying out his duties the way the coaches want it.
"As far as my reads, he (running backs coach Edgar Bennett) thought I should have picked another hole on one, but I got 4 yards on it so it doesn't matter," Davenport said. "They didn't really stress anything like that."
The worst-looking play Davenport was involved in was a sack of quarterback Brett Favre in which linebacker Stephen Cooper ran right through him. It looked as if Davenport gave up on the play and let Cooper blitz freely.
"That wasn't even my duty," Davenport said. "That was like a blown assignment. That was me coming off on a fake, and he stopped to look at me on the fake, and I put my hands on him to try to stop him, but once I had my hands up, and he saw I didn't have the ball, he took off. My responsibility is the corner or safety. I was just carrying out the fake."
As training camp goes on, it will become clearer whether Davenport is a fit for this offense or a better fit for the power gap system the team used the past couple of years under former coach Mike Sherman. In the previous system, Davenport often followed lead blockers - sometimes pulling guards - into the hole and seemed to have success running "downhill" into a specific hole.
"I've got a feel for Najeh," general manager Ted Thompson said. "He ran hard (Saturday). I think there's a place for big backs who can run behind their pads. He's best when he's running downhill, but he's got quick feet and can move a little."
In the 39 (out of 64) games he was healthy, Davenport averaged 4.9 yards per carry. His unwillingness to run with his pads lower so he absorbs less punishment probably has kept him from having more than just 217 carries in his career, but with a blocker in front of him, he was hard to bring down.
This system requires tougher decision-making because most of the time there is no prescribed hole and once the back makes the cut, there's no dancing around. Davenport doesn't see any problem fitting into this system with the way he plays the game.
"I know my strengths and my weaknesses," Davenport said. "If we line up and race about 60 yards and 70 yards, I'm in the top seven on this team. You want to do 5-10-5, real quickness stuff, I'm not as quick as somebody 210 pounds. I'm 250 pounds. I'm not going to be as quick as them.
"A lot of systems allow their backs to be quick and shifty. That's not me. I'm a one-cut guy, get to my top speed and go."
The Packers will probably keep five running backs, at least three of whom are halfbacks and possibly four if one of them shows he can play both positions. The coaches like Herron a lot because he can catch and is tough between the tackles, and they also like rookie free agent Arliss Beach because he reaches a second gear quickly.
But Davenport, who in the off-season signed a one-year deal worth $655,280, including a $25,000 roster bonus and a $45,000 workout bonus, has the best combination of size and speed of the bunch. He just has to show he's back from the ankle injury and capable of being the starter if something goes wrong with Green.
"I don't know how it will go," Thompson said of the roster. "We'll keep the best players and if that warrants three halfbacks, we'll do that. I don't know that we would keep a lesser player for that."