woodbuck27
09-17-2006, 01:59 AM
SAT., SEP 16, 2006 - 2:33 AM
Packers: Strong start for Green
JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - Ten years ago today, Ahman Green found himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was a sophomore at Nebraska at the time, and the two-time defending national champions had just embarked on their quest for a third straight title with a 55-14 season-opening rout of Michigan State.
The story was mostly about the Lawrence Phillips mess the school was trying to put behind it, and the emergence of quarterback Scott Frost. Green's performance - 71 yards on 16 carries - merited only a one-sentence mention, eight paragraphs from the end, but his picture was on newsstands nationwide.
When reminded of that moment this week, the Green Bay Packers halfback smiled.
"Long time ago," he said.
Sure, but worth mentioning because of the odd juxtaposition 10 years later. This week, while his performance in last Sunday's regular-season opening loss to Chicago - 20 carries for 110 yards, his 29th 100-yard rushing game with the Packers - wasn't nearly enough to land him on the cover of the best-known sports magazine in the country, it certainly merits more than a blurb from us.
After all, considering where Green was 11 months ago - riding on the flatbed of a motorized cart up a Metrodome tunnel with a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his right leg - his effort against the Bears was no small accomplishment.
"He looked very good. Very good. He was explosive, strong, ran hard," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said.
Asked if he was pleasantly surprised by Green's effort, Jagodzinski said, "No, I thought that's the way he'd be. You couldn't tell he'd had that injury last year, the way he performed."
Now, the challenge for Green is to build on that performance Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Although 48 of his yards came on five shotgun handoffs late in the game when the outcome had long been decided, it was important Green show he could carry a full load because Jagodzinski and coach Mike McCarthy said this week they want Green to get 20 to 25 carries per game the rest of the way.
"You want to push him as far as he can go because he is a playmaker," McCarthy said. "(But) there's a fine line there."
Following Wednesday's trade of primary backup Samkon Gado to Houston for third-down back Vernand Morency, Green's only backup is Noah Herron, who flashed late in the preseason but was pedestrian during his regular-season audition (121 yards on 45 carries) late last year. He didn't have a carry against the Bears, but "he's going to have to be ready" Sunday, Jagodzinski said.
Actually, if Green feels as good as he did this week, Herron and Morency might not see any playing time. Green admitted when he was cleared for contact and 11-on-11 drills Aug. 14 - he came back to practice Aug. 7 but only did individual drill work, the early-practice jog-through and limited 7-on-7 work - he was extremely sore, but he didn't experience that after the Bears game.
"I thought I was going to be a lot more sore because I remember the first time I practiced, I was real sore the next day," Green said. "But it was the total opposite, which is good."
Although he admitted he could have had more yards against the Bears, Green said he didn't feel rusty, despite just nine preseason in-game carries. Now, he wants to keep it going.
"To get back out there for the first time in awhile, for what I did, I think I did pretty good. Hopefully, it's something I can just build on and get better," said Green, who until Sunday hadn't had a 100-yard rushing game since November 2004. "I just have to continue to work hard and look forward. That's how I've been looking at it all offseason, all training camp. Just keep working hard."
GO BATMAN GO !!!
Packers: Strong start for Green
JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
jwilde@madison.com
GREEN BAY - Ten years ago today, Ahman Green found himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was a sophomore at Nebraska at the time, and the two-time defending national champions had just embarked on their quest for a third straight title with a 55-14 season-opening rout of Michigan State.
The story was mostly about the Lawrence Phillips mess the school was trying to put behind it, and the emergence of quarterback Scott Frost. Green's performance - 71 yards on 16 carries - merited only a one-sentence mention, eight paragraphs from the end, but his picture was on newsstands nationwide.
When reminded of that moment this week, the Green Bay Packers halfback smiled.
"Long time ago," he said.
Sure, but worth mentioning because of the odd juxtaposition 10 years later. This week, while his performance in last Sunday's regular-season opening loss to Chicago - 20 carries for 110 yards, his 29th 100-yard rushing game with the Packers - wasn't nearly enough to land him on the cover of the best-known sports magazine in the country, it certainly merits more than a blurb from us.
After all, considering where Green was 11 months ago - riding on the flatbed of a motorized cart up a Metrodome tunnel with a ruptured quadriceps tendon in his right leg - his effort against the Bears was no small accomplishment.
"He looked very good. Very good. He was explosive, strong, ran hard," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said.
Asked if he was pleasantly surprised by Green's effort, Jagodzinski said, "No, I thought that's the way he'd be. You couldn't tell he'd had that injury last year, the way he performed."
Now, the challenge for Green is to build on that performance Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Although 48 of his yards came on five shotgun handoffs late in the game when the outcome had long been decided, it was important Green show he could carry a full load because Jagodzinski and coach Mike McCarthy said this week they want Green to get 20 to 25 carries per game the rest of the way.
"You want to push him as far as he can go because he is a playmaker," McCarthy said. "(But) there's a fine line there."
Following Wednesday's trade of primary backup Samkon Gado to Houston for third-down back Vernand Morency, Green's only backup is Noah Herron, who flashed late in the preseason but was pedestrian during his regular-season audition (121 yards on 45 carries) late last year. He didn't have a carry against the Bears, but "he's going to have to be ready" Sunday, Jagodzinski said.
Actually, if Green feels as good as he did this week, Herron and Morency might not see any playing time. Green admitted when he was cleared for contact and 11-on-11 drills Aug. 14 - he came back to practice Aug. 7 but only did individual drill work, the early-practice jog-through and limited 7-on-7 work - he was extremely sore, but he didn't experience that after the Bears game.
"I thought I was going to be a lot more sore because I remember the first time I practiced, I was real sore the next day," Green said. "But it was the total opposite, which is good."
Although he admitted he could have had more yards against the Bears, Green said he didn't feel rusty, despite just nine preseason in-game carries. Now, he wants to keep it going.
"To get back out there for the first time in awhile, for what I did, I think I did pretty good. Hopefully, it's something I can just build on and get better," said Green, who until Sunday hadn't had a 100-yard rushing game since November 2004. "I just have to continue to work hard and look forward. That's how I've been looking at it all offseason, all training camp. Just keep working hard."
GO BATMAN GO !!!