woodbuck27
04-19-2007, 05:31 PM
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070415/PKR07/704150675/1959
Posted April 15, 2007
Mike Vandermause column:
Packers have fumbled when taking RBs in early rounds
By Mike Vandermause
Can there be any doubt the Green Bay Packers want to choose a running back in the first round of the NFL draft?
All signs point in that direction. The Packers lost Ahman Green in free agency and are left with four halfbacks on their roster — Vernand Morency, Noah Herron, Arliss Beach and P.J. Pope — who have combined for just 692 career rushing yards.
That isn't going to cut it for a team that desperately needs a successful ground attack to complement quarterback Brett Favre.
General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy can talk all they want about giving their young backs an opportunity to produce, but there's no way a team can enter a season without a proven go-to guy in the backfield.
There's some marginal free-agent talent available, and a trade never can be ruled out. But the draft appears to be the best solution for the Packers to address their backfield dilemma.
The majority of mock drafts have the Packers selecting Marshawn Lynch of the University of California with the No. 16 overall pick. Lynch's agent, Doug Hendrickson, confirmed his client will visit Packers officials in Green Bay this week.
The only other back worthy of first-round consideration is Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, who will be long gone by the time the Packers make their pick. So, essentially, it's Lynch or bust if the Packers want a first-round back.
There are varying opinions on Lynch. Some believe he also will be gone before the Packers can take him — Buffalo needs a back and could draft him at No. 12. But Lynch's stock has dropped recently in some circles because of character concerns and health issues.
However, Lynch has no record of criminal wrongdoing, and rumors about a bad back are unsubstantiated.
This much seems certain about the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Lynch: He is considered a complete back that can do everything well, according to a Pro Football Weekly scouting report.
The only on-field question is whether he can be a workhorse over a 16-game season. That shouldn't be a concern in Green Bay, with Morency serving as a capable change-of-pace back.
The Packers haven't drafted a running back since Najeh Davenport was taken in the fourth round in 2002, a span of 41 selections.
They haven't selected a running back in the first round in 17 years. Maybe that's a good thing, considering the Packers' shaky track record when it comes to first-round backs. Darrell Thompson (1990) and Brent Fullwood (1987) were busts. Eddie Lee Ivery (1979) and Barty Smith (1974) never lived up to expectations, and John Brockington (1971) flamed out after three solid seasons.
The Packers have fared even worse with second-round running backs since the NFL merger. Virgil Robinson (1971), Steve Atkins (1979) and Kenneth Davis (1986) flopped miserably. Is it any wonder the Packers haven't taken a back in the second round in the past two decades?
Here's a sobering thought. Only two backs drafted by the Packers in the last 35 years have produced 1,000-yard seasons in Green Bay.
Both were mid-round gems uncovered by former General Manager Ron Wolf, who took Edgar Bennett in the fourth round in 1992 and Dorsey Levens in the fifth round in 1994.
Out of necessity, the Packers must spend a high draft pick on a running back this year.
If history is any indication, their chances of landing a star are slim.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.
Posted April 15, 2007
Mike Vandermause column:
Packers have fumbled when taking RBs in early rounds
By Mike Vandermause
Can there be any doubt the Green Bay Packers want to choose a running back in the first round of the NFL draft?
All signs point in that direction. The Packers lost Ahman Green in free agency and are left with four halfbacks on their roster — Vernand Morency, Noah Herron, Arliss Beach and P.J. Pope — who have combined for just 692 career rushing yards.
That isn't going to cut it for a team that desperately needs a successful ground attack to complement quarterback Brett Favre.
General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy can talk all they want about giving their young backs an opportunity to produce, but there's no way a team can enter a season without a proven go-to guy in the backfield.
There's some marginal free-agent talent available, and a trade never can be ruled out. But the draft appears to be the best solution for the Packers to address their backfield dilemma.
The majority of mock drafts have the Packers selecting Marshawn Lynch of the University of California with the No. 16 overall pick. Lynch's agent, Doug Hendrickson, confirmed his client will visit Packers officials in Green Bay this week.
The only other back worthy of first-round consideration is Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, who will be long gone by the time the Packers make their pick. So, essentially, it's Lynch or bust if the Packers want a first-round back.
There are varying opinions on Lynch. Some believe he also will be gone before the Packers can take him — Buffalo needs a back and could draft him at No. 12. But Lynch's stock has dropped recently in some circles because of character concerns and health issues.
However, Lynch has no record of criminal wrongdoing, and rumors about a bad back are unsubstantiated.
This much seems certain about the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Lynch: He is considered a complete back that can do everything well, according to a Pro Football Weekly scouting report.
The only on-field question is whether he can be a workhorse over a 16-game season. That shouldn't be a concern in Green Bay, with Morency serving as a capable change-of-pace back.
The Packers haven't drafted a running back since Najeh Davenport was taken in the fourth round in 2002, a span of 41 selections.
They haven't selected a running back in the first round in 17 years. Maybe that's a good thing, considering the Packers' shaky track record when it comes to first-round backs. Darrell Thompson (1990) and Brent Fullwood (1987) were busts. Eddie Lee Ivery (1979) and Barty Smith (1974) never lived up to expectations, and John Brockington (1971) flamed out after three solid seasons.
The Packers have fared even worse with second-round running backs since the NFL merger. Virgil Robinson (1971), Steve Atkins (1979) and Kenneth Davis (1986) flopped miserably. Is it any wonder the Packers haven't taken a back in the second round in the past two decades?
Here's a sobering thought. Only two backs drafted by the Packers in the last 35 years have produced 1,000-yard seasons in Green Bay.
Both were mid-round gems uncovered by former General Manager Ron Wolf, who took Edgar Bennett in the fourth round in 1992 and Dorsey Levens in the fifth round in 1994.
Out of necessity, the Packers must spend a high draft pick on a running back this year.
If history is any indication, their chances of landing a star are slim.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.