Packer running backs: dog meat

[Harlan Huckleby]

I hope this news flash doesn't jar anybody. I was reading the injury report in the paper today, and it dawns on me just how pathetic the Packer backfield has become.

Morency is maybe their best back, and he is not able to practice, his knee reacted badly to the last game. This is after a bye week! Morency is useless for this season. Too bad.

Wynn is hurt again, for the 6th time since training camp. I guess he is the hope, I just wish he had some durability.

Jackson - he will be a third down back - AFTER he gets better at running, blocking and pass catching.

Grant - he ain't bad, but he ain't good either.

I'm very frustrated. I just don't think the running back by committee is gonna work. Crappy backs put extra pressure on the offensive line. Deshawn Wynn needs to save the day.

[4and12to12and4]

I'm actually glad Morency is hurt. He sucks. Brandon is much quicker and stronger. Even as a rookie I like him better. If he can get in there Monday Night and remain uninjured, he's our best shot, if our l-line can improve their run support and having Wells back will help with their cohesion as the season continues.

[Freak Out]

Has the trading deadline passed? :lol:

[BallHawk]

Michael Turner would be oh so nice.

[packers11]

Can A-rod play rb??? :roll: :lol:

[Merlin]

I'm actually glad Morency is hurt. He sucks. Brandon is much quicker and stronger. Even as a rookie I like him better. If he can get in there Monday Night and remain uninjured, he's our best shot, if our l-line can improve their run support and having Wells back will help with their cohesion as the season continues.

And I am sure you know that we all agree you are entitled to your opinion. Jackson has shown nothing. He can't cut, he isn't fast and he doesn't appear to be all that smart when it comes to running the ball. Let's not forget that he is often injured in his pro career so far.

Wynn shows a knack for the big play but struggles otherwise. Ron Dayne was like that at Wisconsin. He would have two or three big plays a game but the rest were pedestrian. He got 30 + touches a game though and I doubt McCarthy would ever think about running it 30 times in a game.

Ryan Grant seems more like a good third down option. He has good hands and can block, hus rushing ability though isn't very good.

Morency has shown he can do the job except he has a glass jaw.

Although it seems like no one likes Heron, he is the only RB we have that has proven they can carry the load. His injury from what I understand when it happened was a 2 - 4 week downtime and they put him on IR. Morency had longer then that and it appears he still isn't healthy but he doesn't go on the IR. I seriously question putting Heron on IR.

Our best shot is on the practice squad. Chris White is a bruiser and the only rookie to show anything remotely resembling a running game to date. White won't make the cut for the ZBS and that's why he is on the practice squad. He will however see a small hole and bust through it no matter what scheme you are running. And on short yardage it sure would be nice to see a back that could actually make that 1 yard.

But then again, that's just my opinion.

[Freak Out]

Is it bad luck or these guys just a bunch of wimps? Are Grant and Hall healthy? Sheesh....

[Freak Out]

I'm actually glad Morency is hurt. He sucks. Brandon is much quicker and stronger. Even as a rookie I like him better. If he can get in there Monday Night and remain uninjured, he's our best shot, if our l-line can improve their run support and having Wells back will help with their cohesion as the season continues.

And I am sure you know that we all agree you are entitled to your opinion. Jackson has shown nothing. He can't cut, he isn't fast and he doesn't appear to be all that smart when it comes to running the ball. Let's not forget that he is often injured in his pro career so far.

Wynn shows a knack for the big play but struggles otherwise. Ron Dayne was like that at Wisconsin. He would have two or three big plays a game but the rest were pedestrian. He got 30 + touches a game though and I doubt McCarthy would ever think about running it 30 times in a game.

Ryan Grant seems more like a good third down option. He has good hands and can block, hus rushing ability though isn't very good.

Morency has shown he can do the job except he has a glass jaw.

Although it seems like no one likes Heron, he is the only RB we have that has proven they can carry the load. His injury from what I understand when it happened was a 2 - 4 week downtime and they put him on IR. Morency had longer then that and it appears he still isn't healthy but he doesn't go on the IR. I seriously question putting Heron on IR.

Our best shot is on the practice squad. Chris White is a bruiser and the only rookie to show anything remotely resembling a running game to date. White won't make the cut for the ZBS and that's why he is on the practice squad. He will however see a small hole and bust through it no matter what scheme you are running. And on short yardage it sure would be nice to see a back that could actually make that 1 yard.

But then again, that's just my opinion.

You must be referring to FB Corey White? What the hell...bring him up. We need all the rookie RBs we can get.

[esoxx]

I take umbrage at this thread's characterization that the RB's are "dog meat".

More like "dog crap".

[ND72]

Jackson - he will be a third down back - AFTER he gets better at running, blocking and pass catching.


I find it funny, cause Jackson is most likely our best recieving back. Morency might be as fluid, but Wynn is a horrible reciever out of the backfield, and Grant is a eh guy. Jackson's pass recieving has been what has gotten him on the field this year.

[ND72]

[quote=4and12to12and4]

Wynn shows a knack for the big play but struggles otherwise. Ron Dayne was like that at Wisconsin.



:wow: :glug: Wynn is like Ron Dayne. we all need to watch out for this kool aide. I know what he wrote through the rest...but YIKES. Wynn is nowhere like Ron Dayne, and I would rather have Ron Dayne on our team right now than Deshawn Wynn.

[b bulldog]

I would stay away from both. Wynn will not be a Packer next year imo.

[Scott Campbell]

I wonder how well Corey Dillon is enjoying his retirement.

[Bretsky]

I wonder how well Corey Dillon is enjoying his retirement.

At the end Corey Dillon just seemed slow. He had a very very good OL in New England blocking for him, a luxury he would not have in Green Bay.

I dislike our RB core more than most, but with that said, I don't think Dillon helps one bit.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I'm actually glad Morency is hurt. He sucks. Brandon is much quicker and stronger.

I was going to call you an idiot for this opinion, but then I notice that Merlin beat me to it. But THEN I see Merlin suggests Chris White as an upgrade, which makes him an even bigger idiot.

The truth is we know very little about the running backs. The only thing that looks bankable is that Morency won't be any help, it's not likely that 5 months of chronic knee problems are going to clear up.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Jackson's pass recieving has been what has gotten him on the field this year.

They went with Morency even when Jackson was healthier. Morency is the preferred third down back, it appears.

[ahaha]

There's got to be a decent RB on some team's practice squad right now. Somebody that just needs a shot.

[GBRulz]

Time to let J Ryan take a few snaps....

[ND72]

When Dallas drafts Darrien McFadden with Clevelands #1 pick that we passed on to take Justin Harrell...I might be angry.

[cheesner]

I think all of our RBs are better than being given the credit in this thread. What sucks is our run blocking. The running has been so-so, but there still is potential that the run game may take off with a little better run blocking.

And don't sell Wynn short. His biggest issue was between his ears. I am very surprised that he appears to have greatly increased his focus on football. He may become something special, but he is going to have to continue to work.

[Iron Mike]

Didn't we re-sign Dorsey Levens this year?

[Carolina_Packer]

Didn't we re-sign Dorsey Levens this year?

I think you are thinking of Rondell Mealy, or is it Herbert "Whisper" Goodman?

[Harlan Huckleby]

I think all of our RBs are better than being given the credit in this thread. What sucks is our run blocking.

I just don't believe this. I think it is hard to run in the NFL, it's set up to be a passing league. The defenses still have the edge against the running game. A lot of lousy teams have good run defenses. Offenses NEED a back with talent to create. offensive lines rarely blow-open big holes for runners.

The Packer offensive line needs to get better, sure. But I don't buy into the theory that a dominating, zone-blocking offensive line is gonna allow a squad of generic running backs to be successful. Not gonna happen. One of those runners has to be a featured back who can create. I see none of that ability in Jackson. Morency, i don't know. Maybe Wynn. They are a motley crew at this stage.

[Zool]

When Dallas drafts Darrien McFadden with Clevelands #1 pick that we passed on to take Justin Harrell...I might be angry.

Does that mean Julius Jones will be available?

[Carolina_Packer]

In the big picture, it could be argued correctly (especially given what we've seen) that TT left too much to chance with our running game this past offseason. There wasn't a lot to get excited about, man will say, and that may be true. I give TT credit overall for what he's done, but I'm not sure he had a great succession plan for Ahman Green. He could have been taking RB's in each of his first two drafts, knowing that AG had an expiring deal, was getting older for an RB and could have been hurt (which obviously did happen). I think the competition he created at that position was not strong enough from the time he got here to now. Last year he addressed RB with a trade, but unfortunately Morency can't seem to stay healthy. He sprinkled in a few under the radar backs in undrafted free agency that didn't work out, and this year he brought in three RB's, 2 from the draft and one in trade. One of them may work out eventually, but we needed something to setup to work this year, and not leave a production gap, which we now have.

Why leave so much to chance by waiting until this year to really address RB? It may not truly be reactive, but it just seems that way when guys don't quite develop or produce like you hope, or guys get injured. Again, I think it points to an overall chance that was taken on the succession of the RB position. You can't just expect to find a guy to replace a talent like AG, however, you can start building in your chances by doing a better job of anticipating AG's departure and having a guy ready to become the man sonner than TT did.

[MJZiggy]

I do believe he waited because he thought he was gonna have AG here this season. Nobody (Green included, I think) expected Houston to toss cash at him like that.

[The Leaper]

All of you claiming Jackson is the best back on the roster must be watching the games after several 12 packs. The guy is not fast, makes poor decisions, and has a whopping 2.6 average per carry right now.

The last time I checked, Morency and Wynn both are averaging 4+ per carry. In terms of running the ball when given a crease, both guys can get it done. The problem is that the OL isn't giving them a crease half the time. Also, neither seems able to stay healthy...which we figured might be the case.

I'm not about to claim our RBs are dog food. I think they can be adequate if given enough chances by our OL. They will never be Pro Bowl players...but they could churn out 100 yards a game with some help. I think the fact that we run so infrequently isn't helping anything either. They don't practice their cut blocking during the week, then rarely run the ball on game day. Just when are these OL players going to have hands on training on what they are supposed to be doing?

[Cheesehead Craig]

When Dallas drafts Darrien McFadden with Clevelands #1 pick that we passed on to take Justin Harrell...I might be angry.
McFadden is going top 4-5 in the draft at the latest and Cleveland's pick is not going to be that high. They are likely around 8-8 this season.

[lod01]

When Dallas drafts Darrien McFadden with Clevelands #1 pick that we passed on to take Justin Harrell...I might be angry.

Does that mean Julius Jones will be available?

As a Julius Jones former owner, I can tell you with 100% certainty that he is useless. Do you want a guy that falls down on 1st contact? A guy that can't see a hole and just runs into the pile? Then Jones is your man. Top it off, another concussion and he may be excused permanently by the league. 2 more and it is for certain.

Now, exactly what is wrong with R. Grant? He hasn't really gotten a lot of carries to even tell me anything one way or another. 6-27 4.5 ypc.

[Zool]

When Dallas drafts Darrien McFadden with Clevelands #1 pick that we passed on to take Justin Harrell...I might be angry.

Does that mean Julius Jones will be available?

As a Julius Jones former owner, I can tell you with 100% certainty that he is useless. Do you want a guy that falls down on 1st contact? A guy that can't see a hole and just runs into the pile? Then Jones is your man. Top it off, another concussion and he may be excused permanently by the league. 2 more and it is for certain.

Now, exactly what is wrong with R. Grant? He hasn't really gotten a lot of carries to even tell me anything one way or another. 6-27 4.5 ypc.

He runs harder than our current crop though.

[Partial]

When Dallas drafts Darrien McFadden with Clevelands #1 pick that we passed on to take Justin Harrell...I might be angry.

You think a #15-18 and a #28ish are going to be enough to trade up to #1? I sure don't.

[cpk1994]

When Dallas drafts Darrien McFadden with Clevelands #1 pick that we passed on to take Justin Harrell...I might be angry.

Does that mean Julius Jones will be available?

Or Marion Barber III?

[HarveyWallbangers]

Julius Jones isn't a bad player. Marion Barber is just better. I think Barber is one of the best RBs in the league.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I like Wynn's chances of succeeding in the NFL. My frustration is just with the injuries. In my mind, he's clearly the best of the 4.

Wynn officially named No. 1 RB
By JASON WILDE

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It's official. Until further notice, DeShawn Wynn is unquestionably the Green Bay Packers' starting running back, no matter what durability concerns the team might have about the rookie seventh-round pick.

Coach Mike McCarthy made that clear after Wynn took part in all phases of Thursday's practice after suffering "neck spasms" earlier in the week that threatened his availability for Monday night's game against the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field.

"He's in the No. 1 slot right now. He has an opportunity to take it and do something with it," McCarthy said in Green Bay following practice. "We'll see what he can do."

Asked about Wynn's latest injury, which follows calf and quadriceps strains as well as a stomach virus and dehydration-related cramps, McCarthy replied, "We can all overreact to that. He's done a good job. He's been a professional. He's been on time. He's done all the things that are asked of him as far as the weight room, training room and so forth. He had a neck spasm. It happens. This (injury) is not a reflection of anything that's happened in the past."

For his part, Wynn seems to recognize the opportunity before him.

"Kind of a dream come true, being a seventh-round pick and getting to start a few games," said Wynn, who leads the NFL's worst-ranked rushing offense with 202 yards and four touchdowns. "It's definitely something I can't get complacent with."