Regardless of our crappy 0-Line..What's up with Ryan Grant?

[SnakeLH2006]

It seems that Grant is healthy now. Hammys are a beyotch esp. for a RB. Yet our O-Line has been inconsistent with our staple bookend Tackle Tandem of Cliffy and Tauch being less than great as of late. Our interior line has been suspect for 3 years now, yet it looked like Grant was the great savior (ala Barry Sanders) to make our running game look potent in the past 10 games last year and the playoffs.

Snake's Take:

It's a shame all the consistency was robbed when Grant held out, and subsequently got a pulled hammy (we knew that would happen with little physical repetitions). It looks like Grant, now healthy, still shows game-breaking burst, yet looks clueless on how to hit the hole (evidenced by replays, and even announcers saying he could have hit this hole or that hole on a cutback ((his fortay last year)) yet he seems to hesitate too much.)

Did he get paid ala Freeman and pack it in? I think that may have something to do with it, but what's his deal? Unless we can run the ball, esp. as it gets colder, our D will continually be exposed.

Was he a flash in the pan? I don't think so as he has game-changing skills. Was he overrated in most of our minds? Yes. Was he overpaid? Definitely yes, until he has some monster games.

...Take away his 57 yard run early and he averages under 3 yards a carry thus far despite carrying 32 times last week.

I think myself and several others may have overrated him from last year as nobody was gameplanning him. The book is out to stack the line with 5 down lineman.

I think he's Pro-Bowler material, but this is not about potential, but what you think he is and evolves to in the short term...I picked the 2nd option as his is definitely not top 5 or maybe 10, but is pretty good, but don't see him much better as 26 year old RB next year. His potential is now.

1200 yards, busts a few big runs, but with schemes to slow him, he never will be THE BACK we thought he would be until the O-Line gets some maulers and stops this finesse nonsense. Just the Snake's Take though...

[The Gunshooter]

Grant is an example of the typical holdout. Get paid and get hurt. GB would be 1-5 if Rodgers wasn't good at the QB sneak because GB's running game truly sucks giant donkey dick.

[SnakeLH2006]

Grant is an example of the typical holdout. Get paid and get hurt. GB would be 1-5 if Rodgers wasn't good at the QB sneak because GB's running game truly sucks giant donkey dick.

True..yet what is your vote?...Is Grant a franchise back? Rodgers has added a positive element to the rushing attack. With his recent injury I doubt he scrambles 7 times a game as he did in the first 2 games, yet that sneak is awesome and gets us first downs and TD's.

[Fritz]

I've been wondering the same thing, Snake. What's his deal? Is he the real thing or not? I don't know enough about football to know if a running back's cutback ability or vision can get lost if he hasn't played enough, so I don't know why the dude hit the cutback so well last year but seems to be missing it now.

As for the contract, I guess my reservation is with the fumbles. He's got a big contract for a guy who appears to have some trouble hanging on to the football.

[Bossman641]

I picked option 3. I hope he's more than that, but I just can't say it right now. He's looked a little bit better physically-wise game by game, but it's like his instincts have just disappeared. Early on in the Seahawk game he hit the cutback a few times, and then it didn't happen again the rest of the game.

I still think he picks his play up after the bye.

[DonHutson]

I say above average, but he's playing in a system that can make him look a lot better than he is. He's not a great receiver, and I think the offense's misdirection often gives him a head start in the open field that makes him look faster than he is.

He's basically going through his training camp on the field in these games. I don't think there's anything wrong with his instincts, I think he just hasn't been able physically to catch up to those instincts and it makes him look slow.

He'll come around.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Physically, I thought he looked better against Atlanta. I think he's healthy again. He missed some holes against Seattle. I think he's close to turning it around.

[3irty1]

Its hard to say. The 2nd half of last year he was as good as runner on the planet.

He might never be THAT good again but he is certainly much better than his numbers indicate this year. I'll wager we haven't seen his best game of 2008 yet.

[mraynrand]

I voted "Possibly Pro Bowler: 1250 yards consistently. His instincts will be like last year. Just you see!"

The next category down describes Edgar Bennett. Grant has more quickness, burst and speed than Bennett. 1250 yards is really not all that many yards. And, except perhaps for Tex, I don't think there are any left here who think he is better than LT.

[Scott Campbell]

I thought he was the real deal. Now I have serious doubts.

It reminds me a little bit of Jenkins. 2 years ago he looked like he deserved to get paid. And they did pay him. Then last year, all of a sudden - he sucked.

Football performance can be a fickle thing.

[Patler]

In answer to a question, at his press conference MM said Grant graded out very high in his decision making against Seattle. I'm sure it wasn't 100%, but MM implied that he went where he should have on most plays.

In a radio interview, Wells said they really didn't block many plays cleanly. He said in spite of how many plays they ran, a lineman missed or didn't finish on just about every play, so Grant never had a clean hole.

[GBRulz]

My thought is that if you're going to pay a player the money, don't want until the end of training camp to do it. Had he been in camp and OTA's taking the reps, I think he would be in better football shape.

I think Grant is on the verge of turning it around and I'm not too worried.

[Patler]

My thought is that if you're going to pay a player the money, don't want until the end of training camp to do it. Had he been in camp and OTA's taking the reps, I think he would be in better football shape.

I think Grant is on the verge of turning it around and I'm not too worried.

You do realize that he was signed shortly after camp started, even before "Family Night", a week before the first preseason game, don't you?

His problem wasn't a "holdout", it was that he happened to get hurt early in camp, with a lingering injury that has affected him the better part of two months.

[DonHutson]

In a radio interview, Wells said they really didn't block many plays cleanly. He said in spite of how many plays they ran, a lineman missed or didn't finish on just about every play, so Grant never had a clean hole.

So basically, this is what Grant would have looked like for the first half last year had he been the starter? I do think he was fortunate in the timing in that he started playing around the same time the OL started run blocking more effectively last year.

In any case, we saw last year that Grant and the OL can be an effective combination when everyone is firing on all cylinders. It could still happen this year. As for the OL having problems with fundamentals for half the season two years in a row, I'd take that as a sign that the OL coach isn't doing his job.

[Tony Oday]

I just do not think he is that good on the other hand he is not that bad either. He is a top 15 back at best when the line is blocking.