Interesting article on broken tackles

[RashanGary]

Hmmm. This metric would seem to favor backs with poor "vision" that have to get yardage by running though people instead of seeing holes and utilizing their blocks.

I don't know, looking at that metric, it seems to favor the best RBs in the league.

[RashanGary]

I'd call Grant a good, solid starter but not a probowler. He's to RB's what Mark Tauscher is to OL. Reliable, consistent, but not dominant.

[mraynrand]

"Interesting article on broken tackles"

I thought this was a thread about Tauscher and Clifton.

That's good stuff

[Gunakor]

If Ryan Grant leaves us with 2nd and 6, 3rd and 2 by falling forward for 4 yards on first contact I'm happy. We're not a running team. Grant's job is to chew clock, hold onto the ball, keep the defense honest and leave manageable down and distance. As long as he's getting that job done I could care less how he does it.

[Upnorth]

1 fumble in 282 attempts. A very consistent 4.4 average (due to not many big gains). Considering the style of play, he is what we need. Someone who can break more tackles and big gains would be nice, but Grant's play is not holding us back.
I am more concerned about back up Corner and our DL Depth.

[Pugger]

I don't understand the lack of love for Grant either. He was ranked in the top 10 in the league for RBs at the end of the season. He isnt' elite but there aren't a slew of them in the league these days. The NFL is a passing league now so all you need is a reliable back that will get you some yards, block and not turn the ball over. This sounds like that guy who wears #25...

[The Leaper]

In our pass happy scheme, a RB who can be a threat out of the backfield as a receiver is vital as a safety valve for the QB. Grant is also poor at picking up that 1st down when it is 3rd and 1 or 2...which is critical for any RB.

Sorry...I'm not happy with a mediocre RB. I can name 25 guys in the NFL who would be as productive in our system as Grant is. We can do better...and it isn't like we need to draft someone in the first round or sign a high priced FA to do it. There are loads of talented kids coming out of college these days. Thompson just seems to struggle finding talent at RB in the draft.

[Upnorth]

I can name 25 guys in the NFL who would be as productive in our system as Grant is.

Okay Leaper, who are the 25?

[Bretsky]

I can name 25 guys in the NFL who would be as productive in our system as Grant is.

Okay Leaper, who are the 25?

I was wondering if anybody would call Leap to task here. I've stated many times Grant is a good fit for what we need him to do in our system. I use to view him as a bottom half RB in the 15-22 range. But when I went team to team and looked at who I had to compare him with I had to concede Grant was in the top ten range on the high end and at worst about #15. Either way he belongs in the top half and with our system he probably has more value to GB than most of the other teams.

[The Leaper]

If you need to know...

Clear Upgrades (12)

Chris Johnson
Steven Jackson
Maurice Jones Drew
Adrian Peterson
Ray Rice
Jonathan Stewart
Frank Gore
DeAngelo Williams
Michael Turner
Rashard Mendenhall
Matt Forte

Probable Upgrades/Draws (6)

Marion Barber
Thomas Jones
Cedric Benson
Clinton Portis
Ronnie Brown
Ricky Williams

Not Fully Proven...But Me Likey (7)

Jamaal Charles - talented kid on a bad offense...would shine in GB
Pierre Thomas - not a proven workhorse...but already is a much better receiver than Grant
Ahmad Bradshaw - hasn't had a chance to be a #1 back...but he's been a solid player for the Giants. Probably not better than Grant, but just as good.
Shonn Greene - love the guy...was a big reason the Jets made such a great postseason push.
Felix Jones - highly talented kid...don't know if he can be a workhorse, but I would take a shot on him.
CJ Spiller - rookie...but with a lot of physical ability
Ryan Mathews - rookie...but with a lot of physical ability

There are others who you could toss in the argument as well...but I think these are the 25 best options to replace Grant with and get similar or better production. I'm not saying we should just toss Grant aside...he's capable, just mediocre as a feature back due to his lack of receiving skills and penchant to go down if someone gets merely a finger on him.

[The Leaper]

I was wondering if anybody would call Leap to task here. I've stated many times Grant is a good fit for what we need him to do in our system.

How is a RB with zero receiving skills a good fit for our offense?

Sure...Grant knows our offense and is thus more valuable to us currently. There are only 10-14 RBs who I think you can argue would be a definitive upgrade over Grant. However, there are plenty of guys who probably offer just as much if you gave them a chance in our offense.

I'm not saying we have to dump Grant...just that I don't think Grant is a guy you look at as being untouchable. He has some serious flaws in his game that hinder our offense. We should be looking to upgrade our starting RB position when possible.

[Gunakor]

Ryan Grant is the starting RB for the highest scoring Packers team in franchise history. One of the biggest reasons the Packers scored so many points is because they didn't turn the ball over. It had to be one of the lowest turnover totals for a 16 game season in franchise history as well. Grant doesn't turn the ball over at all. Really. I mean like never. He'd be a quality addition to ANY team in the NFL. Everybody's looking for that reliable back that will get you a consistent 4 yards and never fumble no matter how many times you put the ball in his hands.

If we're looking to upgrade the starting RB position, the new guy had better have the same tight grip on the football that Grant has or it isn't really an upgrade at all.

[Pugger]

The only "serious flaw" in his game is he isn't a reciever out of the backfield. With all of our WRs and TEs do we really need Grant to do more than he already is?

[Fritz]

I always like the safety-valve option of a running back slipping out of the backfield.

To that degree is Brandon Jackson a better fit? Better blocker, better receiver (I think). He just doesn't run as well.

[Upnorth]

Leaper I agree that Johnson, Jackson, Peterson, Gore and Rice are all upgrades.
Leaper, you complain about Grants Stone hands.
Grant had 25 Receptions and 1 fumble.

Mendenhall had 25 receptions , 3 fumbles.
Turner 5 receptions, 4 fumbles, 2 lost
Williams, 29 receptions, 3 fumbles
Stewart, 18 recpetions, 3 fumbles, 2 lost

So these 5 are on your clear upgrades. 3 had less receptions and more fumbles. Williams is the only one with more receptions but still lost 3 fumbles. Based on pass catchiong is that really such an upgrade?
When it comes to rushing I would take Grants consistent 4 over any of these announcer darlings in a heartbeat.

Also you have Matt Forte as a clear upgrade. Did you know he fumbled 6 times and lost 3 last year? Did you know his rushing average was 3.6 ypc?
However he did make 57 receptions, so he is much better at making catches as a running back.