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Posted June 14, 2007
Mike Vandermause column:
Morency is hungry for carries
By Mike Vandermause
Vernand Morency wears No. 34 for the Green Bay Packers, just like Edgar Bennett used to do. Morency weighs between 215 and 220 pounds, just like Bennett. Morency wants to be the Packers' every-down back, just like Bennett was in the mid-1990s.
Is it any wonder Morency has spent more time with Bennett, the Packers' running backs coach, than anyone else this offseason? Where Bennett goes, Morency is sure to follow. The two have spent hours discussing the finer points of the offense. Morency has become a student of the game and has picked Bennett's brain on countless occasions.
Morency is staring at the opportunity of a lifetime. After spending his first two NFL seasons as a backup, the chance to become the Packers' starting halfback is there for the taking after Ahman Green left in free agency.
"This guy is one of our hardest-working guys in the building," Bennett said.
"His work ethic is phenomenal. He is a come-early, leave-late type of guy. Mo's the type of person, as long as the time permits, he'll stay in there, and we'll just keep going. He loves it. He loves what he does. That's excellent when you see a young guy with that type of passion to want to continue to learn and grow and get better."
Critics have had a field day with Morency since he was traded to the Packers last September by the Houston Texans for running back Samkon Gado. Morency's size, durability and character have been questioned. Some consider him strictly a change-of-pace back who can't handle the pounding that comes with full-time duty.
Morency tunes out the skeptics.
"I'm an every-down back," he said after practice last Thursday.
"I firmly believe that I've been an every-down back all my life."
He has been forced to prove himself over and over again. At Northwestern High School in Miami, Morency followed in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a star running back. At Oklahoma State, Morency filled the big shoes left by Tatum Bell.
When the Texans traded him last year, Morency was forced to prove his worth to the Packers. He rushed for 436 yards in 96 carries (4.5 average) as Green's backup. Even now, after the Packers drafted halfback Brandon Jackson in the second round, Morency must fight for a starting job.
"My whole life is the same deal," he said. "Life is going to be like that. Nothing is given to you. You have to earn it. That's all.
"That's why I go out every single day and work hard and show the coaches that I am working hard, that I am hungry, that I love to do what I do."
Morency didn't even bother going home to pack when he heard about the trade to the Packers. Instead, he made a beeline to the airport to ensure he wouldn't miss his flight to Green Bay. "I didn't want to leave a bad impression," he said.
From the day they met, Bennett has noticed Morency's commitment and intense drive to succeed.
"One of the first things he told me when he came to town, he said, 'Coach, I want to be the best, and I'll pay whatever price I have to pay to achieve that,'" Bennett said.
Hard work and commitment don't guarantee prosperity in the NFL. No one is handing Morency a starting job. As usual, he will be forced to earn it.
"Until he really does it and proves (himself), it's all a little bit of conjecture," said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin about whether Morency can be an every-down back.
"There's still a lot of things we don't know about."
Bennett thinks Morency is capable of being the full-time starter.
"You know what, I think he can," he said.
Bennett sees a little bit of himself in Morency.
The biggest difference, according to Bennett, is that Morency is better.
"I wish I was as elusive as Mo," Bennett said.
"I haven't seen a lot of backs capable of doing some of the things he's capable of doing."
It will be up to Morency to live up to his coach's strong praise.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.
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