COMPLETE COVERAGE-NFC NORTH: PACK FINISH 1st, 2nd...?

[retailguy]

Re: newsflash

newsflash: vernand morency was the better back by week 16 than ahman green in my opinion. check out the highlights of the last 6 games. mostly vernand.

I must not have watched the same games that you did.

Vernand carried 37 times in the last 6 games, Ahman carried 111 times, so Morency carried 25% of the time. He had "fairly decent" totals in two games:

San Francisco 12/10 7 rushes for 69 yards
Detroit 12/17 7 rushes for 54 yards.

Other games were abysmal:

Seattle 11/27 4 rushes 8 yards
NYJ 12/3 6 rushes 14 yards
Minn. 12/17 4 rushes 4 yards
Chicago 12/31 9 rushes 37 yards.

You probably recall the two long runs he had in the afore mentioned good games of 39 yards and 21 yards, or perhaps the 2 touchdowns in the Detroit game. Quite honestly, those 4 plays were about the extent of the "GOOD". If you take 39 and 21 yards and one carry out of the two good games, ALL the stats become fairly mediocre.

If you want to maintain that Morency has a better shot at this stage of the game in breaking a long run than Green does, I probably won't argue with you. However, you seem to be saying that Morency is ready to take over, and he's clearly not. Almost every back up runner in this league has a better ypc average than the starter. That's because the starter gets a bunch of carries on plays that don't work. Ahman was out there 75% of the time in the last 6 games. He MOVED THE CHAINS. Morency served as a "change of pace back" in all those games. NOTHING MORE.

[retailguy]

Last I heard no one's asking Morency to be an every down back...and toward the end of the season last year, Green was no every down back either.

See my previous response. With Green gone, we need to replace 75% of the snaps with another runner. Clearly Morency is on the field more, however you want to slice it in a shared backfield.

If he's not on the field then Jackson is on it. Either way, you've got TWO largely unproven guys on the field on ALL DOWNS.

That's the point. That's the worry.

[MJZiggy]

You've forgotten about Herron, Pope, Wynn and the fullbacks. Morency does not have to pick all the slack up himself. If one member of the committee is hotter than the others, then that's who runs it.

[retailguy]

You've forgotten about Herron, Pope, Wynn and the fullbacks. Morency does not have to pick all the slack up himself. If one member of the committee is hotter than the others, then that's who runs it.

I haven't "forgotton" them. You seem to have forgotton that none of them have NFL experience that qualifys them to carry Ahman's jock strap, much less carry the Green Bay offense.

Morency and Herron are the only ones who have been around, and their time in the NFL does not inspire confidence. Could they come through? sure. But, when it gets down to it, are you really willing to "bet the farm"?

Thompson appears to be. I am not. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe, I'm not.

[Zool]

So maybe either Morrency or Jackson becomes a 15-18 carry a game back and the other is an 8-10 carry a game back. Maybe Wynn gets in for 3-5 a game. I dunno if any of that will happen, but there's no way of knowing until the season starts.

Didnt Morrency put up 250 carries in his last year at OK state? Thats 20+ a game for 12 games. Granted thats not the pro's, but he's 15 pounds heavier now too.

I'm not overly excited about the RB prospects because I've gotten so used to having Batman available, but I'm not going to say that neither guy can get it done until I've watched them try.

[wist43]

Thompsons approach to filling out the backfield seems eerily similar to his approach to filling out the OL in '05. Can't even remember who he brought in - and told us we'd be fine up front. Of course the OL was complete and total junk, and the team went 4-12.

Granted he spent a 2nd rounder on Jackson, but Jackson looks like a clone of Morency... to spend a 2nd rounder a guy that you don't view as a starter is inexplicable to me.

I had looked at Jackson as a low end possibility in the 3rd/4th round only b/c of his similar stature to Morency - although I do hold out some hope that he'll be a tougher inside runner than Morency. If Jackson isn't the starter by the end of the year, then he was a wasted pick, and TT will have egg on his face again - similar to the '05 OL debacle.

[Bretsky]

Thompsons approach to filling out the backfield seems eerily similar to his approach to filling out the OL in '05. Can't even remember who he brought in - and told us we'd be fine up front. Of course the OL was complete and total junk, and the team went 4-12.

Granted he spent a 2nd rounder on Jackson, but Jackson looks like a clone of Morency... to spend a 2nd rounder a guy that you don't view as a starter is inexplicable to me.

I had looked at Jackson as a low end possibility in the 3rd/4th round only b/c of his similar stature to Morency - although I do hold out some hope that he'll be a tougher inside runner than Morency. If Jackson isn't the starter by the end of the year, then he was a wasted pick, and TT will have egg on his face again - similar to the '05 OL debacle.

Klemm
O'Dwyer
Whittaker

Stop blocking out memories; relive the nightmare

[retailguy]

Klemm
O'Dwyer
Whittaker

Stop blocking out memories; relive the nightmare

C'mon, Whittaker wasn't that bad for a 7th round pick. O'Dwyer turned out to be "over the hill" so to speak, but didn't really cost anything.

Klemm was clearly a mistake. Here was a guy who had only played tackle and they just thought they could throw him in at guard... Big miscalculation. That being said, Klemm was available and affordable. That was Ted's criteria, apparently.

The real question is that if Cliffy's knees don't hold up, can Colledge move to tackle permanently, or, is he too small for every day duty there?

If that happens, then, Tony Moll has a mean streak in him, but, is he poised for right guard duty on a permanent basis?

Let the past die. There's PLENTY of the present that requires speculation, conjecture, and raised eyebrows.

If you believe the optimistic crowd, 15 rookies and 1st year players are going to fill gaps and holes and make this a playoff team. If you are not optimistic, then you believe that several of those positions are going to resemble swiss cheese and make for a LONG season.

That's why they play the games.

[woodbuck27]

You've forgotten about Herron, Pope, Wynn and the fullbacks. Morency does not have to pick all the slack up himself. If one member of the committee is hotter than the others, then that's who runs it.

Dam it mj but I certainly admire your abilty to grope for some air of hope even when it's in the confines of a restricted container.

''Herron, Pope, Wynn and the fullbacks ''

Do any of these backs assure your real confidence and comfort?

Now the addition of a Larry Johnson reflects alot more on the reality of what may well be.

Even as we read this can we have any real trust that our glorious GM could make this acquisition a reality, return us as Packer fans to that land of real hope?

but that might extend Brett Favre. . .

thus all is lost.

[RashanGary]

I'm a new member of the kook aid crowd and I think this team is going to win the division. The Bears will drop off just like they did a couple years ago when then went 12-4 then 4-12 the following year. They might not drop all of the way to 4-12 but 8-8 seesm about right for the wrex run Bears.

The running game has it's question marks and the safety position is a little up in the air but there are young guys who could step up so even those spots might not be holes. Other than that I think we have a pretty good team with enough plamakers (Favre, Driver, Hawk, Woodson, Kampman) to win games.

[wist43]

I'm a new member of the kook aid crowd and I think this team is going to win the division. The Bears will drop off just like they did a couple years ago when then went 12-4 then 4-12 the following year. They might not drop all of the way to 4-12 but 8-8 seesm about right for the wrex run Bears.

The running game has it's question marks and the safety position is a little up in the air but there are young guys who could step up so even those spots might not be holes. Other than that I think we have a pretty good team with enough plamakers (Favre, Driver, Hawk, Woodson, Kampman) to win games.

JH,

You were well grounded and rational a few months ago... what the hell happened??? Abducted by Packer/TT Sirens who wove a seductive message of Kool-Aid drinking and orgiastic pleasures???

[MJZiggy]

I'm a new member of the kook aid crowd and I think this team is going to win the division. The Bears will drop off just like they did a couple years ago when then went 12-4 then 4-12 the following year. They might not drop all of the way to 4-12 but 8-8 seesm about right for the wrex run Bears.

The running game has it's question marks and the safety position is a little up in the air but there are young guys who could step up so even those spots might not be holes. Other than that I think we have a pretty good team with enough plamakers (Favre, Driver, Hawk, Woodson, Kampman) to win games.

JH,

You were well grounded and rational a few months ago... what the hell happened??? Abducted by Packer/TT Sirens who wove a seductive message of Kool-Aid drinking and orgiastic pleasures???

Sounds like a whole lot more fun than wallowing in panicky misery all offseason...

[retailguy]

Sounds like a whole lot more fun than wallowing in panicky misery all offseason...

Acceptance. ACCEPTANCE is the answer.....

[Scott Campbell]

You've forgotten about Herron, Pope, Wynn and the fullbacks. Morency does not have to pick all the slack up himself. If one member of the committee is hotter than the others, then that's who runs it.

I haven't "forgotton" them. You seem to have forgotton that none of them have NFL experience that qualifys them to carry Ahman's jock strap, much less carry the Green Bay offense.

I also haven't forgotten that none of them are over 30 with chronic asthma either.

[retailguy]

You've forgotten about Herron, Pope, Wynn and the fullbacks. Morency does not have to pick all the slack up himself. If one member of the committee is hotter than the others, then that's who runs it.

I haven't "forgotton" them. You seem to have forgotton that none of them have NFL experience that qualifys them to carry Ahman's jock strap, much less carry the Green Bay offense.

I also haven't forgotten that none of them are over 30 with chronic asthma either.

That could be a good thing, but if they can't run behind an unproven (possibly bad) offensive line, it really wouldn't matter, would it?

Just another "?" mark to throw on the pile.... BUT REMEMBER. ALL of the question marks will step up and make this a competitive team. You just gotta believe!