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Wynn may give Packers best chance to win
Posted: Sept. 12, 2007
Tom Silverstein
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Green Bay - Forty-six rushing yards into the 2007 season, the Green Bay Packers are fortunate to be 1-0 and headed to New York for a matchup against an injury-depleted Giants team.
Sounds like a good time to play it safe. You know, carry your cash in a money belt, stay out of the subway, buy your theater tickets at a box office. And most of all, don't buy the meat-on-a-stick from a street vendor.
While all of that might be good advice for those Packers who venture into Manhattan on Saturday, it wouldn't hurt to take a chance on Sunday. It's as good a time as any to find out whether rookie running back DeShawn Wynn can make it big on Broadway.
It's time to turn him loose.
Right now, Brandon Jackson, another rookie, is a safe choice to be the starting halfback. He has more plays in the offense this season than Wynn, Vernand Morency and Ryan Grant combined, has better hands than the others and has no noticeable character flaws that would make you question his effort level.
But safety is sometimes a dangerous thing in the NFL and if you don't take a chance with your most talented players you're cheating your football team. Wynn, by far, has the best combination of speed (4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash), size (5-10½, 232 pounds) and natural running ability of any of the other running backs.
What you saw on the 18-yard pitch and run Wynn executed against the Philadelphia Eagles in the season-opener was the type of vision and cutting ability the Packers need while their offensive line tries to figure out the zone-blocking system. Wynn not only had the instinct to get upfield after quarterback Brett Favre underhanded him the ball, he used his blockers to get the necessary yards for the first down and put the Packers in field goal position.
When the Packers drafted Jackson in the second round, they envisioned Morency being their starter and Jackson a complement who could fill the third-down position and offer a little more power to Morency's flashy style. That all went to pot when patellar tendonitis shelved Morency on the first day of training camp and Jackson was thrust into the starting lineup.
Wynn, meanwhile, was a flier the Packers took in the seventh round out of Florida. Had he not come with a reputation for being lazy and unwilling to play through injuries, he would have been a much higher pick. The Packers took him with the 18th pick in the seventh round, which means he was pretty close to not being drafted at all.
And for awhile, the Packers saw glimpses of why he didn't deserve to be.
He missed all but one day of the rookie mini-camp in May with a pulled calf, missed all of the full-team mini-camp later that month and later missed a portion of the organized team activities in June. He reported to training camp with a stomach virus and missed four practices and then just as he was getting back in shape hurt his right thigh and missed nine practices and three exhibition games.
He made the team simply based on the lack of depth at his position and the little bit he flashed in practice and the final exhibition game. After he made the team, McCarthy sat down with him and told him flat out that he'd have to start playing through minor injuries and display some toughness if he wanted to stick around.
Since that time, Wynn hasn't missed a practice and played approximately 15 plays in the 16-13 victory over the Eagles. All of his action came as a third-down back, which limited his ability to touch the ball because often he was staying in to help block against the Eagles' blitz.
Jackson, meanwhile, touched the ball 19 times (15 runs, four catches) and generated 75 yards. His longest play from scrimmage was a 15-yard reception. Wynn surpassed that total on one of his two touches. His other play was an 8-yard run.
You can see the speed and power in Wynn's legs. He is built low to the ground with thick thighs and lean calves. Sometimes he dances too much when he gets near the line of scrimmage, but you can tell he has been toting the ball since he was young (he was one of the nation's highest-rated running backs coming out of Cincinnati's Reading High School) and played in a pro-style offense at Florida.
Whereas Jackson dropped the first pass Favre threw to him on what looked to be a substantial gain and seemed to lose confidence, Wynn plays with the swagger of someone who expects to break a big gain the next time he catches a ball.
Jackson got stronger as the game wore on and ran with more authority late in the game. But as the coaches studied tape, they saw that he lost his way on a number of running plays, running outside of the designed path. It's part of the inexperience Jackson brings to the position after starting just 11 games and rushing 291 times at Nebraska.
In the coming weeks, Wynn could see more time as the lead back in the offense, but right now McCarthy faces difficulty in bringing him along for these reasons:
Jackson is further along in the offense than Wynn because he was healthy most of training camp and was receiving the majority of snaps.
McCarthy has to get Morency carries in practice so that he can continue to come back from the injury and get to the position where he's ready to play more than just a few plays.
Committing to Wynn at this point would be a risk because Jackson's development would be slowed and he would be less ready to handle the starting job if Wynn got hurt.
McCarthy also has to get Grant, the back the Packers acquired from the Giants for a sixth-round pick, into the mix. The coaches and scouting department are very high on Grant and they think he could be someone they can rely upon.
In practice, McCarthy has set up a halfback-by-committee format where he sets aside plays for each of the backs and makes sure they are well-schooled in them. All of them can run other plays, but they are more prepared to run their particular packages.
With Wynn, the Packers are still finding out what he does best.
"We don't have a ton of information because he hasn't practiced, but we feel like we have a very good handle on what DeShawn's strengths are and we're giving him opportunities to play in those situations. We have a good feel for Brandon. Brandon is the one back that has benefited from all the injuries because he's got reps in everything. We're just kind of projecting in some sense and playing each guy in certain categories."
The bottom line, however, is that the running game needs someone who can turn a 1-yard gain into a 4-yard gain. It needs an athlete with power and explosiveness, a back with a knack for using his blockers and avoiding tacklers.
Now is as good a time as any to find out whether Wynn is that guy.
There is plenty of risk with him, but the Packers have had all camp to find out about Jackson and what they've discovered is that he's not ready to be a lead back. Now it's Wynn's turn at bat. They shouldn't waste any more time and should start getting him the practice time he needs to vie for the starting job.
He can't do much worse than 46 yards.
Posted: Sept. 12, 2007
Tom Silverstein
Green Bay - Forty-six rushing yards into the 2007 season, the Green Bay Packers are fortunate to be 1-0 and headed to New York for a matchup against an injury-depleted Giants team.
Sounds like a good time to play it safe. You know, carry your cash in a money belt, stay out of the subway, buy your theater tickets at a box office. And most of all, don't buy the meat-on-a-stick from a street vendor.
While all of that might be good advice for those Packers who venture into Manhattan on Saturday, it wouldn't hurt to take a chance on Sunday. It's as good a time as any to find out whether rookie running back DeShawn Wynn can make it big on Broadway.
It's time to turn him loose.
Right now, Brandon Jackson, another rookie, is a safe choice to be the starting halfback. He has more plays in the offense this season than Wynn, Vernand Morency and Ryan Grant combined, has better hands than the others and has no noticeable character flaws that would make you question his effort level.
But safety is sometimes a dangerous thing in the NFL and if you don't take a chance with your most talented players you're cheating your football team. Wynn, by far, has the best combination of speed (4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash), size (5-10½, 232 pounds) and natural running ability of any of the other running backs.
What you saw on the 18-yard pitch and run Wynn executed against the Philadelphia Eagles in the season-opener was the type of vision and cutting ability the Packers need while their offensive line tries to figure out the zone-blocking system. Wynn not only had the instinct to get upfield after quarterback Brett Favre underhanded him the ball, he used his blockers to get the necessary yards for the first down and put the Packers in field goal position.
When the Packers drafted Jackson in the second round, they envisioned Morency being their starter and Jackson a complement who could fill the third-down position and offer a little more power to Morency's flashy style. That all went to pot when patellar tendonitis shelved Morency on the first day of training camp and Jackson was thrust into the starting lineup.
Wynn, meanwhile, was a flier the Packers took in the seventh round out of Florida. Had he not come with a reputation for being lazy and unwilling to play through injuries, he would have been a much higher pick. The Packers took him with the 18th pick in the seventh round, which means he was pretty close to not being drafted at all.
And for awhile, the Packers saw glimpses of why he didn't deserve to be.
He missed all but one day of the rookie mini-camp in May with a pulled calf, missed all of the full-team mini-camp later that month and later missed a portion of the organized team activities in June. He reported to training camp with a stomach virus and missed four practices and then just as he was getting back in shape hurt his right thigh and missed nine practices and three exhibition games.
He made the team simply based on the lack of depth at his position and the little bit he flashed in practice and the final exhibition game. After he made the team, McCarthy sat down with him and told him flat out that he'd have to start playing through minor injuries and display some toughness if he wanted to stick around.
Since that time, Wynn hasn't missed a practice and played approximately 15 plays in the 16-13 victory over the Eagles. All of his action came as a third-down back, which limited his ability to touch the ball because often he was staying in to help block against the Eagles' blitz.
Jackson, meanwhile, touched the ball 19 times (15 runs, four catches) and generated 75 yards. His longest play from scrimmage was a 15-yard reception. Wynn surpassed that total on one of his two touches. His other play was an 8-yard run.
You can see the speed and power in Wynn's legs. He is built low to the ground with thick thighs and lean calves. Sometimes he dances too much when he gets near the line of scrimmage, but you can tell he has been toting the ball since he was young (he was one of the nation's highest-rated running backs coming out of Cincinnati's Reading High School) and played in a pro-style offense at Florida.
Whereas Jackson dropped the first pass Favre threw to him on what looked to be a substantial gain and seemed to lose confidence, Wynn plays with the swagger of someone who expects to break a big gain the next time he catches a ball.
Jackson got stronger as the game wore on and ran with more authority late in the game. But as the coaches studied tape, they saw that he lost his way on a number of running plays, running outside of the designed path. It's part of the inexperience Jackson brings to the position after starting just 11 games and rushing 291 times at Nebraska.
In the coming weeks, Wynn could see more time as the lead back in the offense, but right now McCarthy faces difficulty in bringing him along for these reasons:
Jackson is further along in the offense than Wynn because he was healthy most of training camp and was receiving the majority of snaps.
McCarthy has to get Morency carries in practice so that he can continue to come back from the injury and get to the position where he's ready to play more than just a few plays.
Committing to Wynn at this point would be a risk because Jackson's development would be slowed and he would be less ready to handle the starting job if Wynn got hurt.
McCarthy also has to get Grant, the back the Packers acquired from the Giants for a sixth-round pick, into the mix. The coaches and scouting department are very high on Grant and they think he could be someone they can rely upon.
In practice, McCarthy has set up a halfback-by-committee format where he sets aside plays for each of the backs and makes sure they are well-schooled in them. All of them can run other plays, but they are more prepared to run their particular packages.
With Wynn, the Packers are still finding out what he does best.
"We don't have a ton of information because he hasn't practiced, but we feel like we have a very good handle on what DeShawn's strengths are and we're giving him opportunities to play in those situations. We have a good feel for Brandon. Brandon is the one back that has benefited from all the injuries because he's got reps in everything. We're just kind of projecting in some sense and playing each guy in certain categories."
The bottom line, however, is that the running game needs someone who can turn a 1-yard gain into a 4-yard gain. It needs an athlete with power and explosiveness, a back with a knack for using his blockers and avoiding tacklers.
Now is as good a time as any to find out whether Wynn is that guy.
There is plenty of risk with him, but the Packers have had all camp to find out about Jackson and what they've discovered is that he's not ready to be a lead back. Now it's Wynn's turn at bat. They shouldn't waste any more time and should start getting him the practice time he needs to vie for the starting job.
He can't do much worse than 46 yards.
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