Since Ryan Grant's injury has emerged as this season's crisis (and let's hope it's the only crisis), I thought I'd take a closer look at how "rushing by committee" turned out for the Pack in week 2. Here are the numbers at a glance.John Kuhn - 9 carries, 36 yards
Brandon Jackson - 11 carries, 29 yards, 1 TD
Dimitri Nance - 2 carries, 6 yards
Some quick math delivers a mediocre message. 71 total rushing yards on 23 carries for a 3.2 yard per carry average. Committee says: Not so hot. Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin will be the first to admit it. Via Packers.com, Philbin said, "as a staff we weren’t jumping up and down about our run-game production yesterday." You're telling me, Joe. But hey, when Grant went down, I said "don't panic." I stand by that. To help quell this mounting paranoia, I thought it timely to highlight some of Ryan Grant's most yawn-inspiring games of 2009. Here we go...
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Red text indicates a LOSS and black text indicates a WIN
Red text indicates a LOSS and black text indicates a WIN
Week 2 vs. CIN - 14 carries for 46 yards and a 3.3 yard average
Week 8 vs. MIN - 10 carries for 30 yards and a 3.0 yard average
Week 12 @ DET - 20 carries for 61 yards and a 3.1 yard average
Week 13 vs. BAL - 18 carries for 41 yards and a 2.3 yard average
Week 15 @ PIT - 8 carries for 37 yards and a *4.6 yard average
Note: * indicates that the average was inflated by a 24 yard run. He had 1.9 yards per carry if you take that one away...
Week 8 vs. MIN - 10 carries for 30 yards and a 3.0 yard average
Week 12 @ DET - 20 carries for 61 yards and a 3.1 yard average
Week 13 vs. BAL - 18 carries for 41 yards and a 2.3 yard average
Week 15 @ PIT - 8 carries for 37 yards and a *4.6 yard average
Note: * indicates that the average was inflated by a 24 yard run. He had 1.9 yards per carry if you take that one away...
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Again, I'm not bemoaning Ryan Grant. He's a true pro, a great teammate, and has 1,200+ yards the past two seasons. But the fact is, for nearly 1/3 of last season, Grant turned in extremely lackluster performances. This past week's team effort on the ground actually produced more total rushing yards than 8 of Grant's 2009 games, and the team won!
I don't like product placement but, again, I have to urge everyone to grab a Miller CHILL and let the first quarter of the season play out. Did Jackson, Kuhn, and Nance do a stellar job filling in for Ryan Grant this week? Certainly not. But who is to say Ryan Grant would have done much better? Just sayin'...
Enjoy Monday Night Football tonight!
I don't like product placement but, again, I have to urge everyone to grab a Miller CHILL and let the first quarter of the season play out. Did Jackson, Kuhn, and Nance do a stellar job filling in for Ryan Grant this week? Certainly not. But who is to say Ryan Grant would have done much better? Just sayin'...
Enjoy Monday Night Football tonight!
Photo courtesy of NFL.com
Give Brandon a Chance, as John Lennon might say if he were a Packer pan. He and John Kuhn will get through holes eventually. Meanwhile, let Aaron do his thing while the backs gain experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to wait it out. I've said it all along. Jackson and Kuhn may not produce big numbers frequently, but any defense that falls asleep on the run game is going to give up big plays. The Packers may be applying a bit of reverse football psychology in using the passing game to open up the running game.
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