IronMan
Cheesehead
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071130/PKR0201/711300650/1989
Thumbs up
If Ryan Grant keeps this up, the Green Bay Packers might not have to use a high draft pick or spend big money in free agency on a running back.
Since he replaced DeShawn Wynn in the second quarter of the Oct. 29 game at Denver, Grant has been everything the Packers could want out of a No. 1 halfback. He's shown the ability to gain tough yards by keeping his powerful legs moving and has a knack for breaking long runs.
He did both of those on Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Grant effectively ran the toss plays for consistent yardage, then hit the home run on a third-and-1 play late in the first quarter. From his 38-yard line, Grant found a small seam between center Scott Wells and right guard Jason Spitz. He juked two Cowboys defenders — linebacker Akin Ayodele and safety Ken Hamlin — and was gone. His 62-yard touchdown run more than doubled his previous long run of the season (a 30-yard score against Minnesota on Nov. 11). He scored again in the third quarter, this time on a 1-yard run.
That the Packers acquired Grant for merely a sixth-round draft pick from the New York Giants is a bonus. Someday, the Packers might have to pay Grant big money, but for now, they have a legitimate starting running back at a backup's price.
Thumbs down
Daryn Colledge may have lost his starting job. Nearly a month after coach Mike McCarthy called out his starting guards and threatened to make lineup changes, he yanked Colledge in the second quarter.
Jason Spitz moved over to replace Colledge at left guard, and Junius Coston came off the bench to play Spitz's right guard spot.
Colledge was responsible for the hit that Cowboys defensive end Stephen Bowen put on Packers quarterback Brett Favre on his first interception. Bowen hit Favre just as he was trying to go deep to Greg Jennings. Unable to finish his throw, Favre came up short and Ken Hamlin picked it off.
McCarthy might have made the change sooner had Coston not been bothered by an ankle injury. He missed Weeks 6-9, then returned for the Vikings game, but wasn't 100 percent healthy until the next week.
By the numbers
# 1: Rushing yards by the Cowboys in the second quarter, when they had 122 total yards on 11 offensive plays.
# 8.9: Passer rating for Brett Favre, who was 5-of-14 passing with no touchdowns and two interceptions before he left the game in the second quarter with elbow and shoulder injuries.
# 123.5: Passer rating for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who threw four touchdowns and was 19-of-30 for 309 yards.
Turning point
The Cowboys answered Ryan Grant's 62-yard touchdown by picking apart the Packers' secondary. Sandwiched around a 2-yard run by Julius Jones was a pair of passes – a 48-yarder to Terrell Owens and a 26-yard touchdown to tight end Anthony Fasano that gave Dallas a 20-10 lead.
Play of the game
Take your pick from Owens' collection of big plays, but his 48-yard reception on the first play of the second quarter was an early indication that he was headed for a big night.
Did you notice?
Cornerback Jarrett Bush, who replaced injured starter Charles Woodson, didn't last long. Tramon Williams replaced him after Bush gave up a touchdown and was penalized for pass interference on consecutive defensive snaps. Bush didn't even play in the nickel. Frank Walker replaced him in that package.
The Packers tried a surprise onside kick after Grant's first touchdown. Kicker Mason Crosby recovered but only after it illegally hit fullback John Kuhn.
Rookie defensive tackle Daniel Muir was activated for the first time this season, and rookie defensive tackle Justin Harrell played for the first time since Week 6 against Washington.
The Packers used Ruvell Martin instead of Koren Robinson in most four-receiver sets. Robinson played in the five-receiver set.
Trailing 34-24 with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter, Packers coach Mike McCarthy didn't go for it on fourth-and-1 at the Cowboys' 35-yard line. He gambled that Mason Crosby could make a 52-yard field, and Crosby converted.
The big picture
If nothing else, backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers showed something. Relieving Favre in the second quarter, Rodgers inherited a 27-10 deficit. He directed a pair of touchdown drives. He capped one with his first career touchdown pass — an 11-yarder to Greg Jennings. Grant's second touchdown pulled the Packers to within 27-23. To be sure, Favre and the health of his right arm remains the key to the season, but Rodgers continued his maturation process that began in earnest this summer with the best preseason of his three-year pro career.
