Packer Running Game - How'd They Fix It?

[PackerLegend]

Ryan Grant

 

[PackerLegend]

Ryan Grant

 

[Greg C.]

And finally, you seem very confident in your nice young running back Ryan Grant. Well, he was the 19th best rusher in the NFL this year with 956 yards gained. Of those 956 yards, 418 came in four games - two against Detroit, Oakland and Denver. In the other 12 games of the year he average (DRUMROLL) 44.83 yards/game. OUCH.

Wow, talk about skewing facts. Sure he played 15 games, but he only had 6 carries in his first 5 games for 27 yards. So subtract the games where he wasn't even part of the gameplan and you get 929 yards for 10 games, just under 100 ypg.

That is the Brian Grant we all know and love.

Thanks for saving me the time of explaining that myself, gopackgo. Those stats got more and more out there toward the end of Mark's post. I will also add that it's not at all surprising that an RB would rush for a lot more yards against bad teams than against good teams anyway. I think that kind of statistical breakdown would hold true for just about any RB you can name.

The bottom line is we have a pretty good RB who got better toward the end of the season.

 

[favre2driver]

Next season, Ryan Grant will have 1500+ rushing yards.

 

[Zombieslayer]

And finally, you seem very confident in your nice young running back Ryan Grant. Well, he was the 19th best rusher in the NFL this year with 956 yards gained. Of those 956 yards, 418 came in four games - two against Detroit, Oakland and Denver. In the other 12 games of the year he average (DRUMROLL) 44.83 yards/game. OUCH.

Wow, talk about skewing facts. Sure he played 15 games, but he only had 6 carries in his first 5 games for 27 yards. So subtract the games where he wasn't even part of the gameplan and you get 929 yards for 10 games, just under 100 ypg.

That is the Brian Grant we all know and love.

Agreed. Grant was buried on the depth chart pretty far back until week 8. here's a week for week after he became our starting RB:

Week 8 vs Denver - 22-104-0
Week 9 vs Kansas City - 19-55-0
Week 10 vs MN - 25-119-1
Week 11 vs Carolina 20-88-0
Week 12 vs Det 15-101-1
Week 13 vs Dal 14-94-2
Week 14 vs Oak 29-156-1
Week 15 vs Stl 18-55-1
Week 16 vs Chi 14-101-1
Week 17 vs Det 6-57-1

My buddy who is a fantasy football perennial winner got Ryan Grant somewhere like in week 10, and was very, very happy. Even in games when he didn't get triple digits in yards, he got TDs, which make a fantasy football player happy.

partly because of Ryan Grant, he won his league. Nobody had heard of him, but my buddy knows more about football than 99% of fans. He was a college OG, and is really smart.

 

[MarkAshton]

And finally, you seem very confident in your nice young running back Ryan Grant. Well, he was the 19th best rusher in the NFL this year with 956 yards gained. Of those 956 yards, 418 came in four games - two against Detroit, Oakland and Denver. In the other 12 games of the year he average (DRUMROLL) 44.83 yards/game. OUCH.

Wow, talk about skewing facts. Sure he played 15 games, but he only had 6 carries in his first 5 games for 27 yards. So subtract the games where he wasn't even part of the gameplan and you get 929 yards for 10 games, just under 100 ypg.

That is the Brian Grant we all know and love.

Oops. My bad. You know what they say about stats....

That changes the picture. It looks like he only played substantial time in...9 games. In those 9 games he gained 872 yards for an average of 4.95/carry. That excludes the last Detroit game where he gained 57 yards on 6 carries. I'm sure he's going to be a good back.

But I stand by my overall point which is that the Packers rushing offense was weak at the early part of the season when they played better teams and stronger at the latter part of the season when they, on average, played weaker teams. Also, as a team, they gained 25% of their total yards in two games against Oakland and Detroit. Put those games aside and they go from being an average rushing team to below average.

 

[Zombieslayer]

Oops. My bad. You know what they say about stats....

That changes the picture. It looks like he only played substantial time in...9 games. In those 9 games he gained 872 yards for an average of 4.95/carry. That excludes the last Detroit game where he gained 57 yards on 6 carries. I'm sure he's going to be a good back.

But I stand by my overall point which is that the Packers rushing offense was weak at the early part of the season when they played better teams and stronger at the latter part of the season when they, on average, played weaker teams. Also, as a team, they gained 25% of their total yards in two games against Oakland and Detroit. Put those games aside and they go from being an average rushing team to below average.

The thing is, you can probably do that with any RB. Take Adrian Peterson and take off his top two games, then average it out. Or better yet, do that with LT, who had a slow start to his season, then really picked up.

The best way to judge Grant's stats are just to look at what I published from Week 8 on a few comments back. You see every week, he's been really good for someone who plays fantasy football. When he doesn't get his 100+ yards, he gets a TD.

EDIT: Wanted to add, take Grant vs a top tier rushing D. Both Dallas and MN have top tier rushing D's. Look how well he fared against both of them. That's really saying something.

 

[retiredgrampa]

This thread shows why it's a mistake to only look at stats. Most every RB will produce more againest poorer D teams, not just Ryan. Next year, when TT will, IMO, bolster our OL, Ryan Grant will make believers of ALL critics. He hits D players as hard as they hit him. He doesn't do it with smoke and mirrors. For once, RB is not the primary need for the Packers. The OL is, IMO.

 

[MarkAshton]

This thread shows why it's a mistake to only look at stats. Most every RB will produce more againest poorer D teams, not just Ryan. Next year, when TT will, IMO, bolster our OL, Ryan Grant will make believers of ALL critics. He hits D players as hard as they hit him. He doesn't do it with smoke and mirrors. For once, RB is not the primary need for the Packers. The OL is, IMO.

Sean Alexander most definately does NOT hit the D player as hard as they hit him. When he was rushing for 1600 yards/season it was cool..people missed him constantly. Now with a weaker offensive line and a slower RB it's not so pretty. Our long time and very good fullback Mack Strong retired early this season after a neck injury which has also been a big factor. Our new fullback - Weaver - is ok but young and misses blocks too much.

 

[cheesey]

It looked to me that Alexander lost a step. He just doesn't seem as fast as he was before. But thats the way it usually goes with RB's. They either lose a step, or become injury prone. He's had a great career.

 

[Obi1]

And finally, you seem very confident in your nice young running back Ryan Grant. Well, he was the 19th best rusher in the NFL this year with 956 yards gained. Of those 956 yards, 418 came in four games - two against Detroit, Oakland and Denver. In the other 12 games of the year he average (DRUMROLL) 44.83 yards/game. OUCH.

Wow, talk about skewing facts. Sure he played 15 games, but he only had 6 carries in his first 5 games for 27 yards. So subtract the games where he wasn't even part of the gameplan and you get 929 yards for 10 games, just under 100 ypg.

That is the Brian Grant we all know and love.

Oops. My bad. You know what they say about stats....

That changes the picture. It looks like he only played substantial time in...9 games. In those 9 games he gained 872 yards for an average of 4.95/carry. That excludes the last Detroit game where he gained 57 yards on 6 carries. I'm sure he's going to be a good back.

But I stand by my overall point which is that the Packers rushing offense was weak at the early part of the season when they played better teams and stronger at the latter part of the season when they, on average, played weaker teams. Also, as a team, they gained 25% of their total yards in two games against Oakland and Detroit. Put those games aside and they go from being an average rushing team to below average.

Did you consider that the Packers won MORE games early in the season against your so called 'tougher' opponents than later in the year against the 'weaker' teams?

Bottomline is that it makes no difference if the teams shut the Packer rungame down. The Packers have found a way to win those games.

St. Louis was on your list of weaker teams and they held the Packers to low rushing yardage but the game wasn't all that close... Packers WON 33-14.

but, Seahawks are better than the Rams and thus, I see the game being a bit closer...I see the Pack by a TD.

 

[longtimefan]

Yup a below rushing team can not and will not gain over 100 yards vs a Minnesota defense..

Not to mention Minnesota never allowed ONE back to gain 100 yards...


But Grant did...

 

[BCheezy]

Ryan Grant. Nothing changed in the running game besides him. I grabbed dat *** off the waiver wire and almost won the Championship.

 

[all about da packers]

I'd like to send a little love to the Full Backs.

Korey hall was a rookie, and I think it is fair to say that it took him a while to get his feet under him, seeing he was a converted LB. Kuhn has also come on as of late, doing a great job blocking and helping open holes for Grant.

It seems that ever since Ryan Grant made himself the #1 RB, Hall and Kuhn have been making some great blocks.

So I'd say it's not just one single thing that led to our improved running game. The O-line came together, their ability to open some holes improving by leaps and bounds as the season wore on, our young FBs emerging as better blockers, and Ryan Grant becoming familiar enough with our O to the point where he could get extended reps (due to injury to other RBs).

 

[Zombieslayer]

I'd like to send a little love to the Full Backs.

Korey hall was a rookie, and I think it is fair to say that it took him a while to get his feet under him, seeing he was a converted LB. Kuhn has also come on as of late, doing a great job blocking and helping open holes for Grant.

It seems that ever since Ryan Grant made himself the #1 RB, Hall and Kuhn have been making some great blocks.

So I'd say it's not just one single thing that led to our improved running game. The O-line came together, their ability to open some holes improving by leaps and bounds as the season wore on, our young FBs emerging as better blockers, and Ryan Grant becoming familiar enough with our O to the point where he could get extended reps (due to injury to other RBs).

I'd second this. Watching Grant run, I noticed you'd every once in awhile see one of our FBs flatten a LB. The chemistry between the 3 is amazing. It's like they're brothers. They know exactly where the other will be and who needs to be taken out.

 

[Greg C.]

I'd like to send a little love to the Full Backs.

Korey hall was a rookie, and I think it is fair to say that it took him a while to get his feet under him, seeing he was a converted LB. Kuhn has also come on as of late, doing a great job blocking and helping open holes for Grant.

It seems that ever since Ryan Grant made himself the #1 RB, Hall and Kuhn have been making some great blocks.

So I'd say it's not just one single thing that led to our improved running game. The O-line came together, their ability to open some holes improving by leaps and bounds as the season wore on, our young FBs emerging as better blockers, and Ryan Grant becoming familiar enough with our O to the point where he could get extended reps (due to injury to other RBs).

I'd second this. Watching Grant run, I noticed you'd every once in awhile see one of our FBs flatten a LB. The chemistry between the 3 is amazing. It's like they're brothers. They know exactly where the other will be and who needs to be taken out.

Good point, AADP. Hall and Kuhn have both improved as the season has progressed. They are good special teams players too.

I remember the Packers getting blown out by the Rams in the playoff game when William Henderson got injured early. We don't have to worry about that happening now, because we've got two good ones.