This entire conversation, from my point of view anyway, has to start with Brandon Jackson. You would think the Packers would want to keep him around, especially in pass protection for their one bad hit away franchise in Aaron Rodgers. That said, if the Packers do end up snagging a running back, especially one who can pass block, you really end up with a log jam at the position.

What do I think should happen?

I think the Packers should keep Brandon Jackson AND draft a third down back. There is no reason you can’t carry four running backs. I’ll get a step further and say that the Packers will roll with only one FB in Kuhn on the roster. With Crabtree showing prowess in the backfield, there is no reason to keep another fullback. This spells the end for Quinn Johnson, but I don’t think that would surprise anyone.

With these four running backs and Kuhn, you have both depth and the ability to do most anything in any situation. This of course begs the question who will be lining up on first down?

What do I think will happen?

I think when and if there is a camp, McCarthy stays true to his word and gives Starks the starting role over Grant. I don’t see why Starks shouldn’t get the job, he finished strong in that position. You aren’t supposed to lose your job to injury, but perhaps McCarthy figures it’s time to have a little competition at what has been a one trick pony for too many years now.

This isn’t a cut on Ryan Grant either. It’s going to be a battle between those two all camp long if both guys stay healthy. If they do stay healthy, I think you get a solid dose of both Starks and Grant on first down. With those guys splitting the reps much like Marion Barber and Felix Jones were doing. Jackson will play the role of third back, in passing situations, and in short distance, you could see even see a combo of Grant and Starks in the backfield, leading to longer (and less gut wrenching) plays than the usual third and Kuhn, much like the Giants do with Jacobs and Bradshaw.

Either way, it’s a nice problem to have while you’re also grooming your newest draft pick.

Who gets the long term job?

Of course injuries always play a part, but if everyone stays healthy, the long term starter at running back is going to be determined by one thing, and one thing only. Hanging on to the ball. I don’t know exactly how many games or carries it has been, but a Packer running back hasn’t given up a fumble in quite some time. The first guy that drops a few, is going to find himself off the depth chart in a hurry. We all know McCarthy doesn’t like it, and with a stash of nice backs he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

Best case scenario?

Everyone stays healthy all year long, and is able to keep their ego’s in check and work together as a three to four headed monster. A little competition is okay, but the first guy that starts whining isn’t going to get any sympathy from me. The Packer’s haven’t had this kind of diversity in the backfield in quite some time, and complimenting a deadly passing attack, it’s going to be a formidable if not dominant machine.

Like I said, it’s a great problem to have.

It was July 2008, “The Summer of Favre,” yet with all the attention being given to that PR nightmare, Ryan Grant wanted a little attention too. Five months after the Packers had told Grant and his agent that they would “take care of their own” and sign him to a new contract, Grant was a holdout.

There were angry words from Grant’s agent. “It’s insulting,” agent Alan Herman said of the offer he received from negotiator Russ Ball, “Ryan Grant gave them a running game last year. They know what he can do.”

Somehow, what was shaping up to be a contentious negotiation and a long holdout was resolved only a week later, as the two sides agreed on a four year contract. Packer fans everywhere rejoiced. The dynamic running back that had gained over 900 yards for the Packers over the last 10 games of the 2007 season was in the fold.

He’s never been the same since.

What Ryan Grant is now, is an example of an incredibly inconsistent NFL running back. He’s inconsistent from season to season, game to game, quarter to quarter, even play to play.

I believe it comes down to this: Ryan Grant can only gain significant yards when he has a well-defined hole in sight. Give him a nice big seam that he can run through and he’ll slash through the hole with aggression. Give him an offensive lineman  or two that have been stood up in his path and he just can’t adjust. He doesn’t have the ability to make sharp cuts and change direction with speed.

For some proof, lets go to the visual aids:

Run One

This was the play where Grant appeared to have fumbled until he was saved by a replay challenge. It’s evident above that the Packers left side of the line loses the line of scrimmage battle and allow themselves to get pushed back a yard or two. Grant sees this. In this picture you can see him trying to stop himself. Because of the unblocked corner, bouncing outside is not an option.

Run Two

Conversely, as you can see in the picture above, the right side of the Packers line has done a good job. They’ve gotten a push, are holding their blocks, there is room for Grant to run. I’m not saying it would be a big gain, but certainly there is room to the right and none to the left.

I give Grant credit for seeing it and attempting to get over there, unfortunately, he doesn’t have the ability to do it. His attempted cut takes him right up behind his blockers and within easy reach of the defenders.

Run Three

The end result, as you can see above, becomes a two yard loss and near fumble.

Folks, Ahman Green makes that cut. Brandon Jackson makes that cut. Even Kregg Lumpkin makes that cut. Possibly Deshawn Wynn makes that cut (ah, maybe not). But without a doubt, Ryan Grant can NOT make that cut.

Ryan Grant is a fine running back if your offensive line is dominating the line of scrimmage. That hasn’t happened very often this year. In my opinion, Ryan Grant is just not the right running back for the Green Bay Packers. I’ve written about this before and nothing has transpired to change my mind.

As I was watching the Ravens game, it occurred to me that Grant seems to get stopped for zero or negative yardage more than any other NFL running back I’ve seen. Was this just my imagination? Was my perception fantasy or reality. This inquiring mind had to know.

I went back to the Baltimore game stats and charted Grant’s runs. He gained 41 yards on 18 carries for a poor 2.3 yard per carry average. But more importantly, take a look at his 18 runs. Here are the yards per carry on each one:

-1, 3, 2, -1, 7, 0, 8, 2, 0, 4, 0, 8, 4, 2, 3, 3, 4, 3, -1

Besides being about as inconsistent as they could be, let’s look closer at these numbers.  Six runs (33%) went for zero gain or a loss. Nine runs (50%) went for 2 yards or less. A running back like that is what you call a drive killer. If Aaron Rodgers wasn’t seemingly unconscious on third downs, Grant’s performance would have manifested itself in more Jeremy Kapinos punts, certainly not what the Packers want.

Conversely, Ahman Green did what Ahman Green does, gain positive yardage. Despite my pleading with Mike McCarthy through my television set, and much to my chagrin, Green was only given five handoffs during the Ravens game. His yards per carry  were as follows:

4, 4, 8, 5, 2

Sure this is too small a sample to be definitive, but throughout Ahman Green’s career, one thing has been definitive – he consistently gains positive yardage. Consistency that Ryan Grant does not have.  Green is  rarely stopped for no gain or a loss. He finds a way to make something out of nothing. Consistently.

Of Ahman Green I say, “Give him the damn ball”.

———————-
You can find more of Jersey Al Bracco’s articles on several sports websites: Jersey Al’s Blog, Packers Lounge, NFL Touchdown and Bleacher Report. Jersey Al is the Green Bay Packers Draft Correspondent for Drafttek.com.

You can also follow Jersey Al on facebook and twitter.

We seem to give Ryan Grant a hard time for being soft. If you know his background, he may be the toughest cat on the team.

I just got done reading a fantastic article on what it was like growing up as Ryan Grant. You think you had it rough; here are a few things that might change that notion.

1. Ryan Grant’s Dad wanted him to be a professional point guard in the NBA.

“Vincent Grant was determined to mold Ryan and his older brother, Netic, into fierce point guards who would achieve his unrealized dream of playing in the NBA.”

2. At the age of seven, Ryan Grant was put through what was called a “workout bootcamp.” By the time he as 9, he was tossing automobiles around.

“… at age 9 and had him (Grant) pushing the family minivan up small hills (with some help from a cousin) as soon as he was tall enough to touch its rear windscreen.”

3. Whenever Ryan Grant wanted to go outside and play, his father would make him run several miles first.

“Whenever Ryan asked for permission to go to the park and play with his friends, his dad would insist he first run the park’s two-mile perimeter.”

4. At the age of 16, Ryan started running stadium stairs with a huge piece of wood on his back.

“The high school wrestling drama Vision Quest inspired him to send his boy running up the stadium steps at his high school — Don Bosco Prep, a private, all-boys Catholic school in New Jersey’s Bergen County — with a piece of lumber slung across his shoulders.”

5. Ryan Grant was doing Walter Payton’s workout before he could drive.

“He’d make me put on my pads before practice and go out to this big hill behind school,” Ryan said. “I’d run up it about 20 times. At first, people were like, who the hell is that kid? Then it became, Oh … that’s Grant’s kid.”

6. Ryan Grant grew up watching TV with weights on his head.

“When it came to Ryan’s TV viewing habits, his ever-inventive father made certain he stayed active even while vegging out.”He took an old helmet of mine and hung weights all over it, and if I was sitting around watching TV or playing video games, I’d have to work my neck; that was his mantra,” Ryan said, before slipping into an impersonation of his dad that recalled The Nutty Professor’s Cletus Klump. “Work ya neck, boy! Work ya neck! Work ya neck!”

He ran two miles before playing outside, pushed mini-vans, and watched TV with weights on his head.

And you thought cleaning your room was tough.

Did Brandon Jackson sit last season because the organization wanted to see Ryan Grant play regardless? It’s not so far fetched.

In our interview with Greg Bedard last night, the subject of Ryan Grant’s contract was brought up. One of the most interesting quotes from Mr. Bedard was the following:

“Certain people in the organization wanted Ryan Grant to play.”

Now in the context of the conversation one could easily say that the organization not only wanted Ryan Grant to play, but wanted him to play whether he was the best man to carry the ball or not.

I have long wondered on this blog why we haven’t seen more Brandon Jackson. His paltry 45 carries last season were far below the league average for 2nd string backs. His 5.5 yards per carry however, was one of the highest. This all coming after McCarthy’s resounding praise of Jackson all through training camp.

A similar theme is emerging this year as we again are hearing how great Jackson looks, and how Ryan Grant is playing the antonym. This begs the question: Is Ryan Grant only starting because the organization wants to look right for caving in on his contract demands?

It’s a serious accusation, and one I am not too happy about if it is true. If you are so insecure in the front office up in Green Bay that you are playing Grant to feed your need to prove something, y’all need to have a meeting and get that crap figured out. What happens when you re-sign Collins and he proves to be an utter disaster in the new scheme? Do you keep him in too?

The Green Bay Packers are about winning games, not winning popularity points. You do that by playing the best players, regardless.

(Stay Tuned)

We would like to welcome yet another writer to the Packers Lounge family. I am happy to introduce you to Tyler Bohms, who would like to reiterate what we said all year.

Hand it to Brandon Jackson.

Throughout the 2008 campaign, the Green Bay Packers could not consistently rush the football.

Whether Ryan Grant’s slow start was a testament to a contractual hold-out, a nagging injury, or just a sophomore setback, this certainly was a step backwards for a player with so much promise the season before.

Obviously for the 6-10 club problems primarily existed on the defensive side of the ball, but the one glaring weakness offensively seemed to be establishing a consistent rushing attack. While Green Bay’s lead back, Grant, had a respectable 1203 yards rushing, it was his blatantly mediocre 3.9 average and 4 touchdowns that deem alarming. Also, in a west coast offense, Grant only managed to haul in 18 receptions during the 2008 season, a discouraging number for a back in this system.

While message board general managers clamor for free agent Darren Sproles or possibly a top draft pick being spent on a running back, it seems the Packers may have a viable option on their own roster. Brandon Jackson could be that guy.

Granted, the Packers could use a change-of-pace running back with speed to complement their plodding runners, but I still think Brandon Jackson deserves the opportunity to be given a shot as the featured back. In limited action last season Jackson ran for a mere 248 yards, but it was at a 5.5 clip. In addition to that, he had 30 receptions out of the backfield. This was generally in third-down situations when the defense knew he was one of the primary options.

Especially if the Packers decide not to bring in another player at running back, why not give Jackson more touches? It seems they haven’t given him enough looks to truly determine what he can do. He appears to be the perfect west coast back; he excels at catching the football and can run between the tackles. What are the negatives to giving him more looks at running back?

Doesn’t it seem like De Shawn Wynn had more big plays than Ryan Grant last season? I’m sure that isn’t the case, but that’s how unimpressive Grant was the last year.

Maybe Brandon Jackson will finally get his chance in 2009, and relish the opportunity.

On January 30th, Lounge Lizard Paul suggested I make a top ten WORST players on the team. Here it is, but prepare to be surprised.

When I was making this list, I wrote up some of the bad players right away. The regulars were there, the players whose name I cursed every Sunday. Then I ran out, and I ran out at around nine.

This is a good problem to have for a team roster, but a horrible problem when trying to put together a top ten piece. After a week of thinking and drinking(T & D), I came up with the list.

Here it is, the top ten worst players from 2008.

10. Nick Collins – As good as Nick was, he also matched it with stretches of very bad play. Nick Collins is Darren Sharper 2.0 and it drives me nuts. Why can’t he just be consistent? C’mon, Nick. Hopefully Capers can fix him.

9. Ryan Grant – I wonder how many bruises our offensive linemen have on their backs from Ryan Grant running into them? Grant seems bright, but he plays dumb. What makes it worse was every time he stepped out, someone stepped in and ran BETWEEN the tackles and got positive yards. Horrible year. Will he rebound or will someone take his job in 2009?

8. Chad Clifton – Maybe Clifton can’t play well with a bruised back (damn you, Grant). Maybe that explains Clifton’s bad year. Or Clifton is just getting old and banged up as his career gets up there. Clifton did not help the running game or the passing game and I hope he’s replaced by a better player next year.

7. Charlie Peprah – I admit, Peprah makes the list because I started running out of people while making it. However, he was pretty bad when he came in at safety. There’s no denying that one.

6. James Jones – Mr. Stone Hands. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s quick. He sucks. James frustrates me to no end. He is reaching Ahmad Carroll level of throwing away talent. He always seems to be dropping a pass or limping off the field. Both of those angered me a lot in 2008.

5. Ruvell Martin – Here comes the backlash. I like Ruvell. He’s charming and talented. He also was nowhere to be seen in 2008, and he got playing time too! He played in 13 games and was useless in 13 games. 1 touchdown. 13.5 average a game. Even after buttering up Aaron Rodgers for three years couldn’t help Ruvell in 2008. Get him a watch next year, maybe he’ll throw you some more.

4. Tony Moll – He sucked. I hope he doesn’t suck in 2009. That is all.

3. Jarrett Bush – After a horrible punt (see: #2), Bush would match the horribleness with missed tackles. Or penalties. Or, taking up space. And that’s just Bush the special teamer. As a cornerback, Bush rarely saw the field, and when he did, he was horrible. Charlie Peprah got on the field more in 2008 than Bush. That’s bad.

2. Derrick Frost – This guy was so bad. I was shocked how bad this professional punter was. I can understand if we sent Alex out there to kick, but Frost is a specialist at one thing: kicking a ball. He also sucks at it. Frost at Punter was like having an armless man taking the mound in an MLB game.

1. Justin Harrell – So much was expected from him this year. With Corey let go, we needed the defensive tackles we had to step up, and he didn’t. Some will say he was injured and it doesn’t count, but it does. He sucks, and so do his bones made of glass.

The season is over and it is time to reflect on how we got there.  It’s time to see who did THEIR job and who should be looking for a NEW job.

If there’s one thing I like, it’s judging people.  This week I have to judge the quarterbacks and running backs, the bread and butter of the offense.

These two positions were a hot topic in the offseason, especially quarterback, but which position really carried the offense?  This is the area most people look at when they judge an offense so hell, I’ll do the same to kick off my 2008 report card series.

—————————————————-

A-Rod

*28 Touchdowns
*13 Interceptions
*4,038 Yards Passing + 207 Rushing Yards

There was no way the quarterback who replaced Brett Favre would come in and have a good year, especially a first year starter. Right?

After all the offseason drama, we finally got to see what Aaron Rodgers has, and what he has is all the talent and moxy needed to lead a championship team. Every quality you want from a quarterback – toughness, accuracy, power, mobility, leadership, awesome mustache – Aaron Rodgers has.

When giving out these grades I wanted to base them on more than just statistics, so what else is there to judge a quarterback by? How you handle pressure is a big part of it, and I’m not talking about “big defensive lineman running at you” pressure. There’s media pressure, which he handled well during Favre-Gate. There’s also pressure to be “clutch” and put the team on your shoulders. The Packers lost 7 games by 4 points or less and a lot of people want to put that on the quarterback, but 1) You can say that about any loss. “We would have won if the quarterback would have thrown more touchdowns!” and 2) Aaron Rodgers has the most fourth quarter touchdown passes of anyone in the 2008 season. Sounds pretty clutch to me.

Aaron did all of this with what a lot of people would call a questionable offensive line which poses the question: What’s he going to do when he has a GOOD offensive line? Scary.

Fun Facts
- Aaron’s 2008 passer rating was 93.8, which is better than 12 of the totals Favre put up in his 16 years in Green Bay!
- Aaron had 4 rushing touchdowns this year.

GRADE: A-

Matt Flynn

*5 Attempts in 2008

Matt Flynn was like many backup quarterbacks this year. He didn’t see the field often. He got some rare action on a fake punt and played some snaps in the Bucs game when Aaron Rodgers separated his shoulder, but like most backups, he was the clipboard man all season long.

GRADE: INCOMPLETE

Ryan Grant

*1203 Rush Yards
*3.9 Average
*4 Touchdowns

Those numbers above are bad. Four touchdowns by a starting running back who carried the ball 312 times is sad. Last year he scored EIGHT touchdowns on just 188 attempts. This year Ryan Grant was bad. There is no denying that.

Ryan was the most frustrating running back to watch this season. If I had to take a shot every time Grant ran into the back of his own linemen, I would be dead right now. DEAD! I don’t understand how someone with supposedly good vision misses holes on a regular basis and chooses to dart into his own players. When he wasn’t running into his teammates he was running directly into the opposition and going down on the first hit.

This was not the same guy we seen in 2007. Was he dogging it because of his big contract? Was he hurt ALL year? Was the offensive line THAT bad? Some of these questions have nothing to do with the fact that Grant apparently needs contacts, and a new box of tampons. Man up, Nancy.

Fun Facts
- Grant lost 3 of his 4 fumbles.

GRADE: C-

Brandon Jackson

*248 Yards
*5.5 Average

Oh what could have been. A 5.5 average is respectable. It beats the crap out of 3.9 that’s for sure. Getting that average is that much harder when the other team KNOWS you’re going to be utilized when you come in, mostly through the pass game. They KNOW it.

I believe Jackson can be our Brian Westrbook, but he never got the chance. Instead we force fed defensive lines a heavy dose of Ryan Grant. I say defensive lines because that’s how far he usually got.

Jackson is younger, stronger, faster, smarter, is better at pass protection, and has better hands. Basically, Brandon Jackson is better in every way. Grant was rewarded a big contract after a great half-year in 2007. He isn’t living up to it and now it might be likely Jackson takes his starting job next year because when Jackson did get playing time, he was impressive.

GRADE: B-

DeShawn Wynn

*13.8 Average

I like Wynn. I like power backs with some speed in them. I don’t like guys who get hurt all the time and seem ‘unmotivated.’ But what is Wynn? He’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a fat man’s body.

Wynn rarely gets taken down by the first tackler and that, like his frame, is huge. So what if he’s not a home run threat? He’s a first down threat. Last year he did well but got hurt. This year he did well but got hurt. Can he stay healthy? If he can, he can be a great short yardage back. If not, he’s just taking up another roster spot.

In 2008, Wynn was good when he was actually suited up. That’s all I can really say about it, but hey, I stretched that into three paragraphs!

Fun Facts
- Wynn likes porkchops, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, waffles, tacos, and anything else in the fridge.

GRADE: C

*0.0 Average
*1 TD Reception

Korey Hall

No spectacular statistic for ol’ Korey Hall’s 2008 season. Hall is just one of those guys who gets things done. He opens up holes and plays the game right. Not once in this season did I say “Damn that Korey Hall!” and that itself should be a statistic.

Hall is a great fullback and I’m glad he’s a Packer.

Fun Facts
- Korey is a fullback!

GRADE: B+

John Kuhn

*2 Receiving Touchdowns

This is the guy who motivated McCarthy to pull the Fullback Dive out of his ass. I can only assume he paid off Philbin who brought the idea to McCarthy who signed off on it. Kuhn and Korey Hall are like two pits in a pear.

GRADE: B

UP NEXT: WIDE RECEIVERS\TIGHT ENDS

Nothing against Ryan Grant, but I have a hard time feeling bad for him and his almost 1.35 million dollar loss in incentive pay.

I am glad to see Ryan not bitching about all that much. He shouldn’t be. I would imagine that things could have ended differently for the running back, still, I see it as some form of poetic justice that it did not.

We all saw the touchdown that was called back, and it was a costly one no doubt. Ed made the right call on the play so that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

That is why you get into camp, get your contract done, and workout enough to be in shape come game day. I find it hard to believe that Grant wouldn’t have a cool million plus right now if that had been the case.

Who knows?

[podcast]http://dl-client.getdropbox.com/u/26190/podcast.12.2008.mp3[/podcast]

Here is this week’s Podcast. Talkin’ Bears, talkin’ Saints, and talkin’ about Dale’s bold prediction.

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We also have a new Podcast Hotline! Leave us a message by clicking HERE.

Ryan Grant Highlights

The Halloween celebration continues at packerslounge.com with this look at horror villains and what Packers players remind me of them.

Jigsaw – Aaron Rodgers: I want to play a game…and it’s called slicing and dicing your defense with ease! Rodgers is cold, calculated, and sees things down the road. He has it all planned out – just like Jigsaw! And like the jigsaw killer, Aaron shows opposing defenses the meaning of life. Life is more than just football, don’t worry about it. You’ll do fine as a car salesman when you get cut after getting beat for 3 TDs by a first year starter.

Jason Voorhees – Charles Woodson: You just can’t stop this guy! You can try. Even with a broken foot, Charles Woodson is coming after you relentlessly! And just when you thought he was done for, he re surges better than ever! Woodson’s career was thought to be over, but then had a rebirth when he joined the Packers! Jason is having a rebirth himself with the new remake of Friday the 13th. Odds are Woodson’s will be more impressive.

Michael Myers – KGB: Dumb and slow. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. What should be the coolest character is a letdown, just like KGB.  How big of a disappointment has KGB been?  He’s lost almost all of his abilities and it’s just sad.  It reminds me of Halloween.  The movie starts with the killer escaping from the insane asylum and you knew things were going down!  Or not.  It was a lot of walking, a lot of girl talking, and a lot of heavy breathing, although I did like that.  I suggest you check out rifftrax.com’s commentary on this film to realize this classic…kinda sucks, just like fan favorite KGB.

Jack Torrance – Mike McCarthy: He seems normal, an everyday guy, an average Joe, if you will, but then he SNAPS! Suddenly he’s chasing people with axes! I hear McCarthy does this to Jarrett Bush on a regular basis, which is one of the reasons Bush is so fast.  McCarthy is always calm in his press conferences but on Sundays, you can see he’s just a different person.  He’s in head coach mode and he means business.  All work and no play makes Mike McCarthy yell at Jarrett Bush.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Ryan Grant: This one is pretty obvious. You never know which one you’re going to get on Sundays. Will you get the one that shows flashes of a hall of fame career or the one who bumps into his own linemen and falls on his butt?  Grant just got a huge contract extension and this is what we get?  This mediocrity?  I just wish he would pick one.  Be crappy or be awesome so we know and can move on with another running back.  Figure it out, Ryan!

Jaws – Aaron Kampman: Aaron is hungry and he wants some blood! Is that some blood on your elbow, Mr. QB? UH-OH! Better start running now! Just when you thought it was safe to go on the football field.  Kampman reminds me of the atmosphere in Jaws.  On the surface there’s no problem.  Kampman is a small defensive end – nothing to worry about.  But there’s just something there that worries you.  You KNOW eventually something bad is going to happen from that guy.  Kampman needs to start humming the Jaws theme on the defensive line.  That would amuse me.

Freddy Krueger – Greg Jennings: The man who gives defenses nightmares. But don’t go to sleep! He’s in there too, and you have to re-live what he did to you over and over again! He’ll haunt you in your dreams and in real life like Freddy Krueger.  Freddy is known for the long blades on his glove and that reminds me of Greg’s powerful hands.  It just seems like some part of his body has to be gimmicked up to be as great as he is.  Also, they both have great fashion sense.

I’m sure I missed some obvious ones, so go ahead and tell me what they are!

I have no idea what I am going to write. Seriously, I am just going to pen this post as it comes and whatever ends up here is going to have to work.

Every other blog seems to have something to say today. Of course, ten of them say the same exact thing as usual, but I have been enjoying the blog wars between PackerGeeks and CheeseheadTV today.

Personally, I think Ryan Grant blows the big one this year. I also am sick of watching our new favorite play the first and one yard carry. One thing is for sure, I hesitate to believe a whole lot about what I here on the podium in the off-season. If you ask me, Brandon Jackson is even a bigger bust than Grant if you follow the Mike McCarthy talk. I listened to the off-season chatter about how fantastic Jackson was looking. The minions were singing Brandon this and bigger and “badder” that. All I frickin’ see is “badder.” Yes, I know he was out this week, so don’t bash my knowledge on your websites.

As far as the Hawks game goes I really don’t have an opinion. We should have won the game and we did. We also should have blown them out too and we didn’t. That in mind, the only thing I truly take from that game is the luxury of not having to listen about how much we suck for at least a week. Outside of the pass to Jennings, the most exciting thing about that game was seeing “The Glove” in the press-box.

Moving on, why don’t we ever make a move like the Cowboys did today with Roy Williams? Don’t give me any of this building from within and through the draft twaddle either. Joe Johnson bent this organization over and plugged them from behind with the longest torn pectoral you have ever seen. Get some nuts and make a move once in awhile. Yes, I know we got Woodson and so does the entire universe, so I won’t press the argument. Let’s get more guys like Charles.

Oh, the trade deadline is over? Nevermind.

I’m totally happy with the news about Harris. But, how do go from out for the season to back in four weeks like that. Who the hell is reporting this stuff? Hopefully he comes back hungry, as hungry as Tramon has been.

I need a podcast guy and I’m pissed. The other guy up and decides to quit and I can’t find a single person in the whole Packer universe with a head-set microphone. Luckily I had an awesome fill-in for week four, but if I don’t have one by tomorrow I’m going to go solo until I do. Good thing the competition is pretty light.

I like Culver’s, they make a good burger.

I am excited to have something unique to offer this week. I get so sick of reading and writing the same crap over and over again that it is nice to have a diversion for a little while. This week, we will follow perhaps one the most avid Packer and forum fan on his trip to Lambeau Field to see the Pack play the Colts. We will follow him from his home in Missouri as he travels from airport to airport and restaurant to restaurant. We will post pictures as he travels and try to live his experience, literally. So, please watch with us as we follow this faithful fan from home to heaven and back again.

That pretty much finishes my rant for the day. I don’t feel like breaking it down, I don’t feel like arguing about Ryan Grant or the offensive line or the injury situation. I want to relish in a mediocre win for a moment. I’m not convinced quite yet that the opportunity will present itself as much as I would like it to.

As a final addition, Tony Kornheiser is a total douche. I’ll guarantee you’ll hear something about his comment on PTI today. Generalizing people with handicaps as freaks is cool Tony, real cool.

I like Ryan Grant. I like what he did last year. I like the pieces the media did on him, showing him as a humble kid. There weren’t many reasons to dislike Grant or think he might not have what it takes to be a #1 running back in the NFL. But there were a few.

Nobody likes a holdout. Yes, the NFL is a business, but a holdout after half a good season? Really? O…k. You gotta do what ya gotta do, I guess. Unfortunately that holdout really hurt the running game of the Packers the first three weeks of the season. Grant showed up in not great shape, and was hurt in the first week of his return. Congratulations on the payday, Ryan.

Another thing that sort of bothers me is that Ryan Grant seems to be injury prone. He was hurt in New York in a short injury plagued career, and he’s hurt now. Of course he has that little half season of awesomeness in between. I find it concerning.

He hasn’t done great things consistently. The contract issue a Ted Thompson thing. We can all blame him if things don’t pan out, but my primary concern now is the Packers winning games, and we need a running game. Right now we have an inconsistent injury prone running back as our #1 and it scares me!

We all seen the flash in the pan act before with Samkon Gado. Gado seemed to be at least a great human being and didn’t give one damn about the money. He wanted to be a doctor and save people in Africa(or something heroic like that. I would have babies with Samkon Gado). Ryan was hurt, hurt, hurt, good year, fought to get payday, got it, hurt, hurt.

Not a bad strategy, business wise.

Now I hope I’m dead wrong here. I am wrong a lot and this is a time I’d love that to to be the case. After Grant we have an unproven second year player and a guy with vulgar last name behind him, so don’t mind me if I’m a tad concerned about our running game.

Grant needs to step up. End of story.