Ryan Grant In \"Good/Bad/Ugly\"
By PackerAaron
Several of you have taken exception to my putting Ryan Grant in the 'Bad' category in this weeks 'The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly'. (And the 'comments' are tame compared to the emails, believe me...) I'm always glad to hear what you guys think, especially when you disagree with me. And usually, I let you have your say, perhaps reply back, and leave it at that. But I felt this deserved its own post.
Do you want the Packers to win the Super Bowl? Seriously, think about it for a moment. Think about what it would really mean to you. Now think about losing the Super Bowl. Most of us remember losing to Denver in '97. Other than two personal tragedies, that was the worst day of my life. You don't win a Super Bowl by spotting the opposing team 14 points. You just don't. And that's essentially what Grant did by fumbling two of his first three touches. Did he atone for it by rushing for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns? Yes, of course he did. Does it absolve him of the responsibility to take care of the football? Absolutely not. You can't obtain perfection. But you should always be reaching for it. That's the only way you get better. If you are happy that he had the game he had, far be it from me to take that away from you. But in the NFL, as in life, you need to find what is 'bad' about your performance and make it better. And Ryan Grant is no different, even after a record setting performance. Especially when it is entirely possible the Packers could be facing the greatest team to ever step foot on a football field in the New England Patriots if both teams earn the right to play in the Super Bowl, which I think they will. Imagine spotting the Patriots 14 points. You may as well spot them 50. Now, it's understood that the defense has a job to do as well, and that by fumbling you are not 'giving' the opposing team touchdowns. But you are certainly giving them extra, golden opportunities. Opportunities that better teams, let alone great teams, will take severe advantage of.
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Comments (4)
January 14, 2008 at 06:50 pm
Alright, I'll take your explanation. I don't actually disagree with your logic. At the time, my Packer Watching Crew (all transplants) and I caught ourselves whispering "Chicago," and it was pretty brutal. I think that the end of the game, and his instant redemption, tempered a lot of that initial disgruntlement. And, basically, I was heartened by what Charles Woodson told Mike Silver (awesome Favre article, btw): "He didn't have any choice [about making up for the fumbles]. We were gonna kick his ass if he didn't."
But yes, I guess I agree with you. He does it again, or if Brandon Jackson gets a little too excited about blocking punts and roughs up another punter, and there will be blood. It's just hard to stay mad with Brett throwing snowballs.
January 14, 2008 at 09:01 pm
Everything we do in life is a learning experience. What did Ryan Grant learn on Saturday? He learned that you never give up, even when things LOOK like they are going in the toilet. He also learned to be prepared, because the hype and speed in the playoffs is twice as bad as the regular season.
So he learned. I guess you can call it ugly if you want to. But in the end..I think it's a good thing. Better against the Hawks than the Pats.
January 15, 2008 at 12:10 am
Yes Grant deserves to be on the bad list. My point was only that he also belongs on the good list. I am pretty sure that you have had the great number 4 on both lists a few times this year. I think that Grant had at least as bipolar a day as our favorite quarterback has had this year.
You still get the love. You guys nailed the keys to this game. Gotta tell you wearing my cheesehead to work today was sweet!
Go Pack Go!
January 16, 2008 at 02:05 am
Brett Farve has had horrible games! NO BAD LIST! The season would be over without him! I have been Grant's bandwagon since the Denver game. As he has gotten better so has the offensive line. The Seattle game should prove that he was the missing Superbowl piece to make it a game against the Pats. Did anyone notice the correct execution on the Packer screen play on Saturday? (Ryan Grant)Cool!