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Rushing game at standstill
Grant struggling early on
By Ken Ryan
There is hope on the horizon. Green Bay’s next two contests are against that same Seattle defense Grant trounced last January and against Indianapolis, currently ranked 31st in rushing yards allowed.
Through four weeks of the season, the Green Bay Packers have not been able to overcome a bevy of factors that has plagued the running game. The club currently ranks 23rd in yards per game and 18th in yards per attempt.
Take out the 78 yards quarterback Aaron Rodgers has accumulated scrambling and the numbers drop even further.
For a team that needs to establish balance offensively to give quarterback Rodgers a chance to flourish, it obviously is critical that this trend needs to turn around quickly.
Ryan Grant, fresh off a new four-year, $30 million contract in August, has been a shell of his 2007 form when the young back came out of nowhere to finish second in the NFL in rushing yards in the final eight games. He also put on a 201-yard outburst in the playoff game against Seattle at Lambeau Field.
But Grant has been bothered by a sore hamstring that kept him out of training camp and limited his carries in the first couple of games this season.
Without a solid run game, defensive linemen have been able to discard respecting a potent running game and pin their ears back to cause havoc for Rodgers.
Grant, or his primary backup Brandon Jackson, is hardly the only problem, however.
After an injury to Scott Wells forced usual right guard Jason Spitz to play center, Tony Moll filled in for the first three weeks and was constantly knocked off the ball.
Wells returned in the Tampa Bay game and played fine for that first one, but the group needs to begin developing cohesion.
Plus, dependable tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher have underperformed, getting beat on while making backside cut blocks in the zone scheme. Also, Clifton leads the league in holding penalties.
Even more disconcerting is the inability to rush in short yardage. Last season, Green Bay ranked dead-last in conversion rates on third-and-one. Early on this season, that ugly trend has reoccurred.
There is hope on the horizon. Green Bay’s next two contests are against that same Seattle defense Grant trounced last January and against Indianapolis, currently ranked 31st in rushing yards allowed.
Rushing the football controls the clock, demoralizes defenses and sets up big-play opportunities out of play action.
Theoretically, the Packers have the pieces in place. Whether that translates into a solid rushing game over the rest of the season is just a big question mark at this point.
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