Packers backfield thin?

They've always said they will keep the best 53.

You won't see them cutting someone (ala Hunter Hillenmeyer) while keeping a 2nd punter but 7 WR's would be shocking.

TT & MM always blazing a trail.

If Starks and Green had rock solid histories with no injuries, I'd feel more secure. Starks in particular has a pretty good injury history the past 3 years but he did stay healthier last year than he did the 2 years preceding.

In the past, I'd never trust a RB that suffered a knee injury until 2 years after the injury, but with medical science much more advanced, guys like Adrian Petersen and Alex Green will possibly be able to come back at full strength the year after their injury. Let's just hope that's the case with Green at least.

This isn't our Dad's NFL anymore.

And the Pack brain trust is ahead of the curve. [I'm crossing my fingers for Green too.]

I'm not too worried. They made the playoffs two years ago with John Kuhn and Brandon Jackson carrying the ball.

in 2010, the mighty Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl with only Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn at RB

We still have Kuhn, so the question is whether or not the combination of James Starks, Alex Green and Brandon Saine together can replace the production of All-World Brandon Jackson

B.Jackson 2010... 703 yards, 3 TDs rushing and another 342 yards and 1 TD catching the ball

The big IFs, obviously, are their health. IF Starks is healthy and stays healthy then I think we have a great option at RB. IF Green returns to form after his knee injury and can also stay healthy then I think we will all be surprised with what he will bring to the table. I actually really like Saine, I think he can do everything we need him to do as a 3rd down back. He reminds me a lot of Tony Fisher. I know some people hate it for some reason, but Kuhn is a solid option in a pinch.

The good thing is that our offense doesn't depend on these guys to produce (unlike the Vikings or Titans). We need them to keep defenses honest and help sell the play action, but this offense will still dominate even if we have to bring in a retread to replace an injured Starks or Green.

quote:

Originally posted by Satori:
in 2010, the mighty Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl with only Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn at RB

We still have Kuhn, so the question is whether or not the combination of James Starks, Alex Green and Brandon Saine together can replace the production of All-World Brandon Jackson

B.Jackson 2010... 703 yards, 3 TDs rushing and another 342 yards and 1 TD catching the ball

And pick up the blitz, and not put the ball on the ground.

Both of the above were problems against the Giants.

Why does my back smell like chlorine? I personally like the potential of Starks/Green/Saine at the RB spot. However, if one gets injured or the group is actually is ineffective, I wold hope TT would make a move instead of rolling the dice on a Starks-like character to step up.

I'll remain uneasy about the current situation until Starks demonstrates an ability to stay on the field.

Starks overall last year did well picking up the blitz, but his misses came at some of the worst times and AR was unable to avoid the rush.

I like what Green showed last year in pass protection...

What Gurley and Borel bring to ST is going to be the tipping point for them, obviously.

Gonna be a long next 5 weeks.

I want my, I want my NFL.

you should read Satori's post, he makes a good point.

I'm rapidly losing faith in Starks. I think he is the guy not on the team after next year.

Hope I am wrong.

I'd love a sandwich!!!

Watch the teams' actions and they'll tell you exactly how nervous or uneasy you need to be

And given the total lack of interest during the draft & FA in adding RBs, I'd say the people who watch practice, break down film and spend all day with these guys have already shown you how comfortable they feel about the position

Once they got a look at Alex Green in OTAs, all of the Ryan Grant speculation went away, along with his locker-spot.

Relatively speaking, GB is deeper at RB this year than at any other time since MM arrived.

One or two heads may have just exploded Satori, but you could be right.

What's funny to me is that we (shareholder) rushed the ball (relatively speaking) less effectively (27th in the league) last year than 2010 (24th), and yet somehow we still went 15-1 and led the league in points (560).

Go figure.

quote:

Originally posted by Satori:
Relatively speaking, GB is deeper at RB this year than at any other time since MM arrived.

quote:

Originally posted by Satori:
in 2010, the mighty Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl with only Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn at RB

We still have Kuhn, so the question is whether or not the combination of James Starks, Alex Green and Brandon Saine together can replace the production of All-World Brandon Jackson

B.Jackson 2010... 703 yards, 3 TDs rushing and another 342 yards and 1 TD catching the ball

In fairness though, in the actual playoffs Starks was a huge factor, particularly in the Philly game. Jackson and Kuhn were much less relied upon during the playoffs than during the regular season.

Maybe the Packers find a way to win that Philly game if Starks wasn't there, but he really had a great day and was a major factor in winning a tight game.

Satori's post on the stats is what led me to speculate on the 7 WRs and throwing more than the Arena league... I'm not putting anything past McCarthy.

quote:

Relatively speaking, GB is deeper at RB this year than at any other time since MM arrived.

I disagree- in 2010 they had Grant coming off a 1200 yard season, Jackson as an established passing down guy, they had drafted Starks, and Kuhn was in the mix. They were pretty strong heading into the season.

It's far different now. I think that's where people get nervous- Starks is an injury concern, Green is coming off an ACL, and Saine... pretty thin. Kuhn is still in his role as hybrid.

Of course, the Pats have been living on inexperienced depth for some time now. They certainly are not willing to allocate a ton of $$$, and they have still maintained a relatively high level of success. The Packers certainly didn't need a great RB last year.

Hope you're right about Green, though. The kid looked promising coming in and up to the injury. If he has his burst back, he could trhive in this offense. I know its fashionable to say "it's a passing league" and "they don't need a RB so long as he can pass block" but I would like to have a guy they can rely on to move the chains and be a threat in play-action. It's old fashioned and all, but I don't think the RB has gone the way of the Dodo quite yet. And McCarthy has said he would like to run the ball more (maybe just a ruse). Gotta have a guy that can move the chains if you wanna run the ball.

http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2011...nts-rb-james-starks/

Here is an in- depth look at James Starks from last July - it comes from Matt Waldman's web site, RSP

He breaks down Starks' skills and talents and offers some interesting comments

Whether or not Starks will continue to improve remains to be seen and his availability ( not talent) seems to be the main question heading into 2012

Go Packers

quote:

Originally posted by Music City:
I know its fashionable to say "it's a passing league" and "they don't need a RB so long as he can pass block" but I would like to have a guy they can rely on to move the chains and be a threat in play-action.

It's not "fashionable", it's a fact. You also left off the part about not putting the ball on the ground.

The chains have been moving very well for years now, and play-action was working just fine even when the back in the backfield was Brandon Jackson.

quote:

It's old fashioned and all, but I don't think the RB has gone the way of the Dodo quite yet.

That's wonderful, because nobody has said that. Do you need a premier back or rushing attack to be a successful offense in today's NFL? Nope.

quote:

And McCarthy has said he would like to run the ball more (maybe just a ruse). Gotta have a guy that can move the chains if you wanna run the ball.

Any coach is going to want the plays he calls to be more effective (run or pass). MM has also said in the past that the balance needs to be in the play-calling, not necessarily the production (and before you jump down my throat re-read the sentence that precedes this one).

As I recall from our discussion prior to the draft last year when you were all worked up over Mark Ingram, just "moving the chains" wasn't enough for you at that time.

What's changed since then?

It couldn't possibly be 15-1, 27th vs 24th in rushing, and a league-leading 560 points, could it?

quote:

Starks is an injury concern, Green is coming off an ACL, and Saine... pretty thin.

Anorexic

.

I think many Packer fans will be pleasantly surprised with what Green and Saine add to the position and Starks will be one year smarter about his body( changed diet and workouts) and his pass pro responsibilities.

MC - You weren't quite as high on Brandon Jackson last year, so find a consensus amongst yourselves and then come on back and we'll chat about the Packers RB depth in 2012.

quote:

Originally posted by Music City:
The Packer RBs left a LOT of yards on the field last season with Jackson unable to take advantage of holes that were created. If they do their job, the running game should be where it's supposed to be, which is better than last year just with a RB that can get what the play can get.

quote:

Originally posted by Music City:
...those dump passes that Jackson caught that went for 15 might go for 40 and 6 for Alex Green.

But as long as SOMEONE gets the yards that are there, we're in good shape. See the lane, cut back, and break a few. That's what we were missing last year.

As far as MM's comments on the running game "changes/enhancements", I am guessing we see a little more Power O;
running behind Sitton / Bulaga and a pulling Lang. Pure hopeful speculation

.

Two quotes from 2011 where I accurately state that the RB performance was subpar have what to do with 2010 depth?

Grant and Jackson were the known depth in 2010. Starks was an unknown (and heading to the pup) and Kuhn was just a blocker who could catch the occasional dump off.

I'd agree that what we know with Starks, Green, Saine, and Kuhn the Packers are deeper at RB this year than 2010.

quote:

Originally posted by Boris:

quote:

Starks is an injury concern, Green is coming off an ACL, and Saine... pretty thin.

Anorexic

Lethal Weapon?

Yup

quote:

Grant and Jackson were the known depth in 2010. Starks was an unknown (and heading to the pup) and Kuhn was just a blocker who could catch the occasional dump off.

But Grant as a proven commodity with a track record of production and Jackson established in his role to me is > Starks as a injury risk and a second year guy coming off an acl with only a handful of snaps on the field. Kuhn's Kuhn. Not terribly different then or now.

There is no history of this current group being productive. It is a true unknown. That's all I'm trying to say. At least in 2010 there was a couple 1000 yard seasons that Grant had to feel a little more confident. But it's a fair point that the GM and coaching staff don't seem terribly concerned about it. Of course, they have been wrong before (see DL depth in letting Jenkins go). Calculated gambles are still gambles and can still go wrong.

So long as no one signs Grant, he can fill the role Tauscher did a few years ago.

hey, Ahman Green is available for spot duty, too.

From my stool at Tonys Bar in Colorado Springs I see very few holes for any running back to run thru. Too many times IMO the backs are hit in the backfield. A few more holes or sustained blocks on running plays would transform the Packers running attack from below average to average or even above average. Starks, Green, Grant or whomever will look a lot better with better run blocking.

A.Green recovering nicely

quote:

Green pointed to last Thursday -- Green Bay's final practice -- as his best day. Green was able to cycle through outside zone plays and cut freely. He also ran all the routes the position demands without any problems. Without a defense and without pads, Green says he is sprinting and cutting fine.

That's great news H5 and I suspect Green's progress is tied directly to Grant's tomb

Go Packers

quote:

Relatively speaking, GB is deeper at RB this year than at any other time since MM arrived.

I agree. I like the backfield this year. Saine is exciting to watch when he's catching the ball. I remember him at OSU. Good receiving and route running skills. Starks is good and Alex Green could be even better.

I guess we'll see. But we have a good o-line and MM likes running the ball.

Yeah, 'cause our passing game sucks.

Run to daylight!