Last season, the Packers had one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. They averaged over 370 yards per game, second only to the New England Patriots. Will this season be different?
The heart and soul of the offense, Brett Favre, has finally hung up the pads after playing quarterback for the Packers for the past 200 years. Will Aaron Rodgers come in and save the day? Or will he be yet another first-round quarterback bust? Only time will tell.
What about all the other positions, you ask? Well, let's take a look.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, Brian Brohm, Matt Flynn
Aaron Rodgers has his share of doubters and bandwagoneers. At this point, no one knows how well he will perform. He gave Packer fans a reason to be excited when he came into the Cowboys game last season when Favre went out with an injury.
The Pack was down 27-10 when he came in, and he rallied them to two touchdowns to make it a three-point game. He has shown he has poise in the pocket, and he can run with the ball, which will bring a whole new aspect to the
Packers offense that they haven't had for a while.
This being his fourth year in the NFL, the game speed has slowed down considerably for him, allowing him to feel more relaxed in the pocket. Rodgers' arm strength and accuracy are very good as well. Aaron Rodgers has all the tools to be a very good NFL quarterback. He just needs to piece them together.
The Packers took Brian Brohm this past April after he plummeted into the late second round in the draft. It could end up being a very wise move by Packers GM Ted Thompson if Rodgers doesn’t pan out or gets hurt.
Brohm is a very smart player and appears to be fitting in well so far at the Packers' OTAs. He has adequate arm strength and good accuracy and timing.
The Packers grabbed LSU’s Matt Flynn in the seventh round in this past draft. He has good athleticism for a quarterback and can make plays with his feet. Flynn is a very smart player and cool under pressure. However, his arm strength and accuracy are just average. With a little bit of work, he could prove to be a solid No. 3.
Overall Grade: C+. Talent wise, the Packers quarterbacks are in the top half of the league, but due to lack of experience, the group only warrants an average grade.
Running Back
Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson, Vernand Morency, DeShawn Wynn, Noah Herron
The Packers came into last season with a huge question mark at running back. Second-round pick Brandon Jackson was supposed to be their featured back, but he started out slowly and got hurt. However, he did show potential towards the end of the season, racking up 113 yards on only 20 carries against the Lions.
The big surprise of the Packers season last year was the emergence of Ryan Grant. The Packers received him from the Giants at the beginning of the season for a sixth-round pick. In just ten starts, Grant piled up 929 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
Grant must have the starting position locked down for next season, right? Wrong. Currently, Grant is sitting out of practices while his contract is in the process of being completed.
This means Brandon Jackson is taking all the reps with the No. 1 offense. The coaching staff is very impressed. They believe he has the ability to be a starting running back in this league. What does this mean for Ryan Grant? A possible two-back set-up is in the near future.
As for the Packers' other running backs, Noah Herron should assume the third-down back spot once again. This leaves Vernand Morency and DeShawn Wynn. It is doubtful the Packers will keep both of them.
Morency has been nothing but average in his Green Bay career, and Wynn has shown he can run the ball effectively, but his work ethic leaves something to be desired.
Overall Grade: B+. If Brandon Jackson can play up to his full potential this season, Grant and Jackson could be a deadly duo.
Fullback
Korey Hall, John Kuhn
Converted linebacker Korey Hall did a decent job as the Packers starting fullback last year. He has shown he can be an effective lead blocker, but he doesn’t have much running or catching ability.
John Kuhn is a solid backup to Hall. If Hall were to get hurt, there would not be that much drop in the talent level. They are both decent at what they are instructed to do.
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