Overhaul at running back gives Pack plenty of options
Green Bay's offseason shakeup at running back indicates a focus on making that position a strength -- not a liability.
By dnicholson
Green Bay's offseason shakeup at running back indicates a focus on making that position a strength -- not a liability.
By dnicholson
Comments (12)
dobber
May 09, 2017 at 10:14 am
I think there's a definite RBBC brewing for 2017. Who's in the committee is yet to be determined.
Savage57
May 10, 2017 at 08:33 am
Unsettled would be a good word to describe the situation. But for anyone to say with certainty in May the Packers will suck or will be great at the RB position next season is wasting their time commenting here.
Anyone who can see the future and is weighing in on what the Packers fate will be at position groups is selling himself way short and too cheap.
TKWorldWide
May 12, 2017 at 06:38 am
I'm going with somewhere between "suck" and "great", with high confidence in my accuracy.
Ben Pearson
May 09, 2017 at 10:32 am
I'm super pumped for Ty and the other new coming RB's. As a rookie RB in this league there is no better team to start your career with than the Packers. The Pack were top 10 in total offense last season while being 20th in rushing offense. We didn't have 1 back to rush over 500 yards. My point is this, there is simply no pressure on a running back in the Packers offense. We don't need a good running game whatsoever to be effective.
Any production we get from any of our running backs is just a cherry on top. I can't think of a better situation for a rookie RB to walk into knowing we don't need any of them to be studs in order for our offense to succeed. It's recipe that breeds a nice stress-free development environment for a rookie RB.
LayingTheLawe
May 09, 2017 at 11:08 am
I guess the article is a nice way of saying we don't know who is going to run the ball for the Packers in 2017.
Andrew Lloyd Peth
May 09, 2017 at 02:41 pm
It says a bit more than that. This has the makings of a deep, talented group. The way injuries hit running backs, that's a good thing.
I just wish we had one elite bellcow, but oh well.
RCPackerFan
May 09, 2017 at 11:09 am
I really, really like Williams and Jones. Mays intrigues me but I want to see him in person more.
Williams reminds me of Frank Gore when running. Has the quick cuts, and great vision.
Williams is more of the traditional RB. Would be great with a FB in front of him. And also really good with the TE's we now have.
Jones reminds me of James White. Great receiving ability, plays fast can make cuts but also run with power.
The thing I really like about Jones is he is like a perfect fit for our offense. With the amount of shotgun that is used, he is a RB that can be effective with that formation. Similar to how Montogmery was used last year and how White is used in New England.
I really like the RB's they have brought in.
Andrew Lloyd Peth
May 09, 2017 at 02:46 pm
I like the Gore comparison. Williams is more upright, but otherwise the similarities are obvious. Here's hoping.
I too want to see more of Mays, since tape means less when a guy hasn't stayed healthy. He looks like a killer on tape, but...
...let's see how he holds up in camp.
Colin_C
May 09, 2017 at 01:47 pm
Can't wait to see Williams on the field, but don't sleep on the UDFA William Stanback they just signed. 6' 230lbs 4.48. Got kicked out of D1 for drug violations. Turned his life around and ran 1300 yards his senior season at DII level. He's "my guy" to make the 53.
Andrew Lloyd Peth
May 09, 2017 at 02:47 pm
I'd love to see that. This is America, where we love personal turnaround stories.
Since'61
May 09, 2017 at 03:18 pm
At this point anything we think we have with the new RBs is pure speculation. While Monty was partially responsible for rejuvenating the offense last season we still have a relatively small sample size for evaluating his performance. We don't even know yet if the new RBs, not including Monty, can learn the playbook well enough to be effective. Beyond that we won't know how good they are until they play in a regular season NFL game. Having said that, I feel much better about the RB position group than I did at any time in 2016. I'm glad that Lacy, Michael and Jackson are all gone. We have fresh legs, we know what we have in RIP, and we can look forward to a much more versatile group of RBs than we have had for a long time in GB. This group of RBs may prove to be the best group of RBs for the Packers during the MM era. However, still a long way to go before we can actually evaluate what we have. Thanks, Since '61
Handsback
May 09, 2017 at 03:19 pm
First off let me say the mere fact that Green Bay turned to their receiver corp to pull out a RB that had that much success is quite remarkable. Since the days of the SB, I don't think this has been done very successful.
Second, TT had one RB and one FB on the roster he could count on. So adding three more RBs wasn't that drastic of a move taken into account the lack of depth.
Third, all three of these guys are from pretty small schools (BYU maybe not so much) and while we might not have seen much film on them, the scouts have seen plenty.
I'm no expert and didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express either, but those three guys have some real kick-butt in their game. Even Jones hits that hole and doesn't appear to be a bit shy about running over a defender. The reason I like Mays is he runs like Lacy, but with wiggle. He's gotten a lot bigger (muscle) in the lower body over the past two years and seems to be even faster. He even talks like he has a chip on his shoulder. I have seen Jones play and I would hate to be a DB and have to face him one-on-one. I think they would look very foolish grasping at air. Williams is a banger and comparisons to Grant are very appropriate.
So Monty and Rip will be leading a very determined group of RBs into next year's playoffs. It's going to be a lot of fun!!!!!