Packers aim to improve ground attack
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By JASON WILDE / Lee Newspapers
Monday, September 17, 2007 2:03 AM CDT
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Run game? Who needs a run game? Not the Green Bay Packers.
Well, not if you ask quarterback Brett Favre, anyway. General manager Ted Thompson, coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin would beg to differ.
Those last three men will tell you that while there were a few positive developments in that area during the Packers’ 35-13 victory over the New York Giants Sunday at the Meadowlands — namely, DeShawn Wynn’s 6- and 38-yard touchdown runs — the Packers won’t do much to build on their 2-0 start unless the ground game gets going.
“I think there was a little bit of improvement. But we’re not where we need to be running the ball at all,” Philbin said after starter Brandon Jackson managed just 35 yards on 17 carries and Wynn gained just 6 on his other eight non-TD runs. “It wasn’t like we were gashing them, that’s for sure.”
Just don’t tell Favre, who thinks the Packers can go back to their approach in the early days of the Mike Holmgren regime — using the short passing game to replace the run — and get the job done.
“I thought we executed the short-passing game as well as we have in recent memory. To me, I think that offsets the running game if we’re struggling,” said Favre, who other than a 46-yard deep ball to James Jones threw mostly underneath all game. “Do we need it? Today, I guess not. But next week? Probably so. The following week? Who knows? But today it worked for us.”
Doing most of the work was Wynn, the rookie seventh-round pick from Florida who stood out in last week’s win over Philadelphia with the Packers’ longest run from scrimmage (8 yards) and an 18-yard catch-and-run off a Favre improv play. Sunday, his terrific cutback on the 6-yard run got the Packers on the board, and his impressive burst and nifty juke of cornerback Gibril Wilson on the 38-yarder sealed the win with 4 minutes left in the game.
“I thought the second one was huge, (given) the particular situation we were in at the time and the recognition of what he saw defensively and to get the ball to the edge like he did and break the open-field tackle,” McCarthy said. “I think we’re getting a better understanding, a better comfort — I know I am — of calling the plays with the three running backs and putting them in positions to be successful. I was very happy with the running back group as a whole.”
Meanwhile, the line still has work to do. The Packers had four negative-yardage runs and two more for no gain, with Giants defensive linemen shooting through gaps in the line virtually unblocked. On one second-quarter run, left guard Daryn Colledge whiffed on right end Osi Umenyiora, who took down Wynn for a 5-yard loss. In the third quarter, an unblocked Barry Cofield almost took Favre’s handoff to Jackson.
“There was way too much penetration. We had guys in the backfield,” Philbin said. “Minus-5 run, minus-4, a couple times it was a little shocking, to be honest with you. We have to go back and study that. We’ll have to watch the film and look at how we can attack San Diego and go from there.”
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