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In one fell swoop, Packers RB Ryan Grant went from being one of the angriest people on the planet, according to his agent, Alan Herman, to a very happy camper indeed after agreeing to a new, incentive-laden four-year contract Aug. 2 that could earn him up to $30 million.
As a result of that sweet payday, there could be a lot of happy fantasy owners should they happen to select Grant to be their teams’ featured back this coming season.
Granted, it’s worth wondering just a little whether or not a player who initially was considered a mere afterthought — Grant was obtained in a trade with the Giants in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick just before the start of the 2007 campaign — could turn out to be a flash in the pan after really only strutting his stuff the last 10 weeks of the ’07 season.
But, oh, what a strut.
All the Notre Dame product did was rush for 929 yards, including five 100-yard efforts, and register eight rushing TDs, followed up by a team postseason record-breaking performance against Seattle when he steamrolled over the Seahwks’ defense for 201 yards rushing.
And let’s not forget how impressive Grant was reaching the second level, with 15 gains of 20 yards or more, including a pair of 60-yard-plus TD runs against the Bears and Cowboys.
But probably the biggest reason to be excited about Grant’s fantasy prospects in 2008 is how serious Packers head coach Mike McCarthy appears to be about increasing his ground game’s activity after his offense ran the ball a little less than 40 percent of the time last season and finished the season ranked only 21st in rushing.
McCarthy believes that a slightly more balanced attack could make the Packers’ high-octane offense even more potent than it was last season.
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Packers RB Ryan Grant
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There is the distinct possibility that Grant could be sharing the load a lot more with second-year RB Brandon Jackson, who has had a very impressive offseason up to now after looking extremely overmatched as the No. 1 back in place of the injured Vernand Morency at the start of the ’07 season.
In a perfect world, McCarthy probably would prefer a true two-back system like the one featuring Edgar Bennett and Dorsey Levens that was used with such great success in the Pack’s 1995 championship season.
But there still would appear to be more than enough touches in store for Grant to be a major fantasy force.
“He has everything you look for in a runner,” said Bennett, who has gone on to become Green Bay’s RB coach. “What stands out most is his mindset.”
It’s worth noting that Grant’s mindset could be enhanced further by the fact that his salary in 2009 could skyrocket to $4 million should he pick up where he left off last season and rush for 1,500 yards in ’08.
It’s also worth noting that the Packers could depend a lot more on Grant — a natural downhill runner with great vision who reminds many daily Packers observers of Levens — with the raw Aaron Rodgers under center.
No matter what, Grant looks like a fantasy risk very much taking.
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