Posts tagged Brandon Jackson at FanHouse

Ryan Grant has every right to be insulted by the Packers most recent offer, and since it looks like the team is quite comfortable moving forward with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback, I'm guessing the front office would love to have Grant in camp, well, now, to help ease Rodgers' transition to the full-time gig.

Or, maybe, the club is perfectly happy with the offer currently on the table because Brandon Jackson has been such a pleasant surprise.

Throughout the offseason, McCarthy repeatedly mentioned the name of the second-year running back from Nebraska when asked which players might enjoy a breakout season in 2008. That kind of praise for Jackson, a second-round pick in 2007, has continued early in training camp.

"I think he looks like a different player from this time last year, and I think you could say that for a lot of rookies," McCarthy said. "... I think he's definitely going to be a factor as we move forward as a core player there. He's had a great offseason."

Staff rankings were compiled by averaging the individual rankings of each member of Fantasy Fanhouse. The rankings are based on standard leagues where you gain points for yardage and scores. Or something ...

Don't fret if you don't have the top pick, because there is still a very solid selection of running backs, even in the second round. You're starting to hear pundits everywhere tell you to change your drafting philosophy from RB/RB. To me, that means there will be a bunch of WRs and QBs drafted in the first two rounds, and your RB/RB picks will just be that much stronger. Stand strong.

With RB/RB you can have Steven Jackson and Willis McGahee to go with a Marc Bulger and Steve Smith. I'd rather do that than go with Brady and TO, only to cover RB with Edge and Julius Jones.

As for these rankings, the numbers three through five are nearly interchangeable, so don't feel bad if you took Jackson third in your draft ... for your free fantasy league on fleaflicker.

FanHouse's Top Five
1. LaDanian Tomlinson, Chargers
2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings
3. Joseph Addai, Colts
4. Brian Westbrook, Eagles
5. Steven Jackson, Rams

See the rest after the jump ...

There's been so much talk about how disappointing Green Bay Packers 2007 first-round draft pick Justin Harrell has been that people may be forgetting how disappointing Packers 2007 second-round pick Brandon Jackson has been.

But Jackson, who carried just 75 times for 267 yards and one touchdown as a rookie, knows he needs to improve. And he says that by spending more time in the weight room and the film room over the last five months, he's done just that:

"Mentally and physically," Jackson said. "I put on a little weight. It's great. I can run with it and everything. And on the mental side, I know my plays, I study a lot, just to stay refreshed on everything."

Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett refers to Jackson as "Tremendous, in the weight room as well as in the meeting rooms."

With starter Ryan Grant and the team still far apart on contract negotiations, Jackson has a golden opportunity to earn some playing time -- and show Packers fans that they got something for their 2007 draft.

Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.

This week I sat down with Brandon of Acme Packing Company, a Sports Blog Nation column that covers the Green Bay Packers.

Dan Benton: "Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre ... Is there anything that guy can't do?"

Brandon: "Well, he sure can't run. He's always had good pocket presence, ability to avoid the rush, but you sure wonder if he's going to hurt himself on the rare occasion he tries to run for a first down."

Benton: "I know the Packers running back situation is so confusing that fans don't even have a grasp on it, but you have to like what you saw out of Ryan Grant on Monday night. Should we expect to see more of him in the coming weeks?"

The Green Bay Packers are second to last in the NFL in rushing yardage per game. The San Diego Chargers are in the middle of the pack, but they have last year's league MVP toting the rock, LaDainian Tomlinson, and last week's FedEx Ground Player of the Week, Michael Turner, backing him up. Turner is averaging 6.2 yards per carry for his career, and has long been the center of heavy trade speculation. Though the teams appear to be suitable partners, Chargers GM A.J. Smith remains steadfast that Michael Turner will not be dealt:

On Friday, Smith reiterated that nothing has occurred to change his April 30 statement in which he said Turner would not be traded.

"He is not available," Smith said. "For some reason, some people either don't believe it or it means nothing to them. Or, I can't argue with this part, just because he said it he could change his hand. But I'm only concerned about this particular year for our team, and I like our players."

The Packers would have the funds available to take on someone like Turner, so it's possible they do make some sort of deal. Bottom line for Green Bay is that they're using second rate running backs like DeShawn Wynn and Brandon Jackson, and though they're first in the league in passing, they'll need some semblance of a ground game when it gets colder in December. Furthermore, I'm guessing Smith would take a deal if it knocked his socks off, and he's certainly wise for driving the bargaining price up with statements like that.

Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.

This week I sat down with Thomas Pelissero of Packers Insider Blog, a Green Bay Press-Gazette [credentialed] column that covers the Green Bay Packers.

Dan Benton: "Like the Giants, Green Bay has been struggling with injury this year. Which of their injuries has been, or has the potential to be the most devastating?"

Thomas Pelissero: "The series of injuries in the backfield really have hit the Packers hard, as evidenced by their inability to run the football in the preseason and Week 1. Vernand Morency strained a knee on the first day of training camp and hasn't played a down; P.J. Pope suffered a knee injury a week later and eventually was waived; second-round pick Brandon Jackson missed the preseason finale after suffering a mild concussion in a freak collision with a teammate; and Ryan Grant, acquired from the Giants on cutdown weekend, missed most of his first week of practice here with tight hamstrings. The healthiest guy in the group is seventh-round pick DeShawn Wynn, who previously missed time with calf, stomach and quadriceps problems. It's been ridiculous."

The Green Bay Packers will look to start their regular season with a win today against the Philadelphia Eagles. In order to come away with a victory, they need to do a variety of things. I've compiled a list of three keys that will make or break the game for them.

Key Number One: Establish the run. I realize that's a key to victory for all NFL teams, but it is especially vital to the Packers. With Ahman Green now in Houston, and the unit suffering a ton of injuries, it's imperative to their success that they get Brandon Jackson rolling. If he can get going, it will open things up for the play-action pass, and more importantly, it will keep Donovan McNabb and the Eagles offense off of the field.

Key Number Two: Watch out for the blitz. It's no secret that the birds are going to blitz early and often, but if the Packers can pick it up, it will be a long day for Philadelphia's defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Green Bay should also match the aggressiveness with aggressiveness. If they blitz a corner or safety, throw a bomb in that direction. It may be high risk, but it will be high reward as well.

Key Number Three: Contain Brian Westbrook. On paper, that seems like an easy thing to do, but it's not. Westbrook is the Eagles number one weapon, and the team usually goes as he goes. If the Packers can shut him down, they'll be in business.

The Green Bay Packers got a welcomed breath of fresh air on Sunday. After an offseason marred by countless injuries to the team, it was revealed that wide receiver Donald Driver is healthy enough to take the field Sunday when the Packers open their season against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Donald is doing well," McCarthy said.

Driver has been sidelined since August 23rd, when he sprained his right foot in a preseason loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The injury, which many assumed was a broken foot prior to diagnosis, kept the ninth-year wide receiver in a boot until last Thursday.

Although the news concerning Driver is positive, the same does not apply to running backs Vernand Morency and Noah Herron. Herron was placed on injured reserve over the weekend, while Morency remains out with a knee injury sustained on the first day of training camp.

Although only 10 points were scored, the Green Bay Packers dominated the first two quarters against Jacksonville last night. Brett Favre (14 of 20 for 130 yards) seemed to be on the money with every single throw, while the tight ends, one of the Packers biggest concerns headed into the regular season, proved to be very effective.

Rookie wide receiver James Jones also had an extremely impressive night, hauling in six catches for 80 yards. His routes were run well, his cuts were decisive and crisp and his hands were soft. He really has the makings of a quality NFL wide receiver and I can see why Favre has raved about him this offseason. Unfortunately, he may become heavily relied on much sooner than anyone expected.

Starting wide receiver Donald Driver was carted off the sidelines with a foot injury, but the severity of that injury has not yet been determined.

"He's in good spirits," McCarthy said of Driver. "So we'll have more information tomorrow."

It would be potentially devastating to the Packers season if Driver was lost for any significant period of time.

One of Coach Mike McCarthy's objectives was to get the Packers offense rolling against Seattle yesterday. Well, he certainly did that and then some. Green Bay, led by Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre, scored 48 points in their 60 minute destruction of the Seattle Seahawks. In fact, they were so dominate that their defense actually outscored the Seahawks offense.

Two of the more notable performances were that of rookie running back Brandon Jackson and rookie wide receivers James Jones. Both players have made strong cases for themselves throughout training camp and that trend continued yesterday. Jackson, who struggled a bit in his first NFL game, really displayed his ability last night. He gained 54 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and added another 11 yards receiving.

And Jones, who Favre compared to Sterling Sharpe, had the standout performance of the night. He hauled in four passes for 58 yards two, count them two, touchdowns. What more can you say? That certainly was a sparkling home debut for him and the rest of the team.