IRVING, Texas James Starks was compared to Forrest Gump on Thursday. It was meant as a compliment.
A legitimate run game has emerged for the Green Bay Packers after it was often nonexistent early this season. The rookie Starks is a large part of that.
He just runs hard, guard Josh Sitton said. I think hes just young and runs like he doesnt know where hes going.
Just run, like Forrest Gump. Just run, man.
Starks currently leads the league with 263 postseason rushing yards. He started 2010 on the physically unable to perform list and wasnt activated until Week 13 against San Francisco. Starks has rushed for 123, 66 and 74 yards in three playoff games and received a minimum of 22 attempts in each game. A Packers ball-carrier reached 20 attempts just once during the regular season as Brandon Jackson had 22 against the Patriots in Week 15.
Starks has been decisive with his cuts and has a knack of falling forward when tackled. But its the rushes that are more important than yards to coach Mike McCarthy.
Run attempts and third-down production are the two key statistics to an offense, McCarthy said, because when you want to be a tempo offense and youre operating in the realm of 70-plus plays a game, those are two important statistics that are tied together.
The concept is fairly simple. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the focal point of this offense and hes not running draws and sweeps. The Packers are pass-based offense that needs the threat of the run to force defenses from strictly playing the pass.
The team had 30-plus rushes just once in the first eight games when the team went 5-3. It has eight since and an 8-3 record including the playoffs.
Obviously wed like to be averaging 4.5-5 yards a carry, offensive line coach James Campen said. Sometimes its not going to work out that way. But its the attempts, converting when you do run the ball and winning that down. Whether its third-and-2, third-and-1 or second-and-2, weve been doing much better than that.
Were converting the down and continuing drives.
Campen explained that there has been better communication between the backs and linemen recently. Those conversations give the backs a better understanding of what the linemen see and their intentions.
Theres also the continuity of having Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, Scott Wells, Sitton and Bryan Bulaga starting together for 15 consecutive weeks.
Just the maturity and everybodys kind of growing up and getting in their positions, Colledge said. I think as an offensive line, were peaking at the right time. We may not have had it every time we needed it but weve had it enough to do what we do on offense.
Right now its doing well and we need it; were facing the number one defense in the NFL, so we need to find a way to run the ball a little bit.
Jackson, though, took some issue with the notion that the run game was dormant for an extended stretch. He moved into the starting lineup when Ryan Grant was lost for the season in Week 1, but never put up consistent numbers.
Jackson, who is a serious threat in the short passing game, said its not just about hand-offs.
When you talk about the run game, you have to factor in the screen game, the dump-off passes, Jackson said. We can win games with a limited amount of carries. Thats how its been all year."
The Steelers have talked all week about getting bodies on Rodgers, but they wont get away from their core values. This is a run-eliminating unit that set a team record as it allowed just 62.8 yards a game. That mark ranks No. 3 in NFL history since the merger in 1970 behind the 2000 Ravens (60.6 yards) and 2006 Vikings (61.6).
We know theyre going to try to run the ball, linebacker James Farrior said. I dont think they can throw the ball every play.
So, were definitely going to have to be prepared to stop the run. But we know sometimes the run really sets up the play-action pass and we have to be aware of that.
And thats the crux of the Packers offense. Rodgers is an excellent play-action quarterback and loves to see his receivers in one-on-one situations. He only needs a split-second of hesitation by a safety or running back to get the look he wants.
So, its run, Forrest, run.
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