| Packers, Seahawks should run, run, run |
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SEATTLE (AP) -Musing over whether Aaron Rodgers will practice. Mystery over whether the quarterback is taking painkilling injections. Marveling over his ability to play. All that may not matter on Sunday, because the Packers have their own remedy for Rodgers' sprained throwing shoulder - one Seattle knows too well. ``They still have Ryan Grant,'' Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. The last time these teams met, Grant tromped through a Wisconsin blizzard for a Green Bay playoff-record 201 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 42-20 win. ``It should give you confidence,'' Grant said of that game, while finally healthy after a hamstring injury that has helped limit him to 269 yards rushing and no touchdowns in five games. ``But at the same time, this is a matter of now.'' too. Seattle's undersized defense with 11 returning starters, including four Pro Bowl players, just got trampled by Brandon Jacobs. The Giants' 264-pound bull ran through missed tackles for 136 yards and two scores on just 15 carries last week as New York gave Holmgren his worst loss in 17 seasons as a head coach, 44-6. That had the 60-year-old grandfather ripping into his four-time defending NFC West champions this week, a tirade he called a ``truth session.'' Here's more sobering truths for Seattle, which is trying to avoid its first 1-4 start since its last losing season in 2002: Grant is listed at 226 pounds and has the same rumbling, straight-ahead style that embarrassed the Seahawks last week. Plus, his offensive line is also getting healthier. Grant showed signs of breaking out last week, when he had 83 yards on 18 carries. ``I know the line kind of felt they were getting into a rhythm and I felt like I was kind of getting into a rhythm,'' Grant said. Yes, one gets the impression Green Bay should run Grant so much on Sunday that the Packers (2-3) will forget Rodgers' shoulder hurts or that Greg Jennings leads the NFL in yards receiving (569) and has three 100-yard games this season. Sound the alarms. ire burning until we put it out,'' said defensive end Patrick Kerney, one of Seattle's frustrated Pro Bowlers. Brandon Mebane is a brick wall of a tackle and one of Seattle's primary run stoppers. He also thinks Grant will be the focal point of Green Bay's quest to beat Seattle for the fifth time in six games and improve its 12-6 road record under coach Mike McCarthy. ``It's like, we've got to keep plugging until we get our respect again,'' Mebane said. ``Teams are going to keep trying the run until we have to prove we can stop the run.'' But one of the Packers' biggest problems is they have to prove the same thing. These is far from the same 13-3 team that rolled into the NFC championship game last season. Green Bay's defense has just three true tackles inside after recently losing run stopper Cullen Jenkins for the season to a pectoral injury. It has allowed an average of 190 yards rushing in each of three consecutive losses to Dallas, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. After Rodgers' fourth interception of the season with 4:33 remaining last week, the Falcons ran three straight times for the decisive touchdown, then three more times for the clinching first down. The Packers are allowing 161.4 yards rushing per game, 31st in the league. ody Hayes. Matt Hasselbeck is the lowest-rated passer in the NFC, thanks in part to six of his receivers having been hurt. About an hour after Bobby Engram and Deion Branch made their season debuts last week, Branch bruised his heel and is out indefinitely. At least recently reacquired Koren Robinson is set to play his first game for Seattle since the 2004 season after being out with a sore knee. Yet he may only have a bit role. By necessity, Seattle is sixth in the NFL at 143.3 yards rushing per game, thanks to new lead runner Julius Jones' first 100-yard days since 2006. And co-lead back Maurice Morris is expected to return from a sprained knee that has caused him to miss a month. ``A huge emphasis has to be on continuing to get better running the football. It appears as though that's going to have to be a big part of success this year,'' Holmgren said, almost rolling his pass-happy eyes. ``We have never been that type of team, and it's not the football typically that I embrace, necessarily, but ... `` But running is what a Packers game now demands. |
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