Pack Makes a Run at Running the Ball

Well paint me red and call me a barn. It looks like the Packers are going to take, "Running the Ball", a little more serious then they have in the last....... decade or so. Okay.... it's only been 43 games. It just seems like a decade.

A Bruiser and a Bruin

With the additions of Notre Dame killer, Eddie Lacy of Alabama, in the 2nd round and trading UP to take Johnathan Franklin, UCLA, with the 125th pick in the 4th round. The Packers are showing they may have some other formatiuons to run on 3rd and one other than a 5 Receiver spread offense.

Now don't take me wrong... Aaron converted plenty of 1st downs with his passing but it sure would be nice to have a regular Running back 'tote the rock' rather than handing the ball to a slow Fullback for a dive up the middle. (Insert Kuuuuuuuuuuhn Cheer here)

Throw in a couple BIG Offensive Linemen in this year's Shopping List...

4th Round -- OT-- David Bakhtiari, Colorado -- 6'4" / 310 lbs.
4th Round -- OG/C -- J. C. Tretter, Cornel -- 6'3" / 304 lbs.

And I like our chance a bit better in short yardage.
Heck... I like our chances in Long yardage as well.


Eddie Lacy
From Roll Tide Roll



2012 (JUNIOR): Assumed the role of the Tide's feature running back en route to earning first team All-SEC honors ... has started all 13 games while rushing for a team-high 1,182 yards on 184 carries ... his 16 rushing touchdowns are tied for fifth in the Alabama single-season record books ... averaging 6.4 yards per carry ... has 20 receptions for 172 yards and a score ... ranks 42nd nationally in rushing with 90.9 yards per game (fourth in the SEC) ... has a team-best 73 runs that have resulted in a first down or a touchdown ... averaging 121.8 all-purpose yards over past 10 games (104.2 for season) ... has 26 "explosive" rushes (12-plus yards) ... Alabama offensive player of the week six times (Arkansas, Florida Atlantic, Missouri, Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia). Michigan: Started his first career game, rushing for 35 yards and one touchdown ... long rush went for 25 ... converted three rushing first downs and caught one pass for 10 yards. Western Kentucky: Carried the ball nine times for 36 yards ... broke free on an 18-yard run on the first drive of the game. Arkansas: Named one of the offensive players of the week by the Alabama coaching staff ... set a career high with three rushing touchdowns ... carried the ball 12 times for 55 yards. Florida Atlantic: Got loose for his first 100-yard rushing game of the season against the Owls ... ran for 106 yards on only 15 carries, all in the first half ... averaged 7.1 yards per carry ... converted first downs on five carries ... earned offensive player of the week honors from the Alabama coaching staff. Mississippi: Carried the ball a career-high 19 times for 82 yards ... also caught three passes for 15 yards ... converted three first downs rushing. Missouri: Set a career high with 177 yards on 18 carries ... also equaled his career-best with three rushing touchdowns while averaging 9.8 yards per carry ... on the second play of the game, broke free for a career-long run of 73 yards ... caught two passes for 17 yards ... converted six first downs rushing and one passing. Tennessee: Rushed a team-high 17 times for 79 yards, with a long of 14 yards ... converted five rushing first downs and one receiving for a new set of downs ... matched his career high with three catches for 18 yards ... had 97 all-purpose yards. Mississippi State: Totaled 77 all-purpose yards with one receiving touchdown ... caught a career-best four passes for 51 yards (27-yard touchdown pass from Phillip Ely) ... ran 10 times for 26 yards. LSU: Rushed for a team-high 83 yards before leaving in the second half with a tweaked ankle ... averaged 7.5 yards on 11 carries ... opened the scoring for the Tide with a seven-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Texas A&M: Gained 92 yards on 16 carries for a 5.8 yards per carry average ... scored one touchdown and converted four first downs ... had two runs of 12-plus yards (long of 18) ... equaled his career high with four receptions for 35 yards (long of 21). Western Carolina: Averaged 9.9 yards per carry (10 rushed for 99), with three touchdowns ... scored on runs of seven, seven and three yards ... had four explosive rushes of 12 yards or more (long of 21) ... six of his rushes converted first downs. Auburn: Named Alabama offensive player of the week after rushing for 131 yards on 18 carries in only of a half of action ... scored two touchdowns ... had seven rushes that converted a first down ... long rush was 32 yards. Georgia: Turned in a career game to help the Crimson Tide win the 2012 SEC Championship Game ... named the game's MVP after rushing for a career-high 181 yards in the 32-28 victory ... carried a career-high 20 times ... scored two touchdowns on runs of one and 41 yards ... had six runs of 12-plus yards and nine that resulted in a first down or touchdown ... also named an Alabama offensive player of the week.

2011 (SOPHOMORE): Lacy was the first running back off the bench for Alabama in 2011 ... second on the team with 674 yards on 95 carries ... ... ranked ninth in the SEC and just outside the top 100 nationally with 56.2 yards per game ... had 16 rushes of 12 yards or longer ... had 27 first down rushes along with six first downs receiving along with seven rushing touchdowns ... caught 11 passes for 131 yards ... was named the Offensive Player of the Week three times by the UA coaching staff ... battled turf toe throughout the second half of the season, missing the Vanderbilt game. Kent State: Ran eight times for 58 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run ... averaged 7.25 yards per carry ... caught three passes for 76 yards with a long of 48. Penn State: Averaged 7.73 yards per carry on 11 totes vs. the No. 23 Nittany Lions for 85 yards in the 27-11 victory ... caught one pass for six yards. North Texas: Recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game with a career-best 161 yards on nine carries for an impressive 17.89 yards per carry ... broke free for runs of 67, 43 and 35 yards with the 67- and 43-yard runs going for touchdowns. Arkansas: Equaled his career high with 13 carries ... rushed for 61 yards and one touchdown ... converted two first downs on the ground ... caught one pass for four yards in the Tide's 38-14 win. Florida: Saw limited action with a foot injury ... carried the ball five times vs. the Gators for 32 yards and a touchdown ... long carry was 20 yards in the Tide win. Vanderbilt: Missed the game against the Commodores to rest an injured foot. Mississippi: Returned to the field but only got five carries in the Crimson Tide's big win ... ran for 22 yards with a long rush of 15 yards. Tennessee: Rushed seven times for 46 yards with a long of 19 yards ... had two carries for first downs ... also caught two passes for 14 yards with one first down. LSU: Carried the ball five times for 19 yards ... long rush was a 20-yard burst for a first down ... also caught one pass for 11 yards. Mississippi State: One of the Alabama Offensive Players of the Week following his 96-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Bulldogs ... converted three first downs and had three runs of more than 12 yards ... had touchdown runs of two and 32 yards ... averaged 8.7 yards per carry. Georgia Southern: Ran six times for 45 yards for 7.5 yards per carry ... caught one pass for 13 yards ... had two explosive runs of 12 yards or more ... converted two first downs rushing and one receiving.Auburn: Rushed four times for six yards ... caught one pass for four yards. LSU (BCS National Championship Game): Ran hard against the Tigers with 43 yards ... converted four first downs for the Tide, including a spinning 11-yarder.

2010 (FRESHMAN): Lacy came off the bench and gave the Tide an added dimension in the running game ... played a significant role on special teams for the Tide, starting on the kickoff coverage unit ... rushed 56 times for 406 yards and six touchdowns ... added two catches for 18 yards and registered four tackles on kickoff coverage ... 19 of his 56 carries went for a first down or a touchdown. San Jose State: In his first career game he rushed the ball 13 times for 111 yards and added two touchdowns ... caught one pass for three yards ... tallied one tackle on special teams. Penn State: Carried the ball six times for 21 yards. Duke: Rushed the ball seven times for 52 yards and scored a touchdown ... caught one pass for 15 yards ... assisted on one tackle on special teams. Arkansas: Played on special teams but did not record any statistics. Florida: Came off the bench and tallied 20 yards on four carries with a long run of eight yards. Mississippi: Assisted on a tackle on kickoff coverage. Mississippi State: Was named one of the Special Teams Players of the Week by the coaching staff ... came off the bench to rush the ball eight times for 35 yards with a long run of 15 yards ... registered one tackle on special teams. Georgia State: Carried the ball 13 times for 81 yards and added a touchdown ... scored his touchdown in the second quarter on a three-yard run. Michigan State: Averaged 17.2 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns in a commanding 49-7 victory in the Capital One Bowl ... finished with 86 yards on five carries, including touchdowns runs of 62 and 12 yards.

2009 (REDSHIRT): He redshirted during his initial season at Alabama.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Lacy was Rivals.com's No. 13 running back nationally and No. 116 on the Rivals250 ... in the ESPNU150 and the 17th-best running back ... Scout.com lists Lacy as the No. 24 running back nationally and No. 61 on the Southeast 150 ... a SuperPrep All-American and the publications No. 28 running back ... a four-star recruit according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com ... an All-American by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report ... garnered first-team 5A All-State honors from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association ... No. 54 on The Mobile Press-Register's Super Southeast 120 ... member of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100 ... played only seven games during his senior year due to injuries, but still managed 1,046 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns ... earned LSWA 5A All-State honors after rushing for 1,800 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior in 2007 ... rushed for 1,207 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2006 ... coached by Benny Saia ... chose Alabama over Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State and LSU.

Johnathan Franklin
From UCLABruins.com



UCLA - Established himself as one of the top running backs in the nation ... Doak Walker Award finalist in 2012 ... Possesses fine speed, quickness and explosiveness ... 45 career starts ... Three career 200-yard plus rushing games, two in 2012 ... Became UCLA's all-time leading rusher during the 2012 Arizona game ... 19 career 100-yard rushing games, one shy of Gaston Green's school record ... Fifth on the all-time Pac-12 rushing list ... Became UCLA's all-time single-season rusher and all-time leader in all-purpose yards in the Pac-12 Championship Game at Stanford; all while setting a school record with his ninth 100-yard rushing game of the season.
2012 - Starter in 13 of the 14 games ... Doak Walker Award finalist ... Maxwell Award semifinalist ... Served as an offensive co-captain ... Named second-team All-America by Associated Press, sportsillustrated.com, Walter Camp and FoxSports Next ... First-team All-America selection by CBSSports.com and the Football Writers Association of America ... Second-team all-conference pick by the league coaches ... Established new school single-season records for rushing yards, all-purpose yards and career records for rushing, all-purpose yards ... Finished third in the Pac-12 in rushing (123.9 yds/g) and fourth in all-purpose yardage (147.3/g)... Earned the Bruin Force Award, the UCLA Captains Award, the N.N. Sugarman Award for Best Leadership on Offense, the George W. Dickerson Award for Outstanding Offensive Player Against USC at the team's annual awards banquet ... Franklin moved past Gaston Green's 25-year old rushing record and became UCLA's all-time leading rusher on his third carry of the game against Arizona, a 37-yard scoring burst ... In the Pac-12 Championship Game at Stanford, Franklin ran for 194 yards, his ninth 100-yard rushing game of the season which established a new school record (old record held by Karim Abdul-Jabbar-1995, Gaston Green-1986, Freeman McNeil-1980, 1979 and Wendell Tyler-1975)... His 171 yards rushing against USC was the most by a Bruin against the Trojans since Green ran for 224 in 1986 ... He kicked off the 2012 season with a pair of 200-yard plus performances against Rice (214) and Nebraska (217) ... His 214-yard effort at Rice included two 70-plus yard runs for touchdowns ... He raced 74 yards midway through the first quarter and then navigated 78 yards for a score last in the second quarter to become the first Bruin to have two runs of over 72 yards in a game ... He was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week ... Against Nebraska, he compiled a career-best 217 yards and caught a nine-yard scoring pass ... For the second week in a row, he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week, a first for a Bruin offensive player during the Pac-12/10 era ... Selected to play in the Senior Bowl collegiate all-star game. 2011 - Starter in all 14 games ... Ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in rushing (69.71) and earned honorable mention all-conference honors ... Led the team with 976 yards rushing, coming up just short of being the first Bruin to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since DeShaun Foster in 2000 and 2001 ... Averaged a career-best 5.9 yards per carry ... Ran for 128 yards (16 carries) and a touchdown at Houston ... Had 81 yards vs. San Jose State and a touchdown ... Totaled 58 yards on 15 carries against Texas ... Had 36 yards on six rushes at Oregon State ... Rushed for 96 yards at Stanford ... Rushed for 11 yards at Arizona and caught two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown ... Went for 45 yards against Cal, including an 11-yard scoring dash ... Ran for 41 yards and a touchdown against Arizona State ... Ran 17 times for 89 yards at Utah ... Compiled his 10th career 100-yard rushing game against Colorado with 162 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown ... Rushed eight times for 55 yards at USC ... Had 35 yards on the ground at Oregon ... Rushed for 29 yards against Illinois. 2010 - Offensive winner of UCLA's Henry R. "Red" Sanders Award for Most Valuable Player ... Appeared in all 12 games and made 10 starts ... Led Bruins in rushing with 1,127 yards, the 10th-best season mark in school history (No. 2 mark among sophomores and first Bruin 1,000-yard rusher since Chris Markey in 2006) ... His 1,127 yards is highest total by a Bruin since Skip Hicks ran for 1,282 in 1997 ... Fifth in Pac-10 and 27th in NCAA (93.92 yds/g) ... Led team with eight touchdowns, the highest total since Kahlil Bell also had eight in 2008 ... Ninth in Pac-10 in all-purpose yards (99.17) and 14th in total offense (93.92) ... Second-team All-Conference by league's coaches ... Rushed for 100 or more yards five times in 2010 ... Had three-straight 100-yard games versus Houston, Texas and WSU ... The last time a Bruin rushed for 100 yards in three straight contests was Marurice Jones-Drew in 2004 (Ill., Wash., SDSU) ... Came off bench at Kansas State to lead Bruins with 60 yards rushing ... Led team against Stanford with 73 yards ... Ran for 158 yards (26 carries) versus Houston (most since Chris Markey 193 v. Wash., 2007) ... Scored three rushing touchdowns versus Cougars (11,1,12 yds - first Bruin to do so since Chane Moline, 2009 at WSU) ... 13 of his runs gained at least five yards ... Led Bruins at Texas with 118 yards (19) and one touchdown ... His 11-yard scoring run capped an 80-yard drive to open second half (had 56 yards on four carries during drive) ... Had nine carries for at least five yards ... Rushed for 216 yards (most since Jones-Drew ran for 322 at Wash., 2004) and one touchdown (3) on 30 carries against Washington State ... Sixteen of his rushes measured at least five yards and seven were for double figures ... Led Bruins at Cal with 54 yards (13) ... Rushed for 69 yards (21) at Oregon and caught two passes (17 yds) ... Netted 44 yards (13) against Arizona ... Ran for 100 yards (23) against Oregon State ... Scored the lone touchdown on 31-yard burst at Washington and finished with 53 yards ... Rushed for team-high 73 yards at Arizona State, including a season-long 55-yard run to set up UCLA's first touchdown ... Ran for 109 yards against USC (13) and scored one touchdown ... First Bruin back to register at least 100 yards against the Trojans since DeShaun Foster in 1998 ... Winner of UCLA's George W. Dickerson Award for Outstanding Offensive Player vs. USC. 2009 - Saw action in all 13 games and started in eight contests ... Two 100-yard rushing games (Kansas St. and Cal) ... Only one player in school history has totaled more than two 100-yard games in a freshman season (Tyler Ebell, six in 2002) ... Led team with 566 yards rushing, sixth-best total by a Bruin freshman ... Average of 43.54 yards per game was 12th in the Pac-10 ... Made first career start against San Diego St. and scored on his first carry (12 yards) ... Carried 12 times for 43 yards ... Started at Tennessee and rushed for 80 yards) ... Led the Bruins with 119 yards on 23 carries against Kansas St. ... Scored UCLA's first touchdown (three-yard run) and had a long run of 36 yards ... Became first Bruin to rush for 100 yards in a game since Chris Markey (vs. BYU, 2007 bowl) ... Led team at Stanford with 58 yards and scored the team's only touchdown (one-yard run) ... Led team with 32 yards against Oregon ... Totaled 101 yards and two touchdowns against Cal ... His 74-yard touchdown dash in the second quarter was longest run by a Bruin since 2003 (Maurice Drew 83-yard score vs. Arizona St.) ... Also scored on a seven-yard run ... Off the bench at Arizona to lead team with 36 yards; two catches for 17 yards ... Started at Oregon St. and gained 37 yards ... Caught a two-point conversion pass to tie the game with 2:06 remaining ... Netted four yards on seven attempts against Washington ... Off the bench at Washington St. to gain 22 yards ... Did not carry the ball against Arizona St., but caught two passes (26 yds) ... Came off the bench at USC to gain 28 yards ... Ran three times for six yards in bowl win over Temple.

2008 - Did not see game action in his first season in the program ... Offensive co-winner of UCLA's Charles Pike Memorial Award for Outstanding Scout Team Player.

HIGH SCHOOL - Lettered three seasons at Dorsey HS in Los Angeles, CA for coach Paul Knox ... Played running back and linebacker ... Earned four stars from rivals.com ... Rated No. 16 athlete nationally by rivals.com ... Named All-State third team by Cal-Hi Sports ... Rushed for 1,732 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior ... Rushed for over 200 yards in five games in his senior season ... Had 40 tackles and six sacks on defense ... Named first-team All-City as a running back ... Was a third-team selection as a linebacker ... Named Coliseum League Player of the Year ... Inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame high school registry for excellence in academics and football ... Totaled 510 yards rushing as a junior ... Ran for 150 yards as a sophomore back and recorded 70 tackles, with six sacks on defense ... Also lettered in track and field (sprints, relays) for two years ... As a junior, he was a member of third-place 4 x 400 relay team at State meet ... His 4x400 relay team won City championship ... As a freshman, he won the 100m City sprint championship.

PERSONAL - Full Name: Johnathan A. Franklin ... Born: October 23, 1989 in Los Angeles, CA ... Parent: Pamela Andrews ... Has one sister, Tierra ... Lists his biggest thrill in sports as stepping on the field each week ... Lists NFL star Ray Lewis as the athlete he admires the most ... Hobbies include writing poetry and acting ... Named to the academic honor roll at his high school his last three school years ... Former Bruin running back Raymond Carter's dad was his first youth football coach ... Has appeared on the teen reality show "Baldwin Hills" ... Served an internship in the Los Angeles mayor's office ... Career objectives include becoming a psychologist, teen mentor and motivational speaker ... Political Science major.