Alex Green: 2011 Green Bay Packers Evaluation and Report Card

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Alex Green
Alex Green

1) Introduction: After limping through the 2010 season at running back, the Packers decided to use their third round pick last April on Hawaii’s Alex Green. A one-cut-and-go type runner with receiving skills, Green was seen as an ideal player to pick up on third downs where departed free agent Brandon Jackson left off.

 

2) Profile:

Alexander Denell Green

Position: RB
Height: 6-0
Weight: 225 lbs.
AGE: 23

Career Stats

 

3) Expectations coming into the season: The expectation when Green was drafted was that of a third down back who could block in pass protection and make a defender or two miss in the open field. Some optimistic observers even thought that Green could steal carries from Ryan Grant and/or make the veteran back expendable.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: The somewhat-lofty expectations for Green were never realized in Year 1. He was a healthy scratch in three of the first seven games, then blew out his knee on a kick return in Minnesota. Green did have one third down catch and conversion in Atlanta that eventually led to points. In seven games, Green had just three carries for 11 yards and one catch for six.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Green played just seven offensive snaps. Six came with the Packers up big against Denver and one other came on his third down catch in Atlanta. You can only contribute so much on that few opportunities. Now, he needs to get his knee healthy so he can participate in camp and earn a role in 2012.

6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: N/A. Green was put on IR after tearing up his knee against the Vikings in Week 7.

 

Season Report Card:

(F) Level of expectations met during the season
(F) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(N/A) Contributions to team during the playoffs

Overall Grade: Incomplete

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Zach Kruse is a 23-year-old sports journalist with a passion for the Green Bay Packers. He currently lives in Wisconsin and is working on his journalism degree, while also covering prep sports for The Dunn Co. News.

You can read more of Zach's Packers articles on AllGreenBayPackers.com.

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13 thoughts on “Alex Green: 2011 Green Bay Packers Evaluation and Report Card

    1. Can only grade him there on what we saw. He made one play over the course of 8 weeks. That’s an F in my opinion. Third round pick = no production.

  1. Seems harsh to level an “F” for expectations met on a player who, quite frankly, wasn’t expected by most observers to get much playing time at all this season.. Especially tough grade for a guy who went IR half way through the season.

    I’m one of those fans who personally thinks Green is going to be a fine RB and could ultimately push Starks/Grant for snaps (pending that leg injury, of course). That being said, who realistically thought that Green was going to come in as a rookie and be the third down back in this system, with a HC who puts the utmost priority on his backs fully understanding the offense and blocking assignments before they sniff the field? Green was just starting to get his opportunities when injury struck.

    I understand Green didn’t contribute much, I guess I just disagree with your level of expectation placed on Green- even if *my* personal level of expectation for him was even higher 🙂

    1. I should also add that Green has some pretty serious learning disabilities that were highlighted coming out of college (dyslexia, etc). It was known that it might be a challenge getting him up to speed with the playbook as quickly as other players might.

    2. A running back drafted in the third round — which is getting high these days — better make a bigger impact than Green did. Other RBs drafted near him: Roy Helu, Demarco Murray, Stevan Ridley, Kendall Hunter. Green was an absolute no show in comparison.

    3. Hard to say he was “just starting to get his opportunities when injury struck,” too. Had just 7 offensive snaps all season, and six came against Denver. There was no trend upwards or reason to believe snaps would increase.

      1. Just starting to get his opportunities- yes.

        Denver Game: Grant out this game. Rookie takes some snaps. Injury creates opportunity.

        ATL: Grant getting his feet back underneath him. Green takes a few snaps. Next two games both Grant and Starks are full participants, Green gets IR’d on a play.

        That’s the kind of role your #3 back plays in an offense that doesn’t even give their top HB more than 10-13 snaps in a game, often not breaking 25 total touches combined. I believe we’ve gone into seasons without even having a #3 HB in the past.

        I would also say that, IMO (and I know i’ll be alone on this front) that the idea that a player needs to make a splash immediately based on what round he was selected is a short-sighted one that is favored by fans and by owners who are compelled by contract numbers.. Think outside the box a bit. Who cares WHERE a player was drafted? Who cares how MUCH they get paid? So long as a player becomes a valuable player eventually- be it role player or starter- on a team that plays at a high enough level to have a reasonable shot at winning a super bowl- it simply doesn’t matter.. If a player ends up under achieving and the cap space used is a prohibitive factor in attaining or retaining other more useful talent, THEN there’s a problem.

        Would you say that Desmond Bishop is a good ILB? Are you simply basing your response based on the fact you feel he “outperformed” his draft position? Probably not. It’s not where you were drafted, it’s how you end up playing.. Similarly, I don’t judge AJ Hawk based on his draft position, I judge him on his level of play. If he was drafted in the 6th round, would that make his play better?

        Also, judging a player compared to others drafted before or around him is a flawed concept that everyone engages in. Alex Green on another team may have out performed Alex Green on the Packers. ALex Green on another team may have had more opportunity to play.

        I still maintain that it is probably ill-advised to gauge the expectations of Green’s role in the Packers offense based on how other teams operate. GB’s history of pass-heavy play selection and the emphasis on protection placed on RB’s (which demands a complete knowledge of the protection schemes) suggests that a rookie RB probably won’t see much time on the field.

        Yeah, I’m way too wordy again. 😉

  2. Green was a reach just like Mike Neal was. 85% off the so called experts had both Neal and Green as 5th rounders at best. I have to believe that Thompson knows what he’s doing. Yes, I know we won a Superbowl because we had depth. But I really believe you HAVE to dive in the free market every once in a while. With the defense we put on the field I think Thompson would be crazy to think he can fix it ALL with just the draft. The Lions are right there and will add a player or two. The Saints and Niners also and the Giants will be healthier next year. You don’t have to break the bank, maybe a corner or D-Line help and address the rest through the draft.

    1. “…I think Thompson would be crazy to think he can fix it ALL with just the draft.”

      By this statement, I can guess that you aren’t in tune with the basic philosophy that TT employs when it comes to the draft.

      The Packers, generally speaking, are not trying to “fix” anything with their draft picks.

      “Best Player Available” philosophy is all about assessing all of the players available, grading them, and staying true to your board.. Meaning, you grade each player’s talent as a player. You do not look at the draft and say “Who’s the best player at postition ‘X'” because you need a guy at ‘x'”. When your time on the clock arrives, you ask yourself, “Who is the highest rated player available, regardless of position?”

      The reasoning is simple- If you start chasing the board, picking players based on your immediate needs, while you may be taking the highest rated halfback still available with pick number #241 because you need a HB (let’s say your talent evaluators had him pegged with a 77 out of 100 grade), You may be letting a RG go who your evaluators rated an 86 out of 100.

      Picking the best at a position based on your team need often dilutes your team over time because every year the depth of talent at any given position is varied. The top five RB’s in this year’s draft may not even be a good as the 10th-15th best RBs of next year’s draft, etc and so forth.

      Picking based on need can often be the biggest stretch of all.

      That said, if two players at different positions are both graded out about the same when your time on the clock comes, the Packers will lean to the position they could utilize most. But they will not take a player with a lower grade than another just because they are weak at the position and strong at the other..

  3. I agree with the grade. Ultimately, He added next to nothing in production and its fair to put him in the incomplete overall grade column.

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