because I do not like making excuses for players when they’re not producing. But I do not (fully) blame Ryan Grant for his extreme suckitude this season.

1. The contract holdout – Grant’s not a greedy player, he was simply cashing in on a major opportunity. Think about it: he had burst onto the scene midway through the prior season and was widely considered one of the best backs in the league. Why not go after a contract at that point? For him, he was simply covering his backside financially. Such is the cruel reality of the phrase “it’s just business”.

2. The offensive line – The O-line is not as it has been known to be. Clifton and Tauscher are old and nicked up. Scott Wells was hurt in the beginning of the pre-season. Josh Sitton got knocked out with a knee injury. Daryn Colledge is mind-numbingly inconsistent. Really, Jason Spitz is our most consistent lineman, and even he’s no All-Pro yet. The constant shuffling of lineups has prevented the line from getting in sync, and that affects the run game.

3. The hamstring – This is Grant’s fault, I feel. Yes, injuries happen, and it’s been noted that Green Bay has had an unusual problem with hamstring injuries. However, he got hurt almost the same day that he came back after signing his deal. He was not keeping himself conditioned enough when he was away from the team, and because he was away, he wasn’t in contact with the team’s medical staff. I understand why he wasn’t, but I still think that he could’ve avoided this had he been more dilligent in his “personal” pre-season workouts. Shoot, even yoga would help prevent a hamstring injury if you did it right.

All in all, I think that the O-line is calmed down and has an established lineup/rotation, and now that Grant is healthy, I think that we can expect a resurgance to the “old” Ryan Grant. I just hope this isn’t wishful thinking.