GREEN BAY, Wis. — Alex Green passed his first test as the Packers’ starting running back in Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans. With Cedric Benson sidelined by a Lisfranc foot injury until at least Week 14, Green rushed for 65 yards on 22 carries and helped the offense attain the balance it needed.
It was just what coach Mike McCarthy was hoping to get out of Green, the team’s third-round pick in 2011. Once Benson’s status forced the Packers to adjust to Plan B at running back, McCarthy gave Green the first chance. However, McCarthy made it clear that if Green struggled, he wouldn’t hesitate to bring in James Starks.
"I have no time for competition," McCarthy said last week. "We're going to take the hot hand. The first carry will be Alex Green. He's a little farther ahead than James is right now, and that's the way we'll go. But we have three half backs and we'll utilize all three of them."
Well, with the exception of the closing minutes of the game in which Graham Harrell had replaced Aaron Rodgers at quarterback — which is the most telling sign that the outcome was already decided — Green was the guy. It was not a running-back-by-committee approach. McCarthy may have not had time for a competition, but he didn’t need to think twice about whether to keep Green in the game and Starks off the field.
Green had runs of 7, 8, 9 and 10 yards, all of which came on either first or second down to help give the offense short-yardage situations to work with. He did have three carries that resulted in a loss of yards, but two of those came when the Packers were up big and clearly forcing the run in order to keep the clock moving.
McCarthy was impressed enough with Green’s performance that the running back competition has officially been resolved.
"Alex Green will be our lead running back," McCarthy said Monday, the same day the team put third-stringer Brandon Saine on injured reserve and replaced him with free agent Johnny White. "I see the games as we move forward reflecting the game we just played. That will be our approach. We’ll continue to get James ready, and obviously John Kuhn factors in there.
"I was very pleased with Alex Green."
Making Green’s night even more notable was that his 22 rushing attempts exceeded his total number of carries in the NFL prior to that game. Green ran the ball just three times as a rookie and only 12 times this season before Sunday. Even during Green’s two years of college at Hawaii, he never once ran the ball more than 19 times in any game.
It was also a positive sign that Green’s surgically repaired left knee held up with all that work. Green tore his ACL in Week 7 last season and had been working on a limited snap count during training camp and preseason so as not to hinder his recovery.
"I think Alex Green is past the rep point," McCarthy said Monday. "I mean, I have no reason to think that he can’t carry a full load. He hasn’t had any flare-ups or any setbacks. That’s a good sign. We’re obviously very conscious of that."
While Green looks like the answer for the Packers’ running game, both in the short term with Benson out and in the long term, Starks is the odd man out.
Starks, 26, appeared to be the future at running back in Green Bay when he exploded for 123 yards in a playoff road win in Atlanta two seasons ago. He became the featured running back in the postseason as the Packers won the Super Bowl that year, but injuries and inconsistency have prevented him from building upon that success.
Starks was expected to be Green Bay’s starting running back this season and was getting all of the first-team snaps alongside Rodgers in training camp. Then, in the first preseason game, Starks suffered a turf toe injury. That sent general manager Ted Thompson into action, signing Benson as a free agent.
Now Benson is out and Starks is healthy again, but it’s Green who will be the Packers’ starter. Starks ran the ball five times for 11 yards against the Texans, but those all came in the final few minutes with an 18-point lead and Houston expecting the run.
"I tried to give James some work there at the end," McCarthy said. "He needs live action, that’s for sure. Just make sure his decision-making and his course is in line with the run blocking. We can do a better job there, so I think that’s just a reflection of James not having live opportunities."
Though Green certainly didn’t break any rushing records in his first career start, it was encouraging for the Packers to know they can get by without Benson for a while this season.
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