Ryan Grant

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Ryan Grant

Grant during pre-game warmups before a 2007 game against the Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers — No. 25
Running back
Date of birth: December 9, 1982 (1982-12-09) (age 25)
Place of birth: Suffern, New York
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight: 218 lb (99 kg)
National Football League debut
2007 for the Green Bay Packers
Career history
College: Notre Dame
Undrafted in 2005
 Teams:
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Current status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NFL.com

Ryan Grant (born December 9, 1982 in Suffern, New York)[1] is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but was traded to the Packers shortly before the 2007 season in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick. He played college football at Notre Dame, under head coaches Bob Davie and Tyrone Willingham, where he rushed for over 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Grant had a successful first season with the Packers, rushing for almost 1,000 yards, including five 100+ yard games, in 10 starts. He set franchise records with 201 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in the Packers' divisional playoff game win against the Seattle Seahawks, a performance for which he was heavily praised, as they went on to reach the NFC Championship Game.

Contents

[edit] High school career

Grant grew up in Nyack, New York and attended Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey. He then transferred to Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack, New York.[2] One year later, he transferred back to Don Bosco Prep. In 2000, his senior year, USA Today named him New Jersey Player of the Year. He rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns in Don Bosco Prep's run to an 11–1 record and the state championship game.[1] In the championship game, Don Bosco Prep lost to Holy Cross High School.[3] In high school, Grant also played basketball and competed in track and field, where he was timed at 10.7 seconds in the 100 meter dash.[1]

[edit] College career

In 2001, Grant went to the University of Notre Dame to play football for the Fighting Irish while majoring in sociology and computer science.[1] He made few appearances during his freshman year, playing in just five games under coach Bob Davie as the Fighting Irish finished 5–6 for the season. Davie was not retained, and Tyrone Willingham was named head coach for Grant's sophomore season.[4][5] Early on, Willingham praised Grant for his attitude:

“ In reference to Ryan Grant, he has been most pleasing in not only his performance but his attitude. I am a big person on attitude, how a young man works at doing anything that he attempts to do. Ryan really wants to be a great player, and he works every day toward that goal. So it's exciting when you have a young man that has that kind of attitude.

He's not limited by attitude. He has some ability, too. It's exciting to work with him and kind of incorporate him into our total offense.

 ”

—Tyrone Willingham[6]

In fellow running back Julius Jones' absence, Willingham gave Grant starts for all twelve games in 2002, and Grant rushed for over 1,000 yards with 9 touchdowns, including four games with 100+ yards.[7] Grant's best game during his time at Notre Dame came against Air Force, as he gained 190 yards rushing and a touchdown in a 21–14 Fighting Irish win.[8] The following week, the Fighting Irish defeated Florida State and were ranked a season-high #4 on the AP Poll.[9] Notre Dame finished the season at 10–3 and ranked #17 on both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll.[10]

The 2003 season saw Grant split time with a returning Julius Jones. After starting the first five games, Grant only managed 242 rushing yards before being dropped. Indeed, Jones took over in the fifth game and ran for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns against Pitt, a school record, in a 20–14 victory.[11] Grant did not start any of the final seven games, and he rushed for 268 yards in that time, leaving him with 510 yards for his junior year.[12]

For his senior year, Grant was named a team captain for the Fighting Irish,[13] but he split time with a new running back, Darius Walker. Playing in nine games, Grant only managed to pass 100 yards once, with 112 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 27–9 win over Navy.[14] After injuring his hamstring, Grant's playing time was limited and Walker took over the starting job at running back.[2] Grant finished the year with 515 yards and 5 touchdowns.[15] In Grant's final year, Notre Dame finished 6–6 and were never ranked higher than 24th by the AP or Coaches' polls.[16] For his collegiate career, Grant ran for a total of 2,220 yards and 18 touchdowns.[17]

[edit] Professional career

Grant applied for the 2005 NFL Draft after his senior year and was invited to the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine, a week-long showcase for NFL hopefuls. Scouts did not credit Grant with exceptional speed, but he was clocked at 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the Combine.[18]

Pre-draft measureables
Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic
215 lb 4.43s 4.14s 7.10s 33.5" 17 26*

(All results are from the 2005 NFL Combine)[19]

[edit] New York Giants

Signing as an undrafted free agent,[20] Grant spent 2005 on the New York Giants practice squad. He missed the entire 2006 season, however, after a non-football related injury threatened his career. Grant was at a nightclub when someone bumped into him; when he went to brace himself, his left arm went through several champagne glasses, severing an artery, a tendon and the ulnar nerve in his left arm. Grant almost bled to death and doctors at the time told him he may not regain the use of his left hand, although he did recover with time.[21]

[edit] Green Bay Packers

Grant was traded to the Packers on September 1, 2007 in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick,[18][22] and he played as the third-string running back behind Brandon Jackson and DeShawn Wynn for the first six games of the season.[23] During the Packers' eighth week match against the Denver Broncos, Wynn suffered a shoulder injury that ruled him out for the game; Grant took over in the second quarter and ran for 104 yards in a 19–13 |overtime win.[24] He scored his first rushing touchdown on November 11 in a 34–0 win against the Minnesota Vikings.[25] Grant started each of the last ten games for the Packers, and by the end of the season, he was averaging 5.1 yards per carry and had five 100+ yard games and 8 rushing touchdowns. His mark of 929 yards in the final ten games of the season was second in the National Football League for that time period to LaDanian Tomlinson, who had 944 yards.[20] Grant was voted the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week for the games played on November 11–12. He ran for 119 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, making him the first running back to pick up 100 yards against the Vikings' second-ranked rush defense all season.[26] Grant won the award for a second time that season for games played between December 6–10, rushing for 156 yards, a career high, and a touchdown in a 38–17 win over the Oakland Raiders.[27]

In the Packers' divisional playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Grant fumbled twice in the first four minutes; both of the resulting drives led to touchdowns for the Seahawks. Grant made up for these early mistakes by going on to rush for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns, both of which set franchise records for Packers' post-season games, as the Packers were 42–20 winners.[28] Several people in the Packers organization praised Grant for his performance in the Seattle game, including Packers' coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Brett Favre, who was quoted as saying of Grant, "[w]hen he got the opportunity, he made the most of it. It sure turned us from one-dimensional into something totally different."[29]

The following week, Grant rushed for only 29 yards in a 23–20 overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game.[30] He finished second overall for rushing yards in the 2007–08 playoffs with 230, behind Laurence Maroney.[31] At the end of the 2007 season, Grant became an exclusive rights free agent, meaning the Packers have exclusive rights to sign him, but if they choose not to, he will be eligible to sign with any team.[32]

June 1, in the Green Bay Press Gazette, it was announced that Grant is scheduled to get offered a contract to stay with the Packers.[33]

[edit] College statistics

Rushing Receiving
Year Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2001 29 110 3.8 1 2 7 3.5 0
2002 261 1085 4.2 9 9 22 2.4 0
2003 143 510 3.6 3 9 64 7.1 0
2004 127 515 4.1 5 6 51 8.5 0
Totals 560 2220 4.0 18 26 144 5.5 0
Source: SI.com [34][35][36][37]

[edit] Professional statistics

Rushing Receiving
Year G Att Yds Avg TD Lg Rec Yds Avg TD Lg
2007 15 188 956 5.1 8 66 30 145 4.8 0 21
Source: ESPN [38]

Note: Preseason and Postseason not added to figures.

[edit] Achievements and Awards

  • Longest touchdown run (career): 66 yards (vs. Chicago Bears, December 23, 2007)
  • Most rushing yards (game): 201 yards (vs. Seattle Seahawks, January 12, 2008, Divisional playoff round)[39]
  • Packers franchise record for most rushing touchdowns (3) in a playoff game (vs. Seattle Seahawks, January 12, 2008)[28]
  • Packers franchise record for most rushing yards (201) in a playoff game (vs. Seattle Seahawks, January 12, 2008)[28]
  • Seventh player in NFL history to rush for 200 yards or more in a post-season game. (vs. Seattle Seahawks, January 12, 2008)[39]
  • Voted the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week for games played on November 11–12[26] and games played between December 6–10[27]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Ryan Grant Biography. UND.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
  2. ^ a b Paul Schwartz (2008-01-16). Who's Ryan Now?. New York Post. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  3. ^ Brian Bennett Biography. pittsburghpanthers.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
  4. ^ Davie's tenure at ND ends after five seasons. ESPN (2001-12-02). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  5. ^ Tyrone Willingham Named Notre Dame Football Coach. UND.cstv.com (2001-12-31). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  6. ^ Notre Dame vs. Maryland Q&A :: Coach Tyrone Willingham and players answer questions about Kickoff Classic XX. UND.cstv.com (2002-08-30). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  7. ^ Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Football - 2002 Individual Game-by-Game stats. UND.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  8. ^ # 7 Notre Dame 21, #15 Air Force 14. UND.cstv.com (2002-10-19). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  9. ^ 2002 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 10 (Oct. 27). ESPN (2002-10-27). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  10. ^ 2002 NCAA Football Rankings - Postseason Week 3 (Jan. 5). ESPN (2003-01-05). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  11. ^ Fighting Irish Run To Victory, 20–14. UND.cstv.com (2003-10-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  12. ^ Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Football - 2003 Individual Game-by-Game stats. UND.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  13. ^ Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Statistical Trends. UND.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  14. ^ Notre Dame Hands Navy First Loss, 27–9. UND.cstv.com (2004-10-16). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  15. ^ Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Football - 2004 Individual Game-by-Game stats. UND.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  16. ^ 2004 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 8 (Oct. 17). ESPN (2004-10-07). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  17. ^ Ryan Grant. TSN. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  18. ^ a b Bob McGinn. "Packers trade for back", Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 2007-09-01. Retrieved on 2007-12-20. 
  19. ^ Ryan Grant, RB, Notre Dame - 2005 NFL Draft Scout Profile. NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  20. ^ a b Todd D. Burlage (2007-01-07). Granted His Dream. BlueandGold.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  21. ^ Greg Bishop (2007-01-17). From Hard Knocks To Crunch Time: Packers' Grant Began Career as Giant. NYtimes.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  22. ^ John Clayton (2008-01-12). Once again, Grant learns from adversity and thrives. ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  23. ^ Tom Silverstein (2008-11-08). Wynn disputes IR move. JS Online. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
  24. ^ Associated Press (2007-10-03). Besides Favre's heroics, Packers may have found missing run game. ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  25. ^ Adrian Peterson injures knee in loss to Green Bay. USA Today. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  26. ^ a b Favre, Grant Named FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players Of The Week. Packers.com (2007-11-15). Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
  27. ^ a b Hasselbeck, Grant voted Week 14 FedEx Air and Ground winners. NFL.com (2007-12-13). Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  28. ^ a b c Quick Take: Packers' miracle season lives on. NFL.com (2008-01-12). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  29. ^ Associated Press (2008-01-12). Grant shakes off 2 early fumbles to power Packers offense. ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  30. ^ NY Giants vs. Green Bay Box Score. ESPN (2008-01-20). Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
  31. ^ NFL Rushing Stats: 2007 postseason. ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
  32. ^ Green Bay Packers 2008 Transactions & Free Agents. Packers.com (2008-03-01). Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
  33. ^ http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080528/PKR01/805280708/1057/PKR&located=RSS
  34. ^ 2001 University Of Notre Dame Team Stats. SI.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  35. ^ 2002 Ryan Grant Game-by-Game Stats. SI.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  36. ^ 2003 University Of Notre Dame Team Stats. SI.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  37. ^ 2004 Ryan Grant Game-by Game Stats. SI.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  38. ^ Ryan Grant player profile. ESPN. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  39. ^ a b Santosh Venkataraman (2008-01-17). Giants-Packers Preview. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Ryan Grant
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American football player
DATE OF BIRTH December 9, 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH Suffern, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH