Packers Are Looking for a Go-To Back in '08

Other than last week's Monday night game in Denver, the Packers haven't had much of a running game this season. It's kind of odd -- Brett Favre has almost always had a reliable back, whether it was Edgar Bennett, Dorsey Levens, or Ahman Green.

With Green now in Houston, Green Bay had been relying on rookie DeShawn Wynn until he landed on injured reserve, and now it's up to Ryan Grant and Vernand Morency. But that'll likely change this off-season.

Unless new starter Ryan Grant takes off in the final half of this season like Dorsey Levens in the second half of 1996 or Green in the second half of 2000, finding a franchise halfback has to be among [GM Ted] Thompson's priorities. Coach Mike McCarthy wants to run the ball, and to do it he needs a big-time back. ...

Thompson .... [and] the entire college scouting department, have been visiting college campuses each week all season looking at prospects in person and on videotape and doing background research for next year's draft. They'll continue to until the college regular season ends in the next two to three weeks.

Depending on how the season shakes out, the Packers might not be in position to land a go-to back. Obviously, Darren McFadden is The Guy coming out of college, and after that it gets a bit muddled. Maybe Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, or Michigan's Mike Hart, or West Virginia's Steve Slaton.

Green Bay might instead choose to look to free agency. If that's the case, the list begins and ends with one name: Michael Turner. Whether the Chargers will let him go is another issue entirely. Either way, come training camp 2008, expect the Packers to have a shiny, new running back.