Packers will ride hot hand at RB

Packers HC Mike McCarthy on the team's RB situation: Will ride the hot hand. Alex Green will get the first crack, further ahead than James Starks.

Green proved with his 41-yard run against the Colts that he is more explosive than Starks. He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at the 2011 combine and looks fully healthy for the first time in a while. He averaged 8.2 YPC at Hawaii and also caught 27 passes for a 13.4 YPC average, so he has some ability in the passing game. The problem with the Packer running game is that the offensive line is built more for pass protection and they don't typically do a very good job of opening up holes. Cedric Benson was a good fit because he has the ability to break tackles at the line of scrimmage. Green will be able to take advantage if there are holes to run through, but he is not a very strong runner. We recommend Green over Starks at this point, but neither player is anything more than a flex start against a good Texans rush defense.