McCarthy on Ryan Grant: "You've got to give him the ball."

On Monday, coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged it was refreshing to have the Grant of 2007, 2008, and 2009 back. He heats up with more carries.

"Ryan Grant is an attempt runner,” McCarthy said. “That's what he is. He's a bull. You've got to give him the ball, he gets better as the game moves forward. He's an excellent north and south runner. I don't think the defensive players probably enjoy tackling him a lot because it's a blow for blow type running style.”

“He ran well, was patient and when he saw the hole, he hit the hole aggressively and ran downhill and fell forward,” offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. “He was very physical. I thought he did a nice job. I thought he looked like the old Ryan Grant.”

Will he be able to keep riding this wave of momentum? The extent of Grant's kidney bruise is unknown. McCarthy said he'd know more later in the week. A setback now could force the coach to reel the running back in, bad news for Grant who proved again he's most effective with 10, 15, 20 carries.

Philbin did add that Grant had “cleaner” looks than James Starks, who mustered only five yards on 11 attempts. A look at the film certainly backs that up, though Starks was unusually hesitant in tight spaces. He’s at his best staying north-south, not dancing.

After Week 1, McCarthy said that James Starks should have seen more carries against the Saints, so we're taking what the Packer head coach says with a grain of salt. Grant certainly had more room than Starks to run against the Bears and the Packers continued to feed him the ball. Just when it looked like Starks was taking over the RB1 role in Green Bay, Grant is back. Keep an eye on the status of his bruised kidney, however.