Columns

A minor trade, a major effect

When the Packers acquired Ryan Grant from the Giants,no one knew it would be such a big deal four months later.

By JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnist
Published January 18, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Green Bay's Ryan Grant, dealt for a sixth-round pick, gains some of his 201 yards in the playoff win over Seattle.

What if you were the general manager of an NFL team?

And what if you were given the opportunity to make a trade? A trade that made sense for your roster and was essentially a personal favor to the player involved. A trade the rest of the world considered insignificant.

Would you pull the trigger on that trade?

No big deal, right?

Except now, four months later, that trade might keep you out of the Super Bowl.

Ah, welcome to Jerry Reese's world. The New York general manager who helped the Giants - and the Packers - reach the NFC Championship Game this weekend.

Naturally, Reese is saying all the right things this week. How he has no regrets about trading running back Ryan Grant. How it was win-win for everybody. How he is happy everything turned out well for Grant.

But do you suppose Reese might have a smidgen of regret if, on Sunday, Grant is anywhere close to the 201-yard playoff debut he had against Seattle? Do you suppose Giants fans might recall that trade with bricks in hand?

It was back in early September when Reese found himself with an abundance of running backs on his roster.

He had Brandon Jacobs, the heir apparent to Tiki Barber. He had Reuben Droughns, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher. He had the promising Derrick Ward and the recently drafted Ahmad Bradshaw.

So what should he do with Grant?

Here was a running back who went undrafted out of Notre Dame. A running back who had a season on the practice squad, a season on injured reserve and not a single regular-season carry to his name.

Grant had survived final roster cuts in New York, but it didn't seem likely the Giants would carry so many running backs the entire season. At least, that's how Packers general manager Ted Thompson saw it.

So Thompson called Reese and offered a seventh-round draft pick for Grant. When Reese didn't bite, Thompson raised the stakes all the way up to a sixth-round pick.

And, without anyone knowing it, the suspense of an NFC Championship Game had begun.

Understand, Grant was not considered some kind of savior when he arrived in Green Bay. He was an insurance policy for a team that was dangerously weak and inexperienced at running back.

The trade appeared so minor, it was on Page 9 of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel sports section. "Nondescript" was the best word the newspaper could find to describe Grant.

And so it was no big surprise when Brandon Jackson was the starter at halfback for the first three games. And when Jackson got hurt, it was DeShawn Wynn who stepped in for the next few games.

Six weeks into the season, the Packers were 5-1 but were last in the NFL in rushing offense.

"We had a run game that wasn't very productive, and Ryan earned the opportunity," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said this week. "I used running back-by-committee in the past, but there were veterans involved. At that point, we needed to go with one guy, and we actually decided to go with DeShawn Wynn.

"He got injured, Ryan Grant was No. 2 and we haven't looked back."

In other words, not even the Packers realized what they had with Grant.

Through the first six weeks, Green Bay's starting halfbacks averaged 39 yards.

In the 11 games that followed, including last week's playoff victory, Grant has averaged 113 yards.

If Earnest Graham came out of nowhere for the Buccaneers, then Grant was his next-door neighbor.

It's easy to see how he was overlooked. Grant had a 1,000-yard season as a sophomore at Notre Dame, but injuries, and a talented backfield mate named Julius Jones, limited his production the next two seasons.

He didn't get drafted and was lost in the shuffle of New York's talented backfield. Grant might have spent a third straight season in limbo if not for Thompson's phone call to Reese in early September.

And now a franchise, with such Hall of Fame backs as Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung, has a new record-holder for a playoff game after Grant gained 201 yards against the Seahawks.

"I haven't done that much when you're talking about the legacy of those backs. People should keep things in perspective," Grant, 25, said in a conference call. "I appreciate the comparisons, and it's an honor.

"But I haven't done that much yet."

Grant has gone out of his way to express gratitude to New York for giving him a chance in the NFL and for sending him to Green Bay, where he has finally had a chance to shine. Asked if he thought the Giants had made a mistake by giving up on him too soon, Grant did not hesitate.

"They're in the NFC championship," Grant said, "so I don't think so."

Of course, the Giants are not yet in the Super Bowl.

And Grant may yet have something to do with that.

John Romano can be reached at (727) 893-8811.

[Last modified January 17, 2008, 22:34:52]