- May 7th, 2006, 8:23 pm
#14670
Here is a story from the AP wire on our buddy Sam:
Unsung Gado still running out front for the Packershttp://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/dulut ... 524732.htm
Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Samkon Gado is in the enviable, if not against-all-odds position he found himself six months ago.
Thanks to the same serious leg injuries incurred by Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport that thrust the obscure rookie into national prominence last season, Gado remains No. 1 on the Green Packers' depth chart at running back.
The soft-spoken, yet buoyed 23-year-old isn't ready to let go of that starting spot.
"Who does?" Gado said after the Packers completed their first minicamp Sunday. "I enjoyed doing that (last year). I enjoy running the ball. Anything I can do to keep running the ball, that would be great."
The longer Green and Davenport take to rehabilitate from their torn quadriceps tendon and broken ankle, respectively, the better the prospects figure to get for Gado to be the starter on opening day Sept. 10. At the very least, Gado can count on getting the bulk of the carries in offseason workouts.
"You can never get too many reps, especially with somebody in my shoes," Gado said. "I'm still learning. I don't have a lot of reps under me, in college and even here. So, the more I can get, the better prepared I will be for when Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport come back."
Davenport said Sunday he's "in negotiations" with team doctor Pat McKenzie to be cleared for organized team activities in June. Davenport sustained his season-ending injury in the fifth game.
It's possible Davenport, a fifth-year veteran, won't be deemed ready for action until the start of training camp in late July.
Even then, Green won't be back on the field. He said during the weekend that he doesn't expect to suit up until the latter part of training camp.
The Packers lost their four-time Pro Bowl halfback to the devastating thigh injury only two weeks after Davenport was felled.
"Just one day at a time," said Green, who resumed running in the last month.
Gado, meanwhile, took most of the reps with the No. 1 offense during the three days of minicamp. He left a good first impression with new head coach Mike McCarthy.
"He has a very bright future ahead of him. He's very explosive," McCarthy said. "I'm excited to see him when we get into pads" in training camp.
The Nigerian-born Gado charged into the Packers' illustrious record book in only eight games last season, after the undrafted player out of tiny Liberty University was promoted from the practice squad at midseason.
As its fifth starting running back, Gado led the team with 582 rushing yards and had six rushing touchdowns, the latter a franchise record for a Green Bay rookie.
Gado's remarkable debut ended prematurely with two games left in the season because of a partially torn medial-collateral ligament in his right knee. He didn't require surgery and was back to normal within a few weeks.
Although he has a significant head start on Green and Davenport in running the football in the Packers' newly adopted zone-blocking scheme, Gado hasn't taken ownership of the starting job.
"Ahman is a four-time Pro Bowler. Najeh Davenport has played in the league for four years and has done well, barring injuries. So, I'm not going to presume that I am better than them," Gado said. "The coaches are going to have to make that decision."
McCarthy said the pecking order will shake itself out in the preseason, though he indicated Sunday that Gado stands to have a prominent role.
"You never have enough good running backs," McCarthy said. "We talk about it all the time being fresh. I'm not just talking about mentally, (but) physically during the course of a football game. Our starting point on offense is running the football. We're going to have enough carries for everybody."
- By LUOrange
- By ECC29