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The stories are out there, and Vernand Morency knows all of them, reciting name after name of NFL running backs who had success following a slow start to their careers.
He knows all about Priest Holmes leaving the Baltimore Ravens and going to the Kansas City Chiefs and becoming a star -- even if briefly.
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| Vernand Morency has a huge hole to run through with Ahman Green's departure. (Getty Images) |
On and on it goes.
Willie Parker? Morency mentions him, too. Even the guy he's trying to replace with the Green Bay Packers, Ahman Green, is a player who became a Pro Bowl back after a trade from Seattle. That is the same path Morency is trying to follow after being traded to the Packers from the Houston Texans last year.
"It's just about getting the chance to do your thing," Morency said. "I learned a lot from Ahman Green and what he went through. He came to Green Bay and he became a star. It happens. It's just a matter of getting the chance to be the guy."
Morency now has his chance.
But admit it. Of all the starters listed at running back around the league as we get closer to training camp, he might be the most questioned of them all. How the heck did he get the job?
Here's how: The Packers decided not to re-sign Green, who left for a big contract with the Houston Texans, Morency's old team. That left a huge hole at running back. Many personnel people around the league still wonder if it's filled. Morency, who came over during the 2006 season, is now listed first on the depth chart, taking handoffs from Brett Favre, atop a group of inexperienced runners.
"They have some castoffs and a second-round pick who they really don't know much about," said an NFC personnel director. "Now Green wasn't worth a big-money deal, but you would think with Brett Favre in his last year, they'd have a better situation than what they have now."
That second-round pick is Brandon Jackson from Nebraska. But he has a lot of catching up to do if he's to take the job from Morency.
"I really don't pay a lot of attention to what people are saying or what's in the newspapers," Morency said. "People questioning me is something that has been with me my whole life. In high school (in Miami), I had to follow my brother as the running back. Then in college at Oklahoma State, it was Tatum Bell. There's always been uncertainty about me replacing somebody. That doesn't affect me. I just go out and work harder."
His work days are as intense as any at this time of year. During the team's offseason work, he arrives at the facility at 6:30 a.m. and stays all day, trying to cash in on the opportunity presented to him.