Update from JS Online...
Notes: Green is questionable
Back now has two injured hamstrings
By LORI NICKEL
Posted: Sept. 30, 2006
Green Bay - The status of Green Bay running back Ahman Green for the game Monday night against Philadelphia has been downgraded now that he has two injured hamstrings.
Last week heading into the Detroit game, Green injured one of his hamstrings in the Thursday practice and missed the Friday practice. He still played at Detroit.
This week, Green hurt the other hamstring in practice Friday. That second hamstring injury was bad enough to keep Green out of practice Saturday and get him downgraded from probable to questionable for the game.
"I'm hopeful that he's going to play, just based on the information we have," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after practice.
McCarthy also said that Daryn Colledge, not Jason Spitz, will start at left guard, and Tony Moll will start at right guard.
Twelve-year veteran fullback William Henderson also will not start. Instead, that duty goes to Brandon Miree. The Packers will have to look at their special-teams needs to see if Henderson will even be activated for the Eagles game.
If Green can not play at all, or is limited in the number of carries, McCarthy said he was leaning toward playing second-year pro Vernand Morency more on first and second downs and using Noah Herron in third-down situations.
McCarthy said Morency is picking up the offense well. He joined the Packers after a Sept. 13 trade with Houston for Samkon Gado and got his first three carries as a Packer last week in Detroit.
"I feel pretty good" with the offense, Morency said.
More on fullback: McCarthy said the decision to demote Henderson was one of the toughest he's had to make in his short tenure as head coach of the Packers. Henderson has been one of the most reliable players, lauded for being a complete professional, and is one of just a few players left from the Super Bowl era.
A knee injury earlier this season kept Henderson inactive for the opener against Chicago, but he returned to start the last two games.
"He had a significant knee injury," McCarthy said. "And he came back very quickly from it."
McCarthy added: "William and I have met during the course of the week. On a personal level, that's not something that's easy because we have a prior relationship. But as you move forward, you have to do what's in the best interest of the Green Bay Packers. He understands that and that's the direction we're going."
Henderson agreed Saturday he wanted what was best for the Packers. Faced with the possibility of being inactive, Henderson said, "I will go ahead and cheer my team on.
"I'm still recovering, still trying to get myself right as far as all of the things I have been through so far this year. What it feels like - it's a humbling experience that hopefully keeps me hungry. I've got to take it as a challenge."
When asked if he came back too early from the injury, Henderson said: "I've been trying to do what I could physically. My knee, I have rehabbed it as well as I could possibly rehab it in the time period that I've had. I'm not one for using excuses for my performance, but I guess I haven't done enough and I'm going to continue to work hard to get back to the form I had before."
