Injuries force Packers to go with undrafted back



Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport are on injured reserve.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Tony Fisher is a fine third-down running back, whether catching passes out of the backfield, blocking defenders, picking up blitzers or scampering for first downs.
Now the third-year pro, who went undrafted out of Notre Dame, is going to be the featured tailback in the Green Bay Packers' offense with starter Ahman Green (torn thigh tendon) joining No. 2 running back Najeh Davenport (ankle) on injured reserve Tuesday.
"There's always mixed emotions because if you're going to become one of the men, you don't want to have to do it under circumstances of people getting hurt," Fisher said.
Green went down in the fourth quarter of the Packers' last-second loss at Minnesota Sunday. He finished his injury-filled season -- and perhaps his career in Green Bay -- with just 255 yards on 77 rushes with no touchdowns.
Davenport broke his ankle three weeks ago when he started in place of Green against New Orleans and scored the team's only two touchdown runs this season.
Second start upcoming
Fisher, who has 20 yards on 14 carries so far, will make his second career start Sunday when the Packers (1-5) visit Cincinnati (5-2).
"He's been a very resilient, reliable back for us," coach Mike Sherman said. "He's not Ahman Green, but he is a different type of back and somebody we're going to have to lean on."
The Packers will also have to lean on newcomer ReShard Lee, who has run seven times for 7 yards.
The Packers are also depleted at wide receiver, where quarterback Brett Favre has lost Pro Bowler Javon Walker and promising rookie Terrence Murphy for the season and could be without Robert Ferguson for up to a month.
Even with an ever-changing lineup, Favre has been white hot of late, playing like he's 26 and not 36.
Since midway through the third quarter of a game against Carolina on Oct. 3, Favre has completed 62 of 87 passes (71 percent) for 715 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions and no sacks.
The best throw in that stretch was a 25-yard rope to Ferguson for a touchdown against New Orleans.
But he's losing more and more targets every week.
More moves
On Tuesday, the Packers made a series of moves to bolster their depleted roster after putting Green on IR: They signed wide receiver Taco Wallace, re-signed running back Walt Williams, claimed Tennessee wide receiver Andrae Thurman off waivers and released wide receiver Jamal Jones.
Wallace was a seventh-round pick by Seattle in 2003 out of Kansas State, when Packers general manager Ted Thompson was with the Seahawks. He played in three games for Seattle last year without a reception.
Williams played for Green Bay last year before going on IR with an ankle injury, and Thurman was the Packers' leading kickoff returner in the preseason before being waived on the final cutdown and signing with Tennessee.
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