Packers Roundup: Green to start at running back Sunday night

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GREEN BAY - Alex Green will start at running back on Sunday night, when the Green Bay Packers play a crucial game at Houston.

The second-year pro from Hawaii will replace Cedric Benson, who was put on the new injured reserve list with a designation to return. Benson cannot play again until the December second home game against Minnesota. He can return to practice in six weeks if his injured left foot feels good enough. In the meantime, coach Mike McCarthy says he’ll go with Green, John Starks, and Brandon Saine – whoever is the hottest at the time. Green only had 14 yards on eight carries this season until he made an electrifying 41-yard run during the Packers’ loss at Indianapolis last Sunday. McCarthy says Starks and Saine will both probably see some playing time against the Texans. Neither has yet to play this season, and Starks has been bugged by a turf-toe injury. Green tore an ACL ligament last year in his rookie season. But he says he’s quote, “ready to step up to the plate and help my team win.” The Packers can return to 3-3 with a victory over the 5-0 Texans. It would give the Packers the same record they had two years ago, when they won the Super Bowl. But a loss on Sunday could greatly diminish Green Bay’s playoff chances. No 2-4 team has ever won a Super Bowl.

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Packers’ rookie linebacker Nick Perry was fined $15,000 by the NFL for driving his helmet into the chest of Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck last Sunday. Luck fumbled the ball, and the Packers recovered it – but the turnover was nullified by a penalty for unnecessary roughness. It was a big loss at the time, because Green Bay could have had the ball on the Colts’ 10-yard-line with a chance to go up by three touchdowns at that point. Perry said his only intent was to get Luck to the ground, and he was not going for a helmet-to-helmet hit. Perry, the first-round draft choice from USC, said he was just playing football. But he admits he’ll to get smarter about the way he wraps up a quarterback the next time he has a free shot.

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