"He looked so thin.

Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant doesn't think he slipped below 200 pounds.

But he sure looked like it.

Jeans sagged. Shoulders shrunk. His shirt looked like it was off tackle Chad Clifton's back. Hobbling around on crutches, Grant didn't look like the NFL running back that absorbed hits from linebackers and churned up 1,200-plus yards each of the previous two seasons.

He looked like just a guy.

But that was November.

This is August. And what Grant lost he has worked tirelessly for nearly a year to regain.

Grant had surgery after he suffered ligament damage in his right ankle in the 2010 opener at Philadelphia.

"I was expecting an awesome year, 1,500," he said.

"Fifteen-hundred yards?" linebacker Clay Matthews said.

Only one player - Houston's Arian Foster (1,616) - ran for that amount in 2010.

"Yeah," Grant said. "I felt strong. I felt confident where our offense was going. We were clicking."

But it was over in eight carries and 45 yards.

Grant's natural frame is thin. He's got a metabolism to die for. Without his usual penance paid to the weight room, he lost muscle tone and dropped to 205 pounds. He stands 6 feet 1 inch tall.

There are top-10 running backs that are shorter and weigh more.

Foster is 6-1 and weighs 227.

And yet a comeback by Grant last season might have been possible in late December. January for sure. The injury was healed and he could have attempted to rejoin his mates.

But Grant, coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson discussed their options and it was best for all involved that Grant go on injured reserve."