Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – When the Packers claimed Tyler Ervin off waivers last December, most onlookers naturally figured the move was made to improve Green Bay's return units.
While that may have been true, offensive line coach Adam Stenavich felt it could be so much more.
Certainly Ervin would add something to Green Bay's special teams, and he did, but Stenavich also saw firsthand what the 5-foot-10, 192-pound running back could do with the ball in his hands on offense during their time together at San Jose State.
Stenavich's first year as San Jose State's O-line coach in 2015 coincided with Ervin's historic senior season in which he shattered the program's single-season record with 2,637 all-purpose yards and scored 17 touchdowns.
So when the opportunity came for the Packers to pick up the veteran last year, Stenavich made it known to Head Coach Matt LaFleur how strongly he felt about Ervin's offensive potential.
"(Stenavich) has been in our ear about what type of playmaker 'Swerve,' as we like to call him, can be," said LaFleur last month. "We're just going to continue to try to give him opportunities to see what he can do."
Ervin racked up 62 all-purpose yards on 22 snaps (14 offense, eight special teams) in the Packers' 43-34 win over Minnesota a week ago – and lined up everywhere to do it.
He was in the backfield, the slot, and split out wide. The Packers used Ervin on pre-motions and misdirection, with the fifth-year running back breaking an end-around out of the backfield for 21 yards to move Green Bay back into Minnesota territory in the fourth quarter.
It's given Stenavich flashbacks to the havoc "Swerve" caused back in the Mountain West Conference, catapulting Ervin to being a fourth-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2016.
It's been a rollercoaster ride for Ervin since then. He spent parts of three seasons in Houston, touching the ball only 19 times in his first 25 NFL games outside of kickoff and punt returns. Ervin then spent time in Baltimore and Jacksonville before landing with the Packers, much to Stenavich's delight.
"I was really excited once I heard that he was coming here because I know he's an explosive player," Stenavich said. "He's a blue-collar kid that just works hard and will do anything to help the team."