Maybe one day Ryan Grant will view his championship ring from Super Bowl XLV as more than just another piece of expensive jewelry.
Until then, the 3.35-carat diamond-studded prize he received when the Packers raised the Vince Lombardi Trophy 10 months ago will remain a souvenir stored away for safe keeping at the former Don Bosco standout’s home.
Grant was on the sideline injured and not the field for the victory, so he does not feel at all deserving of the spoils.
"I recognize and I appreciate what the ring symbolizes, but other than that, it doesn’t really mean that much more to me," Grant said. "Because I feel like, I got it and I think rightfully so we got one - the guys that were injured - but in a sense I don’t feel I necessarily earned it. The goal this year is to earn one."
His Packers certainly have done nothing to hurt their chances of doing that so far, rolling along in their pursuit to perfection, the next stop on that road to NFL immortality coming Sunday against the desperate Giants at MetLife Stadium.
In making his gridiron return to North Jersey, his first since being traded by Big Blue to Green Bay prior to the 2007 season, Grant is focused on making sure his role as a running back and locker room leader is worthy of any benefits that may come down the pike.
He played his high school ball here as the first blue-chip recruit at Don Bosco for coaching legend Greg Toal before going on to Notre Dame and eventually coming to the league as an undrafted free agent with the Giants.
Grant grew up in Rockland County, but ever since leaving South Bend, his home has been Bergen County , much like it was for most of his high school days.
Not only does the 28-year-old train in North Jersey, many of his off-season workouts are conducted with members of his former team, the same ones who hope to hand Green Bay its first loss.
"I’m going to try and break his facemask," joked Justin Tuck, a teammate and roommate of Grant at Notre Dame. The two are the best of friends to this day, living five minutes from one another in the shadow of the Meadowlands.
"Obviously, it’s going to be fun to compete against him," he added. "He’s one of the biggest competitors I know as far as just wanting to be on the field helping his team by playing."
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