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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- A little more than a year ago, Ryan Grant began to prove he was more than just another NFL nobody.

And this week, the former undrafted free agent took his place alongside Brett Favre, Reggie White and the Ice Bowl in Lambeau Field lore.

The hallway leading from the Packers' locker room to the field is lined with photo collages commemorating great moments in Lambeau history -- images so large and imposing they would make a third-world dictator blush.

This week, the Packers added another larger-than-life mural: A full-color likeness of Grant with both hands on the ball as he burst through the line, superimposed on black-and-white scenes from last year's divisional playoff win over Seattle.

Grant was the Packers' breakout star in the second half of last season, gaining nearly 1,000 yards rushing despite starting only seven games after being traded by the New York Giants just before the start of the season. His biggest moment came in the playoff win over Seattle, gaining 201 yards and scoring three touchdowns on a snowy Saturday night.

Thanks to the combination of a contract dispute and a hamstring injury, Grant had struggled to recapture last season's success -- until Sunday, when he gained 145 yards and scored a touchdown in the Packers' victory over Chicago.

Is Grant beginning to feel more like that guy he sees in the mural?

"Yeah, I am," he said. "I always felt like that guy. I might not have performed like that guy and put up the numbers like that guy. But I am feeling healthy now, feeling strong."

Grant sat out training camp in a contract dispute that didn't receive much attention because it happened during the 24-7 glare of Favre's unretirement saga. Grant eventually signed a four-year deal worth up to $30 million.

Then he joined his teammates in camp -- and hurt his hamstring almost immediately.

Grant said there was some discussion about having him sit out to get healthy, but he ended up trying to play through it.

"I'm never going to put myself down," Grant said. "They're going to have to shoot me to keep me out. If I can't go, you know something's wrong."

Grant looked good in the Packers' season-opening victory over Minnesota, carrying 12 times for 92 yards. But his performance slipped considerably in the next three games: he carried 15 times for 20 yards against Detroit; 13 times for 54 yards against Dallas; and 15 times for 20 yards against Tampa Bay.

"It's frustrating to play through an injury -- especially a leg injury with what I do," Grant said. "My job is to run. Anything that affects me running, it can be frustrating. But it's what I do, and when we made the decision for me to fight through it, I did that."

Grant said the injury mostly hurt his explosiveness and his ability to pick up his legs to break tackles. His coaches saw it, too.

"I'll say this: We don't make excuses," Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett said. "The kid lined up, the kid played. (But he) obviously was not 100 percent -- nowhere near 100 percent."

Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said any running back would struggle after not participating in offseason workouts and part of camp because of a contract situation, then getting injured.

"Guys need practice," Philbin said. "My God. You don't practice all May or June, you don't practice a good bit of the preseason, I mean, you're not just going to plunk a guy out there -- whether his hamstring feels great or not. We probably wouldn't do that at any other position and anticipate a perfect level of play."

Philbin said the Packers never feared Grant would turn out to be a one-year wonder.

"Not at all," Philbin said. "We never lost faith in this guy (and said), 'Hey, he's not a very good runner,' or something like that."

But some outside the organization began to wonder why they had given Grant a relatively large contract -- criticism Grant said he ignored.

"Nobody puts more pressure on themselves than I do, so of course I needed to step it up," Grant said. "That's just the mentality I have and the expectation of what I know I can do. But it wasn't a matter of the pressure I felt was too much."

Grant steadily improved as his hamstring healed. But much of the credit for his breakout game on Sunday goes to an offensive line that manhandled the Bears' defense, making up for their rough outing at Minnesota the previous week.

"I think they responded big-time," Grant said.

After Sunday's performance, Grant expects to make even more big plays.

"Each week I'm feeling stronger, my leg is feeling stronger," Grant said. "As the season goes on, at this point, I would think most backs are starting to get a little beat down. But for some reason, I feel better and better. Even with the bumps and bruises, I'm not feeling worn down."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)