GREEN BAY, Wis. » Often in the NFL, one man’s misfortune means an opportunity for someone else, and that is currently the case for Alex Green.

The former University of Hawaii standout running back recently became the starter in Green Bay after Cedric Benson suffered a sprained left foot Oct. 7 against Indianapolis.

Benson was placed on injured reserve with designation, a rule new to the NFL in 2012 allowing teams to put players they expect to return this year on IR. In the past, being placed on injured reserve meant a player’s season was automatically over, but with this rule, it means Benson could return in eight weeks.

In relief of Benson against the Colts, Green ran for 63 yards on 10 carries. His first start came last Sunday at Houston, where he finished with 65 yards on 22 carries as the Packers handed the Texans their first loss of the season, 42-24.

"Things are going good right now," Green said. "Earlier in the season, I wasn’t getting a high rep count, so I couldn’t showcase my abilities coming off the ACL injury. Unfortunately for Ced, he got an injury. In the NFL, it’s the next man up. So, that’s where I’m at now. I’m just going to play my role as a running back and do the best I can to help the team win."

Injured was how this Oregon native spent much of his rookie season in 2011 after seeing his year end prematurely due to a knee injury in Week 5 at Atlanta. Of course, every injury is different, which means the rehabilitation process and recovery time can vary. While away and getting healthy, Green developed patience.

"It’s one thing that I really didn’t have before the surgery. It definitely humbled me. I learned a lot of patience, how to sit back and wait," he said. "It was definitely hard to sit back and watch my teammates continue to work, get on the field. Sitting back and watching was definitely hard, but patience is the best thing that I learned and I’m glad that I went through it."

Green credits his family, friends, the Packers organization and fans in Green Bay and Hawaii for helping him stay focused during that arduous process on his ultimate goal of returning to the football field 100 percent healed and ready to contribute.

"Yeah, it’s been a long process, a very long process. At times discouraging, but at the same time I kept my faith," he said. "It’s been a hard process, but I worked through it, had great trainers help me out along the way and had a great support system from family and friends, especially people in Hawaii showed a lot of support. It was a good thing for me to overcome it and continue to grind."

Green is healthy now, and taking handoffs from 2011 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who, like Green, attended Butte Community College in California before eventually landing in the NFL.

"It’s great. He’s a great leader. His character is outstanding," Green said of Rodgers. "He expects us to be great. We don’t expect anything less from ourselves. He’s a Butte guy too, also went to the junior college I did, so that’s our connection, too."