Packers' aerial success vs. Lions likely to hinge on inexperience
-- There's a good chance the Green Bay Packers will go into Detroit this Sunday against the Lions with a hoard of inexperience at the receiver position.
All three of their top wide receivers -- Davante Adams (calf), Randall Cobb (hamstring) and Geronimo Allison (concussion) -- didn't practice on Thursday, which is considered the team's heaviest practice of the week.
Cobb and Allison haven't practiced at any point this week, whereas Adams was at least a limited participant on Wednesday after being unable to finish the session.
Aaron Rodgers was a FULL participant in practice. Last Thursday, he was merely limited. Still, the Packers have a dozen players on today's report: https://t.co/KCDUr4j22I pic.twitter.com/dJ5601WRjp
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 4, 2018
J'Mon Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown are the only other healthy receivers on the Packers' roster. They also recently signed their fifth-round pick from 2017, DeAngelo Yancey, to their practice squad on Thursday.
This isn't necessarily uncharted territory for quarterback Aaron Rodgers or coach Mike McCarthy. The Packers went into Atlanta for a regular-season meeting with the Falcons in 2016 and Jeff Janis, Trevor Davis and Allison -- the latter two being rookies at the time -- caught receiving touchdowns en route to losing by one point.
It's not ideal, though, either. McCarthy will need to get creative in his offensive approach, which could be asking a lot considering how significantly the offense struggled in last week's shutout win over the Buffalo Bills.
The Packers have four tight ends on their roster and Ty Montgomery, who can flex out as a receiver from the backfield if need be.
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Joe Philbin praised the rookies' developments in practice. However, it's a tall task asking unseasoned receivers to pick up the slack and prepare for live game reps.
"We’re at the heart and soul of what we are as a fundamental, execution-based system offense," Philbin said. "You hope that all this individual time and all this training has dividends. Certainly, there’s no substitute for real live game reps against quality NFL players. They get a lot of reps in practice and they’ve got a lot of reps since the spring, but they’ve all got talent.
"At some point, you gotta find out a little more about exactly what you have."
Neither Moore or St. Brown has a regular-season catch under their belt to this point, but Valdes-Scantling, who has been widely regarded as being the standout of the trio, has two catches for 41 yards. One of them was a 38-yarder last week in the fourth quarter against the Bills.
Rodgers called the offense "terrible" and deemed it unacceptable despite their 423 yards of total offense. The unit featured an influx of drops, protection miscues that allowed free rushers at Rodgers and a few miscommunications.
Sunday's inaugural meeting of the season with the Lions offers an opportunity for the young group to either help the offense bounce back or show that they can continue to be contributors in the future.
__________________________
Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].
Comments (43)
Oppy
October 04, 2018 at 05:22 pm
I just looked at the injury report and saw Adams/Cobb/Allison did not participate at all today, and now saw this article.
Good thing the Packers have some young talent on the bench.
More bad news, both Whitehead and Brice also on the injury report today.
Positive news, Kevin King was a full participant.
kevgk
October 04, 2018 at 05:35 pm
Brian Bulaga too. It would be huge if he could make it through the season
TarynsEyes
October 04, 2018 at 05:50 pm
You missed the best news though....Rodgers was a full participant.....no limitations.
So he can take snaps under center, move around in and out of the pocket and we can get the slow develop routes again. MM has no reason now to try and be different with the plays.
Oppy
October 04, 2018 at 07:19 pm
It'll be fun to see if he complains about practicing again. Last week, he told a reporter that he didn't think practicing made any difference to how he performs on sundays. Yes, i definitely consider that complaining. At the very least, it shows that Rodgers is definitely buying into his own hype. The best athletes in the world need practice to keep their edge- especially those who play in team sports.
Lare
October 04, 2018 at 07:42 pm
Rodgers seems to be complaining about pretty much everything these days. Danica may want to reconsider before she gets too serious in this relationship.
MarkinMadison
October 05, 2018 at 08:07 am
A few years ago, when Jennings was first out there running his mouth, and when Donald Driver was trying to walk a tightrope between Jennings and Rodgers, I posted some comments here basically saying, "There's a lot of smoke here folks, part of the problem might be #12's leadership style." I never got so many thumbs down. Now we're seeing him slipping MM the knife in a very slick manner. Don't kid yourselves folks. Whatever you think of McCarthy, that was NOT a classy move. If #12 fails to win another championship in Green Bay certainly TT will deserve some blame, certainly MM will deserve some blame, but I'd also be very curious to see how high caliber players who've been around the league feel about ACR and what he did, or failed to do, to build chemistry in the locker room and with his receivers.
Skip greenBayless
October 04, 2018 at 08:58 pm
"The best athletes in the world need practice to keep their edge- especially those who play in team sports."
Not Allen Iverson
kevgk
October 04, 2018 at 05:38 pm
I wouldn't be surprised if either Adams or Cobb plays, even rotationally.
Lions have 32nd rated run defense right now. I expect both Jones and Williams to get plenty of snaps. Maybe a two back set with Williams or Montgomery occasionally being a recieving threat? Maybe they will tap into the TE depth? At least the rookie WRs can threaten to take the top off their defense, so they don't need to catch the most targets to impact the offense, even if it means forcing safeties deep.
MarkinMadison
October 04, 2018 at 09:39 pm
"That's a bingo!! What's the matter, did I say it wrong?"
NickPerry
October 06, 2018 at 03:24 am
Clearly the person who gave you a dislike isn't an "Inglorious Bastards" fan.
BTW...That WAS "That's a bingo"!
EdsLaces
October 04, 2018 at 06:38 pm
Well our offense has struggled so far this year so maybe all we needed was a completely new WR corps haha.
MarkinMadison
October 04, 2018 at 09:42 pm
Honestly, as a group, on average, they are all taller and faster than the trio of veterans in front of them. If "Awww J'mon Man" Moore would catch the damn ball, this would be a pretty solid group for a bunch of late round rookies.
croatpackfan
October 05, 2018 at 02:04 am
I believe in C'mon Moore! He just need time and experience...
MarkinMadison
October 05, 2018 at 07:45 am
We've certainly seen hands get better (e.g. James Jones). But it could be a long and painful process. I'm not great at evaluating route running and adjustments by receivers. I think if he can get those mental pieces down he will probably stick around long enough to see if the hands get better. If not...
Barazinho
October 05, 2018 at 08:45 am
Liked for the nickname. When he drops the ball, you can say "C'mon Moore!"
Lare
October 05, 2018 at 06:07 pm
I'm all in favor of playing any WR that can hold on to the ball.
Skip greenBayless
October 04, 2018 at 06:43 pm
In some ways I hope Adams, Cobb and Geronimo don't play this game only. I'd love to see what Rodgers and MM come up with play call wise when they are forced to play all rookies MVS, Sha'Mon Moore and ESB. It could ultimately be a blessing in disguise that helps them down the road later this season.
Rak43
October 04, 2018 at 09:43 pm
That would be rather interesting to say the least, maybe the rookies will surprise and shine. Knowing MM he will run more and use his TE's rather than lean on all rookie wideouts. I read an interesting article over on SBN about the offense and how it's being "run" pun intended. www.acmepackingcompany.com/by-the-numbers/2018/10/3/17933732/the-packers...
Skip greenBayless
October 04, 2018 at 11:42 pm
Very interesting article Rak. Yeah, it sounds like the Packers have suddenly become outdated with an old prehistoric offense especially on third downs but I am going to reserve judgement for a bit yet. The reason is MM could be calling plays different because Rodgers was hurt and still is hurt ever since the beginning of the season. If he continues to call stale plays when Rodgers is now more mobile than I'll start to question him more.
Meeper
October 05, 2018 at 03:06 am
I know in all likely hood this offense would struggle starting 3 rookie receivers, but I'm with you. I let a little piece of me fantasize about a completely different offense with this much size and speed these rookies bring. But yeah, raw potential is just that. Potential.
4thand10
October 05, 2018 at 11:15 am
It’s a division game...you play to win and you put your best players out there.
Skip greenBayless
October 05, 2018 at 07:30 pm
Michigan once started all 5 rookies and made it to the finals. The 49'ers lead by Ronnie Lott had an all rookie secondary and won a super bowl. Starting all rookies in certain places isn't necessarily a death sentence. We might see a little more street ball from Rodgers and these receivers which could lead to big unexpected plays either for us or against us. That's the exciting part. I'm with you Meeper.
Lare
October 04, 2018 at 07:46 pm
$24 million in salary cap dollars tied up in injured WRs right now (not including Graham at TE). Hopefully the new WR's can replace them and be productive & healthy.
MarkinMadison
October 04, 2018 at 09:47 pm
That's a little unfair. They have been a relatively healthy bunch over the years.
RCPackerFan
October 05, 2018 at 06:35 am
Why does it matter how much money they make?
They have been paying however much money to an injured QB too. Does that matter?
CAG123
October 04, 2018 at 08:57 pm
I actually feel slightly better about the WR situation this time unlike that Atlanta game where GB didn’t even have Ty or Cook along with the inexperience at WR. They have 3 big speedy WR, 2 good TE, and a couple of stud RBs.
porupack
October 05, 2018 at 12:10 am
Would love to see the young WRs lined up out there, with Detroit thinking MM will run the ball all day....and surprise. I think a lot of clubs have featured rookie WRs with great success. With lack of tape on them, a well conceived play should yield big chunks, especially if GB can dare Detroit to stopping the run.
Experience is overrated. Just line up and do the routes and catch like they've been doing in collegiate. That is how you become experienced. Otherwise, they don't.
Turophile
October 05, 2018 at 02:34 am
Well, that may happen. You could also see Rodgers throwing interceptions and throwing to areas of the field where the receiver isn't (they are making the wrong adjustment).
If even very good receivers (like Jordy and Davante) took until their third year to shine, receivers grabbed much later in the draft than those two are going to find it very difficult, this early in their training arc. What gets into the end zone multiple times is consistency, and that is where rookie receivers fall short. Experience is, if anything, under-rated.
I do think the upside of these young guys is high, but I don't expect the Detroit game to flow well. While I am raining on porupack's parade some, I would LIKE to see the young guys perform well, so here's hoping for a good showing by them.
Lphill
October 05, 2018 at 05:25 am
Packers have capable tight ends , running backs who can catch and another receiver everyone is forgetting Ty Montgomery, so still plenty of options and a good time to get familiar with the rookie receivers . I think it's enough to beat Detroit as long as the Packers defense shows up again.
Doug Niemczynski
October 05, 2018 at 02:14 pm
Yep..turnovers will KILL you.
ReaganRulz
October 05, 2018 at 06:11 am
Move Monty into the slot for this game and give Jones a ton of carries to open up the passing game for the youngsters. Graham is still there as a big threat as well.
JonnieB12
October 05, 2018 at 06:56 am
I agree, they need to get more creative this game. Jones such have a big game and I think if they can establish the run early it will set up some big play action passes deep down the field. Stafford will be slinging so I can't wait to see how the secondary looks against a competent passer.
RCPackerFan
October 05, 2018 at 07:01 am
I do think that this maybe something that could help the team out down the road.
They need to find ways to get everyone involved.
They drafted 3 WR's for a reason. MVS has really shown up early and looks like he may make an impact. Rodgers has said that Moore has looked good in practice. ESB was looking good in the preseason in the slot.
If Adams, Cobb and Allison can't go, that leaves the 3 Rookie's for WR's. But they are not the only receiving options available.
They have Graham, Lewis, Kendricks, Tonyan, Montgomery, Jones & Williams. All of which can be effective in the passing game.
Its time to start using all the options.
Sometimes when faced with adversity it brings out the creativity with McCarthy and his play calling. I hope that is the case here. I want to see them get creative. Put Montgomery and Jones together. Put them together with Graham and MVS out wide and Lewis at TE.
Lare
October 05, 2018 at 06:24 pm
I think the speed and athleticism of the rookie WRs may actually be a benefit to the offense. Now, if we could only get McCarthy to play Tonyan & Lewis over "dropsy" Kendicks the passing game might have a chance to flourish.
Aplinal
October 05, 2018 at 08:00 am
Maybe we should runtime ball more against the leagues worst run defence? Just a thought!
Aplinal
October 05, 2018 at 08:01 am
Hmm. Auto-correct! "Runtime" of course = run the!
Doug Niemczynski
October 05, 2018 at 02:15 pm
of course, until they put 8 in the box. .need a lot play action !!
4thand1
October 05, 2018 at 08:26 am
Monty was drafted as a WR. This should be a blessing is disguise. Jones the featured back getting 20+ touches and Monty in the slot, he's a better receiver than runner.
PatrickGB
October 05, 2018 at 09:09 am
Philbin has stated that this is an execution based offense. No fancy scheme for GB. Maybe that’s part of the problem. The defense has changed, why not the offense?
Skip greenBayless
October 05, 2018 at 07:39 pm
"Philbin has stated that this is an execution based offense"
Well that's good to know because if they can't put up points this week against Detroit I'm all in favor of executing this offense.
Sincerely,
John McKay
Doug Niemczynski
October 05, 2018 at 02:16 pm
And, DRAW plays.
Doug Niemczynski
October 05, 2018 at 02:17 pm
Is the new CB playing. Breland?
Doug Niemczynski
October 05, 2018 at 02:19 pm
Bashaud Breeland