It's pretty clear the reliability factor is what's keeping Janis off the field. He's got the talent. But Green Bay's offense requires very tight synergy between the QB and his receivers. It's part of what makes James Jones coming back and being so effective so amazing. Doesn't hurt that Rodgers trusts ol' JJ.
Thank you, that sums it up.
Also, on the reliability side, do any of you really think Rodgers, he of the 4:1 TD to INT ratio, is going to heave the ball up to an unproven kid running a wheel or fly route, knowing there is a DB out there hawking for the ball and he can't be sure what's going to happen on a contested ball?
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Imagine for a moment a world without hypothetical situations...
Overall, at least on D, we've been doing a pretty good job of that. DRandall has the team lead with 5 pass breakups. Pennel is leading in tackles per snap. Elliott out there disrupting. Joe Thomas making a play or two...
I agree and think the key to the overall success of the D this year is that these young guys, (1st and 2nd yr.) continue to make plays and get better as the year progresses. They've all been playing pretty important roles these first few weeks and they've all been contributing. Obviously they're going to get burned periodically and make some mistakes. What I'm encouraged to see is a young guy like Randall get burned by a pretty darn good throw and catch on Sunday and then come back to knock down a critical 3rd down pass shortly after that. These guys are competing and I hope they have the gas to keep it up for a full schedule.
Packers have shown they are willing to play young players. TT and MM have also shown they know how to draft and play WR's. No way are they throwing Janis out there for meaningful snaps until he proves his reliability to Rodgers/MM.
Go PACK
Part of the risk/reward calculation are the consequences of a guy like Janis getting pushed off his route, making an incorrect read of the coverage, miscommunication with Rodgers, etc. etc. all of which can lead to turnovers and/or stalled drives. Much of this is stuff we cannot see - things in practice and meetings that tell the coaches and Rodgers whether they can trust Janis to do all these things correctly. We only get these little glimpses and what we've seen isn't great. Sorry, but preseason fourth quarter dominance doesn't translate to first quarter regular season. If the packers coaching staff and Rodgers had a history of poor assessment with regard to talent and readiness, I wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt about not playing Janis.
(But if they sucked, Janis would be the least of our concerns!).
"Never, never ever support a punk like mraynrand. Rather be as I am and feel real sympathy for his sickness." - Woodbuck
Randall is getting lots of playing time, so is DickRod, Linsley started his entire rookie season, Bakhtari started most of his rookie season, Dix started significant parts of his rookie season iirc, Lacy got huge playing time, starting iirc, on and on and on.
How does this team not give the young kids playing time?
I don't get the argument.
No, it doesn't define his potential. It is certainly an indicator of his potential. The guy has been on our roster for 2 years and that is the best route he can run there? Either our WR coach is horrible (I don't believe this for a second) or maybe Janis isn't the guy we hope he would be. It happens all the time in the NFL.
But Rodgers leads the league in frumpy expressions and negative body language on the sideline, which makes him, like Josh Allen, a unique double threat.
-Tim Harmston
If AR wanted him on the field he would be on the field.
Swede: My expertise in this area is extensive. The essential difference between a "battleship" and an "aircraft carrier" is that an aircraft carrier requires five direct hits to sink, but it takes only four direct hits to sink a battleship.
It's a long season; let's see if he doesn't get worked more and more into the mix as the season goes on. Apparently he was open over the middle on Sunday and Rodgers simply passed on the opportunity. But if the kid does things right, at some point AR will throw him the ball. If he catches it and does good things, he'll get another.
"The Devine era is actually worse than you remember if you go back and look at it."
KYPack
He has been on the Packer roster for one year and four games; he missed a chunk of his rookie camp due to shingles; and he was coming from from a much weaker background than many others. It might take more than a single year for him. Whereas people often look for a second year jump, Janis' fist year was taken getting him to the level that many other rookies are at when they come in. One article at the end of camp said that while he wasn't yet challenging for a lot of playing time, he was light years ahead of where he was at as a rookie, and his coaches were pleased with his progress. One predraft article said his route running ability was unknown, because in college all he did was use his size to get past defenders and his speed to out run them. I think the end of camp next year will better define if he has a future as a WR in the NFL or not.
From everything I've read, its consistency, not ability.
His work as a gunner on the punt team should help that, and he seems to be doing very well at that. I have been surprised at how quickly he has been downfield sometimes, getting there not as the ball is getting there, but well before it gets there.The Packers have worked with Janis to be more physical in escaping press-man coverage from much speedier cornerbacks, and there's tape of him doing exactly that.
"He has days where you come out there and say, 'Man, he's just throwing guys around,'" Van Pelt said. "Because he's being physical and using his strength. That's what you like to see."
Then, there was a rep in one-on-one's Aug. 7 where a strong safety, Morgan Burnett, prevented Janis from releasing in the bump zone and rode him into an incompletion.
One article said it was a play in which Rodgers took a sack rather than throw to him. That leads me to three possible conclusions: 1.) Janis wasn't really as open as the writer thought, 2.) even though he was right in front of Rodgers, Rodgers didn't see him; or 3.) for some reason Rodgers didn't think he could make the throw.
5.) Maybe even though Janis was open when 'Scoops' was looking, he actually wasn't open the way he was supposed to be; that is, it's possible he ran the route wrong. Maybe he was supposed to keep running or set down in a zone or maybe he was too deep or to shallow. Unless someone knows exactly what the play called for and what Rodgers saw/was thinking, it's pretty hard to know. (Patler, this is a refinement of your '3')
"Never, never ever support a punk like mraynrand. Rather be as I am and feel real sympathy for his sickness." - Woodbuck