packers11
12-12-2007, 11:06 AM
Jennings is flying under the NFL radar
By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com December 12, 2007
Only three receivers in the NFL have more touchdown catches than Greg Jennings, and only one of those — Dallas' Terrell Owens — plays in the NFC.
Yet so far this season, not a single opponent of the Green Bay Packers has tried to double-team Jennings.
When Jennings caught his 11th touchdown of the season in Sunday's rout of the Oakland Raiders, he beat single coverage by cornerback Stanford Routt for a relatively easy 80-yard touchdown. Jennings, who missed the first two games of the season because of a hamstring injury, should have had another score but dropped a pass on first-and-goal from the 6-yard line in the first quarter.
Except for a handful of drops like the one on Sunday, the Packers would be hard pressed to find much fault with the second-year receiver's production.
"If you want to talk theoretically what a No. 1 (receiver) is, then we've got a couple of those," Packers receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. "Certainly (Jennings is) worthy of that tag if you have to put a tag on him."
It's fine with Robinson if opposing teams don't view Jennings that way. So far, only Donald Driver, who leads the Packers with 73 catches (which is tied for 16th in the NFL), has been consistently double-teamed. That could explain why Driver has only two touchdowns this season after catching eight in 2006, when he made his second Pro Bowl.
"I feel like we've got such a balanced group that if they want to try to do that with one particular guy, they're going to suffer in another area," Robinson said. "That's a tough call for a defense. Certainly when a guy shows a propensity to get in the end zone and scores a lot more touchdowns than anybody else, maybe he'll merit some additional attention. It'll be interesting to see how it happens here in the next few weeks."
Though Jennings has only 46 receptions, he ranks 12th in the league with a 17.7-yard average. Of the 11 players ahead of him, only four have at least 10 catches.
"He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time," Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said, "and he makes plays when he's there."
At 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, Jennings is the smallest of the Packers' receivers. Philbin and Robinson said they don't consider Jennings' size when it comes to game planning or picking routes for Jennings to run. Typically, bigger receivers have an easier time catching balls on deep routes, but Philbin considered the deep ball Jennings caught for the touchdown against the Raiders the perfect way to execute it.
"I'd love to sit here and say it was schematic genius, but the kid just ran a go route about the way you're supposed to do it," Philbin said. "If you gave a clinic on it, you'd probably show that clip."
Carolina's Steve Smith (5-9, 185 pounds) is widely considered the NFL's best receiver under 6 feet, but Jennings might be putting himself in that mix.
"With Greg, at least in my mind, I don't think you use him any differently than the guy you think is one of your top producers," Robinson said. "You want to get him the football in every way you can. Move him around a little bit and put him in some different places. Maybe you put him on a route that he hasn't run before or one that they thought someone else was going to run. You try to be a little creative that way."
Jennings' breakout came after a rookie season in which he was hampered by a lingering ankle injury yet caught 45 passes for 632 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.
However, he didn't catch many passes in training camp and pulled his hamstring shortly before the regular-season opener.
"Probably the biggest thing is he's stayed healthy, knock on wood," Robinson said. "But he just continues to develop a feel for getting open, for knowing how to get away from guys, knowing how to separate, knowing how to play the ball in the air. Technique-wise, he's improved. He was pretty far along as a young guy coming out in terms of his fundamentals and things that he did right out of college, which was better than most guys coming out. He's a touchdown scorer, and that's what you want."
Though Jennings is a long shot to make the NFC's Pro Bowl team, which will be announced on Tuesday, there's reason to think he someday could be considered an elite receiver.
"I wouldn't for a second think that Greg's reached his ceiling," Robinson said.
Fan voting for the Pro Bowl ended on Tuesday, and players and coaches around the league will vote Thursday and Friday. Among the Packers' leading contenders to make the NFC team include Driver, quarterback Brett Favre and left tackle Chad Clifton on offense and linebacker Nick Barnett, defensive end Aaron Kampman and cornerback Charles Woodson on defense.
By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com December 12, 2007
Only three receivers in the NFL have more touchdown catches than Greg Jennings, and only one of those — Dallas' Terrell Owens — plays in the NFC.
Yet so far this season, not a single opponent of the Green Bay Packers has tried to double-team Jennings.
When Jennings caught his 11th touchdown of the season in Sunday's rout of the Oakland Raiders, he beat single coverage by cornerback Stanford Routt for a relatively easy 80-yard touchdown. Jennings, who missed the first two games of the season because of a hamstring injury, should have had another score but dropped a pass on first-and-goal from the 6-yard line in the first quarter.
Except for a handful of drops like the one on Sunday, the Packers would be hard pressed to find much fault with the second-year receiver's production.
"If you want to talk theoretically what a No. 1 (receiver) is, then we've got a couple of those," Packers receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. "Certainly (Jennings is) worthy of that tag if you have to put a tag on him."
It's fine with Robinson if opposing teams don't view Jennings that way. So far, only Donald Driver, who leads the Packers with 73 catches (which is tied for 16th in the NFL), has been consistently double-teamed. That could explain why Driver has only two touchdowns this season after catching eight in 2006, when he made his second Pro Bowl.
"I feel like we've got such a balanced group that if they want to try to do that with one particular guy, they're going to suffer in another area," Robinson said. "That's a tough call for a defense. Certainly when a guy shows a propensity to get in the end zone and scores a lot more touchdowns than anybody else, maybe he'll merit some additional attention. It'll be interesting to see how it happens here in the next few weeks."
Though Jennings has only 46 receptions, he ranks 12th in the league with a 17.7-yard average. Of the 11 players ahead of him, only four have at least 10 catches.
"He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time," Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said, "and he makes plays when he's there."
At 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, Jennings is the smallest of the Packers' receivers. Philbin and Robinson said they don't consider Jennings' size when it comes to game planning or picking routes for Jennings to run. Typically, bigger receivers have an easier time catching balls on deep routes, but Philbin considered the deep ball Jennings caught for the touchdown against the Raiders the perfect way to execute it.
"I'd love to sit here and say it was schematic genius, but the kid just ran a go route about the way you're supposed to do it," Philbin said. "If you gave a clinic on it, you'd probably show that clip."
Carolina's Steve Smith (5-9, 185 pounds) is widely considered the NFL's best receiver under 6 feet, but Jennings might be putting himself in that mix.
"With Greg, at least in my mind, I don't think you use him any differently than the guy you think is one of your top producers," Robinson said. "You want to get him the football in every way you can. Move him around a little bit and put him in some different places. Maybe you put him on a route that he hasn't run before or one that they thought someone else was going to run. You try to be a little creative that way."
Jennings' breakout came after a rookie season in which he was hampered by a lingering ankle injury yet caught 45 passes for 632 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.
However, he didn't catch many passes in training camp and pulled his hamstring shortly before the regular-season opener.
"Probably the biggest thing is he's stayed healthy, knock on wood," Robinson said. "But he just continues to develop a feel for getting open, for knowing how to get away from guys, knowing how to separate, knowing how to play the ball in the air. Technique-wise, he's improved. He was pretty far along as a young guy coming out in terms of his fundamentals and things that he did right out of college, which was better than most guys coming out. He's a touchdown scorer, and that's what you want."
Though Jennings is a long shot to make the NFC's Pro Bowl team, which will be announced on Tuesday, there's reason to think he someday could be considered an elite receiver.
"I wouldn't for a second think that Greg's reached his ceiling," Robinson said.
Fan voting for the Pro Bowl ended on Tuesday, and players and coaches around the league will vote Thursday and Friday. Among the Packers' leading contenders to make the NFC team include Driver, quarterback Brett Favre and left tackle Chad Clifton on offense and linebacker Nick Barnett, defensive end Aaron Kampman and cornerback Charles Woodson on defense.