More impressive out of college Murphy or Jennings

[RashanGary]

I just read the artical. It wasn't as high of praise, but it was similar. You did manage to get the most helpfull clips for your arguement so it's not like you convienently left out important clips that may have solidified yoru stance.

Based on that artical adn the recent ones about Jennings, there is clearly not an equal amount of praise.

Murphy was a hard worker according to his coaches, he probably would have been a good NFL player.

[Patler]

I just read the artical. It wasn't as high of praise, but it was similar. You did manage to get the most helpfull clips for your arguement so it's not like you convienently left out important clips that may have solidified yoru stance.

Based on that artical adn the recent ones about Jennings, there is clearly not an equal amount of praise.

Murphy was a hard worker according to his coaches, he probably would have been a good NFL player.

You don't seem to want to believe there were a lot more articles than just the one. I grabbed a few important paragraphs out of one and left it at that. There were other articles after the minicamps, etc and one at about roster cutdown that referred to his polish and understand as a receiver. His knowledge and his skills. There were many that said if he had not been injured Ferguson would likely have been traded, so in a way Murphy did "beat out" Ferguson.

[RashanGary]

Receiver Terrence Murphy (second round), cornerback Mike Hawkins (fifth) and end Mike Montgomery (sixth) have played well enough to get into games this season, but their impact might be minimal. Linebacker / end Brady Poppinga (fourth), guard Junius Coston (fifth) and receiver Craig Bragg (sixth) are fighting for roster spots.

Aug 18th.

[Patler]

Receiver Terrence Murphy (second round), cornerback Mike Hawkins (fifth) and end Mike Montgomery (sixth) have played well enough to get into games this season, but their impact might be minimal. Linebacker / end Brady Poppinga (fourth), guard Junius Coston (fifth) and receiver Craig Bragg (sixth) are fighting for roster spots.

Aug 18th.

That's because he was INJURED! Nobody knew on August 18th what impact he would have.

[Patler]

"His injury may have had a domino effect on the rest of the roster. At the time, there were rumors that Philadelphia was interested in Packers receiver Robert Ferguson, but with Murphy's injury, the Packers' depth at wide receiver was compromised. No deals were made."

September 13

[Scott Campbell]

Rookie receiver making an impression with his play, grasp of West Coast offense
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 2, 2006

Green Bay - Every time the Green Bay Packers coaching staff sees receiver Greg Jennings make another outstanding play, they have to temper their enthusiasm.

"I cant really think of too many rookies that have come in and understood things as quickly as he has," - Jimmy Robinson, Green Bay Packers receivers coach on Greg Jennings, above.

He is, after all, just a rookie, and rookies don't make an impact at receiver in the National Football League.

So when Jennings made one of the biggest plays of the first six days of training camp - a 57-yard reception from quarterback Brett Favre on the first play of a highly competitive 2-minute drill - he had to hear in meetings the next day that he could have run his route down the sideline a little better.

"The coaching point was I needed to work him (the cornerback) a little bit and then release on him instead of running straight outside," Jennings said. "I should have given him more (of a move) at the top of the route. (There's) always room to improve."

Jennings has been by far the star of training camp, leading all receivers in catches during 11-on-11 drills with 10 and continually running routes like a 10-year veteran. The second-round pick from Western Michigan has picked up the West Coast offense faster than any rookie receiver the Packers have had since Antonio Freeman.

Unlike the high draft picks behind him - Terrence Murphy, Javon Walker and Robert Ferguson - Jennings hasn't been limited to just one receiver spot. He can play all three (split end, flanker and slot), which greatly enhances his opportunity to get on the field.

The others were given one assignment (the split end position) and told not to worry about the others. Jennings can line up anywhere and when he runs routes, they're almost as pretty as Donald Driver's.

"He's precise on what he does," said receivers coach Jimmy Robinson, who has been coaching in the NFL since 1990, including a stop with the Indianapolis Colts. "He understands what he's doing. Marvin Harrison was a guy that came out and understood what was going on right away. He was a starter from the very beginning. Other than that I can't really think of too many rookies that have come in and understood things as quickly as he has."

Jennings' long reception Tuesday night was one of several impressive plays the 5-11, 198-pound rookie has made in camp. Most of his plays occur when he catches the ball over the middle and accelerates upfield and away from defenders.

He displayed his route-running ability in a one-on-one drill Wednesday afternoon when he broke down the field and delivered a hard fake outside and a seamless break back to the inside, leaving cornerback Therrian Fontenot in his dust.

Jennings credits his quick study of the offense as the reason he runs such good routes at this stage of his career. He said from the minute he walked onto the Western Michigan campus, understanding offenses was easy for him and it was no different in Green Bay where he's running a similar scheme to the one at Western.

"It was a blessing, going to Western," said Jennings, who was snubbed by Michigan in the recruiting process. "Being put in a position where I was able to jump in right away but having a lot thrown at me right away, it forced me to learn quicker and to be sharp about things.

"It was almost like, it came too easy. And I think that's the biggest thing. If you're comfortable out there, it'll show. I try to be comfortable and react to what the defense gives me or they show me and not think about, 'OK, what do I have?' That helps out a lot."

Jennings was the fourth receiver taken in a draft class considered very weak. His small-school background might have been the reason he was selected after Ohio State's Santonio Holmes, Florida's Chad Jackson and Miami's Sinorice Moss, especially considering he became only the 11th player in NCAA Division I history to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark three times.

Despite his glowing numbers last year (98 receptions for 1,259 yards and 14 touchdowns), some scouts had doubts about his size, ability to be effective deep down the field and lack of experience playing big-time football. Most of his receptions at Western were of the short catch-and-run variety and his ability to withstand a pounding was questioned.

"I haven't taken too many hits," he said in defense of that criticism. "I never took that many hits in college. When you have football awareness, you always avoid the big hit, for the most part."

Jennings has yet to get hit on the professional level, which is one reason the Packers are waiting before they start doing back flips over his training camp performance. His first taste will be in the scrimmage Saturday night at Lambeau Field and it will continue with four exhibition games in which a bunch of hungry wannabes will be looking to take his head off.

Then comes the regular season and the guys who don't fool around.

"We've got games coming up and I'm sure he'll get a lot of work and we'll see how he reacts to that," Robinson said. "You don't know if that will change all of a sudden, if he gets game-day jitters or what. We're trying not to be too overly excited. Nobody's trying to put any pressure on him except keep trying to get better every day. That's the charge he has from us. He's responded well to it."

Jennings said the player he has watched the closest in recent years is Carolina's Steve Smith, who exploded onto the scene last year with an almost impossible to defend catch-and-run style. Smith is much more powerful than Jennings, but the rookie sees similarity in their games and hopes he can replicate some of Smith's ability.

"That's how I am," he said. "You'll soon see it. I catch the ball and I try to get every single inch I can get. There are times where you need to go down. (But) I'm not going to be one to catch the ball and just be satisfied with just catching the ball. I want to score.

"That's the object of the game, to get in the end zone on offense, and that's what I'm going to do. That's what I set out to accomplish every time I run a route. I'm going to score."

[run pMc]

Is this a mental masturbation thread? No offense intended.

It just seems like we're talking about two awfully small bodies of actual NFL production to compare -- esp. since Jennings is a rookie.
If that's the comparison, let's give the kid a couple of games where the bullets are live and then give this thread a bump.

And here's hoping the kid stays healthy.

That aside, if we're talking about college production, Murphy's was decent, but I think Jennings had better numbers. Granted, it's the Big 12 vs. MAC competition, but I thought at W.Mich he was a go-to guy that defenses had to plan for. With that in mind, I'd give a slight nod to Jennings...but I reserve the right to change my mind LOL.

My 2 cents.

[4and12to12and4]

Looking at training camp pictures of Jennings, I can see how he was mistaken for Driver (by M3 if I recall correctly) in an OTA practice. He is in great shape---very cut---just like Driver. If he has even half as much heart as Driver, we will have a good player on our hands.

I have to disagree with this statement because a player's physique has little to do with his ability to adjust his routes and fight for and hold on to a ball.

See: Fergy and Beach

[4and12to12and4]

Great article Scott, I like that he looks at every play as an opportunity to score. I know talk is cheap, but this guy sounds like he has a good feel for the game and the quickness to carry it out. It would be nice to again have a receiver that can juke the socks off of a defender. In the WCO, that is huge. That would take a lot of pressure off of Driver and Co.

[HarveyWallbangers]

That aside, if we're talking about college production, Murphy's was decent, but I think Jennings had better numbers. Granted, it's the Big 12 vs. MAC competition, but I thought at W.Mich he was a go-to guy that defenses had to plan for. With that in mind, I'd give a slight nod to Jennings...but I reserve the right to change my mind LOL.

My 2 cents.

Troy Walters was extremely productive in college also--at a small college, so was LeShon Johnson. I like Jennings, but I also liked Murphy. I'm just saying that the same articles you see about Jennings are the same articles you saw about Murphy last year. And Hawkins.

[woodbuck27]

Scott Campbell - lays on the pin!

Nice find Scott. Thanks.

Greg Jennings, is flat out, showing us why T2 drafted him. I will not take anything away from the development we saw, and the promise that we lost in Terrence Murphy; but once the season rolls around, Greg Jennings will play a prominant role in OUR sucess on "O". I see that will be.

We all felt the pain when Murphy went down. That was a brutal blow for OUR team and the man,Terrence Murphy. This fine young man was a potential character guy /leader for " the Packer's future ".

GO PACKERS !

[the_idle_threat]

Looking at training camp pictures of Jennings, I can see how he was mistaken for Driver (by M3 if I recall correctly) in an OTA practice. He is in great shape---very cut---just like Driver. If he has even half as much heart as Driver, we will have a good player on our hands.

I have to disagree with this statement because a player's physique has little to do with his ability to adjust his routes and fight for and hold on to a ball.

See: Fergy and Beach

I suppose this wasn't very clear ... I wasn't saying that Jennings looks like the same kind of player as Driver just because he's in shape. I was saying Jennings physically resembles Driver. I saw several TC photos where I thought I was looking at Driver and then read the caption and it was Jennings.

The "heart" comment was a hyperbolic compliment to Driver and kind of a backhand at guys like Ferguson. Driver is a great example that heart is the difference between guys that can play and those who can't. We hear all the time that Driver is not the physical prototype for an NFL receiver ... but he has the heart to compete for the ball and get the job done. Ferguson lacks that quality, and so all the physical talent in the world won't make him a star receiver.

[woodbuck27]

"That's how I am," he said. "You'll soon see it. I catch the ball and I try to get every single inch I can get. There are times where you need to go down. (But) I'm not going to be one to catch the ball and just be satisfied with just catching the ball. I want to score."

"That's the object of the game, to get in the end zone on offense, and that's what I'm going to do. That's what I set out to accomplish every time I run a route. I'm going to score." Greg Jennings

Fr: the article posted this thread by Scott Campbell.

[Bretsky]

John Clayton was in GB today and I listened to him on ESPN radio. He thinks GB will start Jennings right off the bat because no other WR is stepping it up.

[HarveyWallbangers]

And John Clayton is regurgitating stories from the same sources that the likes of McGinn, Christl, Havel, Silverstein, etc. are using. I don't mind Clayton, but I seriously don't care what most of the national writers think. Clayton came to camp for one day. That's nice, but he's not a scout and he'll be gone in a day. I bet McGinn and Christl have more reliable sources on the team than any national writer has. I bet they have a better pulse on the team. And they ain't homers.

BTW, this has nothing to do with Jennings. Just ranting about another national writer. I can respect a guy that researches and spends the time to really get to know the team, but most don't. Clayton is actually one of the better ones. Loads better than Salisbury.