JAMES JONES is "READY TO BE THE #1 WR

[George Cumby]

The real question is whether or not he is elite.

Then the answer is "no". Good, very good, not yet excellent, imo.

[Patler]

#1 needs to be a magnet.

I don't disagree, just wanted to point out that Jones' problem has never been with making difficult plays; he does that quite regularly. His problem is consistency.

If a #1 needs to be a "magnet", Nelson, Finley and Cobb don't qualify either. Nelson initially looked to be pretty sure handed, but stumbled in recent years. Cobb has shown inconsistency. Even if you believe in Finley, his streakiness catching the ball knocks him off the #1 pedestal, if there even is such a thing.

Personally, I don't believe the Packers really practice the concept of a #1 receiver. They have starters and nonstarters, the starters generally getting more snaps than the nonstarters. That's about it. In any one game, any receiver might see a lot of balls thrown his way, and then none the next game.

[Patler]

The real question is whether or not he is elite.

I agree with George C. A single season doesn't make him elite. It didn't make Nelson elite either, nor Cobb this year. Can any of the three, or Finley for that matter, become elite? Maybe.

[3irty1]

You think he's our biggest deep threat? Over Nelson?

I guess Jones could be the #1. He could just as easily be the #3 guy next year. I like that he didn't come across as overly pompus in the interview, he was more stating that the job is open, and he's going to do what he can to get it.

No I think Jordy is our only real deep threat (assuming no jennings).

[Smeefers]

I always thought the #1 was the first QB option on a majority of the plays (generally lining up on the left side of the field.), the # 2 was the second option (on the right side) and the #3 was the slot receiver.

The reason the #1 was such a big deal was because they were the big play threat. Someone who could smoke a CB down the field and catch a 70 yard touchdown at any moment. Everyone wanted to be that guy. The #2 was your first check down and so on and so forth.

I didn't know being a #1 had anything to do with the receivers talent. I thought it had to do with his position on the field.

[RashanGary]

I've been saying for years that JJ would be a great #2 and a poor man's #1 on a lot of teams. The guy has finally gotten rid of the "dropsies" title he was hanging on to, but people still have a bad taste in their mouth about him and will happily go back to pointing out how many big balls he drops if he ever does it again here.

That said, on this team, it's a joke. Your #1 is your big play guy, and that's Nelson. I think JJ will be our #2 guy, with Cobb as our slot (#3) receiver.

I'll second this.

[RashanGary]

And on a personal level, I'm proud of Jones. He has some weaknesses mentally it seems. His attention span, in game, he's talked about being a problem, and he's found ways to stay focused (talking to himself each play ) He's had problems not putting in the consistent effort in the offseason. Some people are just steady and stick to the plan day in and day out. Some people are a little more erratic in how they go about each day. He's found a way to stick to his nutrition and training.

Everyone has personality traits that help and hurt their cause. Some of the ones that have hurt JJ's cause he's pin-pointed and found ways to overcome. I don't know if personality is as flexible as it seems sometimes. These things (focus, day-in, day-out consistency) are things JJ is going to have to work through for his career. The more he does it, the easier it gets, but it's still a challenge. I think a big part of how far he goes in his career will depend on how well he continues to keep these things in check. I'm a big fan of seeing people overcome these types of obstacles, so I'm a big fan of JJ and I hope he stays in Green Bay so I can see him grow. Sappy, I know, but part of being a fan for me is getting to know the players. Seriously, I wouldn't like the Packers any more than the Dolphins if I didn't know the personalities of the guys on the team.

Oh, and dude's talented. If you've ever seen him dunk a basketball, you'd know he's a fuckin beast.

[MadtownPacker]

California Love bitches!! There is a different #1 every week in this offense. IMO that suits Jones nicely.

Nice post JH, always knew you was a sentimental MFer..

[pbmax]

No I think Jordy is our only real deep threat (assuming no jennings).

You know, by all objective evidence, this should be true. Jennings of course was fast enough and good enough with routes to get open deep as well. But Jones consistently gets the CB on his hip and keeps him there. he doesn't accelerate past the CB like Nelson, but he almost always is in position to get his hands on the ball. Somehow, it works with him. It helps to be a monster with decent speed.

[Bretsky]

The real question is whether or not he is elite.

I think whether he's a real #1 might be a better question

when I think Elite...top 10Wr's............JJ doesn't enter the discussion I'm running

[King Friday]

I think whether he's a real #1 might be a better question

when I think Elite...top 10Wr's............JJ doesn't enter the discussion I'm running

I really don't think either question matters. As I said somewhere else, you could give Rodgers four MEDIOCRE receivers and the offense would still be a top 10 unit as long as the OL was solid.

I don't give a damn how good our receivers are. Rodgers, like Favre, is good enough to make a guy like Bill Schroeder look like an All-Pro. Spend the money on the OL. PROTECT THE FRANCHISE. WRs who can flourish when Rodgers is comfortable in the pocket are a dime a dozen. That doesn't mean you don't try to give AR weapons...I just have confidence that TT can find good talent at receiver. He's proved that much over the years. An elite WR is just someone who won't be here very long.

[RashanGary]

Going with what King Friday said, and I have a hard time calling anyone King anything. . . .


I think protecting Rodgers is paramount. A good all around RB who can keep defenses off balance, block well and catch well would go a long way to slowing down the pass rush and not allowing so much abuse to AR's body.

It's been a minority movement this offseason, but I'm desperately hoping to get a good running back, preferable one from the draft who can be here for years 29-35 of AR's career.

[HarveyWallbangers]

You know, by all objective evidence, this should be true. Jennings of course was fast enough and good enough with routes to get open deep as well. But Jones consistently gets the CB on his hip and keeps him there. he doesn't accelerate past the CB like Nelson, but he almost always is in position to get his hands on the ball. Somehow, it works with him. It helps to be a monster with decent speed.

I suspect with a QB not quite as accurate as Rodgers, Jones wouldn't be as much of a deep threat. Rodgers has a way of throwing guys open. He does it with Nelson also, Jones the most. Jennings is a stud and would make lesser QBs look good.

[Smeefers]

I suspect with a QB not quite as accurate as Rodgers, Jones wouldn't be as much of a deep threat. Rodgers has a way of throwing guys open. He does it with Nelson also, Jones the most. Jennings is a stud and would make lesser QBs look good.

You have to be a once in a lifetime talent WR in order to look good with a shitty QB. Look at Fitzgerald. His production is way down ever since his QB's choices are between pig slop and regurgitated pig slop. Of course Rodgers makes Jones look better, but that doesn't lesson Jones' talent. If Jones was a shitty reciever who ran bad routes and dropped the ball all the time, no amount of perfect throws is going to make him look as good as he did last year.

I also don't buy into the "throw the cast from biggest losers onto our team as our WR's and we'll still have a top 10 offense with Rodgers" theory. Rodgers looked absolutely stunning in 2011 due to his receiving corp. Regardless of what condition the O line was in last season, loosing Jennings for most of the season *did* hurt Rodgers. Loosing Nelson hurt too. When you loose talent like that, your offense changes, because there are some plays that are specifically designed for those guys and now those plays weren't available.

A lot of people like to put ALL the credit in the QB's hands, and it's simply not there. Rodgers is a piece to the puzzle, he's an important piece, he's the one you can't do without, but without a complement of other pieces around him, that's all he'll ever be. It takes a team to form a full picture. Don't loose the forest for the trees. Err... for score and seven years ago, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for the packers.

Sorry, I got a little frazzled by stupid quotes. I think it was the puzzle analogy that got me going.
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This just got awkward. I think I'm going to go now.