Davante vs. Rookies

[SudsMcBucky]

I wouldn’t have paid Davante that money. Smart teams don’t pay 30-year-old WRs QB money. KC and GB are smart teams. Things will get better, but Packers fans overreact just like every other fan base.

Exactly, as much as I loved Adams and would have loved to have kept him, no way would I pay $30mil/year to a 30 yo WR. We were able address multiple spots with that money. We just needed to be better prepared to replace and which is why I hated the Love pick when it was done. We should've been addressing WR much earlier than just this year.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I think we'll see Watson, Doubs, and Lazard sooner than we originally thought. You can play Watson and Doubs outside with Lazard in the slot OR run Doubs and Lazard outside with Watson running the jet motion stuff.

Zach Kruse
@zachkruse2

Top takeaway from Week 1 for me is Christian Watson, who is going to play a huge role for the Packers in 2022. Yeah, yeah, the drop.

Started, played 40 snaps (second-most among WRs), looked dangerous.

He's a legit deep threat. Elite speed. Packers (and 12) NEED him.

Zach Kruse
@zachkruse2

I bet this offense is really going to evolve over the course of THIS season. 12 loves Watkins and Cobb.

But I think this is going to end up being the Lazard/Watson/Doubs show at some point. It has to

Peter Bukowski
@Peter_Bukowski

Was thinking the same thing watching the game back. Doubs and Watson just move at different speeds

Zach Kruse
@zachkruse2

Yep. They’ve got stuff to learn obviously but you can’t keep them off the field.

Peter Bukowski
@Peter_Bukowski

I know the drop makes it hard to focus on anything else, but Christian Watson looked more ready to contribute than I thought.

If anything, the #Packers would benefit from trying to scheme up MORE stuff for him.

His physical gifts are unreal.

Peter Bukowski
@Peter_Bukowski

They're gonna watch the tape, Rodgers is gonna see how often Watson/Doubs were open and by Halloween it's gonna be "F it, Christian down there somewhere"

[RashanGary]

I think we'll see Watson, Doubs, and Lazard sooner than we originally thought. You can play Watson and Doubs outside with Lazard in the slot OR run Doubs and Lazard outside with Watson running the jet motion stuff.

I’m so underwhelmed by Watkins and Cobb. If we’re going to be dangerous in January, the only seemingly viable path is for the young guys to come on.

But no where is it written that second round picks will pan out and that goes for 4th rounders too. It’s a bunch of wait and see.

[run pMc]

Watkins - 41 snaps, Cobb snaps, 5 catches between them. Amari played 0 snaps on offense.
They should be using Lazard/Watson/Doubs a lot by mid-season if not sooner.

Also -- agree with Harvey. You don't pay 30 y/o WRs huge contracts, especially when you are already paying near-top market at several other positions (QB, CB, LT). Also, Adams wanted out before the start of last season, and he turned down a similar if slightly lower contract to stay. He was gone.
It's a case of him leaving a year early, and I think he'll be good this year and next, but over the next 5 years Watson and Doubs should outplay him in aggregate. Big FA signings like that rarely see the end of their contracts.

If I had to guess, I'd bet Davante gets about 1400 yards and 12 TDs this year, while Sherlock Doubs & Dr. Watson get about 1000 yards and 9TDs, and by next year are outperforming him. By year 3 I think they will be matching if not outperforming Adams *and* Renfrow.

[HarveyWallbangers]

At least, he's fast.

Fastest ballcarriers in Week 1, per @NextGenStats:

1. Chase Claypool, 21.46 mph
T-2. Saquon Barkley, 21.11 mph
T-2. Joe Mixon, 21.11 mph
4. Christian Watson, 20.82 mph
5. Jaylen Waddle, 20.8 mph

[RashanGary]

Jeff Janis was fast. And tall. And had a good frame. There is a lot more to football than being tall and fast, although it’s certainly not a negative trait.

Watson, looking at the NDSU tape, isn’t really good at attacking the ball. He sort of waits for it and that’s not good when corners are good enough to go get it or knock it away. He’s not overly talented at creating separation out of breaks.

He does run a good go route. And all the cushion defenders gave him at NDSU, it also helped set up a stop route.

But Watson doesn’t look great to me, just being honest.


He has physical traits. I’d love to be wrong. But I don’t like Watson all that much. Oh, and his hands are questionable too.

[RashanGary]

I have my money on Doubs over Watson. And even then, there’s a lot to prove for both of them.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I think they'll both be very good. They'll both struggle with drops. Both had drop issues in college and it's continued in the pros. However, I don't think it will be as bad as it's made out to be. Plenty of great WRs had a lot of drops (Terrell Owens, Brandon Marshall, DeSean Jackson). Ja'Marr Chase and Deebo Samuel were #1 and #3 in drop rate last year.

[RashanGary]

You can put Watson in the absolute best position to succeed. You can line him up against a slowing corner in his 30s on the first offensive play of the game when the defense has preached all week about stopping the run first (so DL aren’t rushing the passer aggressively.) You can ask him to run by a guy who’s three steps slower than him. You can get him wide open on the one route he runs well, the one route where his only redeeming quality (speed) is highlighted. You can do all of that for him and he’ll still drop the ball when it’s put right on his hands, perfectly in stride.

He doesn’t go get the ball. You can’t teach it and he doesn’t have it.

I’m down on Christian Watson.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I think they'll both be good. I don't think I saw one drop from Watson like the one he had on Sunday, and I saw most of his targets. He's really good at tracking the ball and making catches over his shoulder--unlike MVS. I think Watson will be like a tall DeSean Jackson.

[run pMc]

Remember when people called Adams "Dropvante" early in his career? Even last year he dropped a few he shouldn't have.

They can teach players to make modest improvement with their hands, I think the rookies will get better. One of the ways they can do that is with better hand placement -- Watson's hands were weird on the dropped bomb, and I know Doubs doesn't consistently use correct hand alignment/placement to catch the ball. The WR coach should teach them to be better.

I think at a minimum Watson will be MVS 2.0, but I think he has the potential to be a lot better than that. It's one game, we have 40 snaps of tape to look at Watson... that's not enough. FWIW, he did a nice job blocking on Dillon's TD. If you're down on Watson that's ok. I need to see him play more.

[texaspackerbacker]

The rookie receivers were certainly not the worst thing about that game. I still say - maybe now more than ever, Watson is gonna be a superstar and Doubs is gonna be damn good too. It was Cobb and Watkins who stunk it up and couldn't get open, and Aaron Rodgers - who I virtually never criticize - who insisted on targeting them until late in the game instead of the rookies.

All that being said, it likely would have been a very different game if Watson hadn't gotten rookie nerves and dropped a pass probably any of us in the forum coulda caught. I strongly doubt that happens repeatedly like with Valdez-Scantling.

As for Adams, he was apparently like some idiots in here used to call Rodgers: a stat whore. Yeah, he got his catches for Oakland (or wherever the fuck they play now), but the team lost as he apparently soaked up the targets that several other fairly good receivers got other years.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Stupid forum

[HarveyWallbangers]

I hope ARod didn’t stop going to him because of one drop. I’m not a Bukowski fan, but he at least watched the all-22.

Peter Bukowski

@Peter_Bukowski

I'll have clips coming later but guys, Aaron Rodgers was very ungood vs. the Vikings. Did not see the field well at all. Antsy in the pocket. Checked it down early even when he had time.

Guys were open. He was impatient and did not make good decisions.

Peter Bukowski
@Peter_Bukowski

I don’t know if Christian Watson was always running the right routes because I’m not in the #Packers meetings but he was open all day whether running beautiful double moves or finding soft spots.

He blocked well.

Rodgers just wasn’t looking at him, but QB1 will see the tape

[RashanGary]

50% of second round picks are busts. Watson played as many snaps as the starters. He’s being given every opportunity to succeed. Now, will the stubborn donkey, 12, play along with the plan? That is a question. Rodgers tries to play nice though. The organization is committed to developing 9. Rodgers will try. But if 9 doesn’t do his part, Rodgers will be quick to show frustration.

I just hope one of the two young guys is a really good player by years end and we’re in it. We really need it. My money is on Doubs because I think he goes and gets the ball with more consistency. But my eyes are not closed to Watsons physical talent and he’s smart and blocks. He likes to play ball and has a shot for sure.