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Position-by-position: Wide receivers
Packers will make do after failing to land Moss
Posted: July 25, 2007
On the Packers
Green Bay - If Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson had been sold on the Packers' wide receivers, he obviously never would have gone after Randy Moss in the first place.
After allowing themselves to be outbid by New England for Moss, the Packers return every wide receiver that saw the field for them in 2006, along with third- and fifth-round selections in this year's draft. But the game of what-if regarding Moss will be played for a long time to come.
"It could have been something that worked out well, or maybe it wouldn't have," said Jimmy Robinson, who begins his 18th consecutive season as a wide receivers coach in the National Football League. "We're never really going to know the answer to that question because it didn't happen. Suffice it to say it wasn't meant to be, more than anything."
Like most coaches, Robinson has a selfish side when it comes to acquiring talented players for his position. But from his perspective, there's absolutely no reason to fret about the Packers' wide receivers sans Moss.
"I'm optimistic that we're going to be a very, very productive group," Robinson said. "If you read some other people's opinions, maybe they're not as strong that way as I am.
"You can drive yourself crazy saying, 'Boy, I wish we had some guy that was 6-4 and ran 4.35 and caught everything.' But there's not many of those kinds of guys. They're here and there but they're not everywhere."
Moss was one of them, and Javon Walker, traded to Denver in April 2006, ranks as another. Without them, the Packers begin the second season of the post-Walker era with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings as starters.
"The two receivers are solid guys," a personnel director for an AFC team said earlier in the week. "But they don't scare anybody."
Driver, the best player on the team two years running, had the fifth-most receptions (92) and receiving yards (1,295) in the NFL last season. He meant everything to an offense that didn't offer enough vertical stretch. Brett Favre's yards-per-attempt rate of 6.34 was his second-worst ever.
Jennings had eight catches for 20 yards or more through five games (Driver had six) before suffering a classic ankle sprain. He wasn't the same player the rest of the way, but Robinson is confident Jennings will return to pre-injury form.
Driver and Jennings have good but not great speed. Also, Driver (5 feet 11½ inches) and Jennings (5-11) don't have the wingspan to consistently win deep jump balls.
Buffalo and Baltimore are the other teams in the league entering training camp with both starting receivers shorter than 6-0. Forty-five of the projected 64 starters, or 70.3%, are listed at 6-0 or taller. Twenty starters stand 6-3 or taller. Seventeen teams have one starter at least as tall as 6-2.
With the No. 3 job unspoken for, Robinson mentioned Robert Ferguson, Ruvell Martin, Carlyle Holiday and James Jones as those most heavily in the mix. The group has superb size and strength, but there is no blazing speed.
The only true deep threats currently on the roster are rookie David Clowney and free agent Calvin Russell. Clowney, a fifth-round pick, might make the team, but Russell is a long shot.
"Do I wish we were better?" Robinson said. "I spend my time on how to help us be better. You try to do the best with what you have and get the guys believing in themselves and the system and get them ready to play the very best that they can. We've got a very, very competitive situation."
Driver, the flanker, might be 32, but seems ageless. He stays in great shape, has uncommon rapport with Favre and will go anywhere to catch a ball.
Jennings, the split end, has deceptive speed and is a natural route-runner. He's smooth and fluid, runs explosively and unpredictably after the catch, finds ways to get deep and has a knack for big plays.
"I fully expect him to be a tough guy for defenses to handle," Robinson said. "You don't often have rookies play like Greg Jennings did from day one. I expect to see him have a great year."
As long as Jones doesn't struggle assimilating to a pro system, he should contribute as a rookie. He might have been the club's third-best receiver this off-season.
"He's built like a brick house," Robinson said. "Plucks the ball out in front. Everything in the hands. Maybe other teams didn't have him ranked as high as we did, but I think he's got a tremendous amount of talent."
Another lost season due to injury for Ferguson gave chances to Holiday and Martin down the stretch in '06. Holiday is faster (running the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds) than Martin and is a better athlete.
"Very sharp mentally, as you might think having been a former quarterback," Robinson said, referring to Holiday. "Real good hands. He's strong."
Martin probably made more plays in May and June than any other receiver. He had a great spring in '06, beat the odds to make the roster after a great camp and maximized his modest ability when given a chance to play last season.
"I just think the world of the guy because he really gets the most out of what he has," Robinson said. "He just knows what he's doing. He can play anywhere for you. And he catches the ball pretty consistently."
Ferguson, with a $1.8 million base salary and a spotty résumé, cannot afford another injury or more than a bad day or two in camp. The Lisfranc foot sprain that ruined his '06 season shouldn't be a problem, but there are always health issues with Ferguson.
"It's hard for me to understand why Robert can't be a very, very productive receiver," Robinson said. "He's a big, strong, physical guy. He does things well."
Another veteran in the picture could be Koren Robinson, who can apply for reinstatement in mid-September from his year-long suspension. Last year, he looked sluggish during his 63 snaps in four games. Like Ferguson, he would be in his seventh season and is 27.
Clowney and Shaun Bodiford lack size, but do have redeeming qualities. Clowney's would be 4.36 speed. Bodiford's would be return ability.
"(Clowney) continues to learn how to use his speed on all his routes," Robinson said. "(Bodiford) may be the most fearless of the whole group. The word I use for him is 'hungry.' He just needs to improve on route technique and getting into some real fundamental stuff maybe he hasn't been exposed to before."
Packers will make do after failing to land Moss
Posted: July 25, 2007
On the Packers
Green Bay - If Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson had been sold on the Packers' wide receivers, he obviously never would have gone after Randy Moss in the first place.
After allowing themselves to be outbid by New England for Moss, the Packers return every wide receiver that saw the field for them in 2006, along with third- and fifth-round selections in this year's draft. But the game of what-if regarding Moss will be played for a long time to come.
"It could have been something that worked out well, or maybe it wouldn't have," said Jimmy Robinson, who begins his 18th consecutive season as a wide receivers coach in the National Football League. "We're never really going to know the answer to that question because it didn't happen. Suffice it to say it wasn't meant to be, more than anything."
Like most coaches, Robinson has a selfish side when it comes to acquiring talented players for his position. But from his perspective, there's absolutely no reason to fret about the Packers' wide receivers sans Moss.
"I'm optimistic that we're going to be a very, very productive group," Robinson said. "If you read some other people's opinions, maybe they're not as strong that way as I am.
"You can drive yourself crazy saying, 'Boy, I wish we had some guy that was 6-4 and ran 4.35 and caught everything.' But there's not many of those kinds of guys. They're here and there but they're not everywhere."
Moss was one of them, and Javon Walker, traded to Denver in April 2006, ranks as another. Without them, the Packers begin the second season of the post-Walker era with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings as starters.
"The two receivers are solid guys," a personnel director for an AFC team said earlier in the week. "But they don't scare anybody."
Driver, the best player on the team two years running, had the fifth-most receptions (92) and receiving yards (1,295) in the NFL last season. He meant everything to an offense that didn't offer enough vertical stretch. Brett Favre's yards-per-attempt rate of 6.34 was his second-worst ever.
Jennings had eight catches for 20 yards or more through five games (Driver had six) before suffering a classic ankle sprain. He wasn't the same player the rest of the way, but Robinson is confident Jennings will return to pre-injury form.
Driver and Jennings have good but not great speed. Also, Driver (5 feet 11½ inches) and Jennings (5-11) don't have the wingspan to consistently win deep jump balls.
Buffalo and Baltimore are the other teams in the league entering training camp with both starting receivers shorter than 6-0. Forty-five of the projected 64 starters, or 70.3%, are listed at 6-0 or taller. Twenty starters stand 6-3 or taller. Seventeen teams have one starter at least as tall as 6-2.
With the No. 3 job unspoken for, Robinson mentioned Robert Ferguson, Ruvell Martin, Carlyle Holiday and James Jones as those most heavily in the mix. The group has superb size and strength, but there is no blazing speed.
The only true deep threats currently on the roster are rookie David Clowney and free agent Calvin Russell. Clowney, a fifth-round pick, might make the team, but Russell is a long shot.
"Do I wish we were better?" Robinson said. "I spend my time on how to help us be better. You try to do the best with what you have and get the guys believing in themselves and the system and get them ready to play the very best that they can. We've got a very, very competitive situation."
Driver, the flanker, might be 32, but seems ageless. He stays in great shape, has uncommon rapport with Favre and will go anywhere to catch a ball.
Jennings, the split end, has deceptive speed and is a natural route-runner. He's smooth and fluid, runs explosively and unpredictably after the catch, finds ways to get deep and has a knack for big plays.
"I fully expect him to be a tough guy for defenses to handle," Robinson said. "You don't often have rookies play like Greg Jennings did from day one. I expect to see him have a great year."
As long as Jones doesn't struggle assimilating to a pro system, he should contribute as a rookie. He might have been the club's third-best receiver this off-season.
"He's built like a brick house," Robinson said. "Plucks the ball out in front. Everything in the hands. Maybe other teams didn't have him ranked as high as we did, but I think he's got a tremendous amount of talent."
Another lost season due to injury for Ferguson gave chances to Holiday and Martin down the stretch in '06. Holiday is faster (running the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds) than Martin and is a better athlete.
"Very sharp mentally, as you might think having been a former quarterback," Robinson said, referring to Holiday. "Real good hands. He's strong."
Martin probably made more plays in May and June than any other receiver. He had a great spring in '06, beat the odds to make the roster after a great camp and maximized his modest ability when given a chance to play last season.
"I just think the world of the guy because he really gets the most out of what he has," Robinson said. "He just knows what he's doing. He can play anywhere for you. And he catches the ball pretty consistently."
Ferguson, with a $1.8 million base salary and a spotty résumé, cannot afford another injury or more than a bad day or two in camp. The Lisfranc foot sprain that ruined his '06 season shouldn't be a problem, but there are always health issues with Ferguson.
"It's hard for me to understand why Robert can't be a very, very productive receiver," Robinson said. "He's a big, strong, physical guy. He does things well."
Another veteran in the picture could be Koren Robinson, who can apply for reinstatement in mid-September from his year-long suspension. Last year, he looked sluggish during his 63 snaps in four games. Like Ferguson, he would be in his seventh season and is 27.
Clowney and Shaun Bodiford lack size, but do have redeeming qualities. Clowney's would be 4.36 speed. Bodiford's would be return ability.
"(Clowney) continues to learn how to use his speed on all his routes," Robinson said. "(Bodiford) may be the most fearless of the whole group. The word I use for him is 'hungry.' He just needs to improve on route technique and getting into some real fundamental stuff maybe he hasn't been exposed to before."
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