When wide receiver James Jones signed a new contract with the Green Bay Packers earlier this month, it did not include any language guaranteeing that he would get the ball thrown his way.
It just doesn't work that way.
But maybe Jones should have got it in writing that the quarterback had to at least acknowledge he was on the field once in a while.
In three preseason games, Jones has caught one pass for 14 yards. In those three games, he has been targeted a grand total of two times, zero in consecutive games against the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts.
It's just not possible for a guy who ranked third on the team in receptions during the regular season with 50 and fourth in the postseason with 11 to suddenly lose all his skills. Not when he's a mere 27 years old and in the prime of his career.
"I don't think just because a guy hasn't caught many balls in preseason games would justify saying he's not productive," receivers coach Edgar Bennett said. "That's just not the case based on the things he's been able to show in practice.
"Certainly he's caught a lot of balls on the practice field. So you have to look at everything, from the preseason games to what the guy has done on a consistent basis in practice."
But really, there has to be some conspiracy going on when the guy plays 35 snaps against the Colts and doesn't get one pass thrown his way, right?
"I just didn't get the ball," Jones said. "I do want the ball. At the same time we have a lot of weapons. I'm not saying he (quarterback Aaron Rodgers) is not throwing it to me. Yeah, we had some problems, a couple pressures, a couple sacks, he rolled away from me a couple times. I mean, no big deal."
It may be a bigger deal than Jones is letting on from this angle: Jones is trying to take the next step in his career and sharpening his game in practice is one thing, but doing it against real opponents is another.
Jones spent all off-season working on the catch that eluded him last season - the deep ball along the sideline that he kept dropping. He worked on over-the-shoulder catches with three quarterbacks and vowed to avoid his mistakes this year.
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