Jets (Santonio Holmes), Bills (Steve Johnson), Dolphins (Brian Hartline), Browns (Josh Gordon), Jaguars (Laurent Robinson), Titans (Kenny Britt), Raiders (Denarius Moore), Chargers (Malcom Floyd), Eagles (DeSean Jackson), Redskins (Pierre Garcon), Rams (Danny Amendola), & Seahawks (Sidney Rice).
Those are the definite teams off the top of my head. I believe there's another half a dozen worth debating. For example, I think Cobb and Nelson are better than Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. The game is changing. You don't need an outside threat as your go-to guy. Teams are attacking the middle of the field with a slot-man. The Packers have done so the better part of the last six years with Greg Jennings. Take 2010 as an example. Green Bay won a Super Bowl that year with Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, and James Jones.
Jermichael Finley was hurt and Donald Driver was well on his way in decline. You're telling me that the drop off from Jennings to Cobb is that significant.
I don't agree with that. The only thing Jennings does significantly better than Cobb is route running, which he's among the best in the league at doing. Cobb is more explosive, though.
Two years ago, Jordy Nelson had an amazing season. Pro Football Outsiders actually rated it among the best of all-time. People seem to forget about it.
Originally Posted by: porky88
I don't agree with every receiver on that list. Santonio Holmes doesn't belong there, DeSean Jackson/Jeremy Maclim I'm not sure about, Justin Blackmon was dangerous already and will only become better (rather than Robinson), guys like Rice and Britt have better skillsets, they're just injured a lot, so I guess I'll give you those...
That still leaves you with a whole lot of teams that have a better situation. A whole lot more than we're than.
And no, I'm not saying that the drop-off from Jennings to Cobb is that big, per say, but I do feel like Jennings could man that outside position better than Cobb can. Jennings did pull the nr. 1 corner most of the time if I recall correctly, though, often leaving Nelson on the nr. 2, where he racked up some pretty good stats. Yes, he held his own when Jennings went down, but that just didn't seem to be the case this year.
And I certainly don't see how James Jones is the answer to our problem at nr. 1 receiver or how he'll dominate nr. 2 guys.
This is not the history I remember. Sterling Sharpe retired after the ‘94 season, which was Favre’s first really good year. Following that season, Favre won his three MVP awards with Robert Brooks and Antonio Freeman as his go-to receivers. The Packers also had outstanding tight ends in Mark Chmura and Keith Jackson.
Javon Walker had one 1,000-yard season with the Packers. It came in ‘04, which was a typical Favre season under Sherman. He threw a lot of touchdowns, but also a lot of interceptions.
Regarding the draft, this draft is thin at wide receiver. I don't think there's one player that comes in and makes an immediate impact. I guess maybe Patterson, but any selection of a wide receiver is part of the long-term future of the Packers. You trade up to draft Patterson, and you're preparing for when Nelson and Jones depart when their contract is up. In other words, it's an economic argument, which to Ted Thompson’s credit, I think he saw coming when he drafted Randall Cobb two years ago. Just substitute Player A for Cobb and Nelson or Jones for Jennings. That’s where I think wide receiver enters the radar.
porky88 wrote:
Fair enough. Favre's play didn't explode and I didn't mean to state that it did (reading back, I did, though). The rest of what I said still stands, though. You get that one guy who pulls coverages his way and who just grabs what's thrown at him, even those desperation passes.
We even tried to create our own guy like that in Finley at the start of the 2011 season, throwing every second pass his way.
I'm not advocating a trade-up and I'm not saying that our draft pick will become an AJ Green-like instant impact player. I'm just saying that, would an Allen or a Patterson fall down to us, you pick him up directly. Gives us the chance to let Jones walk next year, as well, as he might just overvalue himself after this TD catch season.