Christian Watson gets to be a rookie this year. So does Samori Toure. As first year players, only so much will be expected of them. They will be integrated slowly and gradually into the offense, if they play much at all. Romeo Doubs, however, will not be regarded as a rookie. He will play immediately and will be expected to perform like a veteran.
How do I know this? No, I didn’t have a private conversation with Matt LaFleur. I was merely listening closely to the comments of someone who would be in a position to know. If anybody has an inside track on how the young receivers will be used this season, it’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s been throwing to them for four weeks. He has a pretty good read on Green Bay’s second, fourth, and seventh round draft picks.
This is what he says about Watson and Toure: “I think you have to be real about the expectations with all of those guys, and at the same time hold them to a standard according to what they’re capable of at this time.”
Now listen to what he says about Doubs: “Doubs has done a lot of really nice things. I think the standard for him is not going to be the normal one we’ve had here for rookies in the past, especially in the last four or five years. He’s going to be expected to play, based on his performance so far in camp. So we’ve got to hold him to a standard that he is capable of reaching.”
If you’re a receiver for the Green Bay Packers, you’re not going to make your mark unless number twelve throws the ball to you. And number twelve is not going to throw the ball to you unless you have won his confidence. Just ask Allen Lazard, or Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or even Randall Cobb. It took years before Rodgers felt good enough about them to make them targets on a regular basis. But it appears the fourth round pick out of Nevada has already reached some sort of a comfort level with his future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“He cares about it. He’s a great kid”, spouts Rodgers. “He’s made some instinctual plays that you can’t really coach.” One of the things QB12 likes the most about Doubs is his ability to sense how to ad-lib a route when he is not immediately open. He referred to one play in the preseason game against New Orleans where Romeo ran his called route, and a defender was right there to make a play on the ball. “Instead of drifting on it and letting the guy make the play, he comes hard back to the ball with strong hands. You like seeing those plays. It gives you confidence. It makes you confident he might be able to do some things that are not on the paper.”
In the three preseason contests, Doubs caught a total of eight passes for 82 yards and two scores. His leaping grab in the end zone on a fade against New Orleans was a highlight reel catch. He was not, however, the leading receiver in the preseason. Toure actually caught nine balls for 125 yards, and had, by far, the best yards per catch average of 13.9. Watson missed a great deal of camp as he nursed a knee injury, but he’s been back since August 14, and probably could have played in the final preseason game, but the coaching staff elected to play it safe and hold him out.
Rodgers is certainly not down on Watson, but does admit the former North Dakota State star is a bit behind. “He’s got a different skill set. He’s a big body who can run. We’ve just got to get him to be a little more consistent at tracking the ball down the field.” One quality Rodgers noticed is how quickly Watson learns from his mistakes, and how he is smart enough to be a quick study. “The other day, I told him what to do in the huddle, and it was something he had never done before, and he went out and did it perfect, and it’s those little things like that which help to gain that confidence and that trust.”
The big news early this week will be the roster cuts and the make-up of the practice squad. But after that, the Packers must get down to the business of forming a game plan against the Minnesota Vikings at their place, always a tough assignment, on opening day. In the process, they will decide which receivers are ready to play, and which will have to watch, at least for now. I’m betting Aaron Rodgers will have a lot to say about who plays right away. And judging by his remarks, look for Romeo Doubs to play an important role early and often.
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