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Jennings catapults offense
3rd-year receiver poised for big year
By Ken Ryan
With Favre gone and the reins handed over to Aaron Rodgers, one thing remains clear: the Packers’ path to the Super Bowl will be smoother if they rely on the fluid route running and big-time athleticism of Jennings.
In the National Football League, every action has a reaction. When former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was clamoring for General Manager Ted Thompson to trade for the immensely talented Randy Moss in April 2007, it was clear Favre did not believe that the receiving corps would give the Packers’ passing game a rebirth.
What Favre overlooked was that budding young receivers were waiting in the wings. While Donald Driver is the still the veteran leader of the group, there is currently a changing of the guard where the most dangerous weapon is concerned. What do I mean? I mean third-year receiver Greg Jennings.
While Moss would have been the great quick-fix that the aging Favre was looking for, the reaction would have been that Jennings would have had his reps significantly cut. And no, Thompson bashers, missing Moss did not cost the Packers a Super Bowl.
Now the Packers have a star in Jennings, who is just starting to scratch the surface. A year ago, this product of Western Michigan University caught 12 touchdowns and averaged an eye-popping 17.4 yards per reception.
Several of those scores were in clutch spots as well.
His 57-yard catch-and-run against eventual AFC finalist San Diego gave the Packers the win at Lambeau in the final two minutes. The next week, he hauled in Favre’s NFL record-breaking 421st touchdown in Minnesota. In Week 8 in Denver, Jennings caught an 81-yarder from Favre to give the Pack a walk-off win in overtime. And his two touchdowns vs. Seattle in the Divisional round at Lambeau Field helped place the Packers in their first NFC Championship game since the 1998 season.
With Favre gone and the reins handed over to Aaron Rodgers, one thing remains clear: the Packers’ path to the Super Bowl will be smoother if they rely on the fluid route running and big-time athleticism of Jennings.
During Jennings first training camp in 2006, Rodgers declared that he could not wait to see the field as the starter and begin throwing to Jennings.
We saw a sneak peak of the duo in last year’s near-comeback win in Dallas, when Jennings caught several key receptions, including Rodgers’ first-career touchdown pass.
Against Minnesota in this year’s season-opener, Jennings grabbed five balls for 91 yards, including a leaping 57-yard catch that jumpstarted the Packers offense and set up the Packers at the six-yard line.
Driver, coming off an 82-catch season that landed him in the Pro Bowl for the third season, is still the emotional leader of the group and has plenty left in the tank to help Rodgers out. James Jones and Ruvell Martin give coach Mike McCarthy the chance to spread teams out.
The bottom line is that the player who can elevate this offense to the upper echelon is Jennings. And Rodgers is more than aware of this fact.
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