Think Rodgers misses his receivers?

Yah, many of us remember the Majic man years...

I just hope there isnt too much @ stake when we play there and Soldier Field our last 2 games...

Three football teams dominate conversations in the Twin Cities: the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Gophers.The Vikings are 5-1. The Packers are 3-4, having lost consecutive games to the Giants, Jets and Commanders. The Gophers, after being dismantled by Penn State on Saturday, are 4-3, 1-3 in the Big Ten, riding a three-game losing streak and tied for last in the West Division.
There is a position that has played a key role in the relative fates of these three teams, and it's not quarterback. It's one of the most pivotal roles in modern football — No. 1 receiver.
When future Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy was the Vikings' defensive coordinator, he offered a fascinating insight into NFL game theory. He said that defenses didn't require multiple stars to be great. They did require one great player who commanded doubleteams and influenced game plans and play calls.
Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle was that player for Dungy. He commanded double teams. He beat double teams. He made offensive game plans predictable.
In recent years, the star receiver has become a similar influencer. Consider:

• The Vikings have won four straight close games against bad or banged-up teams. They have had one offensive explosion, and one victory over what was believed to be a good team — scoring 17 points in the first half of a 23-7 victory over the Packers.

In that game, Vikings star Justin Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
A week later, in a 24-7 loss at Philadelphia, Jefferson had trouble against star cornerback Darius Slay, and the Vikings' offense looked inept.
In the last three weeks, Jefferson has averaged 9.3 catches and 136 yards in one-possession victories. Without Jefferson, the Vikings could be questioning the expertise of their new head coach instead of enjoying the bye weekend as a first-place team.

• Matt LaFleur became the Packers' coach in 2019. In his first three seasons, he, Aaron Rodgers and star receiver Davante Adams achieved 13 victories per regular season.

This season, with Adams in Las Vegas, the Packers are 3-4. They have produced one 100-yard receiving game — by Allen Lazard in a three-point overtime victory against New England.
On Sunday, the Packers played at Washington. Rodgers completed six of his first 10 passes. The four incompletions were a drop by Lazard, a drop by tight end Robert Tonyan, a miscommunication on a deep throw with Romeo Doubs, and a drop by Aaron Jones.
On the Packers' first offensive play of the season, rookie Christian Watson dropped what should have been a 75-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers against the Vikings. Their offense, without a star receiver, looks dysfunctional.

• Tanner Morgan was not supposed to be a starting quarterback in the Big Ten. He committed to Western Michigan to play for P.J. Fleck, then followed Fleck to Minnesota and became a backup to Zack Annexstad.

Morgan became a starter when Annexstad was injured and had a remarkable sophomore season in 2019, producing career bests with 3,253 yards, 10.2 yards per attempt and 30 passing touchdowns.
In his other four seasons, he has produced 33 touchdowns. He has not reached 2,100 passing yards in any other season.
Did Morgan become a better player in 2019? No. He had two NFL-caliber receivers, Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson, making spectacular catches and stretching defenses.
This season, the Gophers are 3-0 when top receiver Chris Autman-Bell plays, and 1-3 when he doesn't. It's true that Autman-Bell played in nonconference games against weak opponents. It's also true that he may have produced the Dungy effect in one or two of the Gophers' losses, either making big plays or commanding double teams that opened space for a teammate's approach.
Jefferson is the Vikings' most important player, and the reason they are 5-1.
The loss of Adams is the simplest explanation for the Packers' sudden mediocrity.
And if Fleck wants to regain his status as a nationally-renowned coach, he'll have to find himself another 
Bateman.https://www.startribune.com/one-position-defines-vikings-packers-gophers-justin-jefferson-davante-adams-aaron-rodgers-jim-souhan/600218368/

I just think its hilarious that the media insists that if Rodgers doesn't have the perfect supporting cast around him, its a travesty. Give me a f-ing break. They got beat yesterday by a backup with a depleted offensive roster. Now its all about having a superstar WRer?? Really? 

@"purplefaithful" said:Bateman.https://www.startribune.com/one-position-defines-vikings-packers-gophers-justin-jefferson-davante-adams-aaron-rodgers-jim-souhan/600218368/

Funny that when you read an article and a third of the way through, you think, "wow, not only is this writer trying way too hard to support a flimsy point, he's also kind of a dick" ....it's always Jim Souhan. 

@"Vanguard83" said:

@"greediron" said:

@"Vanguard83" said: I have gone on record many times, and I will again.  With regard to anything Green Bay Packer related....

I
DONT
CARE

...and wont ever

what about them losing?

I grew up watching the ‘70s Vikings.....Green Bay losing was a given

@"StickyBun" said: I just think its hilarious that the media insists that if Rodgers doesn't have the perfect supporting cast around him, its a travesty. Give me a f-ing break. They got beat yesterday by a backup with a depleted offensive roster. Now its all about having a superstar WRer?? Really? 

Agreed. They might want to take a look at their defense, and Rodgers should take a look in the mirror. Dude is a cancer to his team this year. Never takes the blame for his bad throws and does not support or encourage his young receivers at all. I have a feeling the rest of the team is getting sick of listening to his BS. I have to say I am really enjoying it though. I have Packers friends who blame Rodgers contract for all their woes.  If it weren't for his big contract I would say he is done after this year. Some think they will come back but I don't see it. I see them in the first year of a prolonged playoff drought and many years of dysfunction ahead. Odds are very low they will hit on a 3rd HOF QB in a row. One thing for sure, Love isn't one.

@"jargomcfargo" said:

@"StickyBun" said: I just think its hilarious that the media insists that if Rodgers doesn't have the perfect supporting cast around him, its a travesty. Give me a f-ing break. They got beat yesterday by a backup with a depleted offensive roster. Now its all about having a superstar WRer?? Really? 

Agreed. They might want to take a look at their defense, and Rodgers should take a look in the mirror. Dude is a cancer to his team this year. Never takes the blame for his bad throws and does not support or encourage his young receivers at all. I have a feeling the rest of the team is getting sick of listening to his BS. I have to say I am really enjoying it though. I have Packers friends who blame Rodgers contract for all their woes.  If it weren't for his big contract I would say he is done after this year. Some think they will come back but I don't see it. I see them in the first year of a prolonged playoff drought and many years of dysfunction ahead. Odds are very low they will hit on a 3rd HOF QB in a row. One thing for sure, Love isn't one.

History tells us that it is foolish to praise the Vikings or bury the Packers too early in a season.Specifically, if you're a Vikings fan with a good memory for pain or a Packers fan searching for optimism, there are some significant parallels between the start of the 2016 season for both teams.
That year, the Vikings started 5-0, including an early-season home win over the Packers, and looked like they would be poised to win the division.
That sentiment grew stronger when the Packers, after a pretty good start to the year, plummeted to 4-6 with a four-game losing streak punctuated by a loss to Washington.
This season, of course, the Vikings are 5-1 at the bye — including an impressive early win over the Packers. And Green Bay has stumbled to 3-4 after three consecutive losses, the most recent of which came Sunday at Washington.
By the end of 2016, the Vikings had come unglued and finished 8-8. The Packers had rallied to win their final six games, a feat predicted by QB Aaron Rodgers, and they made the playoffs at 10-6 and went all the way to the NFC title game before losing.
Could that happen again this season? Sure. But as Patrick Reusse and I talked about on Monday's Daily Delivery podcast, there is a flaw in the logic if the Packers are expecting to turn their season around so easily again.
The big issue with Green Bay right now is that Rodgers doesn't have enough receivers that he trusts. Not only did he lose superstar Davante Adams in the offseason, but also deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scandling left for Kansas City.
During Sunday's 23-21 loss, Rodgers was caught multiple times by even novice lip readers shouting "what are we doing?" during frustrating moments.
The Packers didn't even have 100 yards of offense late in the third quarter, and they didn't convert a single third down. For the second time in three weeks, Rodgers' day ended with him face down after a desperation attempt didn't work.
In 2016, by contrast, Rodgers had Jordy Nelson (97 catches, 14 TDs), Adams (75 catches, 12 TDs) and a mid-career Randall Cobb (60 catches) as a security blanket.
Rodgers finished the year with 40 touchdowns, 7 INTs and No. 4 in Total QBR. This year he's No. 26 in that advanced QB metric.
The Packers can't win if Rodgers isn't elite. And Rodgers is showing he can't be anywhere close to elite if he doesn't have receivers he trusts.
Maybe they will still figure it out. But in Green Bay, at least for now, it feels like it's getting late pretty early.
https://www.startribune.com/aaron-rodgers-packers-vikings-davante-adams/600218555/

@"purplefaithful" said:The big issue with Green Bay right now is that Rodgers doesn't have enough receivers that he trusts. Not only did he lose superstar Davante Adams in the offseason, but also deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scandling left for Kansas City.... ...The Packers can't win if Rodgers isn't elite. And Rodgers is showing he can't be anywhere close to elite if he doesn't have receivers he trusts.

...and yet when many of us said that the media and Packer fans, who almost unanimously picked the Packers to win the division, were underrating just how much Rodgers would miss his top two receivers, we were told that Rodgers would find a way. Looking at you, Pete Prisco. 

Might they come back and make things interesting? Yeah, I expect them to. But they're not going to be serious contenders with that group of receivers. I think they have to make a trade or they're done. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:The big issue with Green Bay right now is that Rodgers doesn't have enough receivers that he trusts. Not only did he lose superstar Davante Adams in the offseason, but also deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scandling left for Kansas City.... ...The Packers can't win if Rodgers isn't elite. And Rodgers is showing he can't be anywhere close to elite if he doesn't have receivers he trusts.

...and yet when many of us said that the media and Packer fans, who almost unanimously picked the Packers to win the division, were underrating just how much Rodgers would miss his top two receivers, we were told that Rodgers would find a way. Looking at you, Pete Prisco. 

Might they come back and make things interesting? Yeah, I expect them to. But they're not going to be serious contenders with that group of receivers. I think they have to make a trade or they're done. 

Couldn't happen to a more deserving team---burn baby burn

@"1VikesFan" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:The big issue with Green Bay right now is that Rodgers doesn't have enough receivers that he trusts. Not only did he lose superstar Davante Adams in the offseason, but also deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scandling left for Kansas City.... ...The Packers can't win if Rodgers isn't elite. And Rodgers is showing he can't be anywhere close to elite if he doesn't have receivers he trusts.

...and yet when many of us said that the media and Packer fans, who almost unanimously picked the Packers to win the division, were underrating just how much Rodgers would miss his top two receivers, we were told that Rodgers would find a way. Looking at you, Pete Prisco. 

Might they come back and make things interesting? Yeah, I expect them to. But they're not going to be serious contenders with that group of receivers. I think they have to make a trade or they're done. 

Agree MB, their receivers are definitely not getting the job done. Not their only problem though. Their defense doesn't look good at all right now and that is supposed to be this year's strength.

@"1VikesFan" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:The big issue with Green Bay right now is that Rodgers doesn't have enough receivers that he trusts. Not only did he lose superstar Davante Adams in the offseason, but also deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scandling left for Kansas City.... ...The Packers can't win if Rodgers isn't elite. And Rodgers is showing he can't be anywhere close to elite if he doesn't have receivers he trusts.

...and yet when many of us said that the media and Packer fans, who almost unanimously picked the Packers to win the division, were underrating just how much Rodgers would miss his top two receivers, we were told that Rodgers would find a way. Looking at you, Pete Prisco. 

Might they come back and make things interesting? Yeah, I expect them to. But they're not going to be serious contenders with that group of receivers. I think they have to make a trade or they're done. 

Agree MB, their receivers are definitely not getting the job done. Not their only problem though. Their defense doesn't look good at all right now and that is supposed to be this year's strength.

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:The big issue with Green Bay right now is that Rodgers doesn't have enough receivers that he trusts. Not only did he lose superstar Davante Adams in the offseason, but also deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scandling left for Kansas City.... ...The Packers can't win if Rodgers isn't elite. And Rodgers is showing he can't be anywhere close to elite if he doesn't have receivers he trusts.

...and yet when many of us said that the media and Packer fans, who almost unanimously picked the Packers to win the division, were underrating just how much Rodgers would miss his top two receivers, we were told that Rodgers would find a way. Looking at you, Pete Prisco. 

Might they come back and make things interesting? Yeah, I expect them to. But they're not going to be serious contenders with that group of receivers. I think they have to make a trade or they're done. 

I wouldn't completely throw dirt on the Packers yet, but I'll be surprised if they turn it around completely. They've lost games they usually pull out.