Enough is enough.
Former Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings simply cannot stop talking about his former team. And despite his assertion that the grass is greener in Minnesota, his repetitive jabs at the Packers suggest otherwise.
The breakup between Jennings and the Packers wasn’t a “he dumped her,” or “she dumped him” situation. It was a mutual divorce that made sense for both sides.
Even without Jennings, the Packers still have one of the top receiving trios in the league in Randall Cobb, James Jones and Jordy Nelson. Extending Jennings likely would have resulted in the departure of someone else. Morgan Burnett was signed to an extension last month, and Jones, B.J. Raji and Jermichael Finley are scheduled to hit free agency next summer.
Jennings, on the other hand, wasn’t ready to give up his “go-to receiver” label. In Green Bay, he’d have to share targets with three talented receivers and an athletic tight end. In Minnesota, Jennings is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver and figures to be towards the top of the league in targets.
But throughout this mutual breakup, a cloud of jealousy is hovering over Jennings’ head.
After all, his ex (Green Bay) has continually replenished their receiving corps under the watchful eye of Ted Thompson, grooming potential replacements for players on the decline. After taking Jennings in 2006, the Packers drafted James Jones in 2007, Jordy Nelson in 2008 and Randall Cobb in 2011.
And now, it seems like Jennings is having trouble seeing his ex with a younger, prettier (and less costly) girl.
In October 2012, quarterback Aaron Rodgers made a bold statement about Cobb, telling Packers beat writer Jason Wilde on their weekly in-season radio show “Tuesdays with Aaron” that Cobb “is probably going to go down as one of the best picks in Ted Thompson’s career, if not the best.”
Thompson’s draft résumé boasts Rodgers, Nick Collins, Greg Jennings and Clay Matthews, among others. But still, Cobb, after appearing in just 21 games in the NFL, was already in the conversation, according to the 2011 league MVP.
Later in the season, in Week 17, Jennings’ sister Valyncia trashed Rodgers on Twitter during the Packers-Vikings game in Minnesota. On top of urging her brother to “go to South Beach and get paid” after the 2012 season, Valyncia suggested that Rodgers favors Cobb over the other receivers.
“It is so obvious that @GregJennings is being blatantly ignored by ARod,” Jennings tweeted. “Maybe at halftime GJ should put on #18 then ARod will force it to him!”
Rodgers didn’t respond directly to the assertion that he tends to look Cobb’s way first, but just more than two months after Jennings signed with the Vikings, Rodgers took his praise for Cobb one step further, suggesting the young receiver could be in for an even larger role in the offense.
“I think he can be a 100-catch guy,” Rodgers said, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We haven’t had that here in awhile, but I think he can. He’s a special player. As long as he can stay healthy, I think he’s going to be a big-time star for us.”
Rodgers has publicly endorsed his guys throughout his career. He hyped up Jermichael Finley during his breakout season in 2009, and he went to bat for Jones when the receiver hit free agency in 2011. But the quarterback’s recent praise for Cobb trumps it all.
Cobb was the final pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and enjoyed a breakout season in 2012, racking up a team-high 954 receiving yards on 80 catches. Jennings, a second-round pick in 2006, also broke out in his second year with the Packers, totaling 920 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns in 2007.
Cobb’s breakout season this past year may have played a part in the team’s decision to let Jennings walk via free agency; the seven-year veteran signed with the Vikings in March.
And ever since, Jennings has seemingly turned on Rodgers, his quarterback for the past five seasons. At the peak of Jennings’ critical comments of Rodgers, the receiver questioned Rodgers’ leadership, suggesting the quarterback was reluctant to admit when he made mistakes.
“When you hear all positives, all positives, all positives all the time, it’s hard for you to sit down when one of your teammates says, ‘Man, come on, you’ve got to hold yourself accountable for this,'” Jennings told the Star Tribune, per the USA Today. “It’s hard for someone to see that now because all they’ve heard is ‘I’m doing it the right way, I’m perfect.’ In actuality, we all have flaws.”
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier had a chat with his new wide receiver, as he had apparently grown tired of his new top receiver talking about his former team and quarterback.
“We’re the Vikings and we want to talk about us, what we’re trying to get done,” Frazier said, according to Ben Goessling of the Pioneer Press. “That’s where our focus has to be. There’s so much work to be done, and we don’t want to be looking at what’s happening with other teams, other teams’ players. We’ve got to focus on us. He’s good with that.”
But after Frazier’s slap on the wrist, Jennings still couldn’t help himself, suggesting the Packers “brainwashed” him during his seven seasons in Green Bay. According to NFL.com, Jennings was asked if the Vikings had championship-type qualities.
“We do,” Jennings said, via FoxSportsNorth.com. “One of the things that obviously drew me to coming over here was the makeup of the team.”
But he didn’t stop there. Instead, his ex creeped into the back of his mind once again.
“When I came over here, I kind of had, I was kind of brainwashed,” Jennings said. “There’s no ‘kind of’ to it. Being over in Green Bay, you’re brainwashed to think that anyone in the division is just tiers below.”
The Packers have more championships (13) than any other team in NFL history. The Packers have won four Super Bowls, which trumps the Vikings’ zero. Lambeau Field and the Packers’ facilities are widely recognized as being among the best in the league. So based on wins, losses and the overall perception around the league, yes, the Packers could be considered the class of the NFC North.
Brainwashing? Hardly.
Jennings may be upset that Rodgers didn’t publicly campaign for Jennings’ return, like he did with Jones. He may be upset that Rodgers is showering Cobb with praise after just two seasons in the NFL. Maybe it’s a combination of the two, sprinkled on top of a couple handfuls of things that fans will never know about.
Whatever the may be, Jennings can’t seem to get over his ex. His ex has moved on. And while Jennings continues to refer to Rodgers as “12,” perhaps “18” has a bit to do with Jennings’ jealous ways.
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Follow @MJEversoll
Marques is a Journalism student, serving as the Sports Editor of UW-Green Bay\'s campus newspaper The Fourth Estate and a Packers writer at Jersey Al\'s AllGBP.com. Follow Marques on Twitter @MJEversoll.
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Maybe? Maybe!?!?
“Maybe it’s this; maybe it’s that . . . whatever it may be . . .”
Is this blog becoming a gossip column? Does anyone really care about what Greg Jennings’ sister tweets or whether Jennings is “jealous” of Randall Cobb?
It wasn’t too long ago when Chad Toporski wrote a highly informative series of articles detailing the Packers’ basic defensive formations (“okie,” “nickel,” “psycho,” etc.). Chad provided blackboard drawings, videos of plays in which each formation was used and in-depth analysis. As a suggestion, why don’t the writers at AllGreenBayPackers.com continue with that type of analysis of the Packers’ offensive and special teams’ formations and plays? I can’t speak for your other readers, but for me that would surely beat “he said, she said” silly gossip.
P.S. As we get into the season, your articles could feature key plays with film and analysis for each game. You could also feature a particular player with video and analysis of that player’s strengths and weaknesses.
Just a suggestion.
Why don’t you take it upon yourself to put the time and effort into doing that instead of biotchng about it!
We try to provide news, analysis, and commentary about the Green Bay Packers in multiple ways and for multiple audiences. While you might prefer the factual, analytic type of articles, other people might prefer the speculative type of commentary on individual players and motives that you see in this article. And still others might simply want recaps and information just to keep up with the weekly events. We as writers are also just as equally varied in our writing styles and perspectives.
One final thing to remember is that, for all of us, this is a second job we do outside of our primary professions. Deep, thorough analysis can take time, and that’s a resource we don’t always have a lot of, especially when we have to keep up with the day-to-day happenings of training camp. Summer is also a time where a lot people go on vacation, and some of us have even been away for professional purposes. I know that I am knee deep in graduate work and lesson planning for the upcoming school year.
We definitely hear and understand your concerns, but you do have to be a bit realistic about the situation.
And don’t worry… once games start happening (like tonight), you’ll start to see more analysis and videos, because we’ll have some concrete visual media to work with. Right now, we don’t have much tangible evidence to work with that is current and applicable to the situation.
Thanks, Chad, for the thoughtful and courteous reply.
Interesting . . . someone “dislikes” an expression of gratitude to another for that person’s thoughtfulness and courtesy. Just imagine what kind of human being that must be!
But wait. I have the answer. It’s not a human being at all. It’s that nasty troll again. You know, the one who has trouble spelling when he’s drunk!
LOL
What should a fan do with a Jennings jersey or tee shirt? I bought one for $25 outside of Lambeau (my only trip ever as I live in Oregon). At first I thought that Jennings was a class act but the Packers just hd some many other options at receiver. Now I, like most of Packer Nation, just wish he would shut up.
Mark, a couple of suggestions, ..you can bring them on you next camping trip and use them for toilet paper, or , to start your camp fire with. You could also use them as rags when you change the oil on your car or when you paint your house. Maybe you could line the cat litter box with them
‘Meg’ Jennings needs to shut her mouth and then thank Green Bay for the privilege of being Packer. Clam up already Meg!!
This was horrible, period! They **it the bed. So much for having one of the league’s brightest secondaries! What a joke! Once again, the MASH unit that is the GBP can manage to even get to the pre-season without half of their projected starters on the sidelines. Rodgers and the O couldn’t manage to put up any points against the Cards?! Really?! It’s time we come terms with the fact that something is wrong with the way we are practicing and the manner in which these injuries are being managed. I think we should just have “walk throughs” for the entire training camp. Perhaps then we could field a decent team? You can’t polish a turd and this game was a merely that. I’m tired of spinning excuses. With strength of schedule & and 4 season of perpetual injuries….9-7 anyone?:(
Scoreless against Phoenix! They were; what? 3 and 13 last year? Ok, who cares? It preseason, blocking, tackling the normal things they still can’t do. Starks; can’t get it in from the 1 yard line. What else is new? Soft. Soft. Soft!
And then he wonders why TT let him go. The four lost games came after Jennings went to the press, criticizing 12,..ah, oh oh, sorry, I mean Aaron Rodgers. He’s got balls to be the only critic from sea to shining sea with criticism for Rodgers, creating a bad feeling within team players as well as staff, with his crying the blues, just to be heard. I call Jennings responsible for those losses. Then, Rodgers goes his way in the 1st half and he stands there, unable to jump 6 or 7 inches to get one, or standing there looking at the ball fly past him, because the pass was hurried by the rush, and dropsies a couple more, to go along with a couple catches. That is what’s called stinking’ up the place”. The best thing you can do with a guy like that is send him to Detroit. They said no way. So TT sent him to the 2nd best place, Minnesota, who is sorry to take him already, before the pre-season began (smirk).
MASH unit?
Maybe if that means; Maintaining A Still Healthy unit.
I doubt if the Packers, as an organization, aren’t aware of the injury plagued seasons they have suffered through. Perhaps they are leaning towards keeping even the marginally injured starting players from ending up on IR?
What can you do with a Jennings uni.?
Wear it to a Vikings game!
That way when he see’s it (in green and gold) he will be reminded of what could have been had he not followed in his first love (Favre) to the dark side.
There is a specific ring in hell reserved for those who give up on their moral compass for wealth. Dante described them as lawyers, but they could be ex-Packer Vikings.
It’s not all bad. We imagine the Pack secondary will be gunning for a shutdown on GJ. From that perspective, let’s hope he keeps providing plenty of bulletin board rhetoric.