“It’s two games, but you can see how quick it can happen. James (Jones) went from no yards in Week 1 to 179 in Week 2,” said Jordy Nelson when asked about the possibility of himself and Randall Cobb each finishing the year with 1,000 yards receiving.
On Sunday you’re going to see two of the best receivers in the NFL.
Growing up on a farm in the plains of Kansas, Jordy Nelson probably never thought he would be compared to the likes of A.J. Green.
But when it’s time for kickoff Sunday afternoon, those two will represent the best at the position in what has become a passing renaissance in the new-look NFL.
However, the interesting aspect is that they’ve done it in different ways.
Nelson is 15th in the league with 196 receiving yards, yet of all the receivers in the top 15, he has the least amount of targets with 14. The reason Nelson has been able to dazzle defenses is because of the amazing supporting cast. He plays alongside fellow wideout Randall Cobb who has been targeted eight more times and is third in the NFL with 236 yards. And let’s not forget about tight end Jermichael Finley, who has found a way to curb his past and put all of his energy into his God-given talents, which has him on the fast track for an All-Pro season.
Oh, and you’re probably wondering about James Jones. Well, he merely led the NFL in touchdown grabs last year with 14. He’s got 12 targets this season, which is surprising considering he had zero after Week 1.
Green, on the other hand has been blessed with height, speed, catching ability and just enough power to be a problem. Put all those things together and he is a horror film for any defensive back.
Green is looking for his third straight 1,000-yard season on a team that doesn’t have another pass catcher that’s even as close to as reliable as the above guys are to Nelson.
But what Green has is that he will always be the Bengals’ alpha dog. Green doesn’t have to worry about where the ball is going on 3rd-and-7 with the game on the line. Andy Dalton will keep his eyes glued to his two-time Pro Bowler before being forced to pass it anywhere else.
It’s a little different in Green Bay where Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ alpha dog, treats the pigskin like a timeshare vacation. You put in the time and effort and you celebrate the rewards of getting open.
Obviously comparing Dalton and Rodgers is a failing exercise. One cannot win a playoff game, looks overmatched when forced to throw in traffic and hasn’t really showcased a lot of arm strength. While the other plays the quarterback position with all the smarts like he’s trying to disarm a bomb, in addition to having great escapability and an amazing arm.
But the reason I like Nelson is because of the intangible stuff. He isn’t afraid to hustle downfield, drop his pads and make a block to give the ballcarrier another five yards and a first down. Green cannot be concerned with too much of that because if he gets hurt, Cincinnati’s entire passing game gets derailed.
Many people were surprised when Greg Jennings left Green Bay. The Packers had arguably a more dynamic receiver all along, they just didn’t unleash him until this season.
And now that Jennings is gone, Nelson, Cobb and Jones have not dropped a pass yet this year. That’s pretty amazing considering that defenses have been trying to stop the pass the last two weeks and because the wideouts as a whole dropped 21 passes last year.
Green may be the best overall wideout in the NFL soon, heck he may be the best overall wideout in the NFL this season. But he isn’t going to reach his true potential until another receiver can take some pressure off of him. Last year, Green had 70 more targets than Cincinnati’s next-best receiver and this year he’s already got 15 more targets than second place.
Nelson also proves his value even more with three touchdowns and no fumbles in the postseason during his five-year career.
Green may give you a few more ESPN highlights and he might even help you win a few fantasy games, but Nelson is the better receiver if you want to win in the NFL.
——————Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn
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Dude your crazy! Nelson is a really good WR and close to being Pro Bowl status, but Green has much more talent overall and he isn’t lacking in intangibles either. I love Jordy and he’s a great fit for the Packers, but the Packers would be even more unstoppable on offense if they replaced Nelson w/ Green. And if you put Nelson in Greens place in Cincy they aren’t nearly as good a team! And objective person can see that, which I guess speaks to your objectivity, or lack thereof! Its great your a homer and all, your a Packer fan afterall. But saying in any context that you would rather have Nelson over AJ Green is simply absurd!
…the apostrophe police have just issued a warrant for your arrest, Stroh! 😉
But FWIW, I think you’re dead on.
I am enamored by Nelson’s body control and his ability to know ARod’s intentions. Routes, hands, size, freelancing on broken plays…he makes great plays. Why do I agree with Stroh’s first post, that switching the players would have dramatic results? Do I have that much faith in ARod’s ability to make any receiver look great?
What is the true knock on Nelson’s game? He gets deep, makes dramatic plays…he’s just not the #1 “go to” guy?
The more I write, the more I wonder why Green is considered to be elite and Nelson just “really good”.
Nelson can do pretty much anything a WR is asked to do. Green just does all the things a WR is asked to do a little better. He’s faster, he can jump higher, he’s taller. He has great hands, runs precise routes, makes game changing plays. There is no knock on Jordy at all, just Green is that little bit better. I give Nelson a ton or credit, he’s made himself into an outstanding player. He’s just a step below the likes of Green, Julio Jones, DMarius Thomas, Dez Bryants and one or two others.
Let’s think this out you are putting Aj above Jordy well we will see at the end of the year I think Jordy a better receiver overall He is on a team that has same amount of receivers on the field week end week out Aj is the key receiver and he is only 7 yards ahead of Jordy who is our number 2 receiver- and at this point and pace will be on a team that will have three wide receivers and a tight end all having 1,000 yard reception seasons. If he didn’t miss 4 games last year would of had 1000 yards most likely.
Stats don’t tell the story. Green draws nothing but double teams, that’s not nearly the case w/ Jordy. Jordy is surrounded by Cobb, Jones, Finley to take pressure off him as the #1 WR (or receiver overall). Green has no one in Cincy that draws nearly the amount of coverage that he sees. Jordy doesn’t see nearly the amount of coverage that AJ Green does (no disrespect to Cincy’s other receivers). That’s why I said if you changed them one for the other, the Packers would be even better while Cincy would suffer. Green numbers suffer from the amount of coverage he sees and Jordy benefits from not seeing nearly as much double coverage as he would in Greens shoes.
Stroh, I agree with your points on this subject. I would just point out, however, that Cincy has a MUCH more reliable and productive attack from the tight end position, and that does benefit Green hugely.
But yeah, I think the notion of Jordy being better than AJ is pretty much unworthy of serious argument.
I don’t think I’d call it unworthy. Nelson is a pretty amazing receiver
You think that Gresham draws more coverage than Finley? I would doubt that too. Sure they have Gresham and Eifert but as of right now neither one draws as much coverage as Finley IMO. And Cincy doesn’t have any WR near the level of Cobb and Jones. Look at it like this, which team has the better overall receivers? Green Bay or Cincy? Theres only so much coverage resources to go around and the Packers weapons at TE and WR are better than Cincy. I don’t think Gresham or Eifert is better than Finley.
I’m not arguing with you, just saying that having a very good pair of TEs is a big benefit to AJ Green. As for whose receivers are better, the GB receivers are hands down better than Cincy. As for whose TEs are better, well, let’s watch the game today and see what we think. I have a feeling Gresham and Eifert are in for big days.
Gresham and Eifert might have better games today, but they have the advantage of facing the Packers D. Finley has a much more difficult matchup. I have Finley and Eifert in fantasy and I’m sticking w/ Finley. Lets see how the season plays out.
True. I consider it a hard and fast rule for fantasy football… “ALWAYS play the tight end who is facing Green Bay.”
Yes. I think that’s it. Just a little bit better.
LOL.
I read this article because I thought it would be yet another example the poor “title writing” that it so common on Jersey Al. (Writers so often chose overly-dramatized, deceptive and misleading titles for their articles in an effort to provoke a few more reads.
But I was wrong. In this case, it turns out the ENTIRE article is crazy, not just the title.
Well, I’ll be.
Let’s think this out you are putting Aj above Jordy well we will see at the end of the year I think Jordy a better receiver overall He is on a team that has same amount of receivers on the field week end week out Aj is the key receiver and he is only 7 yards ahead of Jordy who is our number 2 receiver- and at this point and pace will be on a team that will have three wide receivers and a tight end all having 1,000 yard reception seasons. If he didn’t miss 4 games last year would of had 1000 yards most likely.
AJ Green is more of a true #1 WR. Jordy fits the balanced Packers’ system perfectly.