The moment Jared Abbrederis tore his ACL, many Packers fans were left wondering what the status of the receiving corps would be.
After starters Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, there are a few question marks.
With neither second-year pros Myles White and Kevin Dorsey unable to grab the full attention of the coaching staff, let alone a football consistently, Jeff Janis is starting to show what he has.
People have said that Janis has had a long road but that has easily been an understatement. Coming into camp he was a seventh rounder that had to earn his stripes but then he missed seven practices as he battled the Shingles virus. Of course Mike McCarthy cannot wait to see how Janis’ 4.37 combine speed transforms into an NFL game.
As long as Janis can consistently catch the ball, there will be a spot for him. But what separates Janis is his size. Most speedy skill guys are small but he’s a surprising 6-foot-3, which will keep him on the field in short field situations.
If Janis can be dynamic in every way, shape and form, Cobb would welcome that. Right now, Cobb is the do-everything guy on the Packers. He can catch it, run it and he can throw it. It would give Cobb a break and let him concentrate more on being the receiver that Aaron Rodgers said he could potentially be, while letting Janis take some of his utility work.
McCarthy has already said this is the deepest group of receivers he’s ever had in his nine years as a head coach. That may be, but there are questions to answer. Can Jarrett Boykin continue to improve on last year? Will Davante Adams’ wrist be a lingering injury through the rest of camp? The only thing left for Janis is to take his incredible practice catches and show that talent in a game.
——————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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Yet,there were and likely still,those who would avow that Abbrederis would have made short work of Janis and take the roster spot easily,while attempting to offer that homer-ism isn’t part of that belief.I’m not dismissing Abbrederis’ ability to run a route just his ability to out play the more bigger, physical,faster 2.0 version of Jordy, that is Janis.
Much as I did with James Starks,I stand behind Janis as being the best guy for the #5-6 spot at WR,regardless of the actual number retained.
I was one guy who never had the Abbrederis goggles on, maybe easier not being from Wisconsin. I questioned whether he would make the team, given the plethora of WR talent in camp. Although the injury is a bummer, having a year to work out will end up being the best thing for him, long term.
She’s referring to me, Al and she could use a lesson in reading the English language. To borrow your favorite phrase: Stop it. If you can show me where I exhibit homerism towards Abbrederis, I’ll pay your rent for a year. Otherwise, go find another target to inaccurately label. Your powers are useless here. Make like Frozen and let it go, sis.
Sorry Jason,but you are not the only one who I place in the homer pool and mentioning names is not an avenue in need of travel.
It cannot be denied that here and on other sites,Abbrederis was given the roster spot regardless of what or when Janis would be viewed as to his ability.
Just because one didn’t scream from the rooftop an allegiance to any Badger player,doesn’t mean they aren’t on a homer wagon…how else does one root for a Badger and remit a decisive decision about a player not yet seen on the field as a non factor in winning a spot on the roster.Surely,this is not derived from the little tape of a player but is sugar coated more so simply because of a college …Wisconsin. 🙂
Ok, fair enough and please understand that your statement seemed very tailored to me, so I responded.
I don’t spend a ton of time watching college football or footage of players. “Wisconsin. :)” means nothing to me and is as far from any of my analysis as can be. I can’t tell you the first thing about that team last year, this year or any upcoming year for that matter.
My stating that Abbrederis was very likely to make the roster (had he stayed healthy) was based on discussions that I’ve had with credible sources and from what I’ve read from additional credible sources in the media. It’s called reporting and it’s based on what they have seen so far, which is OTA’s and training camp.
At that point, no rookies had been seen on the field yet so are we supposed to curtail any discussion about roster projections and not share what we know? People want roster projections and updates from day 1. The race for a roster spot begins then and shapes every single day and practice. What else do we have to go on this early? I get it, you like Jeff Janis and at the time I wrote about Abby, Janis had practiced ZERO times. There was no indication that he would just walk on and light it up at practice every day. It’s easy to point at the last week and the great work he’s done at camp as your supporting argument but let’s try to step away from any revisionist history here and put ourselves back to last week.
Again, if you can adequately refute the idea that many credible sources had Abbrederis as a heavy favorite to make the roster, prior to his injury, please do so. I have no problem seeing another point of view or that contrary to what I have previously stated.
Don’t worry Jason. She was also talking to me. I was admittedly head-over-heels for Abbrederis. (And living a whisper away from Madison does cloud my judgment).
Also, Abbrederis was a 5th round pick and Janis was a 7th round pick. All else being equal, or near equal, they’d keep the 5th rounder and try to stash the 7th rounder on the PS.
“Jeff Janis could be Packers WR answer”
Ummm…what’s the WR question?
perhaps, who will end up being the #3 receiver – although I think Boykin holds on to that spot for this year at least.
I would agree that Boykin holds on to the number 3 spot. He seems to be very under rated, which surprises me, based on how well he played last year.
The Packers rarely put much on a rookie receiver’s plate. They always seem to be brought along slow, even Cobb after his big game against the Saints saw limited opportunities as a rookie.
Same size as Jordy Nelson and faster, well why not. End of the year he will be the #3 or #4 receiver. I watched his tape and he catches the ball. Small college, knock on him. So what. Donald Driver went to Alcorn State and he did relatively well with the Packers.