The Packer Pundit

Despite slow start,
Jennings has star power
By Tom Pelissero
greenbaypressgazette.com

"I'm" a precision route-runner. That's what I pride myself in, not being able to … get off the ball, that affected my game." -- Greg Jennings

Like starting quarterback Brett Favre, backup Aaron Rodgers has completed more passes to rookie James Jones than any other receiver in training camp. When Rodgers talks to friends around the league, though, they echo the words he spoke with conviction in the locker room this week: No matter how much others grab the spotlight in July and August, Greg Jennings is the Green Bay Packers receiver with the talent to emerge as a star in September. "He's our second-best wide receiver, regardless of what's happened so far," Rodgers said of Jennings, a second-round pick who was a rookie training camp star in his own right last summer.

"He's fast. He runs great routes, catches the ball with his hands. He's athletic, he does stuff with the ball after the catch, he has a great first move off the line of scrimmage, and we get in arguments because he always takes the blame. He's a man of integrity, so if something happens out there and it's questionable whose fault it is, he's going to be the first one to say, 'It's my fault.' "For a receiver, it's a very welcome attribute." Jennings, 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, had 45 receptions for 632 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games (11 starts) last season. Considering the struggles many rookie receivers have, those are solid numbers, especially since injuries left him less than full strength about half the year. "You felt like he was a veteran guy a year ago," receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. "He plays like a guy who knows what he's doing."

It makes sense a healthy Jennings is crucial to a young offense that needs all the playmakers it can get. But consider this: When Jennings had three catches or fewer (or was inactive) last season, the Packers were 7-3. When he had four catches or more, they were 1-5. Teams generally throw more often when they're behind, and some of Jennings' biggest plays came in games when he didn't touch the ball much, such as his 75-yard touchdown grab in a win Sept. 24 at Detroit. (He finished with three receptions for 101 yards.) Still, it's worth noting during the Packers' two best stretches — back-to-back midseason triumphs against Miami and Arizona, and the season-ending four-game winning streak — Jennings largely was a nonfactor, with one catch or less in all but one game.

Even in a victory Dec. 21 against Minnesota, Jennings was at least partially to blame for two Favre interceptions, one of which Fred Smoot returned 47 yards for the Vikings' only touchdown. It was Jennings' play the month before the injury, sustained at Miami, that all but guaranteed him the No. 2 job alongside Donald Driver this season. In four games, he posted all three of his touchdowns and roughly half of his other statistics — 19 receptions for 359 yards. "I'm a precision route-runner. That's what I pride myself in," Jennings said. "Not being able to … get off the ball, that affected my game."

By all accounts, Jennings is healthy, recovered from the ankle injury and the hip flexor problem that sidelined him for part of organized team activities in June. Yet in spite of Driver's absence the first three days of training camp, Jennings has done little to stand out. He's averaged one catch during 11-on-11 periods the first six practices; Jones has averaged nearly three. "It's not like we're not trying to get (Jennings) the ball, but we're certainly not designing it just for him to get the ball," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "I don't think you can read much into it. "Has he made a ton of plays yet? Probably not as many as he'd like. But I'm sure his opportunities will increase."

Unlike Jones, who has practiced almost exclusively at flanker, Jennings moved all over the field in his rookie camp last summer. That gave him an extensive knowledge of the offensive system, which relies heavily on mirrored routes, and added versatility for playing all three primary receiver spots. "It's not like (Jennings) does one thing great and another thing bad — he just knows how to make plays," cornerback Charles Woodson said. "He knows how to get open. He's good off a press (coverage), which you've got to be in this league. He's good."

How good? The answer to that question won't be clear until Jennings stays healthy for an entire season. "When you got a guy who can't practice Wednesday, can't practice Thursday, goes light on Friday and tries to play in the game on a bad ankle?" Rodgers said. "Thankfully, he was able to tough it out and go out there when we needed him in a game, at 60, 70 (percent), whatever he was at. But Greg Jennings at 100 percent is definitely in the top echelon of the wide receivers in the league, and I think we're going to find out this year what he's all about."
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