It takes one to know one.
When it comes to offensive weapons, you’d be hard-pressed to find many in NFL history more impressive than Randy Moss. The man changed the NFL like few offensive players ever have. But when the ultimate weapon thinks about Aaron Rodgers’ weapons, he apparently still doesn’t see enough around number 12 to feel comfortable with Green Bay’s prospects.
“I’m very concerned. And the reason why? What have I talked about for the last two years for the Green Bay Packers? Being able to get Aaron Rodgers some help on the offense…somebody that he trusts. We know that he trusts Davante Adams. Yes. Does he trust Aaron Jones? Yes. But look at the statistics between the targets.” Moss said, referring to a graphic that listed targets for Packers receivers this season. Davante Adams has 107, with Aaron Jones 60 behind at 47. The next closest being Randall Cobb with 34.
“Look at the difference between Davante Adams and Randall Cobb.” Moss continued. “So you talking about the trust in this offense. And defense is only going to take you for so far. In the NFC you have defenses that can stop you. What did we say a couple weeks ago? Offenses needed to score. We put Dallas up there, we put Tampa up there, we put Arizona up there. For me they need to find somebody else to trust. I thought Randall Cobb was the one but as you can see the receptions, I’m not too strong right now on the Green Bay Packers.”
Set aside that Randy Moss played for the hated Vikings and that for a year now the NFL media has been trying to tear down the cohesive and resilient Packers, and there just may be some truth here. But he’s missing some important caveats.
The reality is we are only having this conversation about weapons because of health. The injury to Robert Tonyan was far bigger than many anticipated and it has put Green Bay in an extremely vulnerable spot. If one of our two big offensive stars gets hurt, like has happened with Aaron Jones, the Packers are once again in danger of being the team they’ve been for years. A superstar quarterback with not quite enough weapons to get it done.
Does that mean we need to second-guess the Odell Beckham Jr. attempt? Absolutely not. My money is on him being a bust with the Rams. To Moss’ point I think somebody simply needs to step up to the plate and be an extra person that Rodgers can trust.
And speaking of health, that obvious someone is MVS.
MVS had four catches for 123 yards and a touchdown and was targeted often on Sunday. Maybe the deep connection late in the fourth quarter will finally put him and Rodgers on the same page. MVS’ stint on the IR took up most of his season and when he returned in week 9 he returned to Jordan Love. With Rodgers returning from covid it was expected we would see some rust. This weekend might be when things really start to click for the two.
Aaron Jones practiced on Thursday, but if he’s out again this week it’s a perfect opportunity to build that trust that Moss talked about and prepare for the stretch run with a reliable number two that can make big plays in big moments. The Packers absolutely need it. And if they don’t get it we might see another version of the same story this postseason.
