Davante Adams is excellent. Excellence is what he gives and, therefore, what he expects in return. He is one of only four players in NFL history with 700 receptions and 80 receiving TD in their first 9 seasons. At the end of last season, Adams was thought of as the hands-down best receiver in the league. Through the first nine games of 2022, he has again brought excellence to the table, but for the first time in his career, it isn’t being matched.
Despite 57 catches for 784 yards and eight touchdowns, and only two drops on 92 targets, which are outrageous numbers, the Las Vegas raiders are one of the worst teams in football at 2-7. They continue to lose one-score games, their new head coach looks completely out of his element, and their offense is nowhere near where it should be with the league’s best receiver. Hell, their star quarterback is literally crying at press conferences because people on the team aren’t putting forth enough effort.
A day after Derek Carr’s tears Adams echoed a very similar sentiment.
“Just don’t have enough guys that are fully bought in. I think people like the idea, but when it’s time to execute — it don’t turn out that way.” Adams said, via Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com. “I don’t think people are like, you know, ‘F what McDaniels is talking about.’ or ‘I’m going against the grain.’ It’s just a matter of executing when it’s time. … It means playing a complete game, every minute of the game, giving it everything you’ve got. … It’s doing your job and making the plays when you’re called on and get the opportunities, and we just don’t do that at a high enough level right now.”
Head coach Josh McDaniels refuted the sentiment without criticizing Adams, saying he believes there’s effort. The truth is Davante Adams is getting a taste of the real world. He no longer has the privilege of the Green Bay Way. Yes, I know that sounds extremely pretentious, especially given the Packers have had one of their worst seasons in years and are clearly missing the superstar receiver. But, despite it all, they have managed to avoid inner turmoil and press conference meltdowns like we’ve seen in Las Vegas. Even with the national media trying to throw narratives at the Packers, Aaron Rodgers and his team have persevered, stuck together, and continue to do what they do. Will it result in a Super Bowl? Very unlikely this season. But as the Raiders continue to spiral Green Bay’s future is starting to look bright.
Christian Watson exploded onto the scene with three touchdowns against a very good Dallas Cowboys defense and this team feels like it’s finally found its blueprint for success moving forward. Some organizations just do things right and some don’t. The Raiders have a long history of being one of those that doesn’t. The Packers are excellent organizationally, even when they are bad.
Adams has not been shy with his criticisms. Just last week he blasted the team’s approach, “At the end of the day, if we’re just going to concede and say, ‘oh they double-team Tae,’ so it’s forcing the ball to him if we throw it to him, then I’ve got no business being in the building, because that’s what teams are going to do. So, if you think that the only way I’m going to get the ball is when I’m singled up then I’m going to have four catches on the year.”
Sounds like a man who was part of an organization who understood his talents and had a quarterback who trusted him regardless of coverage.
This break up has been bad for both sides. But after last week, it’s looking worse for Adams. The man clearly misses the Green Bay Way.
