There were outlier years in Foxborough for Tom Brady, like Randy Moss‘ three-year stretch in town. But for much of his career with the New England Patriots, Brady made do without a true No. 1 wide receiver.
Aaron Rodgers hasn’t always had the best depth around him, either. However, he’s had plenty of true No. 1 guys like Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, and Greg Jennings. This year, Rodgers can do what Brady did so well in New England — flourish without a true top wide receiver.
Allen Lazard may get ample opportunity to be the guy in Green Bay this year, and that’s fine. But when stacking up top-tier options around the league, Lazard isn’t in the same class as Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, and Adams. It’s not a knock against Lazard. He’s gone from undrafted to a key weapon in the Packers’ offense the last couple of seasons. That’s remarkable in its own right. Expectations will be even higher this year, but to assume production from Lazard that mimics what Adams did in Green Bay would be foolish. Thus, a committee approach will be the likely outcome for the Packers.
Go back to the Super Bowl in 2017 when the Patriots made a miraculous comeback from down 28-3, beating the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to claim another championship. Brady’s leading receiver that game? Running back James White.
White had 14 receptions for 110 yards, while others like Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Hogan had six and four receptions, respectively. Julian Edelman did his part with eight receptions. You get the point. Brady didn’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver option, and the Patriots’ offense still put up a 34-spot in a winning effort against the Falcons.
Throughout the years, New England was often criticized for not supplying Brady with more elite options. But winning cures a hell of a lot, and the Patriots’ success helped mask some of those problems.
Green Bay has won plenty with Rodgers at the helm, but they’ve fallen painfully short in recent seasons as the top seed in the NFC. Some believed Rodgers was focusing on Adams too often instead of going through his reads.
Stats can be made to look any way people want them to. Those in that camp will provide examples like the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, where Rodgers chucked it deep to Adams on a third-and-long in double coverage. Had he looked to his left, he would’ve found a wide-open Lazard to move the sticks. Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps Rodgers could elevate his game in some ways by spreading it around more.
Rodgers knows this won’t be one smooth transition. Green Bay drafted three wideouts, and there’s a real chance that all three will make the final 53-man roster. For now, Rodgers has been wisely preaching patience, per CBSsports.com.
Every year there’s opinions that start coming out about players in helmets and shorts, and I would say let’s everybody just take a nice deep long breath and trust the training camp time that we have, trust the coaching staff, trust the relationships that will continue to be formed, trust the guys in the room like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins to help these young guys out.
It’s the smart play by Rodgers, and it’s exactly how he treated rookie offensive lineman Josh Myers and Royce Newman in early pressers last summer before training camp began. It wasn’t until camp that Rodgers dialed up the intensity, getting in Myers’ ear on more than one occasion. The same can be expected with the rookie wideout class in Green Bay this time. Now is just the time to hype up the young ones just getting ushered into the league.
Physically, they definitely look the part, all three of them. All three of the guys we drafted, they all have physical gifts,” Rodgers said. “Obviously the top two picks are bigger, Doubs and Watson, but the seventh-round pick’s got a lot of stuff to him. So I think it’s going to be great.
For years, Brady made it work with what he had at wide receiver in New England and helped turn players like Edelman and Wes Welker into household names. Obviously, a lot of that credit goes to the wideouts, but Brady constantly elevated the weapons around him.
There’s long been a belief that Rodgers does the same. This year will be a perfect opportunity to prove that theory. Rodgers needs to do what Brady did so often: bring the same results and MVP-level play even without a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver.
