Here's a recent article about the Packers WR's. Sounds like the staff has big hopes for Jennings, fwiw. To me, Jones seems like the kind of guy that would be more NFL productive as the #3 than the #2. In watching all of his games as a Packer, he strikes me as a guy that will work the middle and make a lot of catches at or near the line of scrimmage and rely on his strength to get additional yac. I think he has limited value as a deep threat. As such, I think Jones benefits from having both Driver and Jennings clear out the middle. At any rate, here are some interesting tidbits:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=659613
A delicate balance
Jennings' absence underscores how tenuous passing game has become
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 10, 2007
Green Bay - If ever there were an example of how tenuous the Green Bay Packers' wide receiver position is, it was Sunday when a game plan featuring heavy doses of Greg Jennings had to be scrapped because of his hamstring injury.
Put Jennings in the lineup with No. 1 receiver Donald Driver and the Packers have a much better chance of moving the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles, especially after starting cornerback Lito Sheppard left with a knee injury right before halftime and nickel cornerback Joselio Hanson exited with a concussion in the fourth quarter.
Take Jennings out and you have rookie James Jones starting alongside a less-than-100% Driver (foot) and solid but still-growing receivers Ruvell Martin and Carlyle Holiday playing prominent roles. There simply wasn't anyone of Jennings' ability to bail out the passing game.
"If you had watched us practice, Greg was a big part of the game plan," coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. "I think Greg and Brett (Favre) are really starting to develop that connection in Year 2 that you like to see between a quarterback and a receiver. We had planned on him potentially having a big day but that's no excuse for the way we played on offense at all."
It's true that the way the Packers pass-blocked against the Eagles in their 16-13, come-from-behind victory, Favre's day might not have been any more productive with Jennings in the lineup. But then again, the Eagles wouldn't have been able to double-team Driver most the day and would have had to be a little bit worried about who they were leaving open when they blitzed.
To his credit, Favre spread the ball around the best he could. His No. 1 target was Driver, to whom he directed 13 passes. After that it was Jones (eight), tight end Bubba Franks (six), Martin and running back Brandon Jackson (five apiece), tight end Donald Lee (four) and running back DeShawn Wynn (one).
Favre wound up completing just 23 of 42 passes (54.7%) for 206 yards and no touchdowns with one interception. It clearly wasn't enough production for 42 passes attempted.
But such is the position the Packers are in after adding only one new receiver to their roster - Jones, a third-round pick - after a four-month off-season. If they lose someone as valuable as Jennings, their passing game scares no one.
"That's part of football," wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. "We've been through that before and guys have stepped in and done a fine job for us. There's no trepidation on our part getting James a lot of playing time. We're confident in his ability. He wants to play and contribute."
The problem is Jones is not in as advanced as Jennings was last year as a rookie, when he worked his way into the starting lineup. By Week 3 he had his first 100-yard receiving game and two touchdowns. By Week 5, he was averaging five catches for 73 yards per game.
An ankle injury in Week 6 slowed him down and he wasn't the same player the rest of the season. Over the off-season, the Packers did not seem worried about Jennings' injury past and didn't sign any veteran receivers as insurance policies.
There's a pretty good chance Jennings will be back Sunday for the New York Giants game, but if he isn't the Packers will again be put in a situation where Driver is double-teamed and Favre feels compelled to force it to him when a big play needs to be made.
What's more, Jones is pretty much limited to a certain number of positions on the field because of his inexperience in the system, narrowing some of the creativity the coaches have with their offense. As a result, Driver had to fill in for Jennings in certain plays rather than work at his normal position.
As a group, the overall performance wasn't that good Sunday.
"The route-running needs to be better," McCarthy said.
Things might have been different if Favre had connected on a third-and-2 go route in which Jones had separated from cornerback William James, but the ball was overthrown. Still, too many times, Favre locked on to Driver hoping to pull the offense out of its doldrums.
Until Jones catches up with that ball or routinely turns one of his crossing routes into big gains, the Packers are going to be an injury away from having a pop-gun passing attack. At least, that's the way it appeared on a day they faced a vulnerable Eagles secondary.
"I think we could have done better," Robinson said. "We can be a little more precise, a little more exact on things. The opponent was part of the reason for that. That was a good opponent with a tough secondary that plays well together.
"At the same time, we believe in the ability we have, whoever it is on the field. We still found a way to win and that's important. If you ask our guys, they'll say they can play better. And we will."
Yea, I'm considering rolling the dice with Favre this week against that lousy pass defense considering my other option is Vince Young.I would keep Jones and I like his long term value. The #2 WR for the Packers has more value than almost 6-8 teams have in their #1 WR.
