Don't what happened to the Jeff Janis is going to start over Adams but
someone forgot to tell Aaron Rodgers.
ESPNWisconsin: Speaking of that perfectionist nature, you have made it very clear in recent years that if a player is going to make mental mistakes and isn’t going to be where he’s supposed to be, you don’t want him on the field with you. Last year, you were tough on Davante Adams initially, but as the year wore on, he proved himself to you, and last week you wouldn’t stop talking about his approach and work ethic and potential. How do you balance demanding excellence from your teammates with not wanting them to hate you because you’re so tough on them?
Rodgers: I never called out Davante by name last year. I was hoping that he would pick it up with his practice habits. But Davante is a very polished player, and he has an excellent demeanor for a guy who’s going to be a star. I mean, he carries himself like a star – which is a very high compliment. There’s only been a few guys around here who’ve had that charisma: Charles (Woodson), Julius (Peppers), Greg (Jennings) always had it as a young player. But there’s very few guys that really ‘get it.” And he has supreme confidence, and it’s contagious. And I’m really proud of his approach and his attitude. It makes you want to get him the ball more. It makes you watch the film and have regrets about not giving him more opportunities. And that’s again, another compliment for him. He really came on and made plays last season. But the entire time, between his big game against New England and Dallas, where he didn’t get a lot of touches and his targets were low, he was always bringing it and running his routes to win, which is a huge accomplishment for a young guy. So that’s what we’re looking for from the other young guys, and they’ve got to come along.
ESPNWisconsin: You have a history of seeing talent in your young guys maybe before the rest of us do. I feel like the first one was James Starks in 2010, if I remember correctly. Not to put undue pressure on any of them, but are there a few young guys who’ve caught your eye during the offseason that have you intrigued/excited?
Rodgers: I’d say the two guys who’ve jumped out to me just in the workouts, and one of them is not a young guy – I mean, he’s still younger than I am – but Andrew Quarless has had a great offseason. I think he’s really, something clicked in for him at the end of last year and he’s been taking the jump. And Davante’s the other one. I think he’s had a great offseason and he has star potential – for sure. The young guys, you try to temper your expectations, but there is an excitement about the young receivers. We have a very good group with those guys. They’re getting some really good coaching from both Luke (Getsy) and Alex (Van Pelt), and also Jordy as he’s been missing a lot of time [recovering from hip surgery]. But the best thing those guys have going for them is they have two very selfless guys leading the group in Jordy and Randall. Guys who are established and who want to get those guys to the next level. I think both Jeff (Janis) and Jared (Abbrederis) have had nice offseasons and will make a jump in their second seasons, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens when you get “Pink” (Larry Pinkard) and Adrian (Coxson) and Jimmie (Hunt) and Ricky (Collins) and Ty (Montgomery) out there. It’ll be a real good group of young receivers.
