Jordy Nelson: The Latest Preseason Victim
“It’s difficult to lose a guy like that in a meaningless game,” a visibly depressed Aaron Rodgers said of Jordy Nelson during his postgame press conference.
To lose one of the three best receivers in the league during a game that actually counts in the record books is depressing enough, but to lose him during a game that has no meaning whatsoever is just cruel. To make matters worse, there was no late hit to blame for his injury, no unfortunate tackle that was just a little too low, but instead just a simple cut up field that actually put most of the strain on his left knee. Still, it was his right knee that blew out.
That being said, Coach Mike McCarthy was not wrong to still have Nelson out on the field, it was only his seventh snap of the game.
The injury will leave the Packers grasping at straws to fill the sizeable void left by Nelson. 2014 seventh round draft choice Jeff Janis resembles Nelson physically at 6’3” 219 pounds, but that is where the comparisons stop. Janis has certainly made an impression during the two preseasons he has been a part of, scoring three touchdowns in six games, but his two catches for 16 yards during the 2014 season leaves much to be desired. 2015 third round draft choice Ty Montgomery seems to have the skills to be an impact player at the receiver position, but at just 6’0” 2016 pounds he much better resembles a Randall Cobb type slot receiver more than an outside receiver.
If his college career is any indication, Montgomery is certainly a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, but the rookie might be biting off more than he can chew if he expects to develop the unspoken understanding with Rodgers that every receiver in the Green Bay offense needs to succeed. We witnessed this last year with Davonte Adams who has never lacked talent but often was out of sync with Rodgers whenever Rodgers would indicate a hot route.
The Packers were expected to have the highest scoring offense in the league this year, and with Seattle struggling to get on the same page this offseason this was likely the Packers year. The offense should still be high powered enough to dominate most opponents but only time will tell if the offense can play at a high enough level to match the output of previous years.
With the injury to Nelson, young players will have to step up on both sides of the ball. Adams will need to grow from unnecessary playmaker to reliable second option. Janis or Montgomery need to step up and fill the shoes left by Adams and pick up all of the considerable slack left over from losing an elite receiver.
The NFL will never cut the preseason games from four to two because even though they are meaningless, they still turn a profit for the NFL. Still, I can’t imagine too many NFL players would complain about cutting down on the risk they are forced to take each and every preseason.
The Packers may no longer be Super Bowl favorites, but great quarterbacks make great receivers and Aaron Rodgers is the greatest in the game today.
Win it for Jordy.
