#536 Packers Unscripted: Davante Adams' legacy

We've heard from some different players. I know the fans are wondering what's going on with the team, who's doing what. We haven't had a practice to be able to observe and report upon yet that is still probably about a peak away. So in the meantime, I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about one of the players we heard from earlier this week, and that's Davante Adams. And as everybody knows, he is clearly the number one

target for Aaron Rodgers. But I think when you look at the bigger picture with Davante Adams West, it's starting to get interesting. The legacy he is actually establishing in the Packers record book in terms of some of his career numbers and where his career numbers may end up with a few more DeVante seasons. Yeah, and his consistency, Mike is the thing that stands out to you over the last four years, what he has done since turning

that corner in two thousand and sixteen. A couple of injuries along the way, but really that's the only thing that stopped this young man. Over four thousand receiving yards, over forty touch I should say, actually at forty touchdowns. Now the only guy since two thousand sixteen the NFL who's done that. The interesting thing about the receiver position, Mike. We talked so much about running backs and what the

life span is for running back. It's really difficult in the National Football League for receiver to maintain an elite level of play. In Davante Adams one credit to what he does in the offseason, how he takes care of himself, but also to how quickly he became a playmaker in this offense. It's enabled him to go on a type of run that we really haven't seen. Jordy Nelson had a window where he was really successful Greg Jennings had

a window where he was really successful. But finding a lot, you know, a long period of time six seven, eight years where you can be at the absolute top the zenith of that position, it's difficult to do. Now. Davante Adams twenty seven years old. You know, there's a long way to go in this story yet, but he has really shown what you look for in in terms of a transcendent playmaker, a guy that can you know, do

this thing beginning, middle and end. And obviously when you when you add in the component that he has, the relationship he has with Aaron Rodgers. I've said it time and time again. I think this is a guy, when it's all said and done, is going to go down as a top five receiver in Packer's history. Yeah. Well, you mentioned him being at the top of his game at forty touchdown since that is the most in the NFL of any wide receiver, and he has missed a

few games here and there along the way. Three consecutive Pro Bowls for Davante Adams. Now, the Pro Bowl is the Pro Bowl, I get it, but listen, the last Packers wide receiver to go to three straight Pro Bowls was Sterling Sharp. There's been a lot of good receivers who come through here since Sharp, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, Randall Cobb. None of those guys went to three straight Pro Bowls, and Davante Adams has

done that. Now, looking also at his career, and I'm gonna glance down at my media guy here just to make sure I don't get the numbers wrong. But Adams actually right now, he's tied for eight in franchise history and receptions with four hundred and thirty one. These are regular season numbers. That's tied for eight with Antonio Freeman. Now he is not far away. Essentially another you know, roughly eight eighty catch season, he will move up into

the top five and jump ahead of Don Hudson. Actually, and if with about another hundred matches, he will actually surpass James Lofton for fourth on the Packers all time receptions list. His yardage ranking is a little bit lower. He's currently fourteen in franchise history in yardage, and he's about somewhere between four and five thousand yards away from

cracking the top ten. But those are some those are some pretty impressive places to be, certainly considering you know Brett Farve, Aaron Rodgers, those eras, all the receivers that have come through here. And yet, as you said, Davante Adams just twenty seven years old and was a second round draft pick not that long ago. Well, and for three years now, Mike, this guy has been the pinpoint guy that every defensive coordinator is scheming against. He's seen

the best cornerbacks in this league. He's seeing double coverage, triple coverage at times. I mean, that's just the way his life has been. And yet he's still found a way to produce. Do you understand? I know you do, But do you understand how difficult that is when everybody has the cross here set in your direction, and yet you still find a way to be a playmaker. What impresses me the most, though, and I've said this time and time again, I'll say it one more time, Davante Adams.

He was on a twenty four minute zoom call with us a couple of days ago. That guy that's on the other side of that computer screen is the same dude from four years ago, five years ago. It doesn't matter if there's adversity, it doesn't matter if there's success and accolades, the guy approaches his game the same exact way. And the thing that has impressed me the most is, Okay, he comes out of Fresno State. You know, he's the big possession receiver. Can to be a playmaker? He does?

Can he score in the red zone? He six ft one? Does he have that type of bill? He can? He has checked every box along the way and really become a five tool player at that position. And now that the Packers don't have Devin Funchs for this season, they have a young tight end group, a young receiving corps. You know that Aaron Jones is going to be there as a guy that they could potentially use in a

multitude of ways. But the guy once again is going to be Davante Adams and how the Packers utilize him and the way that Matt Lafleur moves that chess piece last year was very promising and seeing what he can do now in year two with him, that's going to be something to really follow throughout this whole season. Yeah. I like what you said about his personality, his demeanor, that he's the same guy that he was four or five years ago. Because you go back to when it

was all going to be riding on him. Jordy Nelson goes out in the preseason with a season ending knee injury, and Davante Adams was dealing with some injuries of his own, and twenty fifteen did not go the way he wanted. He stood at as locker and answered the questions and still projected all of the same confidence in himself and his abilities that we see today. And he took a lot of flak in the media quite frankly for that west because you know, there were there were some wondering, well,

who does this guy think he is? Like, what's with this attitude? You know? And everything? Well, you know what, it's because of that self confidence, that belief in himself. And yeah, maybe in ten when the production wasn't there, it rubbed some people the wrong way, but it's gotten him to where he is right now, and I think

that's worth pointing out. I'm gonna throw some other statistics at you two, because it's it's worth mentioning where Davante Adams is in the playoff record book for the Green Bay Packers because last year the two playoff games, he had a monster couple of games against both Seattle and San Francisco, both games over a hundred yards. The hundred and sixty yards against Seattle, of courses the Packers all time single game receiving yardage record. But you look at

his career in the playoffs. He's only played in eight career playoff games, but four of those now have been over a hundred yards, which is the franchise record for that category. He is second in a playoff receiving yards all time in Packers history, behind Antonio Freeman. He only needs, uh, I believe it's you know, around sixty, maybe seventy yards, maybe eighty to surpass Antonio Freeman. And Freeman played six more postseason games than than Davante Adams, and so he's

second on that list. He's tied for second in postseason touchdown receptions with six, that tied, that's tied with Greg Jennings. Antonia you Freeman at the top of that list with ten. But again, Adams has played six fewer postseason games in his career than Antonio Freeman. So where he is putting himself in the regular season record book in the playoff record book, and obviously the Packers are hoping he'll be able to add to uh some of those playoff numbers. Uh,

you know, sooner than later. It's really starting to look impressive, the type of career he's putting together for a very storied franchise with a great history of wide receivers. Yeah, and that's why you need to start putting some respect on his name, you know, nationally. I mean, I know, it's keeps coming up, and it's a narrative every single year, and it was again this offseason. PFF has Kenny Galladay is the best receiver in the FC North for some reason.

But then but then ranks Davante Adams is like the top performer in the division. I can't even follow that anymore. Just tell me what the slot receiver? How many how many receptions he had on this lot anyway? Um, But but moving on, I mean, you know, the top the top one list, he comes in a fifty seven. For whatever reason. I think it's I think there are a lot of parallels between him and also with Kenny Clark. For whatever reason, people just hasn't really fully boarded that

hype training. I think that's because they haven't had these promotional towards these these advertisements going on like hey, look at me, see me, It's all about me. Adams isn't like that, and I don't think he's ever been like that in terms of his personality. But then also coming up with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, they were very similar in that way too, that it was it was team, it was we, it was us, it wasn't me, And that might hurt his endorsement deals, but that's what ultimately

has made him the receiver he is. And the end of the day, Mike, as I said earlier, if he can stay on this path and he stays healthy, you're looking at it, whatever you want to say about it. One of the greatest receivers in Packer's history. Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Well, another thing that has been a fairly hot topic this week, as we've heard from coach la Flora and some of the players, is this prospect of potentially no or very limited fans in the

stands at n FELL games this season. And it's it's interesting to think about the possibilities. It's it's hard to even you know, process it in the set, you know, until maybe we actually see a game with with an empty lambeau Field or whatever the case might be. But while the Packers are going to obviously lose a home field advantage, the atmosphere that that is generated at Lambeau and obviously this team went eight and one, including the playoff win over Seattle last year in uh within the

home confines. This team West has five of its eight road games in domes Minnesota, Detroit, New Orleans, Houston, and Indianapolis. Now five out of eight dome games on the road. And the possibility and I say possibility because we'll see how all this works, but the possibility of Aaron Rodgers not having to go to a silent count in a dome to run the offense, to call the audibles at the line of scrimmage, all that kind of stuff, that's

really really intriguing. And I think it could potentially develop into a big storyline in especially having US Bank early in the season, and then obviously the Superdome as well, those are two venues there where if there's no fans there, what a difference that makes. I'm sure we're still gonna hear that freaking horn, but I mean, all things consider, not having the fans in there, it's gonna make a big difference. So, uh, this is sobering, Mike, and and

and I get it. Um, no other sports really are going with fans right now. We have to take care of ourselves. We have to take care of our neighbors, We have to take care of our families. So I respect the league and in the the you know the approach even the Raiders are taking. You don't want to open Allegiance Stadium with no fans or with limited fans. You want to you want to be able to do these things right now. That being said, this is my

ninth year covering the Packers full time. And I'm sure you can speak to this to all the years you've done this. There's something special about walking into a Sunday afternoon, Sunday night game, walking into the stadium, feeling the energy as you walk in, hearing the music, smelling the brods there.

It's what makes this special. As much as you and I love just you know, laboring over practices and and you know seeing you know, guys develop, and everything is at a slower pace in the NFL, but those games means so much and that energy is so just incredible, So potentially not have that just from our perspective that

that's that's really something that hits home. Now. Imagine if you're a football player, Imagine if you're in those stadiums, you know, a T and T stadium, n people you can pack in there, and you have to take that away. That's not only gonna change, you know, how these players get up. Matt Lafleur said, they're gonna have to create their own energy. If that's the case. But the game, the way it's played changes mightily, and it could very

well be a situation. Rogers looked at it as a potential opportunity to to draw teams offsides, um, you know, more free play opportunities, um, just because of the verbal communication and the verbal cadence is going to be there. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how this is gonna look in my mind. I don't know if I've actually been able to kind of come to terms with it yet. But be that as it may,

it's a reality that Matt Lafloor is preparing for. If this team ends up not having fans, They're gonna practice a little bit inside lambau Field without anybody in. They're just so those young players on this roster can get used to it, and honestly some of the veteran players too. Yeah, we'll it'll be interesting. We'll find out right away because

the Packers open Week one at Minnesota U S Bank Stadium. Obviously, they got their first win in that fairly new venue last season to clinch the NFC North title in that big primetime game in Week sixteen. I will say this though, Wes, I know you covered the Sunday night game in New Orleans, and I covered that one as well as the Monday night game in New Orleans in two thousand and eight. Those are the only two times I've been in the Superdome.

They were both primetime games. That is the loudest place, hands down, I have ever been in. And the prospect and I just I say this totally selfishly. Okay, the prospect of going to a game at New New Orleans and leaving without a headache is actually is actually somewhat appealing. So I'm just gonna put that out there right now, because I'm telling you, man, it is both times. And yes, the games were six years apart, and here we are. It's another six years before we're headed back to New Orleans.

But I'm telling you, man, it has taken me a few days both times coming back from those night games in New Orleans for my head to even get back

to any sense of normalcy. So I I just I do think in all seriousness, the Packers playing on the road in domes, but having potentially the communication and everything that you're not that you normally have at home, that you don't normally have on the road, I think it becomes really really intriguing, not only with Aaron Rodgers and just his experience and everything he's been through and what he can do, but now that you're in the second year of Matt Lafleur system and all that, Rogers knows

it that much better. Rogers and the Fleur know each other that much better in terms of in terms of the play calling, in the rhythm they want to get. And I think it could be really interesting how this develops here through Yeah, and just to do an offshoot of this question too, it's not even just fully about the domes, right, I mean, you look at that game

against the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. What a chess match that could potentially be if you have Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady being able to use verbal cadence, uh, simultaneously throughout the course of a game. Two of the best when it comes to pre snap reads and and you know, kind of picking a part of defense. Uh, there's all those type of things that you have to start thinking about if this ends up being the direction the league goes. Again, there hasn't been a big edict

that has been put down at all. We really don't know which teams are opting in or which teams are gonna opt out of having fans or even trying to have fans. And we don't know what the league rules are gonna be in terms of pumping in crowd noise. You mentioned the horn in Minnesota, whatever. We we don't know what sort of rules and regulations what's going to be allowed or or you know, are they are they going to be allowed to pump noise into a certain

decibel level? Like we have no idea at this point. The league is going to spend the next month figuring out that kind of stuff. But uh, um, but anyway, I'm sorry to interrupt, go ahead, but it's just it's it's incredible that you and I are even having this conversation. I mean, we we knew what we were dealing with when you go back to March and April and what the potential long term ramifications of this whole pandemic we're

gonna be. But you know, first and foremost, you want to keep guys healthy, You want to keep your fans healthy. You want to make sure that everybody at the end of these contests goes home to their families no worse for wear, and and if this is what the direction it has to take, I think everybody is on board

with having to go that way. It's just it is going to be Again I've said this a hundred times, but it's the league has been around for a hundred years now, and this is going to be something that we've never seen before. Yeah. Well, it will be talking about it all month long here in training camp leading up to the regular season, but for now, we're going to call it a wrap on this edition of Packers Unscripted.

Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team, everything that we can know about that's going on in training camp. We will certainly bring it to you on Packers dot com for West I am Mike, Thank you for tuning in. Everybody. We will see you next time.