Article today on Press Gazette Packers News indicated that Janis and Abbrederis actually had even better games than their stats show. It outlined in great specificity at least a dozen plays after studying game tape where both of them were wide open and Rodgers saw them and decided to throw elsewhere. Something stinks here and I'm getting the feeling a big part of it might have more to do with Rodgers than Janis and Abbrederis.
I didn't read the article yet, but I have defended Janis many times on Twitter and elsewhere. Yes I remember the deep pass up the right sideline this year to Janis where it looked like he didn't react to the ball well and go get it. How did his ball skills look on the last 101-yard drive he had 2 catches on in do-or-die situations?
I also remember, clearly, at least 4 deep balls thrown to Janis where he was open, past the defensive backs, that Rodgers underthrew him, 2 or 3 of them we wanted DPI calls, and there could have been. He also overthrew him in the end zone on a deep ball Saturday night where the pass came late, and long outta the back of the end zone.
The other thing that pizzes me off is that when Rodgers misses him, it's never a mistake on Rodgers part. And when there seems to be a "mixup" or "miscommunication" between them, it's automatically the fault of Janis.
Case in point the other night was a 3rd down pass at about the AZ 10, where Janis was on the right side and cutting right. But the CB was all over it and coming across sharply... Janis angled it deeper into the end zone deeper. Rodgers didn't see or anticipate this and float it over the smaller CB into the back of the corner end zone. He just threw the regular out, and it was incomplete. And everyone said Janis ran the wrong route! He reacted to what the DB was doing and he adjusted. If Rodgers was on HIS PAGE, it would have been a touchdown much like the first TD pass to Floyd in the corner of the end zone, but this one would have been easier.
Why does Rodgers like to crucify Janis for these? Why doesn't he blame Jordy or Cobb when they have similar "miscoms"? They DO have them. And nobody rips the WR or Rodgers for them. Why is that? Remember the loss to Seattle in the NFC Championship game, where one play could have made the difference in a Super Bowl?
You all remember Rodgers 2 Ints in that game right? The first one was on what should have been a free play, but wasn't because the ref was asleep or had money on Seattle.
Rodgers chucked it into the end zone against Richard Sherman, the best deep cover CB in the NFL. He was trying to get it to Davante. Can anyone point me one play ever in the NFL where Davante has scored on a deep TD?
But that Int (which cost points) is not the one that was from a miscom.
THIS ONE, which is inexcusable, is.
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Why wasn't Rodgers mad at Cobb here? Or why wasn't Cobb mad at Rodgers?
This was such a simple play, in FG range, and on 1st down. No pass rush. It was Jordy and Cobb, each 1-on-1 covered and wide open.
My point is this, and I had many readers and Tweeps addressing and agreeing with it yesterday, today:
Cobb, and Jordy, and Jones, have had THOUSANDS of reps with Rodgers, both in years of camps and in thousands of snaps in live games.
AND THEY (Cobb & Jordy) have seen defenses differently and sat down, adjusted routes, and hoped Rodgers would see it the same, ahead of time. Often they do, but many times they don't, and that includes James Jones.
So why is Janis the only one who gets called out and ripped on for this? He has only had a small fraction of the reps with Rodgers. Seems like Matt Flynn in preseason games worked pretty well with Janis.
