The Amari Rodgers Thread

[Heyjoe4]

Whether it is receiving or returning he has to come up with at least one breakout play before he can be given the keys. When Adams was a rookie Rodgers gave him some chances. By the time of the Cowboy playoff game he made several big plays and Rodgers believed in him. We had big expectations for Amari. So far we cannot be ecstatic.

I was a HUGE supporter when Adams was drafted. But his first two years were nothing special. He spent too much time arguing with officials, usually over phantom PI calls.

I guess he figured it out, because he exceeded all expectations, even mine, starting in his third year. Maybe Rodgers will improve but I just don't see it. gopkrs nailed it. As a punt returner, if he doesn't fair catch the punt, he fields it and runs straight ahead for a few yards. No movement, no following blockers. Playground football at best.

I'm reluctant to turn it over to Watson because of his drop history. Maybe Doubs?

 

[tynimiller]

There is zero chance someone has the same expectations for Amari as they did Adams IMO. I don’t see anyone that studies prospects that would think that.

 

[Heyjoe4]

There is zero chance someone has the same expectations for Amari as they did Adams IMO. I don’t see anyone that studies prospects that would think that.

Relax. That's not what I said, not even close. I was making a comment on Adams. There is no comparison to Amari Rodgers. Reread the comment.

I was trying to show that it can take a few years for a player to develop. But Rodgers doesn't show any signs that he'll change for the better. It looks like the FO has committed to him for this year. By mid-season, if he shows nothing more than he has, I'd bench him. And that's all.

 

[tynimiller]

Relax. That's not what I said, not even close. I was making a comment on Adams. There is no comparison to Amari Rodgers. Reread the comment.

I was trying to show that it can take a few years for a player to develop. But Rodgers doesn't show any signs that he'll change for the better. It looks like the FO has committed to him for this year. By mid-season, if he shows nothing more than he has, I'd bench him. And that's all.

it wasn’t you that said that Joe I don’t believe. Believe it was Milani actually commenting on Adams and Amari expectations

 

[milani]

it wasn’t you that said that Joe I don’t believe. Believe it was Milani actually commenting on Adams and Amari expectations

Right.

 

[OldSchool101]

I wholeheartedly agree with that take.

But let me clear about it, I didn't even disagree with @OldSchool101 about his take on Watson's potential returning kickoffs. I just wanted to point out that because he had an average of 26 yards returning kickoffs for the best FCS college program doesn't automatically mean he will be able to put up similar numbers in the NFL.

And I'm sorry, but I will call out another poster justifying Love's selection because in his opinion it was a smart approach to draft Love as it might take more than one try to adequately replace the best quarterback to ever play for the Green and Gold.

These attempts of Denial of that fact (getting threads locked and we’ve all done it) does not look good on you so just Let it go. You are among friends. Let’s get back to football and get away from this defending yourself. I forgive you it’s unnecessary.

Let’s talk about players getting bit by Lions that’s more fun.
Does Amari really have a Lion?
Does he hang with Iron Mike Tyson??

 

[OldSchool101]

I was a HUGE supporter when Adams was drafted. But his first two years were nothing special. He spent too much time arguing with officials, usually over phantom PI calls.

I guess he figured it out, because he exceeded all expectations, even mine, starting in his third year. Maybe Rodgers will improve but I just don't see it. gopkrs nailed it. As a punt returner, if he doesn't fair catch the punt, he fields it and runs straight ahead for a few yards. No movement, no following blockers. Playground football at best.

I'm reluctant to turn it over to Watson because of his drop history. Maybe Doubs?

Oh I see what you mean.
I know Doubs is the popular guy and all that, but my point with Watson is he’s fast. Real fast.
As far as your concern with drops. Even if that was a problem (how many did he have all last season again?) I think it was 2?? I could be wrong but I don’t think those couple drops were on his KR if I recall?? Has he ever fumbled a KR??
I could be wrong maybe someone had that stat. ?? If not then that’s just worrying about nothing imo.
My other thought was that Doubs is ahead of Christian (for now) because Christian had that operation, let him catch up some gradual first. Doubs is more route ready/savvy and likely effective for now. We don’t need to pull one of our best 3 or 4 WR out for ST right now (especially with injuries piling) Let’s get Watson involved and if he can’t get Amaris lowly 19 KR average (I dare not say a yard more because I’ll be crucified by a certain poster! ) then switch them back idk.
These lowly 19 yard KR guys (Amari types) are a dime a dozen (I’m being doubly brazen tonight!) lol

Btw nobody answers. Had Doubs ever even fielded a KR in his life?? Should we start him at that in Tampa? I don’t think that’s s good idea at all I’m just saying. That’s not a team I’d want to experiment with a player and I’m hoping you’d see that point even if nothing else made sense.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Whether it is receiving or returning he has to come up with at least one breakout play before he can be given the keys.

Amari hasn't even seen the field on offense over the first two games. That might change with Watkins on injured reserve but at this point a return presents the best chance of having an impact.

I was a HUGE supporter when Adams was drafted. But his first two years were nothing special. He spent too much time arguing with officials, usually over phantom PI calls.

While Adams wasn't an elite receiver over his first two seasons he had two 100+ receiving yards games in his rookie year. Amari only has 45 receiving yards in his career so far.

These attempts of Denial of that fact (getting threads locked and we’ve all done it) does not look good on you so just Let it go. You are among friends. Let’s get back to football and get away from this defending yourself. I forgive you it’s unnecessary.

That's funny, there isn't anything you need to forgive me for.

I know Doubs is the popular guy and all that, but my point with Watson is he’s fast. Real fast.
As far as your concern with drops. Even if that was a problem (how many did he have all last season again?) I think it was 2?? I could be wrong but I don’t think those couple drops were on his KR if I recall?? Has he ever fumbled a KR??

According to PFF Watson had four drops on 47 catchable passes last season. Unfortunately I don't have any information on him ever fumbling a kickoff return.

Let’s get Watson involved and if he can’t get Amaris lowly 19 KR average (I dare not say a yard more because I’ll be crucified by a certain poster! ) then switch them back idk.
These lowly 19 yard KR guys (Amari types) are a dime a dozen (I’m being doubly brazen tonight!) lol

On the one hand you talk about other posters needing to stop that children stuff but yet pull that $hit over and over again

Btw nobody answers. Had Doubs ever even fielded a KR in his life??

Doubs didn't return any kickoffs in college. He had 38 punt returns for an average of 12.5 yards and a touchdown.

 

[Schultz]

I don't know, if you don't like a posters answers, maybe stop asking them questions. As the famous Ernest T. Bass says "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.

 

[Heyjoe4]

it wasn’t you that said that Joe I don’t believe. Believe it was Milani actually commenting on Adams and Amari expectations

Oh OK, I'm sorry Ty. I should not have assumed anything. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Amari hasn't even seen the field on offense over the first two games. That might change with Watkins on injured reserve but at this point a return presents the best chance of having an impact.



While Adams wasn't an elite receiver over his first two seasons he had two 100+ receiving yards games in his rookie year. Amari only has 45 receiving yards in his career so far.



That's funny, there isn't anything you need to forgive me for.



According to PFF Watson had four drops on 47 catchable passes last season. Unfortunately I don't have any information on him ever fumbling a kickoff return.



On the one hand you talk about other posters needing to stop that children stuff but yet pull that $hit over and over again



Doubs didn't return any kickoffs in college. He had 38 punt returns for an average of 12.5 yards and a touchdown.

Thanks for the info on Adams' first seasons. Yeah, Adams showed promise even in those first two otherwise unspectacular seasons. The promise of better things were there. As for Amari Rodgers......... Nothing, nothing at all. He's just not a god punt returner. The best thing I can say about him is that he usually catches the ball (I've seen him fumble the catch once and he recovered). He had one decent 20 yard return against the Bears.

So he's not going in the right direction, not even marginally. I'd give him until mid-season and then just cut him. I don't think he's worth even a seventh round pick right now.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Thanks for the info on Adams' first seasons. Yeah, Adams showed promise even in those first two otherwise unspectacular seasons. The promise of better things were there. As for Amari Rodgers......... Nothing, nothing at all. He's just not a god punt returner. The best thing I can say about him is that he usually catches the ball (I've seen him fumble the catch once and he recovered). He had one decent 20 yard return against the Bears.

So he's not going in the right direction, not even marginally. I'd give him until mid-season and then just cut him. I don't think he's worth even a seventh round pick right now.

It will be interesting to see if Amari gets on the field today with Watkins out and Watson most likely missing the game. He needs to show some promise once he gets the opportunity. I don't think he will ever turn into an impact returner at the pro level anymore, he has had enough chances to flash some potential but hasn't been impressive at all.

With that being said I don't see any benefit in moving on from him at some point this season. It seems the Packers don't have any significantly better option than him available.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Oh I see what you mean.
I know Doubs is the popular guy and all that, but my point with Watson is he’s fast. Real fast.
As far as your concern with drops. Even if that was a problem (how many did he have all last season again?) I think it was 2?? I could be wrong but I don’t think those couple drops were on his KR if I recall?? Has he ever fumbled a KR??
I could be wrong maybe someone had that stat. ?? If not then that’s just worrying about nothing imo.
My other thought was that Doubs is ahead of Christian (for now) because Christian had that operation, let him catch up some gradual first. Doubs is more route ready/savvy and likely effective for now. We don’t need to pull one of our best 3 or 4 WR out for ST right now (especially with injuries piling) Let’s get Watson involved and if he can’t get Amaris lowly 19 KR average (I dare not say a yard more because I’ll be crucified by a certain poster! ) then switch them back idk.
These lowly 19 yard KR guys (Amari types) are a dime a dozen (I’m being doubly brazen tonight!) lol

Btw nobody answers. Had Doubs ever even fielded a KR in his life?? Should we start him at that in Tampa? I don’t think that’s s good idea at all I’m just saying. That’s not a team I’d want to experiment with a player and I’m hoping you’d see that point even if nothing else made sense.

You're reply makes sense. It's harder to catch a pass when you're running than it is standing still, calling a fair catch, and waiting for a punt to drop into your hands.

Second point is that the WR group is depleted even more with Watkins out, so not a good idea to risk injury on a punt return with a new guy - especially against the Bucs. Rodgers is, IMO, the worst receiver on the team. I hope he proves me wrong.

So leave Rodgers out there today to field punts. Play it safe. The STs don't seem to be making the glaring mistakes of the last few years. Again, if by mid-year Rodgers doesn't show substantial improvement, cut him and make room for someone else.

They held onto Jeff Janis for way too long. He was a terrific gunner on STs, but one-trick ponies shouldn't take up a roster spot. Janis is also a cautionary tale that speed is not a cure all for a receiver or runner. Speed complements a WR or PR/KR. But if that's the only skill, it's not near enough. Janis never learned more about wide receiving than to "go fast and go long."

 

[Heyjoe4]

It will be interesting to see if Amari gets on the field today with Watkins out and Watson most likely missing the game. He needs to show some promise once he gets the opportunity. I don't think he will ever turn into an impact returner at the pro level anymore, he has had enough chances to flash some potential but hasn't been impressive at all.

With that being said I don't see any benefit in moving on from him at some point this season. It seems the Packers don't have any significantly better option than him available.

As far as moving on from Rodgers, I don't know what other options they have, but yeah, they probably aren't vey good. Likely candidates are working checkout at Costco or selling beef jerky at a convenience store. Is there a diamond in the rough out there? Maybe, but it requires more luck to find and sucks up the GM's time - which should be spent on other matters.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

They held onto Jeff Janis for way too long. He was a terrific gunner on STs, but one-trick ponies shouldn't take up a roster spot. Janis is also a cautionary tale that speed is not a cure all for a receiver or runner. Speed complements a WR or PR/KR. But if that's the only skill, it's not near enough. Janis never learned more about wide receiving than to "go fast and go long."

NFL teams definitely need players that excel on special teams. While there's no doubt they would prefer for them to have an impact on either offense or defense as well most clubs around the league have several players on their roster who hardly play snaps outside of STs.

 

[PackerRyche]

Whatever happened to the tactic of putting your best option out there as a kick returner? Remember Deion Sanders? Hell, he played both sides of the ball AND special teams in some games. I remember Herschel Walker returning kicks. Desmond Howard anyone? Devin Hester played DB, then WR regularly. Coaches are just afraid to get a player hurt? These are wasted opportunities to make game-changing plays. Amari called fair catch on one punt with no one within 10 yards of him. We are just conceding the kick return opportunity with him out there.

 

[Magooch]

Still just not a lot to get too encouraged about. Even with Watkins, Watson, etc out....zero targets/touches on offense and I believe just three offensive snaps total.
Of course to be fair it's not like our offense was rolling particularly well (outside the first couple of drives) but even with that being said it seems like he's just not a consideration on offense whatsoever at this point.

On the other hand, no kick returns and just two punt returns, but nothing particularly noteworthy there either. He had one decent return eliminated by penalty, but tbh I think one could probably argue that was as much a function of the return unit as a whole performing better less than it was the product of sheer brilliance on the returner's part... Even when he does "okay" on returns - maybe I am projecting but I just never get that particularly "dangerous" feeling from him. Top returners feel like a real weapon that needs addressed/covered but to me Amari feels like just another guy back there.

And again it's nothing personal. I don't have any particularly insightful alternative to offer and it may be that it's of more value to us to keep him around for a bit than stashing an extra 7th round pick or something, but at the same time if we're just holding out for him to pan out because of the draft capital invested I think that's the wrong call.

 

[Mondio]

10 yards? LOL He has the ball at this point. he should have had a minimum 20 yard punt return

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[tynimiller]

10 yards? LOL He has the ball at this point. he should have had a minimum 20 yard punt return

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I'm in agreement to the fact he would have been better suited returning it...but 20 yards is off screen to the left and you have defenders closing down...even Devin Hester doesn't have a guarantee 20.

 

[gopkrs]

Nixon made a good catch on the punt. Maybe they should give him a try. As for the above; Rodgers was probably told to fair catch it.

 

[tynimiller]

Nixon made a good catch on the punt. Maybe they should give him a try. As for the above; Rodgers was probably told to fair catch it.

There are times the returner is assigned a fair catch at times. Many fail to acknowledge this.

 

[Mondio]

There are times the returner is assigned a fair catch at times. Many fail to acknowledge this.

I don't fail to acknowledge it, I think it points even more to the fact they should replace this guy as a return man because they have very little faith in him if he's not even green lighted to return in this situation.

It's not going to ever get any easier than that.
Someone screwed up, or they have very little faith in him.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I'm in agreement to the fact he would have been better suited returning it...but 20 yards is off screen to the left and you have defenders closing down...even Devin Hester doesn't have a guarantee 20.

Agree. Rodgers should have run it back and he might have gotten 10 yards, maybe more. The point is he should have returned the kick. There were no defenders close to him.

 

[gopkrs]

Agree. Rodgers should have run it back and he might have gotten 10 yards, maybe more. The point is he should have returned the kick. There were no defenders close to him.

What do you not understand about doing what your told? Yes, it would have been an easy 15 yards but the clock and the score made that less important than the chance of a fumble. imho

 

[Heyjoe4]

What do you not understand about doing what your told? Yes, it would have been an easy 15 yards but the clock and the score made that less important than the chance of a fumble. imho

It could be that he was told to just catch it. Do you know if that's the case? It makes sense now that you mention it. With a guy like Amari R, who is not a very good returner to begin with and who has fumbled in the past, just catching the ball would have been wise at that point in the game. Good observation.