It was about a month ago — prior to the Los Angeles Rams game to be exact — that Green Bay Packers wide receivers coach Jason Vrable stood in front of the media and said that his young receiver group had put together their best practices of the season and were on the right trajectory. Now four games later, we are all seeing on Sundays what Vrable was seeing in practice.
At the time, the Packers were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and the play of the young pass catchers under a microscope due to dropped passes, a consistent failure to make contested catches, and not running precise enough, or sometimes even the wrong routes. The results weren’t there, and didn’t appear to be all that close, but what gave Vrable to confidence in his group was how they were going about practice each and every day.
“I brought up the practice habits,” said Vrable on Monday, “and I talk about it all the time, when the ball is not hitting the ground and we’re winning one-on-ones, and we’re playing fast, you can just feel it. Guys were competing so hard in practice and they were mad because the results weren’t going their way, and I was like listen guys, it’s always going to be a process.
“We were working our butts off, we really were, and every time after practice I was like that was a tremendous practice. I’m telling you guys it’s going to start clicking, you’ve just got to stay positive, stay together, can’t let the outside world or other people saying stuff bring you down and I thought the cohesiveness with Jordan and our group, I could just feel it.”
In the last four games, Jayden Reed has become a reliable go-to target for Jordan Love. Both he and Dontayvion Wicks have helped provide that needed big play potential, specifically with their abilities to find the soft spot in defenses and pick up yards after the catch. Christian Watson had a breakout performance in Detroit, while Romeo Doubs has been an efficient red zone target for Love. Undrafted rookie Malik Heath has made the most of his opportunities as well, catching all five of his targets the last two games, while also providing some key blocks in the run game.
One big thing that this Packers’ offense has going for it right now is that all five of the receivers active on game day have seemingly come up with a big play or two in each of the last few games. On any given play, almost regardless of the situation, Love could get the ball to any one of four or five players, all of whom have the potential to make the catch and generate a big play.
Having this element within an offense can really stress opposing defenses, who are unable to key in one or even two specific players but have to account for several, adding a layer of unpredictability to the Packers’ offense, especially when you couple that with the versatility that this group has. Vrable discussed that in many instances, these Packers receivers are interchangeable when it comes to route responsibilities, providing the example that if a play is dialed up for Watson but he needs a breather, Wicks would be able to step in.
“I talked to our room about it and we have to set the standard,” added Vrable. “I’ve said it from the beginning, for a long time, that we have to set the standard. When our group is making the plays that we need to make in the run and the pass game, and also on special teams, good things are going to happen because the majority of times throughout the league, receivers create explosive plays and you see it week-in and week-out that we’ve had some guys do that. I feel like now, everyone is starting to understand what it takes to play at a high level to win games.”
In part, the recent surge that we’ve seen from the Packers’ receivers is a product of simple experience. At this stage of the season, they have a better understanding of the playbook and not only what their specific responsibilities are, but what everyone else’s role is as well. As Vrable alluded to, there is also a greater understanding of what it takes from a practice and preparation standpoint to be successful in the NFL.
On top of that, these young receivers have now also seen a greater variety of looks from opposing defenses and know how to adjust and react to them on the fly. A great example of this is the touchdown pass to Christian Watson in the Los Angeles Chargers game. This was a play drawn up on the fly based on a previous look the Chargers had thrown at Green Bay. Following the game, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said that the Packers’ ability to execute on that in-game adjustment is not something they would have been able to do the month prior.
Green Bay’s receivers have also taken it upon themselves to meet on Tuesdays – a typical off day in the NFL – just as a position group to watch film and to get a better understanding of what each player’s role is. Vrable also credits Love for helping the receivers along, by grooming them and being a friend, as he Vrable it. When a mistake is made, Love will put his arm around them and let them know the ball is going to keep coming their way, so don’t blink. However, more recently, Love has become more vocal as well when an error is made, something that Vrable says has him excited.
GM Brian Gutekunst made the decision in the offseason to build a young nucleus of pass-catchers around Love with the school of thought being that this group could grow together. Initially, and not even that long ago, that looked like a flawed plan with so much chaos happening around Love as the Packers tried to evaluate him. But now, we are beginning to see the fruits of that vision. Of course, there is still a ways to go and continuing to build on the recent performances is a must, but this is a receiver group that packs a lot of punch.
“You can just see stuff is starting to click and there’s a growth to them,” said Vrable. “There’s going to be bad moments to. There’s going to be times where we have another drop. But someone is there to pick someone up. Someone’s there’s to make a play for someone. Someone’s there to block for someone.
“I just care about our guys being unselfish and playing hard and playing with great effort. There’s an energy and total belief in one another that’s been special and it’s shown up more and more and more. The excitement on the sideline during that Detroit game for when someone else makes a catch, that stuff is infectious. It’s confidence, it’s contagious, and so is winning. You can just see our guys starting to build that nucleus. Every week we’ve got to build up our habits, our preparation, and go give our best shot and hopefully we come out on the right side.”
