Cory's Corner: Davante Adams Continues To Get Better

Adams does whatever he wants on a football field. 

We've always known that Davante Adams is really good. 

The difference this year is that he isn't letting the rest of the NFL forget it. 

Adams leads the NFL with 8.3 receptions per game, 104 yards a game and 14 touchdowns. He is doing whatever he wants right now and the rest of the league doesn't have a chance. The way he shakes his defender three yards off the line of scrimmage makes him unguardable.

"He is a phenomenal player," said Aaron Rodgers last week. "He is as good as they come. I wouldn't want to throw to anybody else."

At first, I wanted Rodgers to keep that last sentence to a low roar; we don't want him to get locked in with his favorite target. Then again, it isn't going to matter. Adams will beat any corner that tries to stick with him and he has the ability to slice through bracket coverage and double coverage with ease.

The stat that separates Adams is yards after the catch. He is second in the league with 507. That is amazing by itself, but Adams missed two games after injuring his hamstring and also injured his ankle in November but played the following week. This is a guy that was the first player with at least 600 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns over his first six games played since Randy Moss in 2007. When you're getting compared to a Hall of Famer in only your seventh NFL season, that speaks for itself. 

"I was fortunate enough to play with some great players and he's right up there with them," said Packers wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted in 2019. "Randy Moss, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice — he's right up there with them."

But you cannot talk about Adams without mentioning how far he has come. As a rookie in 2014, he started 11 games but was raw and had a catch percentage of 57 to go along with four drops. He followed that up in his sophomore season with 10 drops and a catch percentage of 53. He had one game in those two seasons where he notched over 100 receiving yards and in 19 of 29 games, he tallied 40 receiving yards or less. A lot of that has to with Adams not playing football until he was a junior in high school, but he has blossomed quickly with his rapid feet and his keen ability to read his defender's movements. 

And now, Adams has the nonverbal communication down with Rodgers. They know exactly where they are going to be and both of them have perfected the back shoulder throw into an art form. He leads the league with nine touchdowns when Green Bay is inside the 10 and he's targeted 42 percent of the time in that area. Most of that Rodgers is just throwing it to his buddy and telling him to go make a play. That shows what kind of an athlete Adams is that he can quickly beat his defender, find the ball, know where the boundary is and get the Packers six points. 

"He is one of a kind," Rodgers said, who has thrown 53 touchdown passes to Adams. "Very unique player, unique person, and I am so thankful to have him on our squad. I have his back 100 percent in everything that he does and says."

The Panthers are near the bottom of the NFL at pass coverage and 'Typhoon Tae' will bring an offensive storm to a Carolina team that has given up 291 and 269 passing yards the last two weeks. And those were to an inconsistent Kirk Cousins and a very green Drew Lock.

Adams is the best receiver in the league. But he is the best receiver in the league for all of the stuff you don't even see. His staccato footwork, his hands and his communication are amazing. It's hard to believe he turns 28 on Christmas Eve.

He's going to be an NFL nightmare for awhile.  

 

 

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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn

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Comments (3)

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stockholder's picture

December 19, 2020 at 07:25 am

2020 Green Bay Packers 11 91 1144
2019 Green Bay Packers 12 83 997
2018 Green Bay Packers 15 111 1386
2017 Green Bay Packers 14 74 885
2016 Green Bay Packers 16 75 997
2015 Green Bay Packers 13 50 483
2014 Green Bay Packers 16 38 446
TOTAL 97 522 6338

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Coldworld's picture

December 19, 2020 at 08:16 am

I think the thing that is perhaps missing this is his approach. Adams is, and has been, a consummate professional who focused on his craft and appears to do so with teammates as well. He has improved in every facet of his game.

It also should act as a reminder that the best players often take time to develop and that the choice to do so is often one that they must make. I wonder if Jordy was an influence and perhaps, through him, James Jones and Donald Driver. We have been fortunate to have such individuals. Let’s hope the next one is MVS. The parallel in their early struggles is striking on paper.

To me this is so much more impressive than a freak of nature Diva. Adams deserves a lot of credit. Glad he is a Packer.

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PatrickGB's picture

December 19, 2020 at 09:07 am

He got me juked just watching him move.

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