Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t happy with what he saw from his young wide receivers during practice on August 16 and expressed his frustration with the group after.
“The young guys, especially young receivers, we’ve got to be way more consistent,” Rodgers said. “A lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route. We’ve got to get better in that area.”
Rodgers’ frustration wasn’t aimed at Allen Lazard, who Rodgers believes is a legitimate No. 1. Nor was it pointed at Randall Cobb, who Rodgers called one of the premier slot receivers in the league, or Sammy Watkins, who Rodgers said had his best day.
Rodgers’ patience with the younger receivers appeared to have waned following Tuesday’s penalty-filled practice against the New Orleans Saints that also included a drop by rookie Romeo Doubs on what Rodgers called his best throw of the day. View updated Green Bay Packers Superbowl lines here for Super Bowl 2023.
“It’s coming up,” Rodgers said of the regular season. “Yeah, it’s coming up. It really is. We’re going to play our best guys when the season starts. And whoever those guys are, those guys are going to get the reps. It’s the guys I trust the most and the guys the coaches trust the most. A lot of it is just the simple responsibility in the offense. Way before body positioning and movement and throw, and all that stuff, are you in the right spot at the right time? Are you running the right route?”
Packers News Aaron Rodgers Gets Mad
Mistakes by their young receivers led to three interceptions by Jordan Love in Friday’s preseason opener at San Francisco.
Rodgers absolved Love of responsibility for his interceptions against the 49ers, referring to the first one to tight end Tyler Davis as a dropped pass, the second as “not a great route, not a great finish by Romeo” and the third to Amari Rodgers as “a contested ball [to] a guy who’s running the wrong route.”
Added Rodgers: “You keep dropping the ball, you’re not going to be out there. It’s going to be the most reliable guys that are out there. The preparation and the job responsibility is most important. There’s going to be physical mistakes, like we’ve talked about, but if you’re going out there and dropping the ball and somebody else behind you is in the right spot all the time and catching the ball, that guy’s going to play.”
