National Football League

Green Bay Packers: Dial 'A' for Abbrederis

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:20 p.m. ET

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Watching Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spin, slide and wait in the pocket for someone to get open brought back lots of unpleasant memories from a year ago as Mike McCarthy’s offense looked a lot like the NFL version of a ‘73 Volkswagen Beetle slowly chugging along on four flat tires, two busted tail lights and a muffler scraping the asphalt.

Yes, it was ugly and some have started to call McCarthy’s play calling “predictable” due to his tendency to heavy up on 11-personnel formations featuring one running back, one tight end and three receivers.

In a recent report focusing on the head coach’s offensive patterns, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky noted that the Packers have used a three-receiver set on 95 of 123 offensive snaps. Only 11 (or 22.8-percent) of those plays featured a wideout that wasn’t Davante Adams, Randall Cobb or Jordy Nelson.

Let’s take a closer look at why this is happening …

What the hell is going on out there?

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jared Abbrederis.. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When asked about his play-calling trends, McCarthy reasoned that operating at a high-tempo pace or even implementing the no-huddle at times precludes a coach from employing constant personnel changes.

The issue Packers supporters should have with McCarthy’s methods isn’t necessarily his bread-and-butter go-to formations or his decisions to speed up or slow down the rate at which his offense lines up and snaps the ball. What needs to change is the composition of his three-receiver sets or, to put it in baseball terms, it’s time for Adams to grab some pine.

Coming off a dismal sophomore season that saw Adams produce both a 53.7-percent catch rate and a 9.7 yards-per-reception average, the third-year pro picked up right where he left off by securing three of seven targets in each of his first two games.

For all his efforts as a downfield threat so far both preseason and regular-season play, the one-time second-round pick is letting too many balls drop right through his hands. No math is needed to tell you that those kinds of players will ultimately lose you ball games—especially when they’re on the field 90 and 75-percent of the time as Adams was in weeks 1 and 2.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jared Abbrederis. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time to rip the cellophane off Jared Abbrederis and give him a test run before things spiral out of control and players start pouting and pointing fingers (see the 2016 Washington Redskins).

The former Wisconsin Badger has done nothing but earn praise in the offseason and in training-camp sessions. In a recent radio spot on the Wilde & Tausch show, Rodgers extolled the virtues of Abbrederis by stating, “He’s a guy that has phenomenal preparation. He’s always in the right spot. He has incredible body movements when it comes to not telegraphing moves, and he just finds a way to get open all the time.”

“Being in the right spot” and “always getting open” can certainly do wonders for a quarterback that has often looked gun shy in the pocket given the fact that his targets either aren’t getting enough separation or are just aren’t in sync with Rodgers on the types of patterns he’s expecting them to execute.

At 195 pounds, Abbrederis may not be the fastest or most physically-imposing pass catcher to come down the pike, but he has the kind of high football IQ that will allow him to be on the same page with his signal caller.

The same can’t always be said of Adams who was last seen haphazardly cutting in and out of his route against Trae Waynes in a way that probably threw off Rodgers on the last offensive play of Sunday’s game that resulted in an interception.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jared Abbrederis. Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

This isn’t to say that Adams is useless and should never see the field…he should just see less of it. Reducing the feast-or-famine receiver’s time will allow him to reflect on his shortcomings and hopefully become a more disciplined player.

In the meantime, McCarthy can’t afford to put weapons on the field that consistently come down 50-percent-or-less of balls thrown in their direction especially with the Packers playing in so many close games that can be decided by one errant play.

The last time Abbrederis saw extensive action in the regular season was in Green Bay’s Week 10 home matchup versus Detroit where he caught fire by recording four receptions for 57 yards as the No. 4 receiver. He exited the game with a rib-cage injury after taking a shot on a 32-yard completion.

Could the 25-year-old step up and deliver again in the same place and against the same team?

If accommodating Rodgers with a more polished option can help accelerate the rate at which he sorts through his progressions, it’s certainly worth a shot.

One can’t be too concerned about exposing the fragile Abbrederis to injury when regular-season wins and a Super-Bowl title are at stake. It’s time to give No. 84 some run.