Defending Janis

[Deleted member 6794]

Have you watched a single Packer game the past 5 years? They are the kings of ad-lib plays, Rodgers bases his entire game around it, often ignoring w open receivers in the short part of the field buying time to get the big play.

While Rodgers is amazing at extending plays and improvising it´s not true the entire Packers passing game is based around it. In addition receivers have to react a certain way to make these plays work consistently.

 

[Mondio]

I remember neither him or Jones being able to catch

really?

I would like someone to look up his situational stats for his rookie year. Maybe i'm remembering 2nd, but it seemed like he was catching a lot of 3rd down passes for first downs considering he was a rookie. I think his 2nd year he had a small stretch where he dropped some balls, but I don't remember it lasting long and his breakout year he didn't really drop anything, probably 1 or 2, but it wasn't many.

 

[Pkrjones]

Do you have any predictions on what the over and under should be in each of these categories (for Janis): catches, total yards, and TDs?

Challenge... ACCEPTED! I have high, optimistic hopes for Janis excelling this year. With Cook getting a healthy dose of targets this year AR will be top 5 in passes attempted (550 ish), yards (4,500) & TD's (42).
IMHO, Janis (#4 receiving option) will catch 40 for 650 yds. and 8 TD's.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Aside of Nelson and Cobb every receiver currently on the Packers roster is eligible for the practice squad. The league implemented a rule allowing a team to sign a maximum of two players who have accrued no more than two seasons of free agency credit to the PS some years ago. Most of the ones having a chance to make an impact with the Packers would be picked up immediately though.

Thanks Captain. The PS Rules and who can be considered eligible always confused me. This bodes well for Abby. Since I feel out of the current group of 7, he would probably be the one the Packers could safely stash there (again) if needed. While he is probably a better WR at this point then both Janis and Davis, Janis provides valuable contributions on ST's and Davis, if he shows enough in the preseason, might be grabbed by another team.

 

[bigbubbatd]

Have you watched a single Packer game the past 5 years? They are the kings of ad-lib plays, Rodgers bases his entire game around it, often ignoring w open receivers in the short part of the field buying time to get the big play.

Rodgers does ad-lib but you are completely off if you dont realize that the Packers run a very timing based passing offense. WRs are expected to be in a certain place at a certain time. Often Rodgers has barely looked at a WR before he throws the ball. He reads the defense and knows who should be open. Janis has not been where he is supposed to be in these plays. He breaks off routes. There was a particular interception or incompletion where you could tell Janis ad-libbed to the back of the end zone running a lazy floating type route instead of breaking hard to the pylon. Rodger's and McCarthy were both furious.

I should quit posting in this thread because the love for Janis is crazy. Most Janis detractors here are saying he is a 4/5/6 type wr. That is pretty generous considering how little he has done outside of one game. When you can remember every single one of a guy's catches in two years that isnt that impressive. No one is saying he should be cut but apparently if you dont think he should have a great chance to start you are a hater. Put it this way. In an injury shortened 5 game season as a rookie Ty Mongomery has 4 times the regular season catches, 2 more tds, and more yards than Jeff Janis. If you add in Janis' monster playoff game Montgomery still has more catches, now less yards but the same amount of tds. IN 5 GAMES!

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I would like someone to look up his situational stats for his rookie year. Maybe i'm remembering 2nd, but it seemed like he was catching a lot of 3rd down passes for first downs considering he was a rookie.

Not sure who you´re talking about but Jones caught eleven balls on third down passes for first downs during his rookie season while Nelson had eight as a first year player in 2008.

 

[easyk83]

IF Janis picks up where he left off, yes he'll be seeing more playing time. Starter opposite Jordy? I think Jordy, Cobb, Adams (as bad as his year was) and Montgomery all sit ahead of him.

Cobb and Monty are slot specialists, both look like crap on the outside. Adams, I hope he rebounds but the kid seems to have a ten cent head in game and a perpetual case of the drops. Abby too frail and Davis just started. Janis might start at no. 2, not because he's that good but because the guys ahead of him are either unreliable or suck playing outside of the hash marks.

 

[Mondio]

Cobb and Monty are slot specialists, both look like crap on the outside. Adams, I hope he rebounds but the kid seems to have a ten cent head in game and a perpetual case of the drops. Abby too frail and Davis just started. Janis might start at no. 2, not because he's that good but because the guys ahead of him are either unreliable or suck playing outside of the hash marks.

Not that I agree with them looking like crap, but that's not the point. I don't care where they line up, Cobb and Montgomery are going to be lined up on the field before Janis because they are that much better. Where they line up? I don't care, but I do know the coaching staff will find a way to use them, before using Janis.

 

[Curly Calhoun]

Have you watched a single Packer game the past 5 years? They are the kings of ad-lib plays, Rodgers bases his entire game around it, often ignoring w open receivers in the short part of the field buying time to get the big play.

Rodgers throws to guys he can trust to be where they are supposed to be. This explains why he doesn't throw to Janis unless he has no other options.

You can poo-poo the importance of route-running if you wish, but until Janis becomes good at it, his contributions will likely be limited to special teams play.

 

[rodell330]

Before last season the Packers had only four active receivers on game day. With Nelson's injury and the unit struggling for most of 2015 the coaching staff decided to have five WRs on the game day roster for most games.

With Cook and Rodgers capable of catching balls as well and Jordy hopefully returning to full strength I expect the offense to get back to using four WRs for the majority of the season.



Aside of Nelson and Cobb every receiver currently on the Packers roster is eligible for the practice squad. The league implemented a rule allowing a team to sign a maximum of two players who have accrued no more than two seasons of free agency credit to the PS some years ago. Most of the ones having a chance to make an impact with the Packers would be picked up immediately though.



Janis has a total of only 11 receptions during his two years with the Packers. I can't remember a single one on which he used his huge frame to take advantage of it.



Cobb will start in the slot with Adams, Janis and Davis competing for the spot on the perimeter opposite of Nelson. The Packers hardly use two receiver sets.

Wow you can't remember him using his huge frame to take advantage of a DB? Did you watch the Cardinals game last season? You know? The one where he went up and piled in a Hail Mary throw over a smaller DB. I would definitely constitute that as using his"huge frame" smh. You guys crack me up haha.

 

[Mondio]

ahh yes, the Hail Mary, the staple of any well functioning offense

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Wow you can't remember him using his huge frame to take advantage of a DB? Did you watch the Cardinals game last season? You know? The one where he went up and piled in a Hail Mary throw over a smaller DB. I would definitely constitute that as using his"huge frame" smh. You guys crack me up haha.

Could we please stop elevating Janis to stardom because of two Hail Mary passes he caught in a playoff game??? In my opinion the love he gets from part of the Packers fan base after how little he has done as a receiver over his first two seasons is absolutely ludicrous.

 

[rodell330]

Could we please stop elevating Janis to stardom because of two Hail Mary passes he caught in a playoff game??? In my opinion the love he gets from part of the Packers fan base after how little he has done as a receiver over his first two seasons is absolutely ludicrous.

You eluded my response to your comment. No one (at least not me) has elevated him to stardom. One thing I can say about him tho.. is hes a special teams star, he works hard, and in our biggest game last season? the guy was our most productive wr, and showed a lot of people he could make plays. For you to downplay that would be "ludicrous".

 

[Deleted member 6794]

You eluded my response to your comment. No one (at least not me) has elevated him to stardom. One thing I can say about him tho.. is hes a special teams star, he works hard, and in our biggest game last season? the guy was our most productive wr, and showed a lot of people he could make plays. For you to downplay that would be "ludicrous".

I´m not downplaying Janis performance vs. the Cardinals at all but I´m able to put it into some perspective. Thompson drafting Trevor Davis as a deep threat tells me the coaching staff still doesn´t feel comfortable putting Janis on the field as a receiver as well.

 

[RRyder]

really?

I would like someone to look up his situational stats for his rookie year. Maybe i'm remembering 2nd, but it seemed like he was catching a lot of 3rd down passes for first downs considering he was a rookie. I think his 2nd year he had a small stretch where he dropped some balls, but I don't remember it lasting long and his breakout year he didn't really drop anything, probably 1 or 2, but it wasn't many.

Good god yes. Hell just take a look at the SB run. The superbowl alone Jordy and Jones had like 6 or 7 drops (3 of which would've went for long TD) The amount of unbelievably easy passes they dropped was maddening.

They both dropped alot of easy passes for the first few years of there career. Even when Jordy first got in the starting lineup the dropoff between Jennings and him was pretty stark as a #1 WR

 

[Patriotplayer90]

I´m not downplaying Janis performance vs. the Cardinals at all but I´m able to put it into some perspective. Thompson drafting Trevor Davis as a deep threat tells me the coaching staff still doesn´t feel comfortable putting Janis on the field as a receiver as well.

Janis not getting on the field tells me they don't feel comfortable putting him on the field.

 

[rodell330]

I´m not downplaying Janis performance vs. the Cardinals at all but I´m able to put it into some perspective. Thompson drafting Trevor Davis as a deep threat tells me the coaching staff still doesn´t feel comfortable putting Janis on the field as a receiver as well.

Or it could be we are simply to slow at that position . When Nekson went down last year so did 90% of the deep balls.

 

[Pkrjones]

Thompson drafting Trevor Davis as a deep threat tells me the coaching staff still doesn´t feel comfortable putting Janis on the field as a receiver as well.

Wouldn't that be similar to saying "TT doesn't feel comfortable having Bakhtiari & Bulaga on the field so he drafted Spriggs and Murphy". TT does NOT draft for need, he tries to continually upgrade everywhere.

Maybe TT is hoping that either Davis OR Janis step-up and replace Adams? Who's to say Davis or Janis isn't meant to be a Nelson replacement in '17 to save $7Mil in cap? ... or Montgomery a replacement for Cobb and save the same $7Mil? Just because Janis wasn't ready in '15 doesn't mean his only value for the rest of his career will be as a gunner. Div. 2 (or 3) guys sometimes take a bit longer to catch-up to high-end D1 players.

Nelson is #1, Cobb is #2 and the rest is wide open... Janis (7th round), Adams (2nd round), Monty (3rd round), Abby (5th round), Davis (5th round) and all of the other UDFA's need to fight to claim the other 3 or 4 spots. Where they were drafted means nothing, anymore.

 

[RRyder]

Not that I agree with them looking like crap, but that's not the point. I don't care where they line up, Cobb and Montgomery are going to be lined up on the field before Janis because they are that much better. Where they line up? I don't care, but I do know the coaching staff will find a way to use them, before using Janis.

Considering the coaching staff last year felt that Abby was a better receiver to play on the outside over Janis despite Abby being better suited for the slot is all you need to know about where he sits on the depth chart even if the list only includes guys playing on the outside.

Here's last year's list of recievers for the outside and NOT the slot:

1: Jordy- Before he got hurt obviously

2: Adams- Had a rough year but as I've stated even Jordy looked rough at times early in his career.

3: Cobb- Better suited for the slot but still was a better option then the guys behind him on the outside.

4: Jones- Good journey to the old timer.

5: Montgomery- See the Cobb explanation

6: Abbrederis- Leap frogged Janis the moment he got bumped up to the active roster when the spot that needed filling was an outside receiver.

7: Janis- Came up big on the final drive of the season. Little to nothing before that but great as a gunner.

Thats just last year but let's not act like Janis is a shoe in to get significant playing time barring injury when he was at the bottom of the list, of the very thing he's best suited for, just last season.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Or it could be we are simply to slow at that position . When Nekson went down last year so did 90% of the deep balls.

With Nelson coming back I don't think it would have been a problem at the position even before Davis was drafted. Don't forget the team signed Cook to add much needed speed at tight end.

Wouldn't that be similar to saying "TT doesn't feel comfortable having Bakhtiari & Bulaga on the field so he drafted Spriggs and Murphy". TT does NOT draft for need, he tries to continually upgrade everywhere.

Just because Janis wasn't ready in '15 doesn't mean his only value for the rest of his career will be as a gunner. Div. 2 (or 3) guys sometimes take a bit longer to catch-up to high-end D1 players.

Spriggs and Murphy add much needed depth on the offensive line. Entering this year's draft I didn't feel the need to select another receiver to improve the talent level at the position. The only explanation is that the coaching staff wanted someone to compete with Janis for limited playing time.

It's true that it takes players from Division II some time to get used to the pro game but in my opinion Janis is running out of it.

 

[RRyder]

Wouldn't that be similar to saying "TT doesn't feel comfortable having Bakhtiari & Bulaga on the field so he drafted Spriggs and Murphy". TT does NOT draft for need, he tries to continually upgrade everywhere.

Maybe TT is hoping that either Davis OR Janis step-up and replace Adams? Who's to say Davis or Janis isn't meant to be a Nelson replacement in '17 to save $7Mil in cap? ... or Montgomery a replacement for Cobb and save the same $7Mil? Just because Janis wasn't ready in '15 doesn't mean his only value for the rest of his career will be as a gunner. Div. 2 (or 3) guys sometimes take a bit longer to catch-up to high-end D1 players.

Nelson is #1, Cobb is #2 and the rest is wide open... Janis (7th round), Adams (2nd round), Monty (3rd round), Abby (5th round), Davis (5th round) and all of the other UDFA's need to fight to claim the other 3 or 4 spots. Where they were drafted means nothing, anymore.

You were doing well, even if I don't agree with it, as I think the reason for Spriggs is to have the ability to move on from Bakhtiari (also adding the depth for this year was big also)but you really lost me when you say the rest of the WR spots are completely wide open. They're not. It's very clearly a battle between Janis, Davis and Abby for the last two slots. Montgomery and Adams stand zero chance of being cut while all of those 3 do

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

For what its worth, barring injuries, I see the WR's shaking out this way:

1. Nelson
2. Cobb
3. Adams
4. Montgomery
5. Davis (kick returns and some WR work)
6. Janis (gunner and limited work as WR)


Janis makes the roster only because of his special teams play. Abby, unless he ups his game a whole lot, will be cut or placed on the PS along with Geronimo. If Janis doesn't continue to produce on ST's, he is released and Abby is brought back up.

This could all change depending on the preseason. We have a lot of young guys who will be competing for time as well as a spot on the PS. Only way I see Adams or Janis cut is if they have an abysmal preseason and one of the rookies steps way up.

 

[Mondio]

Good god yes. Hell just take a look at the SB run. The superbowl alone Jordy and Jones had like 6 or 7 drops (3 of which would've went for long TD) The amount of unbelievably easy passes they dropped was maddening.

They both dropped alot of easy passes for the first few years of there career. Even when Jordy first got in the starting lineup the dropoff between Jennings and him was pretty stark as a #1 WR

we did not go to a super bowl his rookie season

 

[El Guapo]

Pkrjones - you pretty much summed up my thoughts. Great post.

Janis struggled to get on the field, for whatever reason. I'd love to see a reporter get us some background on why that may have been, from an internal Packers viewpoint. Regardless, when he got the opportunity he shined. That tells me that he's earned the opportunity to prove it more. I hope that he turns into Jordy II or even better. I would be shocked if he does but pleasantly shocked...and happy.

 

[RRyder]

we did not go to a super bowl his rookie season

Im not talking about just his rookie season. I said early in his career