— You think most defensive backs in the NFL have it hard covering Davante Adams on a weekly basis?
Try doing it in practice in a helmet and shorts.
The Green Bay Packers’ most lethal weapon at the wide receiver position is coming off of his first 1,000-yard season in 2018 — and he’s only getting better.
Adams’ steady rise from second-round pick who battled an ankle injury in his second season and endured the rallying cries of fans demanding he be benched, to one of the most dynamic receivers in football with what may be the most explosive release off the line of scrimmage has been well-documented.
Take it from Tramon Williams, the Packers’ elder statesman at 36 years old.
Williams saw flashes of what Adams was capable of in 2014, Williams’ last season with the team before he and the Packers reconvened in 2018 on a two-year deal. Like almost everyone who lines up across from Adams on Sunday, Williams can’t help but admire the team’s leading receiver.
Adams’ ability to consistently beat press coverage and effortlessly change direction makes him a unique, near-uncoverable threat.
“You don’t get a lot of guys who can actually do that,” Williams told Packers.com after Wednesday’s public practice. “That’s special. Not a lot of guys can do that. If you go back and watch a lot of receivers, there aren’t going to be a lot of receivers able to get out of their hips like that.
“I think we had only maybe one other receiver who was able to get out of their hips that smooth over the years. I say that was Greg [Jennings] at that point; ‘Tae is a little more explosive, Greg was a little more smooth. It’s a rare thing. That’s why it’s hard for a defensive back to see that.”
Defending Adams is a chore in itself. As someone who continues to perfect the art of beating the opposition from the start of the route to the stem where Adams is typically the recipient of some kind of back-shoulder connection from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, his arsenal is seemingly limitless.
Williams has seen all kinds of receiving talent blow through Green Bay since he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Packers in 2006. The likes of Jennings, Donald Driver, Randall Cobb, James Jones: yet, Adams remains in rare company.
There’s also art to defending players like Adams as well, as impossible as it may seem — even if you’re at an odds with your back to the wall.
“The receiver always has one stick; we’re taught to read the receiver’s stick. He’s going to give you a little stutter, then he’s going to get you to stick, and when he sticks, he’s usually going the opposite way. With a guy like that, this guy usually gives you more than one stick.
“How do you read that? Do you go for the first stick or do you go for the second stick? It’s something that a lot of guys can’t do, that’s what makes it special.”
Adams is just one of several components to what is very much slated to be a flourishing offensive unit under first-year head coach Matt LaFleur in 2019. Adams will have opportunities created for him via the new concepts that will be implemented through the remainder of OTAs and into minicamp, but he’ll also be able to create his own with his unmatched technique.
“They deceived us all day today, man,” Williams said of the Packers offense that reportedly put on a show in front of the public crowd this week. “They have a good tempo going to the offense right now, and they continue to show a little every day. They haven’t given us the full throttle each and every day, but they’ve given us a little bit every day.
“Offense is looking good. I think it’s going to complement what we want to do from a defensive standpoint and, hopefully, they can put pressure on other teams so we can get turnovers on our side.”
Via: cheeseheadtv.com