Earlier this week, Packers coach Mike McCarthy suggested that the team would alter its offensive approach from the season-opening loss to the Seahawks.
In that game, wide receiver Jordy Nelson lined up on the opposite side of the field from Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in hopes that Sherman would follow him but the Seahawks stuck to their guns and the Packers never threw the ball to Sherman’s side of the field. That didn’t work out as Seattle won by 20 points, making it easy to understand why they’d try something different.
Putting Nelson and other receivers in different spots doesn’t mean they are going to flood Sherman’s side of the field with passes, however.
“You have to be aware of him,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on his ESPN Milwaukee radio show. “Not scared of him, but you have a ton of respect for him. Look at the numbers, they don’t lie. Not a lot of guys catch passes on his side, and for the amount of times he’s targeted, his interception totals are very impressive. You just have to play your game, but if he’s locking his guy down, he’s probably not going to get a lot of passes thrown his way.”
McCarthy said he felt the Packers were better offensively now thanks to the development of players like Richard Rodgers and Davante Adams. They and the rest of the offense will need to back up their coach’s assertion for the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl this year.