The relationship between Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the team’s young receivers was discussed a lot during the offseason and the conversation did not move on to other topics after the first game of the regular season.
Second-round pick Christian Watson dropped what could have been a touchdown pass to open the team’s Week One loss to the Vikings and the rest of the game saw the Packers struggle to find success on the offensive side of the ball. With Allen Lazard out of the lineup, Rodgers and the receivers didn’t always appear to be on the same page and Rodgers stressed “having patience” with players still learning the ropes when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
Part of that patience involves finding out what “style works best” for the receivers.
“There’s a standard I’m going to hold these guys to because I believe in them, but also there’s a patience that comes with the inexperience,” Rodgers said, via Jason Wilde of Madison.com. “I think I’ve learned how to balance that. But the direct conversations are the best way. These are good kids. They really are. They want to please, they want to do the right thing, they care about it. I’m going to figure out a way to continue to get on the same frequency with them, and at the core of it is just communication. . . . At the end of the day, that’s how that trust is built, through that direct communication.”
Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon ran for 94 yards on 15 carries in the opener, but playing from behind limited the amount the Packers ran the ball over the course of the game. Avoiding that predicament and letting the running backs play a bigger role while the receivers continue to find their footing might be a path to better results in Week Two and beyond.