Packers’ Sternberger ready for big season
Tight end Sternberger focuses on big season
GREEN BAY - Jimmy Graham’s replacement is ready for this, and Jace Sternberger isn’t afraid to say it. Especially because Graham sought out the third-round draft pick from Texas A&M in May 2019 to make sure he would be.
You’re my rookie, I’m taking you under my wing … I know they brought you here to replace me but I’m not going to be that guy who is an ass and doesn’t want to help you … but don’t think I’m going to give this s--- to you either. I’m going to make you earn everything. But if you prove to me that you want to be here, I’ll help you with everything.
It was one of their first conversations and is etched in Sternberger’s memory, a welcome-to-the-NFL moment from a 10-year veteran with five Pro Bowls on his résumé.
“This is why I respected him so much and I’ll always stick up for Jimmy,” Sternberger said. “And I’ll always be like, this dude is a genuine person — he really cared about me.”
It’s why the 23-year-old tight end with zero regular-season catches to his name feels more than ready to take on a huge role in the Green Bay Packers’ offense in 2020.
“I’m not saying I was preparing for him to leave this year, I just put it in my mind that he wasn’t going to be here,” Sternberger said of Graham, who was released and then signed with the Chicago Bears in March. “So when I was doing my (injured reserve) training I’m just thinking hey, bigger picture, they brought you here for a reason, try to be the guy.
“That was just my mindset this whole time, watching Jimmy’s every move just so I can try and take over.”
It was needed focus, as Sternberger’s uneven rookie year didn’t
even really begin until November.
Twelve days into training camp, he was hit by Houston Texans corner Lonnie Johnson Jr. during a joint practice that was supposed to be without contact. Sternberger's helmet came off and he lay prone and disoriented.
To that point, Sternberger admits he wasn't off to the best start. It was his fourth offensive system in four years and if he made plays he wasn't exactly sure why. But that day in the practice with Houston on Aug. 5, he felt he finally was finding a rhythm in the offense.
At first he thought the collision and missing the rest of practice was a minor setback, but when driving to Lambeau Field on Aug. 6, he felt unusually fatigued.
“Geez, I've got to go to bed earlier tonight,” he thought.
Assistant athletic trainer Kurt Fielding kept an eye on Sternberger and noticed he didn't look quite right at breakfast or in the team meetings.
“I was just so defeated,” Sternberger said. “That's when I realized the concussion thing is scary because I wasn't myself. The (neurologist) was looking at me and he's like grabbing my arms and they felt like a pile of bones, like he could just do whatever he needed to do with my body. Now looking back, now that I'm healthy, holy cow, I was not in a good place. These are real things.”
Sternberger said he didn't suffer common symptoms and still feels a little sheepish, having told media and teammates he was fine after practice that day.
“It was more when people got around me, the more stuff that was going on, that's when it started to bother me,” he said. “Mine was more motor skills. That's what was really scary. I was like holy s---. It was really affecting my motor skills. My speech was slower.”
He wasn't cleared to return to the practice field for two weeks, missing valuable practice time and preseason games. Then, nine days later he almost
Packers tight end Jace Sternberger scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game last season.
broke his leg while severely injuring an ankle in the exhibition finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Injured reserve and being shut down for at least eight more weeks followed.
“I've always been fortunate with injuries,” Sternberger said. “That's another reason why I didn't go through the ‘poor me' when I got put on IR because that was my first time to ever miss a game, like miss something through an injury. I needed to experience what other people go through.”
He made his NFL debut Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, playing 11 special teams snaps against the Chargers. He made his offensive introduction the following week, blocking for the majority of his 14 snaps against the Carolina Panthers.
“Everybody's big question with me was, ‘Can he block?'” Sternberger said. “I basically just got to shut everybody up immediately. I got thrown into the fire, do what you do. The thing is, I've always known the routes — I'm not going to say it's easy for me — but I feel pretty confident in my speed and all that stuff. I knew that stuff was going to come but earning Aaron (Rodgers') trust and really learning the offense, that's a different process than going out there and smacking somebody on a block. I'm like well s--- I can do this right now.”
That progress only further endeared him to the Packers.
“I think Jace in time has a chance to be the kind of guy that can be a mismatch for us,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “He has some dynamic ability in the passing game. We're pretty excited about what he did as a blocker.”
Tight ends coach Justin Outten said in December that learning the intricacies of the offense and film study were something Sternberger was going to need to continue to work at for a larger role — and success — in 2020.
The team saw flashes of it in the postseason, when he caught three passes against Seattle and San Francisco for 15 yards, including a touchdown in the NFC title game.
“He has an element of speed that's very impressive,” Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. “He's got fearlessness, he's very aggressive. So he has a lot of intangibles, and I just think being able to be consistent, both being available and understanding what he needs to accomplish on the field is going to be huge, and if he gets that, he'll be a guy that potentially can help us.”
Interestingly, the second-year tight end said the virtual offseason has only helped him with that understanding. An admitted visual learner, Sternberger has used the distance learning setup created by the coronavirus pandemic to sharpen his study skills.
“We have our slotted time period that we can work online but we can ask for help and do extra stuff all the time on our own,” he said. “The detail part, I'd say has actually been …better for me. Maybe because it's my second time around, like last year I was kind of deer in headlights in the beginning of my rookie year like everybody is. You don't know what you don't know, one of those things. I think it might be a little bit of me just growing up but the virtual for me, because I can go at my speed, I'm not hurrying — I love penmanship so I write super nice — so I'm not rushed taking my notes. My organization is better. And then whenever I'm done, I can schedule a meeting with Coach Outten and we'll go over it the night before.”
For Sternberger, it also can't be understated how important it is to have the same head coach, offensive coordinator and position coach for the second straight year.
It's the first time he has experienced that since he headed into his senior year in high school.
And with that base knowledge of the offense, the tutoring from Graham and an offseason program that has struck a chord, the offense is unfolding in front of him like never before.
“I'm seeing more of what's in front of me and I'm getting super excited because this offense is really fun,” he said. “It's the more you can do, the more you can prove yourself trust-wise and knowing the concepts and plays, really the more opportunity you have to make a name for yourself.”