Rookie receivers try to keep in step
GREEN BAY - Romeo Doubs points to the inner portion of his left arm, just above the elbow, and reads the tattoo there.
“Pain builds character.” It represents the path the rookie receiver took to this point, a fourthround pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL draft out of Nevada, and it represents what Doubs feels he and the other rookie receivers are going through in organized team activities (OTA) sessions.
“That's just what we live by,” Doubs said. “It's a meaning to it. It's understanding how mentally tough you've got to be, knowing there's always a solution to things.”
Knowing there's always a solution to things is what's keeping Doubs head above water right now, as the Packers' rookie class is baptized by fire.
“It's coming fast and furious, but you know, on my end I know I can control only what I can,” Doubs said. “So just being able to dissect whatever there is that I know that makes me feel overwhelmed, just keeps me at a pace and makes me feel controlled. Got to control what I can control so I don't mentally drain myself; I know there's always a solution.”
For the Packers' top-drafted receiver, second-rounder Christian Watson out of North Dakota State, the solution is easy. It's the process that is proving tough: playing faster.
“I definitely don't think I'm playing at the speed that I want to play in terms of just thinking about what I have to do and thinking about assignments and stuff like that, but it's going well,” Watson said.
While the receiver unit has been
shorthanded in Green Bay during the early days of the offseason program and voluntary OTAs, the rookies have had one veteran to whom they could look. Randall Cobb, now in his 12th season, is staying in each of their ears, providing guidance and encouragement.
“Truthfully, it helps a lot,” said Doubs of Cobb’s influence. “With him just being inspiration for me, I’ll just make sure that, whatever question I have in order for me to just play this game as long as I can, I go to him.”
Watson agreed that in the doldrums of the offseason, it’s the veterans who are helping to keep them on track.
“It’s just about you know, getting the rep and repetition and obviously having a full understanding of the playbook as we’re adding stuff throughout these installs each and every day,” Watson said. “I definitely think I’m coming along.
“I think most of the rookies, with the guidance of the of the vets, are coming along pretty well. I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. But I definitely see myself needing to play a little bit faster to get up to my standards.”
It’s about stacking days, Watson added, working on a little at a time when a lot is being thrown at them. This past week alone, the rookies saw their biggest install yet, with three new phases of the playbook introduced. And Watson isn’t the only one looking to add some pep to his step.
“It’s been good,” said Samori Toure, a seventh-round pick out of Nebraska. “Just with all the other rookies, I’m trying to get a good hand on the playbook so I can play fast. But overall I think I’m making good progress. Been studying the playbook a lot so trying to get that down.”
On Tuesday, the rookies received an extra lesson in what it takes to succeed in Green Bay. Consistent winds of 20 miles per hour featured gusts up to 50 miles per hour, making the deep ball difficult to place.
“It was tough,” Toure said. “That was kind of my first taste of what it can be like in Green Bay. I think we adjusted to it after got out there and caught a few passes.”
Doubs was the recipient of one such wind-blown deep ball late in practice. The explosive pass from Kurt Benkert was a designed back-shoulder play to Doubs. Benkert kept enough power on the ball to cut it through the wind and Doubs adjusted.
“It was moving,” Doubs said. “Great adjustment by me. I was able to (grab it) and focus on the next play ... great ball by Kurt.”
It’s moments like these, flashes of what can be, that help each rookie trudge through the pile of playbook pages being dumped on them. And from the sideline, coach Matt LaFleur watches. He knows this is the toughest time for his rookie receivers … and it’s by design. He gave them their biggest workload yet this past week in preparation for mandatory minicamp beginning Tuesday with the expected return of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and an assurance they wouldn’t be playing slow when it counted.
“It kind of compounds and then you get to, there’s a lot that’s thrown at these guys,” LaFleur said. “And so that’s why it’s so important for those young guys to kind of stay ahead and stay up on everything we’ve done in the past. So you just kind of keep building on it.
“Our philosophy is to throw as much at these guys as possible, especially this time of year, and you kind of get a feel for what guys can do well and then you kind of build upon that during the season. But I just don’t like it when we get into the season and they’re hearing things for the first time. I’d rather them at least have heard it and been given some exposure to it before the season rolls around.”