Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams was bad in 2015. That might even be an understatement, but he insists it wasn’t the expectations that crippled him.
“That really had nothing to do with anything, honestly,” the 23-year-old Adams said. “The expectations weren’t killing me.”
The Packers expected Adams to break out in his second season. Coach Mike McCarthy even anointed him the offseason MVP at one point. The pressure on Adams was only ratcheted up when Jordy Nelson tore his ACL.
Everyone was careful not to say Adams had to be the guy to fill Nelson’s role. They used committee approach terminology instead, but it was clearly Adams who they were counting on to step up and be their go-to guy on the outside.
That, of course, never happened.
Although he had more receptions and more yards than his rookie season, Adams’ play went south. No more is that evident than in his 9.7 yards per reception and lone touchdown.
Some people blame the ankle injury Adams suffered in week 2. It caused him to miss three games and reportedly never returned to 100 percent.
Whatever the cause, Adams clearly has something to prove this season.
“Obviously, the season I had last year, I wasn’t proud of it. So I’ve got to change it and do what I’ve got to do to move forward,” Adams said. “It’s a new year. Obviously, not everything goes the way you plan it to go. You can’t control some things. I hurt my ankle, I hurt my knee; I can’t do anything about that. What I can do is bounce back from it.
“It’s not just [about] proving it to the team but proving it to myself.”
Now the question becomes, can he make the team?
Although the Packers have a wealth of receivers, we’re not going to bet against Adams, despite how badly he played in 2015. This guy was a second-round draft pick in 2014 and if he shows any explosiveness at all, he’ll likely get a roster spot based on his draft status and potential.
Health is one reason Adams could rebound. Another is that he won’t be facing starting cornerbacks anymore.
Adams had a real problem getting separation from anyone’s starting cornerbacks in 2015. With Nelson back in the lineup, Adams won’t have to worry about facing anyone’s No. 1 or 2 corners. Nelson and Randall Cobb will draw those match-ups.
Lesser competition and Adams should automatically be more productive.
At the end of the day, nobody cares who the offseason MVP is. Around Green Bay, that list is littered with bums.
Adams needs to prove himself on the field or the Packers will be justified in moving on.