We’ve long pondered why the Green Bay Packers didn’t play receiver Jeff Janis on offense in 2015. We’re about to see if they’re willing to play him on offense this year.
There were rumors of trust issues with Aaron Rodgers. There were rumors that Janis couldn’t grasp the offense. There were rumors that his route running wasn’t up to par. We never really got a clear grasp of the problem. What we know is that when the Packers put Janis on the field, he made plays.
Here’s one we haven’t heard yet, though.
@packers Aaron Rodgers asked how is Janis looking w/out hand cast? "He's still catching with his body a lot – which is great! That's Jeff."
— Mike Clemens (@MikeClemensNFL) October 5, 2016
If you know anything about playing receiver, you know receivers are supposed to catch with their hands and not let the ball come all the way into their bodies.
Does Janis catch with his body?
He didn’t catch that Hail Mary against Arizona with his body. He went up and high-pointed the ball like you’re supposed to do. That’s one play, of course.
Unfortunately, we haven’t seen enough NFL game action from Janis to tell you. However, if you look at some college highlights, the answer would appear to be yes.
Beware the terrible music should you play this.
Maybe this is the reason — or at least part of it — why offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett called Janis a work in progress.