Have you seen enough of Richard Rodgers yet? We sure as hell have.
The Green Bay Packers have been relying almost exclusively on the second-year pro at the tight end position, this season. To say he hasn’t delivered would be an understatement.
Rodgers is second on the Packers with 23 receptions, but he’s gained only 205 yards, which is a pathetic 8.9 yards per catch. Rodgers couldn’t break a tackle or make a play if you or I were covering him in the back yard. And if that weren’t enough to make our blood boil, he’s a liability as a blocker and consistently makes costly mental errors.
But the Packers keep running him out there anyway. Rodgers has played in 91 percent of the Packers’ offensive plays, this season.
It’s clear the coaches don’t think they have a better option at tight end. There’s no other explanation as to why they’d keep relying on a guy who consistently underperforms.
That may, finally, be about to change.
“[Rodgers has] been pretty much carrying the load, but we have two other young guys that have been given a little more opportunities,” Packers offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said. “That’s something that we’ll address. As the weeks go on, those guys will have more opportunities and they have to make the most of them.”
Those guys are backups Justin Perillo and Kennard Backman.
Perillo has played in two games since being brought up off the practice squad and has caught two passes for 27 yards. Backman has been active for just two games and hasn’t caught a pass.
We know why Backman isn’t playing. You may think it impossible, but he’s an even worse blocker than Rodgers. Of course, he’s a rookie and that’s to be expected.
Perillo is probably the strongest blocker of the three and he couldn’t really offer anything less in the passing game, could he?
If the Packers are going to make a move — and they should — Perillo would be the guy.
We’re not suggesting that Rodgers will get benched. That seems highly unlikely. The Packers at least have to go through this season pretending he’s a viable starter, since they wasted a draft pick on him and then decided to go through the offseason telling us he could get the job done.
They can easily give more snaps to Perillo, though.
There’s no reason a guy who no one would even rate as average should be dominating the snaps at his position to the tune of 90-plus percent.
It’s about time someone noticed that folly and corrected it.
If they wanted a real play making TE they would re-sign Colt Lyerla. Could care less about his past. There are Packers on the current roster that are by far worse.
Rodgers has good hands and very wide body. There were many opportunities for AR to get him the ball. AR did not look comfortable in the pocket and had a hard time seeing the field. He had no trust in his Oline.
Colt Lyerla would be dope
as would Vernan Davis
too bad neither is going to happen
Mark Chamura still around ?
Yeah, hes’s just been hanging around hot tubs
Mitchell Henry
Give him a shot
Colt Lyerla would be awesome! We’ve seen what our TE on the roster can do lets give it a shot!
Jesus Christ, shut the fuck up about Colt Lyerla. If he were any fucking good he’d be on a team.
No true, we have turds on our team when referring to the TE position. What harm could it do? We didn’t even get to see what he was capable of because he got injured and then cut.
Bring back Mark Chmura
The answer at tight end is Maxx Williams, former
Gopher, a young Gronk. But Ted Thompson
wouldn’t do what was necessary to draft him, or
trade for him. Williams is a fuckin’ truck, think
Finley with soft hands. And he can block. But
TT just sneers at solutions that aren’t bargain
basement. THAT’s the fundamental problem
with the Packer roster, it’s filled with Ted
Thompson’s flea market purchases.
RR is absolutely awful and if you disagree I’m not sure what game you are watching. Yes he’s a big target and yes he has decent hands but once he catches the ball, the play is immediately over, thus making him useless. He has zero ability to break a tackle and very little balance. A 5 foot nothing db could knock him over by mildly breathing in his direction. The safety Sunday night was fantastic because he managed to showcase all his “skills” in one play, by first blocking the wrong guy and then picking up the ball in his own endzone with nobody around him and falling to the ground. (There was probably a gust of fresh Rocky Mountain wind)
Tat has left the TE position a complete mess. Every season it’s the same story. A position is left to trash heap rejects like the TE position Shia year or ILB last year or Safety the year before. No problem Aaron Rodgers is only 23 and the Packers can afford to wait for riverboat TT to build a team with all his eggs in one basket
Richard Rodgers fucken sucks. End of story.
RR isn’t that bad, Jesus Christ he’s in his second season and you guys are clamoring for a rookie who will make even more mistakes.
Give it time, dude will see the field better, the only thing I fear may not progress is his blocking.
We’re not talking progress in this guy’s case. He’s at the “what is this thing blocking you keep talking about?” stage.
MF whiffs on more blocks than a one-eyed matador. I never thought I’d say it, but there IS a TE easier to tackle than shitbag FinMe.
Bench his ass.
Rodgers hasn’t been as much of a disappointment as the play calling. I don’t care if the guy can’t run after a catch as long as the catch is for a first down and the chains move.
Um RR sucks, not sure what football some of you RR fans are watching.
Problem is he is stupid. Dumb as a rock. Ever hear him talk? Geezus I thought Brent Fullwood was back. Ever see his eyes? Its like looking into two dark empty pot holes.
For all we know VD was sought after by the Pack, you people are assuming he wasnt. My guess is San Fran made it clear he wasnt going to an NFC team.
Trade deadline is over so its time to move on and use the guys we got.
Help is not on the way.
@rebelgb It’s not an assumption:
Poking around on trade deadline day, was told the #Packers DID NOT inquire about TE Vernon Davis, who went from SF to Denver yesterday.
– Rob Demovsky
Lol at the Colt Lyerla suggestions! This asshole is playing rugby right now. Nobody, i.e., zero NFL teams, is interested in him, but he has the strong endorsement of the TP comments section. No, he’s not the fucking answer. As mentioned in this article, Perillo may get an opportunity soon, and that makes way more sense than rounding up some universally unwanted loser from a rugby team.
Ted Hawthorne, in order to acquire Maxx Williams, what would the Packers need to give up to convince the Ravens to trade him? If he’s as good as you say he is, don’t you think the Ravens would be reluctant to trade him? Is it even possible at this point in the season? I have a hard time understanding why you think the Packers are filled with “flea market” players when they are consistently deep enough to sustain injuries and still make the Playoffs every year. Most teams do not have starting caliber players at every position let alone on their 2nd or 3rd string.
What kind of sense does it make for TT to draft
a second CB, and a “project” at that, when he
could have traded up and got Williams. When you’ve got the best QB in the NFL you provide
him with receivers. You DON’T retire Driver, and
release Jennings and Jones. One of your
remaining receivers may get hurt. Oops, that
happened. Point proven. AND you don’t leave a
problem at TE to draft a second CB when someone like Williams was available. Tight end?
We don’t need no stinkin’ tight end.
Maybe we ought to back off a bit on the trashing of Richard Rodgers and take a hard look at that OTHER Rodgers–you know, the guy the media likes to anoint as football’s greatest QB. He’s not getting the job done either. When is the last time he had a really good game? I honestly can’t remember. In fact, I don’t even recognize this guy wearing #12.
Ted, one of the remaining receivers did not get hurt. Five of them did. Jones, Cobb, Nelson, Montgomery, and Quarless. Also, the secondary has been banged up and needed to rely on its depth as well, which was bolstered by this year’s draft. They expected R. Rodgers to improve this year. So far he hasn’t improved, but not having Maxx Williams (12 receptions, 108 yards for an average of 9 yards per catch this year) isn’t why the Packers lost their first game in seven contests this year.
And did you actually watch Driver play his last couple years? Major drop off in ability, old, and zero upside. What makes you think it would have been smart to keep him?
I don’t disagree that TE is a problem, but there are trade offs to every decision that is made. Right now, you’re saying the Packers’ banged up secondary needs this year’s draft picks less than the offense needs Maxx Williams (and his 9 yards per catch, which is barely better than Rodgers’ 8.9).
I forgot to mention a 6th hurt/injured receiver, Adams.