We’ll Be Seeing the Best in Atlanta
The Green Bay Packers only get to play the Atlanta Falcons every four years. It will be a treat on Sunday to watch a game that will feature the league’s best receiver, its top yardage receiver, and its most athletic receiver. Let’s hear it for J.J.
That’s right, I’m talking about Julio Jones, Julio Jones… and Jeff Janis.
I’m not pulling your leg, not jerking your chain. I’m not making it up, not exaggerating, not speculating. Test data indicates Janis is the most all-around athletic wide receiver in the league. Some of you might remember that back in July I provided the results of my study of 589 wide receivers who underwent the full NFL combine testing – going back to the 1990s. The two top overall athletic specimens will be on the same field (Mike McCarthy willing) on Sunday.
Their sizes are comparable – Jones is 1/8 inch taller and one pound heavier. Jones is also a bit faster in the 40-yard dash – 4.39 to 4.42. But Janis, with better times in both the 20-yard short shuttle and the 3-cone drill, has better agility. Janis also has the faster acceleration, 1.47 vs. 1.53 seconds in their 10-yard split times. Jeff also has a fair-sized strength advantage, with 20 bench press reps vs. Julio’s 17. As to catch radius, a metric created by playerprofiler.com, they are also comparable, with Janis in the 99th percentile and Jones in the 98th. I give the razor-thin overall edge to Janis.
Of those almost 600 receivers, the only other three I found to be in the top tier of overall athleticism with the two J.J.s are Vincent Jackson (2005 combine), Andre Johnson (2003), and Javon Walker (2003).
Let’s see now, the top regular season receiving yardage for these five superior athletes was: Jones 1,871; Johnson, 1,598; Jackson 1,384; Walker 1,382 (with the Packers in 2004); and, Janis, 79 in 2015.
Apparently Big Mike doesn’t want to rush Janis along as he develops him.
If you can cope with the frustration of the way this team is being run, try to enjoy the game this weekend.
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Was it Janis who had a defender blocking his route and just stopped?
Not sure what the point of this article was but hey, wtf….METRICS BABY!!!
I’m looking forward to this game. I’m thinking with the Falcons bad pass defense, i might see someone gain 5 yards….after a catch.
Lol, catch radius only matters if you can actually catch while running. JANIS is a track star but he isn’t coordinated enough to turn his head and locate the ball without tripping over his own feet. That’s why MM doesn’t start him. I wouldn’t start him either. Do you people even watch the fucking games? Get real.
There’s only been one game in his career that he’s gotten significant play time” I watched him against the Cardinals and he looked ok to me.
Janis will get opportunities this week lined up inside. MM said he wanted big fast receivers running down the middle of the field. The team was using Janis in that role against the Bears and I expect it again this week. Janis should be able to get open IF he can avoid the debris in the middle of the defense. There are plays to be had against the Falcons in the middle of the field with 4-5 receiver sets. The Falcons will be more difficult than the Bears to throw against to the sideline. It is up to Janis to show he can perform as Rob indicates or if he is as Bob indicates. I think Janis is somewhere in between. Janis did make 2 out of 2 plays down the field against the Cardinals without tripping over his feet. Janis also has looked lost at times when running routes that are not extended or broken plays. This game will show a lot if Janis has anything to offer in the receiving department for future games. I hope he receives some throws so he can show us what he may have to offer, good, or bad. Hopefully good because that is what is best for the team.
Here is what you need to know. McCarthy says a lot of things, and has been for over 10 years. It does not matter who they sign, or who they trot out there, McCarthy is still guessing as he goes. From another article I read earlier, comes this beauty:
“Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he learned after some failures with practice squad additions that he needed to prepare them to play rather than just use them as scout team fodder.”
Because this is exactly the kind of behavior one would expect from such a tenured coach. Not figuring out that his practice squad players are there to be prepped for future contributions in the event they are pressed into service. Nothing against Allison, but I expect nothing to change because McCarthy is who we thought he was. Maybe this is the week he proves us wrong.
Yet more proof that Vin Scully had it right when he said…
“Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination”
…and that is why my fantasy team is 3-4