Admit it, you either love him or hate him. The battle lines are drawn, and there’s little use in trying to change the set minds of people at this point. So how did Jeff Janis come to be so polarizing?
Janis never launched any public relations campaign. He’s not boastful, a showboater, or a self-promoter. The Hype Train, as Janis fans are sometimes called, formed very naturally. What he did in the 2014 training camp, and then again in 2015 – and is doing again this summer, after spending the 2016 preseason in a hand cast, is make plays – many of them big and spectacular.
I’ve gone through Jeff’s history a number of times, but for new readers, for anyone who still might possess an open mind, and for those who think his good showing this preseason is a surprise, let me recap.
Three Years of Futility
In 2014, as the seventh-round draft choice out of Division II Saginaw Valley State, Jeff barely got to play in the preseason. He had two passes thrown his way. They both went for touchdowns, 33 and 34 yards.
His very first catch in a game as a pro was a simple dump-off, one yard past the line of scrimmage and between the hash marks. Janis simply left all Rams’ defenders in his wake as he swung to the sideline and turned the corner. It was electrifying and a love affair by the fans had begun.
In 2015, Janis was the dominant receiver in preseason, this time catching 10 balls, and taking three of them into the endzone.
Despite his preseason success, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy barely gave him any playing time in either of his first two years. Janis, unbelievably, had only two regular season catches in 2014, and two more in 2015.
Finally, Fat Mike was left with no choice, due to injuries, but to insert Janis into the lineup in the second quarter of a playoff game with the Cardinals, following the 2015 season. Jeff’s seven-catch 145-yard, two-touchdown performance in that near-miracle comeback and overtime loss, is simply one of the finest receiving displays in NFL postseason history. And Janis got only 55 percent of the offensive snap counts in the game!
Janis fans were confident that he’d finally get a chance to show what he could do in the 2016 season. We were wrong. For the third year in a row, McCarthy refused to play him beyond token snaps or when he simply had no other healthy receivers. Even then, Janis continued to show his knack for making big plays and getting into the endzone.
After spending several weeks in a hand cast to start the 2016 season, Janis was allowed to catch 11 passes on the season. Despite other receivers playing with injuries, a healthy Janis was targeted one time in the last five games of the season.
Never mind that Janis has also looked sharp as a kick returner. Never mind that even McCarthy admits he’s a great special teams player and an “Olympian” in the weight room. Janis has had but one chance in three years under McCarthy to play a good portion of a game. The nation saw the result against Arizona.
The reason Janis is polarizing is simply because McCarthy won’t play him, so all those who blindly believe in the genius of our coach have concluded Janis is no good, he’s a failure, and he should be let go. This will be the fourth year in a row Janis is considered to be on the bubble for making the final roster.
The McCarthy Coverup
Tellingly, it was Fat Mike who added fuel to the Janis debate in the aftermath of that heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals.
Most fans can readily picture that final catch, with time having run out, Aaron Rodgers hurled the ball up for grabs, and Janis went 15 yards to chase it down and out-battle All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson for the catch. Rodgers was credited with a sensational throw; Janis’ two catches for 101 yards (there was a five-yard penalty) on that final drive have ever since been labeled “flukes” by his detractors – even though he’s been making such big plays going back to high school.
Why in the world would the coach, two days later in Green Bay at his season-ending press conference, criticize and belittle the player who performed such heroics? Here’s what Fat Mike said:
“I think Jeff Janis is one of those examples you look for. You look for players to take a jump in their second year and some guys do it at a different point in the season. Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis need to earn their opportunities. I thought Jeff struggled in the preseason. I had him in my office for a film session and I thought he picked it up on special teams. He did some big-time things for us. Really as a receiver, he was inconsistent. He had some chances, up-and-down. What’s really impressive about the performance of Jeff as a receiver in Arizona is we didn’t take him off special teams.”
That’s called damning with faint praise.
Revisionist History
The fact is: McCarthy has flat-out never given this incredible athlete a fair chance. Instead, after the Cardinals’ game, he’s taken to blaming Janis, not himself, for his lack of prior playing time.
When was Janis given chances as a receiver in 2015? If he was so inconsistent, as McCarthy later claimed, during that preseason, how did he manage 10 catches and three touchdowns in the preseason games?
I followed Janis’ progress like a magnet in 2014 and 2015. He was a preseason star both years, both at practices and when given a chance in preseason games. Back then, no one was carping about route-running, about Janis being “raw,” or about up-and-down performances. That’s all part of the coverup.
What were people talking about in 2015? Let me take you back to October 18, 2015, when Janis got his only two catches on the year. The first one wasn’t even thrown to him, but he came out of nowhere to make a sliding 46-yard catch on Aaron Rodgers’ overthrow. The other was a simple underhanded flip, which Janis turned into a 33-yard ramble.
After that game, people were talking about Janis, and some reporter got these responses when he asked some Packers’ defensive backs about the “surprise” showing:
“(Janis is a) great, great, great deep ball threat.” – Quinten Rollins
“Man, Janis is a hell of a player. Speed? You can’t teach that.” – Sam Shields
“I knew he was fast the first day I stepped in (a drill) at camp. His is deceptive-looking fast because he’s so long-legged.” – Damarious Randall (who insists Janis has 4.3, not 4.4, speed)
“That boy is fast… The first 10 yards, you think you have him, and after that he’s just flying.” – Micah Hyde
None of these defensive backs could fathom why Janis wasn’t in the lineup.
The Great Agility Myth
As long as I’m venting, let’s put to rest the notion Janis is “stiff-hipped,” that he has no moves, and that all he can do is run fast in a straight line.
A player’s agility is measured by two tests at the NFL Combine: the 20-yard short shuttle and the 3-cone drill. Janis’ times are 3.98 and 6.64, for a cumulative agility time of 10.62 seconds. I challenge anyone (mockdraftable.com is one source) to name a player anywhere near Janis’ 6’3” and 219-pound size who can beat that cumulative time – any team, any position, any era.
Wrap-up
My conclusion: Janis has possessed enormous ability from the day he arrived in Green Bay and McCarthy has squandered his talent.
After the heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals, McCarthy was besieged by reporters asking why Janis hadn’t been playing. He either had to admit he mistakenly failed to give Janis a fair chance to play, or that Janis really wasn’t much of a receiver – and he chose the latter.
I went into much more detail last summer. In fact, I examined 589 receivers since the late 1990s who’ve taken the NFL Combine tests, looking to see who had the best combination of size, speed, agility, and strength. Jeff Janis came out numero uno!
To not put this guy on the field is an unpardonable offense, and a permanent stain on McCarthy’s coaching ability.
After McCarthy’s continued snub throughout the 2016 season and playoffs, I urged the Packers to do the right thing: “Trade Jeff Janis.”
More than ever, that continues to be my plea. Janis deserves better than to be Fat Mike’s whipping boy. I don’t really care about his special teams play. He’s made to be a receiver. For the good of the team, and for Janis himself, let’s clear a roster spot for someone McCarthy is willing to play.
And, yes, I do continue to think Janis has trade value.
Jesus. If he is the special player you make him out to be, why did he slip all the way to the 7th round? He is an NFL capable receiver at best. Period. We will see what happens once he leaves Green Bay what happens, when he is coached by other staffs. Combine #s and measurables only get you so far.
Offer up a trade package for Janis and QB #2 for a late first rounder.
Really?
Yep, if they could get that type of trade. There are enough guys to step up in Janis’ spots and QB2 will be gone soon anyways. This isn’t saying I’d miss Janis and the “what if?” Also, if AR went down we’d be totally screwed without QB2. — It’s a difficult call, but if the offer was there. I’d say jump.
That’s a lot of “if’s”.
A Two-fer – not a bad idea. All the other QBs love throwing to the guy: Tolzien, Hundley, Callahan, and now Taysom Hill eagerly look his way. A big part of the explanation is that Aaron Rodgers positively dislikes Janis – but that’s a whole other long story, and Rodgers should not be proud of his role in keeping the guy on the bench.
So Rodgers makes all the personnel decisions, who gets 1st team practice reps, who plays? Rodgers runs this team and makes all decisions?
What’s the long story Robbie? Do all the coaches and coordinators desperately want to play Janis but Rodgers won’t allow it? Did Janis steal one of Rodgers twix bars 3 years ago, so he decided he just hates the guy and won’t let him play?
What are you gonna do next Robbie, after Janis goes to another team and fails, are you going to cry and piss and moan that no one will give Janis a chance, like Tebow? OH SNAP.
Or is your proof that he is a player because of his combine metrics compared to Julio Jones. Going to sing that tune again, or just cry it’s a vendetta by Rodgers?
So he caught a td pass in preseason, made an over the shoulder catch in pre-season, whoop dee fricken doo, is he the 1st player to do that? Should the NFL put him in the pro bowl because he caught a couple passes in pre-season against scrubs?
Crown him pre-season MVP if it makes you feel better, but stop pretending you know how Rodgers personally feels about Janis. You love you some Janis, his combine metrics are off the charts, we get it. But lay this stupid shit to rest. I can’t wait for the Packers to not resign this bench warmer, so you can blame Janis’s deficiencies on a different team and QB.
Ron, I’m totally with you on Janis, I must say, other things i read is A-Rod does not approve of his rout running and has FMM’s ear. I hope the Pack keeps him, but, we will see.
That over the shoulder grab by Janis is something he’s struggled with since arriving on the Packers.
Maybe Happy Gilmore has learned how to putt.
Look its either Janis isn’t great or Aaron Rodgers is an idiot. Rodgers lobbies for guys he think are important players. I really dont think AR is an idiot
Everyone here thinks you are the idiot
Wow! And here lurks the troll under the bridge! With nothing of substance to say, no counterpoint, just name calling. Riveting.
Your article has convinced me: MM is a jerk.
Yeah, we already knew that. But also that Janis could be and should be by now, a very good player. Davante Adams is taking his snaps. He is as big as Davante. He is much faster. And, really, could he in any way possibly drop more catch-able balls than Drop-vante? The correct answer is “No”. Or, better yet, “Hells no”.
What is Janis had gotten all those Davante snaps the last couple years? An extra 22 balls caught maybe. 8 or 9 drives extended to TDs instead of punts. Several long runs for TDs after catch that Adams did not manage. D playing different with safety back to respect his speed opening up the game for the other WR + TE and maybe even helping the run game. An extra 2 or 3 wins each year?
All this due to MM’s ego?
Well… hold a minute. MM is a jerk. He does have a terrible ego. He does frequently throw players under the bus to make himself look better (Brandon Bostick, Josh Sitton, about 16 others). But… Rob is missing something here ——
WRs need Aaron’s approval to get playing time. Aaron really runs that offense. MM does as Aaron orders. He has full control. If Aaron wanted Janis on the field, he’d be on the field.
Logic problem.
1. Janis’ play and ability means he should have been a starter, and star, for years.
2. But Janis gets no playing time unless forced and even then begrudgingly.
3. Then outperforms the starters but still gets no added playing time.
4. Janis has no off field concerns or controversy and, besides, Packers org is totally cool with that (name 9 players on PEDs and/or criminals on Packers or recently were). So that is not the reason.
5. Aaron determines who does and doe snot get on the field, especially at WR.
6. Aaron is the reason Janis does not play.
Ergo, logically, one can only conclude Aaron made a pass at Janis — not a “football” pass — due to malfunctioning gay-dar and Janis shut him down.
It’s just logic man.
“doe snot” …. damn stuff gets all over everything.
Killer actually makes some good points sometimes, this is one of those times. As it is, Janis IS a talented player. Rob points that out quite easily in this article. Something is amiss in GB regarding Janis, MM and perhaps Rodgers. And do NOT give me any crap about none of us knowing what goes on in the Packers locker room! None of us know for certain! But I can posit this . . . The other side of the coin is JUST AS PLAUSIBLE as the one that most others believe. Fuck MM and or AR or both if this is true. If not? Who fucking knows. This is NOT something that does not occur in all walks of life. Sometimes people get raw deals. I believe Janis may be one of those guys. Whatever the problem is, he does continue to show much promise; it is time for GB to give him his due. Just my biased take on it.
Maybe you and killer can hug and sing kumbaya together, then when he’s done, he can come back on here and keep posting and trying to denigrate our team, State, and the teams fans. Maybe he’s looking to upgrade to an apartment. You need a roommate?
You say we don’t know the situation, but Rob clearly states he “knows” why it’s Rodgers keeping him off the field, and the long story behind it. The queen above seems to think 100% sure that he knows what’s happening in Green Bay..wow…lol. Wow. The queen uses this stuff as an angle just to shit on our team. Maybe that will dawn on you one of these years.
Now, if you catch Rob on a different day, then it’s all Fat Mikes fault that Janis isn’t playing (you doubt that?) Read my post below. I mean, which the fuck is it? Is it both? Is this a big vendetta against Janis?
We’ve heard plenty of comments and various reason’s from people in this business why Janis isn’t getting more playing time. Can someone show me any real (credible article’s) that show that Rodgers or McCarthy have some major plan to keep Janis off the field. Ok then.
Stop this slanderous bullshit, Rob isn’t there, he has no clue about it, other than dreaming up excuses for Janis.
….a different day, a different person’s at fault why Janis isn’t playing.
ROBSTER
08/23/2017 at 4:11 pm
But how can you have regular season success without regular season playing time? I don’t think Janis has any significant “internal” problems. He has a giant external problem, however: Fat Mike. Given that McCarthy has done all he can to ruin Jeff’s career, I would characterize his comments as merely an effort to ingratiate himself to, and humble himself before, the Great Coach. If his “release” has been a big problem, why did it take more than three years for the coaching staff to pick up on it, if they even did?
Reply
PF4L
08/24/2017 at 7:43 pm
So is Janis, Mike’s fault, or Rodgers fault? Who’s fault is he next week, Edgar Bennett’s, maybe the position coach’s fault?
Thank God it’s not any fault of Janis.
I don’t know what the excuses are toward Janis now, but that 38 yarder he caught last week was with his hands, not his body. Must have been the couple passes he dropped in the opener against the Eagles. I like Janis but I don’t think his future lies in Green Bay. Here’s hoping Abbrederis gets the chance to shine as well, although hopefully not against the Packers.
For anyone that has watched the Packers the last few years, why did Adams get force fed even when he was dropping balls hand over fist? Does anyone remember the Jeremy Ross experiment? Trevor Davis drops one punt last year and essentially is never heard from again the rest of the season. And I’m not a huge fan of Trevor Davis personally, he seems sort of frail, doesn’t look like he is 6’1″. At least with Ross they eventually came to their senses and cut the guy.
Why do the Packers have 12 freaking WRs including multiple draft picks it seems like every year but end up with the usual suspects making the team, keeping 7 (8 if you count Montgomery as a WR out of the backfield) but using essentially 3 during the season? All I’ve read this off season is about how the Packer offense will potentially be unstoppable. Yet they have no running game due to lack of commitment there, they will waste spots keeping 2 FBs and 7 WRs. Remember the year they kept 4 TEs? I’ll take “What about the defense” for $500, Alex.
Take it further than Janis though. This is year 4 for another player on this team as well. That I haven’t actually noticed in either preseason game yet. Can’t say I’ve actually seen his number either now that I think of it. He certainly has never contributed anything meaningful on the field in his entire Packer career, regular season or playoffs. Yet will probably make this team for the 4th year in a row for some reason at the expense of some other young Safety or Cornerback. I’m talking about Demetri Goodson. Goodson reminds me of Jarrett Bush 2.0. Howard I think was the first guy I saw mention Lenzy Pipkins, he has been noticeable, and not for the wrong reasons either.
Yes, there is something fishy and there appears to be a double standard for whatever reason that can’t be readily explained by any of us here. The disparity in opportunities afforded between players is not a figment of imagination. Some guys can perform abysmally or not at all for as long as it takes (see Adams, Crosby and Goodson) while some guys are seemingly always in or around the doghouse for less. Under the expert tutelage of the current Packer brain trust, why even ask why? Some areas of the team are constantly neglected (defense, special teams, offensive line and until recently TE), some areas are paid more attention than they actually need (WR) or deserve (RB). And I only say RB because we all know there is no actual commitment to the running game no matter what McCarthy says, his history bears that truth out. Why should individual players fare any better than how the team itself is being run? The highly successful NFL coach is tired of having to stand up there at the podium and answer to you ingrates.
MM has ALWAYS played and kept favorites. Why should he just stop there? The guy has an attitude. He is egotistical and lacks humility. Aaron Rodgers is in my opinion the reason he has had success. The one factor that I will give him credit for is that he does know how to develop QB’s. But that is NOT the holy grail of coaching period. Without many of the other attributes that a great coach has, or in MM’s case ALL of the many negative attributes that bad coaches have, his good points are negated by the bad. Hence his many “nicknames” my favorite being “BUFFOON” which he so aptly fills with great ease and aplomb. Fuck that fucking fuck . . .
I agree with you. I know that some of us see the same demeanor yet there are some people that think that’s crazy talk.
Goodson is still on the team because of PEDs. Not because he uses them and it makes him “better”. He was suspended 4 games last year which basically means he was even caught once before then as well and warned and still used. So this shame and the lack of dependability — will he be suspended again and, how much worse is he without PEDs? — should make him waiver wire material.
So, how does it (provably) lead to him still being on the team?
He is part of the “in the know” team within a team of PED users. Essentially, he knows the Packers dirty secret. He has the dirt on them. They cannot cut him. At least they need to show him they are making extra efforts to keep him so he will not feel like blackmailing them or going public if released.
There is a very real reason why the Packers have the most PED suspensions and the most credible stories of PED usage (hello Clay!) in the NFL. This is not some kind of accident.
The wise man listens to the queen, nothing happens in Green Bay Packer Land without him knowing every detail of what’s going on and being “in the know”. He must have unbelievably great inside connections in Title Town to be so informed. I never knew the reason Goodson is still around is to keep him quiet and from exposing Packer inner secrets. Man, i’m missing out by not reading queens post, and learning all these true story’s.
I use to think queen was just making things up in his own mind as he went along. But he actually really seems to know every move up there, and the reason everything happen’s. Color me fucking impressed!
I’m going to now join the rest of you fine intelligent people and read all of queens post, just so i can learn all i can!!!
BTW..on the .00001 percent chance Janis is getting a raw deal going into his fourth year, as you smart people claim, because the coach and qb hate him, then maybe him and his agent should put on their big boy pants and tell the Packers to trade him or cut him. That’s what i would do if i had the talent you guys think this cat has. I mean fuck, if that’s the case, man up and go to a different team.
Funny how all the other teams don’t see the talent in Janis that a few of you see and offer the Packers a trade they can’t refuse….odd huh? Maybe they’re just not as smart as you, maybe they didn’t see Janis’s metrics at the combine. Which would explain why he went in the 7th.
But then again he did have a 35 yard catch in pre-season…Ted’s phone is probably blowing up with trade offers as i write this……lol
For as open minded and as such a straight shooter as you profess to be, you certainly can get up into anyone’s grill if Aaron Rodgers is mentioned in anyway negatively. I find that rather funny that you become such a creampuff when Rodgers is ever mentioned in a less than positive fashion. Have you excluded ONLY QB1 from all of the vitriol and smack talk that you so effortlessly provide us with on a daily basis? This seems extraordinary to say the least that one man, and I mean one man only, is above reproach from you. That is a tad creepy to me. Hey I love Aaron Rodgers too! he keeps us in many of these games every fucking year! But is he infallible? No! He is human like the rest of us. Your man-crush on Rodgers is understandable, the guy is a stud, is smart and is most likely the best QB1 OAT. But even this DOES NOT get him a get out of jail free card PF4L. You and I agree on nearly every fucking thing on this site save for three; my username, politics and A. Rodgers personality/attitude. If I was to posit anything else on here that was a scathing review of anything “Packer” sans Rodgers . . . There would be little to no pushback from you. What is up with you and Rodgers?
It wasn’t about Rodgers’s, it also wasn’t about McCarthy. It was about people reporting something as truth and fact, when they actually don’t have a clue.
Why does Rodgers need a get out of jail free card about this, or McCarthy for that matter? Tell me what they did. Actual fact’s, the truth, not something a few conspiracist conjured up in their minds.
Maybe you read the post and accusations leveled on Rodgers, McCarthy, and why Goodson is still a Green Bay Packer, and you take that as truth. Maybe you also believe in the Easter Bunny, idk.
I’m a little different, i believe in posting, reading about things that are born out of reality. I don’t bathe in the fantasy world of conjecture from the emotionally distressed.
Have a nice day.
Pfft . . . well then I guess that you too need to throw out the baby with the bath water. Your rants boarder on extremism at best. But you have ONE failing. A. Rodgers is above reproach. That is where you become a hypocrite. I can find good and bad with ALL OF THEM, that is TRUE. You? no way . . .
He knows Rodgers is his meal ticket. PF4L IS Monty. This site depends on users. Interest in the Packers depends on Rodgers. There you go.
Monty even launched a campaign (ongoing) of various “is Rodgers dating person X, person Y, etc. — basically ANY female he happens to be seen with within 10 feet — in order to mask Rodgers’ true sexual preferences.
This propaganda is to make Rodgers look better and thus Monty’s web site more successful.
In conclusion, PF4L/Monty is, like too many, a sell out.
He’s on to me/us.
I don’t know if Rodgers hates Janis or not. Janis would have to be allowed to play more to see how Rodgers responds when Janis is in the game. McCarthy shoulders the blame as he calls the personnel packages. I stand by what I said above, some people get chance after chance when they don’t perform and some people are seemingly always in McCarthy’s doghouse. Apparently in the eyes of some people Janis is the equivalent of Jayrone Elliot, monster in the preseason, never to be heard from again. Except for that one fluke playoff game. Which has to be the exception rather than the rule because all the Janis haters said it was so on the internet.
Janis is a polarizing guy, an enigma if you will. Or maybe it is McCarthy that is the enigma, who knows with that guy what goes through his head. Much like McCarthy owes his career to Rodgers/Favre, it would be nice to see what Janis can do without the “expert tutelage” of McCarthy thinking he knows best and potentially impacting Janis’ career in a negative way. It isn’t the first time McCarthy’s decision making has come into question as being suspect. Abbrederis might prove this if he flourishes in Detroit.
This^^^^^^
This and that…..
7. JEFF JANIS, WR, SAGINAW VALLEY STATE
AFC scout: “Big, strong guy. Little straight-line. He’s got straight-line speed so he can run by people. But when he starts having to run routes, he struggles a little bit in and out of his breaks.”
AFC scout: “He’s horrible.”
NFC scout: “Free agent. I don’t think he’s going to be much better than that. He’s no Jordy Nelson, all right?”
NFC scout: “He’s a good small-school player. Raw.”
AFC scout: “He ran real well at the combine but I didn’t like him down there in Mobile.”
AFC scout: “No, he’s not a player. He caught 1,000 passes but he had 1,000 chances, too.”
When NFL people start liking him, let me know. Till then, knock yourselves out.
And what about those NFL people that didn’t like Rodgers coming in? Here’s what was said about Rodgers. http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/packers/203116571.html. Did you have to defer to the NFL people before you liked Rodgers? I doubt that very much. You don’t seem like the kind of guy with your opinions that defers to anyone. Call it like it is, you don’t like Janis.
I’m not a fan of Goodson, or Adams up to this point. Good for me. We get it, you don’t like Janis. Good for you. What we can agree on is we want the clown show out and see a more successful team performing on the field. And if by some miracle that involves Janis or Goodson helping that cause, good for us.
I don’t NOT like Janis. Read what I’ve wrote. What did i say? My contention was people shouldn’t be slanderous, professing people are trying to ruin Janis’s career. Janis isn’t on the field, because he hasn’t earned the opportunity, not because of what some conjured up.
Interesting take on what people thought about Rodgers, comparing that to Janis. The only difference being, with Rodger’s, they were wrong.
Very astute, Empacador. Monty has a habit of utilizing whatever logic serves his purpose at the moment.
Monty would make a decent politician, just using the comments that back him up while burying the rest. Many scouts had many good things to say about Janis as well but, does Monty post those?
Empacador is right to bring up Rodgers and the many old criticisms there. Did that mean he never amounted to anything? Obviously not. All these scouting report comments are old anyway. Size and speed don’t change much but many other things do. If you hold Monty accountable across the board then we must agree that Janis has poor potential … and also that Aaron Rodgers is not even worthy of being a third string QB. That what you sayin’ Monty?
Look, we all know there are reasons why Janis was not drafted high — small school being #1. That is a given.
Now boil it down to the most relevant facts:
1. Physical/ athletic. What is his ceiling? Some people just do not belong on a football filed no matter how determined and dedicated. But Janis is not in a wheelchair. Athletically he has very superior size and very superior speed which makes his physical potential off the charts.
2. Mental. He has no known intellect issues. Great focus. No stone hands or dropsie issues (cough*Dropvante*cough). He learns all the plays, etc.
3. Off field. On drugs? Pedophile? Criminal? Nazi? None of these things that we know of. Law abiding with no known addictions or team distractions. To his detriment with Aaron, he is heterosexual.
4. Performance. OK, maybe all the parts are fine but the sum of the parts somehow don’t work together? Let’s see… does great in preseason. Sure, it is preseason but you can either do great or not so great or bad, right? Which do you prefer? Would you think better of him if he did badly? He makes the absolute best of the preseason. That is all he can do. And when pressed into duty in the playoffs he does great. GREAT!
So he has the physical (x 10), he has the mental, he has the off field, he has the performance when given the opportunity. Small school? After years in the NFL that is a thing of the past. He is used to a pro style advanced passing offense and to the spotlight and to top competition. Small school is a thing of the past unless you want to argue Green Bay is small school.
It is just this simple:
Aaron made a pass at Janis and Janis shut him down. Or Janis made a comment — maybe joking — about gays before he realized Aaron was one. Bam! Black-listed. MM aids and abets Aaron in this as he is basically just Aaron’s lackey until Aaron’s arm weakens in a few years. If Aaron does not want him on the field, neither does MM.
Janis can’t start or get much playing time no matter how many balls Adams drops or how injured Jordy is. But. BUT! They can’t cut him either. Why? He would latch on with another team and do great and who would look like buffoons? MM and Aaron. My God, if they cut Janis and the New York Jets picked him up Janis would not just be their #1 WR. He would be their #1 and #2 !!!!!!
They can’t play Janis much because, if they did, he would do great and they would look like idiots for keeping him on the bench so long. + we all know Aaron never forgives, holding a grudge forever. (Aaron keeps dolls representing each grudge in a special polished wood cabinet. He opens it and fondles each grudge lovingly every night before bed. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth but he never forgets to pet those grudges. This cabinet is floor to ceiling and covers an entire wall).
It isn’t like Janis could ever work his way out of that one-way doghouse Aaron operates.
This^^^^^^^^ thanks KILLER and EMPACADOR.
Re-reading this thread from the beginning. PF4L, to your comment about Janis “Funny how all the other teams don’t see the talent in Janis that a few of you see…” Until I see Janis getting the ball forced to him repeatedly for a season like they did for Adams, all Janis has is POTENTIAL. Kinda like all that potential that never fully materialized when Finley was playing. Finley was a loud mouth with a social media presence that never realized his full potential. I’m not claiming Janis is the only player who has been repressed. But Finley had way more opportunity to realize his potential than some other PLAYERS have had over the years, even when those players were fucking the dog out there. Kinda like Adams is about to get paid if he continues where he left off last season.
From another article “The decline in Rodgers’s production has come mostly on passes to wide receiver Davante Adams. Over the last three weeks, when Rodgers throws to Adams, he’s 15-for-35 for 129 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. That’s a completion percentage of 42.9 percent, an average of 3.7 yards per pass, and a passer rating of 41.2. Over the last three weeks, when Rodgers throws to anyone other than Adams, he’s 58-for-103 for 618 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s a completion percentage of 56.3 percent, an average of 6.0 yards per pass, and a passer rating of 90.2.”
From what I have seen, Rodgers does seem to get pissy with Janis when Janis is playing and drops the ball or runs the wrong route or whatever. To me that’s Rodgers wanting/expecting perfection. The difference is I didn’t see Rodgers reacting so harshly towards Adams when he was dropping balls left and right. And maybe some of that is by design because Rodgers knows who he can be harder on and who he has to use kid gloves with so an ego doesn’t get bruised, like say Adams? I seem to recall some shots about guys rather being in the locker room playing video games and the last ones out to practice not too long ago. Not quite the same as getting your ass reamed during a game on national TV.
I’m not big on conspiracy theories, all I can tell you is what I have seen with my own eyes watching the games. And I’ve given plenty examples of disparity (Ross vs. Davis being another glaring example) to back up what I have seen. I don’t believe Rodgers is the reason Janis isn’t playing anymore than I believe Rodgers decides which OL are protecting him. I believe that is rooted in the system run by McCarthy.
If you take away the names Janis and Rodgers for a minute, surely fans have witnessed the man crushes the Packers have toward certain players through the years. I know in the group I watch games with this always comes up and is evident. Even when those players have never done anything to warrant all the praise, or are not performing for long stretches and are detrimental being on the field.
It’s not like anyone is calling for Rodgers to be benched/traded because Hundley is wasting away on the bench and could use the opportunity to realize his potential. Although, wait a minute, excluding you, there are in fact some Janis haters here who did just that. Maybe they are onto something and Janis really does suck, because they told us Rodgers sucked as well. Damn. Now I don’t know who to believe anymore. This shit is confusing, man.
I’d like to see other players, whether OL or WR or RB, you name it, have some opportunities when players ahead of them are performing abysmally for long stretches of time. Not a game or a quarter or a half. The excuse of the Packers are always one of the youngest teams is no excuse when guys aren’t performing according to McCarthy. If an Adams or Barclay or Goodson isn’t getting it done, what is the harm in putting in some other scrubs and give them some experience that is lacking every year? The Spriggs or Janis’ of the world can fuck it up just as well as the anointed ones right? Unless you don’t want the elephant in the room to surface. That maybe your team is actually not as good as McCarthy/Thompson like to think it is. By playing these untalented hacks posing as players and holding a roster spot the rest of the NFL will become exposed to how shitty the Packers are without Rodgers.
This^^^^^^^^
I’m done listening to all of you cry about Janis. Seriously, get the f over it, this team has far bigger problems.
Read something that you did not like? There was a whole lot of truth and some great points in those last two posts PF4L . . . Janis is a symptom of a MUCH DEEPER problem. Let’s simplify this for you . . . Think youth baseball and the “Daddy” coaches. Who get’s to play SS or pitch? Daddy’s kids first. Sometimes pecking order has NOTHING to do with talent and everything to do with who you are, and who likes you . . .
CAUSE: GB was WR-spoiled when Janis showed up, and his lack of football knowledge (due to small school program he easily dominated with simple fly routes) unimpressed AR’s entire klan at GB, and the game-boy video-gaming that Janis was doing all the time (that AR complained about) didn’t help – that was Janis’s fault that he didn’t really understand the preparation needed for the NFL level, partly because Janis was also from a very small town (and it is a BIG transition from that to the BIG leagues). Fact is, GB was very used to some uber-professionals in Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, and Randall Cobb (who was unstoppable before that cheap shot to his knee), and Janis was the least NFL-Prepared guy they ever saw, a freak from the backwoods, factually. I am no blind-faith fan of MM or TT, but give them some credit for keeping Janis at all, and due only to those combine numbers, but, since Rodgers was in WR paradise ever since he got to GB and AR needed nobody at the time, Janis rubbed AR all the wrong ways right from the get-go, and that hasn’t changed yet – since several big-time college WRs have been drafted, so Janis just keeps getting overlooked, and obviously he is not overly impressive in practice yet either.
EFFECT: However, with the various DBs that are playing against NFL WRs every week, making comments as they do, it is about time we see this guy on the field, because what I see out there from those other WRs is that they are rarely open and rarely making any sort of special plays. So, yeah, it is time for MM to show us some Janis. Jordy Nelson was not 100% in early years either.
Thanks for trading Janis to the Browns :) I guess we’ll see which side of the argument was correct about him. Of course, as a Browns fan, I’m hoping he’ll be great!
Excuse me, I should have said letting him go to free agency so the Browns could sign him.