It’s been one giant soap opera in Green Bay this off-season. This all started in April on Draft Night when Aaron Rodgers stated he didn’t want to come back and play for the Packers this upcoming season. To be completely honest, I didn’t blame him for being frustrated because he’s been disrespected. Most players who are faces of their franchise are always in the loop on certain things. Aaron wasn’t and he had a right to feel disrespected. On Tuesday, Aaron decided to report to training camp after some months of uncertainty. Today, the Packers tried to get on their quarterback’s good side. They made a trade for a familiar name. Randall Cobb is coming back to Green Bay.
I remember his first game in the NFL. It was 2011 in the opener against the New Orleans Saints. He recorded his first receiving touchdown of his career and in the third quarter of that game, he followed up with a 108-yard kick return which is tied for the longest in NFL history. From that moment, I knew he would be a vital piece of that offense. What draws me to his game is how he does the little things. He’s quick off the snap, he can free himself to get open and whatever you ask of him, he does it. I’ve seen Randall take snaps out the backfield as a running back, line up to return punts and kickoffs, but he happens to do his most damage as a slot specialist. Randall can also line up wide. When he gets the ball into his hands, he can make people miss in the open field with how he cuts on a dime in space. Randall is a polished route runner. What I mean by that is he has a great understanding of how to find his spots to get himself open. At any point in the game, he can make a big play.
I remember during the NFC Championship in January, I stated that the Packers truly missed that slot presence over the middle of the field. You saw it because anytime they tried attempting a pass over the middle, Tampa Bay shut it down. Troy Aikman said the same thing on the broadcast, and I agreed with him. Every quarterback has their safety valve. Brady has Gronkowski, Tony Romo had Jason Witten, Mahomes has Kelce and now, Aaron Rodgers has his guy back. This will take a tremendous amount of pressure off Davante Adams.
