Davante Adams is hurt. He’s gonna miss a few games. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not even the end of the season.
I know that (some) people don’t have a lot of faith in MVS or Geronimo, but the fact of the matter is they are in an offense that doesn’t need them to be Davante Adams.
If Adams was expected to the miss the rest of the season, the team would need to make a move. However, missing him for a month is just part of how football works. The team can adapt and there’s a lot of supporting evidence to show we don’t need to overreact.
Adams’s Impact On The Team
Davante Adams is a great receiver. He had a career game against Philadelphia, threatening the Packers 101 year franchise record for receiving… and they lost. In all the games where he didn’t have a career game, including games of 56 and 36 yards, the Packers won. Adams balling out isn’t necessary for, and doesn’t guarantee, victory.
How The Packers Fared Without Adams
The Packers played one game without Adams… they beat a division leaders on the road by double-digit points. Honestly, what else do you want?
This isn’t about looking at individual players and trying to maximize every slot like it’s fantasy football. This is about having a complementary team that has many ways to win.
Wide Receiver Correlation To Super Bowl Wins
- 3 of the last 5 Super Bowl champs did not have a wide receiver with 100 yards receiving,
- 2 of the last 3 Super Bowl champs had a running back with 100 yards receiving
- The last 4 Super Bowl champs all had a tight end get at least 60 yards receiving
Coaching Scheme To Win
The key theme above is that none of these teams depended on their wide receivers to win Super Bowls. The recent theme has been using running backs and tight ends for a balanced passing attack that is hard to defend.
That is exactly what Matt LaFleur brings to the table. Fans whined that Mike McCarthy was too dependent on needing great receivers to win. Now, we have a new age coach who is using backs and tight ends in the same manner as other successful teams and fans are crying that we need to go out and get better wide receivers.
Lunacy.
Conclusion
Adams being hurt sucks. He’ll be back. If it’s possible to get a mid-tier receiver for a 6th round pick, it would be a 10 game rental that would stunt the growth of the other receivers on the team. Spending more than 6th to plug a very short-term gap feels like a very poor value, especially when you consider that our precision QB takes a long time to establish a rapport with receivers.
Anyone who joins the team in week 6 would have a hard time contributing before the end of the season, at which point, we wouldn’t need them.
Everyone chill out.
.
For more on the value of wide receivers, please read How Champions Draft and Why Skill Players Are A Dime A Dozen