Rip them one day, meet with them the next. Those were the last two days in the life of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ quest to get a young group of receivers ready for the fast-approaching start of the regular season.
A day after Rodgers expressed his frustration with the group, they were instructed to report to the quarterback meeting room at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday. When they arrived, they found all three quarterbacks plus the key members of the offensive coaching staff who work directly on the passing game in the room.
Rodgers did not call the meeting, but he spoke extensively during it, according to several participants.
“It was just really giving us advice,” rookie receiver Samori Toure said. “Basically, letting us know that the Green Bay receiving corps has always been held to a super-high standard. All the legends who have been through here. It’s just about us carrying on that standard and stepping up.”
Toure, a seventh-round pick, proceeded to have perhaps his best practice of camp, not only catching a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love in a two-minute drill but also snagging the drill-winning 2-point conversion to wrap up two days of joint practices with the New Orleans Saints.
“Aaron spoke to us about what he likes or what not just based on concepts or what he sees,” said rookie receiver Romeo Doubs, who also had a touchdown catch on Wednesday.
Tuesday marked the first time Rodgers spoke critically in public of the group trying to help replace All-Pro Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in March.
Rodgers called for more consistency and bemoaned “a lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route” and saying, “We’ve got to get better in that area.”
“He just wants us to see what he sees,” said Doubs, a fourth-round pick. “So then that way we can be able to react faster, play faster and just be able to dominate and continue to be who we are.”
Veteran receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard also spoke during the meeting.