It’s been a disappointing season for the Green Bay Packers. The team has lacked consistency in all facets of the game and will miss the postseason for the second straight year. But the one constant in Green Bay in 2018 has been the outstanding play of wide receiver Davante Adams. There is no doubt that Adams is the Packers MVP this year.
After 15 games, Adams has 111 catches for 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns. No other Packers receiver has even half of Adams’ production. Jimmy Graham is next with 52 catches. Randall Cobb follows Adams among wide receivers with 35 receptions on the season.
How consistent has Adams been this year? He has made eight or more receptions in eight of the team’s 15 games and scored at least one touchdown in 11 contests. Adams is presently third in the NFL in receptions, fifth in receiving yards and second in touchdown catches.
With one game left on the schedule, two important single-season franchise records are well within his reach. Adams needs one more catch to tie Sterling Sharpe’s record of 112 in a season, set back in 1993. He is also 134 yards away from Jordy Nelson’s Packers record of 1,519 yards in a season set in 2014.
Despite his outstanding play and consistency, Adams is just beginning to get the recognition he deserves.
“I’d heard about him, but I didn’t really know how good he was until I got here,” rookie wide receiver Equanimous St. Brown admitted. “You only hear the big names like Julio [Jones] and ‘AB’ [Antonio Brown], guys like that. Davante is definitely underrated.”
This season, announcers Troy Aikman and Joe Buck questioned whether or not Adams was an elite receiver during their nationally televised broadcast of the Packers game with the Seahawks. Cobb, who was home watching the game due to injury, took to Twitter to defend his teammate.
I gotta mute the rest of the game… WHEN ARE YALL GONNA STOP DISRESPECTING @tae15adams !?
— Randall Cobb (@rcobb18) November 16, 2018
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also believes that Adams hasn’t gotten the respect and recognition his play should command.
“People have been debating, I think, on whether or not he’s an elite player, a No. 1 receiver and all this garbage,” Rodgers said after he and Adams were selected to the NFC Pro Bowl team. “He’s had a fantastic year. And he deserves it.”
One likely reason for Adams’ lack of recognition is likely the slow start he got off to in his career. As a rookie in 2014, the second-round pick showed flashes of ability in making 38 catches. The expected big second year jump didn’t happen in 2015 and Adams only improved to 50 receptions for 483 yards. He was written off by some critics as a disappointment.
“I didn’t burst onto the scene with groundbreaking numbers. I didn’t wow anybody,” Adams recalled. “I had a solid first year, and then the second year wasn’t what I wanted. And then I think people got hung up on that and stopped paying attention to me. Maybe they just need to see more years in a row and they’re not convinced yet. That’s really all I’ve got for you at this point.”
The Packers top receiver has already earned the respect of opposing coaches. “He can do it all,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said before the two teams met in Chicago. “To have a guy that size that has the ball skills that he has. He can run really good routes, he’s quick, he’s great versus press, he’s great in the red zone, you know, he’s big. He can do it all. That’s why I think you see the success he’s having with Aaron, is that trust factor with one another. So, it’s tough when you get a guy that size that can do everything like that. He’s a really good player.”
Adams is confident but realistic. About a month ago, he said he believed he was the best receiver in the league right now. “I think I just need to put together a resume that reflects what I’m saying,” Adams said. “Where I’m at with my abilities, I feel like I am the best. I just have to continue doing what I’m doing. With that comes more recognition.”
The recognition is starting to arrive. When he was named to the NFC Pro Bowl team, Adams was particularly satisfied that the players helped him get elected to the team even more than the fans did. He also realizes that he can still improve his game.
“It feels good internally. It feels better to know I’m living up to my coaches and the other people around me, the standards that they kind of set for me,” Adams said. “To be able to rise and do the things I’ve dreamed of. I think I’m only just scratching the surface now. There’s a lot more positive things to come.”
Rodgers also feels Adams can get even better in the future. “The beauty in his game is that I think there’s some room for improvement, and I think he would say the same thing,” Rodgers said. “As technical as he is at the line of scrimmage, and his ability to make plays down the field, I think it can get even better. That’s scary for the defense and exciting for myself and the future of this team.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8atSq6jgonQ
Right now, Adams is unquestionably the Packers MVP for 2018. The Fresno State alum is excited for the opportunity to break some Packers franchise records, but he has an empty feeling for another reason.
“It would mean a lot. It would be a great individual accomplishment. But obviously the main goal is to be successful as a team,” Adams said. “I’ll definitely accept any milestones or accomplishments along the way, even if it doesn’t come exactly how I wanted them. But it obviously takes a little bit away to be in a position where you’re not going to the playoffs while you’re breaking records. It just doesn’t feel the same.”
If Adams continues to play the way he’s playing, team success and individual milestones should go hand-in-hand in the near future.
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