Aaron Rodgers is faceing a peculiar challenge. The arrival of Davante Adams has saturated the receiver room of the New York Jets, posing a challenge for the quarterback to balance his game in order to keep everyone happy. However, Todd Downing offered the perfect solution to the signal-caller’s mess.
Rodgers and Adams formed a fearsome receiver/quarterback duo with the Green Bay Packers, and analysts and fans expect them to repeat that same success now in New York.
However, Adams joins a team that already has top-level receivers like Mike Williams, Allen Lazard, and Garrett Wilson. This will make it difficult for all of them to receive the same amount of targets during a game, potentially hurting their statistics.
Given this scenario, some analysts wonder what will happen now that Adams has joined the team. On that note, Downing offered a solution that seems like a joke, but it solves the puzzle of the Jets’ offense.
Downing’s advice
In a press conference prior to Sunday Night Football’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jets’ new play-caller joked, “Just tell Aaron to throw to the open guy, that’s the easy part.”
Downing, who took over for Nathaniel Hackett as play-caller, compared the job of a quarterback to that of a chef. He explained that every good cook wants to stand in a kitchen with a lot of ingredients, “So it is a good problem to have that we have all of these really cool ingredients.”
He stressed that it will be his and Rodgers’ responsibility to make sure all the receivers understand their role in the team’s game plan, “Because then they get ownership of it and they can get excited about certain plays.”
He admitted, “You have all these very talented weapons, now it’s figuring out how you’re going to make sure that everybody feels their piece of the pie.”
The Steelers game
Rodgers and the Jets will have very little time to adjust to Adams’ arrival. Already this Sunday, the team will have one of the toughest games of the season when they visit Acrisure Stadium to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Head coach Mike Tomlin’s defense is allowing just 10.9 yards per catch and has allowed only seven touchdown passes this season. If Rodgers and Adams want to come away with a win from this tough trip, they’ll have to bring out the same chemistry they had in their best days with the Packers.
