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Regardless of their differing vantage points, though, both of the Green Bay Packers' starting wide receivers arrived at the same conclusion about the offense's offensive performance at San Francisco in the team's second preseason game.
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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, right, runs for a touchdown as Denver Broncos safety Marquand Manuel (33) pursues during the first quarter of a preseason football game in Denver, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey) |
Uhhhhh-gly.
''We looked like we didn't even know each other,'' said Driver, who dropped a pass in the Packers' 34-6 loss to the 49ers while Jennings was back in Green Bay, missing his second consecutive game with knee soreness. ''We just didn't play well.''
As a result, both men knew Friday night's 27-24 preseason victory over the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field meant more to the offense than a simple tune-up in advance of the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.
And after the Aaron Rodgers-led No. 1 unit amassed 217 yards and 15 first downs while scoring points on four of five possessions, the feeling again was mutual for Driver and Jennings: While they might not be flawless when things start to count, they look a lot more like the offense they expected to be.
''Anytime you come off a game like that and really don't have any success go your way, you really want to bounce back,'' said Jennings, who caught four passes for 42 yards against the Broncos. ''I think things went well. We were able to establish ourselves as an offense and move the ball early and get it in the end zone, and that's really what you want to do in preseason. And we were able to do that. It leaves a good taste in our mouth.''
As much focus as has been on Rodgers throughout training camp because of the Brett Favre saga - and as much as the new starting quarterback took the blame for the offense's struggles against the 49ers (46 net yards on 25 plays, three points) - coach Mike McCarthy, offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and general manager Ted Thompson keep harping on the need for across-the-board improvement on offense, not just from the guy under center.
''It's about the team. The quarterback position is an important position, but this is a team thing,'' Thompson said. ''For us to do this, it's going to be the team that's going to do it.''
While that's predictable rhetoric for a team trying to replace a legendary quarterback after an awkward parting of ways, Philbin said it was more than just spin-doctoring for the coaches, who drove home their point throughout film sessions and practices after the loss to the 49ers.
''We really talked to our guys about how it wasn't an Aaron Rodgers-thing. It was the offensive unit,'' Philbin said. ''I told 'em, 'We have to play more physical, we have to protect the quarterback, and we have to make some plays.' That's what our message was to the group. We've got a long way to go, but in some of those things we made some progress.
''Last week's play, you have to try to do be that bad. That doesn't come natural. So this was an important step for the whole group.''
McCarthy stayed on-message as well. When asked if it was good for Rodgers to play better, McCarthy replied, ''It was more important for the offense to play a lot better. Our quarterback has a lot to do with that ... but I thought it was important for our offense to come out and establish some tempo and have some productivity early in the game.''
No matter what was being said publicly, Rodgers knew it was especially important for him to play well - and he did, finishing the night 18-for-22 for 193 yards and a touchdown for a 118.4 passer rating. Afterward, he admitted he'd pressed against the 49ers, playing three hours from his hometown and against the team that bypassed him with the 2005 No. 1 overall pick, but he didn't make the same mistake in a game some were calling a must-win, even in preseason.
''The game just flowed a little bit, whereas last week maybe I was pressing a little bit much because I really wanted to play well,'' said Rodgers, who for the preseason has completed 36 of 53 passes (67.9 percent) for 368 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception for a 92.3 rating. ''This week, I was just a little quicker to those decisions this week, where last week I was holding the ball too long.''
The touchdown on their opening drive against the Broncos - an eight-play, 80-yard march that was highlighted by Rodgers' 35-yard completion to tight end Tory Humphrey and 17-yarder to Jennings before Driver's 10-yard TD catch - clearly set the tone. And for an offense that had managed only 13 points in 10 possessions in the first two games, putting up 20 points in five series against the Broncos was exactly what they needed.
''We had a sense of urgency. We needed to have a good showing, just to prove to ourselves that we could play like this,'' Rodgers said. ''I think as a unit, we were all disappointed about last week and we realized we had to get off to a good start. It's definitely a step in the right direction for us.''
