Ex-Fresno State star Davante Adams looks to step up for Green Bay Packers
As the NFL season heads into its opening Sunday, a former Fresno State star expects to find himself an offensive focal point in just his second year in the league.
Green Bay will lean more heavily on receiver Davante Adams after losing star wideout Jordy Nelson to a season-ending ACL injury in a preseason game.
Adams, who was second on the depth chart behind Nelson at one receiver spot, takes over a starting role.
“(Nelson) didn’t really say much; he didn’t really have to say anything,” Adams said. “It is kind of a thing that is implied in our room, when one guy goes down … that means that other people have to step up.”
The Packers open Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
He just knows I am the type of player that will be able to step up when the team needs me.
Davante Adams on the support he feels from Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay handled Adams carefully as the preseason wrapped up, taking him out early in its third exhibition after Randall Cobb, the other starting receiver, suffered a minor shoulder injury. Adams didn’t play at all in the preseason finale.
“I guess it is a smart thing. It is on the coaches, based on what they want to do with it,” Adams said. “But, with both of them hurt, they were just trying to be smart and try to protect us.”
It helps that the Packers still have arguably the league’s top quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, who also didn’t feel the need to say anything extra to Adams after Nelson went down.
“It was kind of the same type of situation as Jordy,” he said. “He just knows I am the type of player that will be able to step up when the team needs me.”
At Fresno State, Adams was one of Derek Carr’s favorite targets, totaling 3,030 yards and 38 touchdowns in two seasons. In his final season, he was one of three Bulldogs receivers to top 1,000 yards.
Adams said it feels the same in Green Bay as it did at Fresno State.
“That is just how we are in that receiver room,” he said. “We all feed off of one another; we all work together and learn from each other. Obviously, there are veterans who have been leading the charge for a while, but we all work together and we are all leaders in that room. I feel like anybody can play that role.”
Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter believes Adams will continue to improve as a pro. As a rookie, he caught 38 passes for 446 yards and three touchdowns while playing in all 16 games with 11 starts.
Adams then set franchise postseason game records for catches and receiving yards by a rookie when he had seven receptions for 117 yards and a TD in an NFC divisional playoff victory against Dallas.
“I know the kind of guy he is and the confidence he’ll play with,” DeRuyter said. “He’ll soon be the guy that Aaron Rodgers, I’m sure he’ll feel comfortable with Davante as the go-to guy.”
Rodgers talked during training camp of Adams’ “humongous” upside. This from a quarterback now in his 11th season whose go-to targets have included Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and Nelson.
“It just makes me honored that he would speak so highly of me like that,” Adams said. “It makes me want to keep working and push harder to continue to improve upon the high thoughts he has of me.”
Anthony Galaviz: 559-441-6042, @agalaviz_TheBee
Green Bay Packers 2015 schedule
- Sept. 13: at Chicago, 10 a.m.
- Sept. 20: vs. Seattle, 5:30 p.m.
- Sept. 28: vs. Kansas City, 5:30 p.m.
- Oct. 4: at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m.
- Oct. 11: vs. St. Louis, 10 a.m.
- Oct. 18: vs. Chargers, 1:25 p.m.
- Nov. 1: at Denver, 5:30 p.m.
- Nov. 8: at Carolina, 10 a.m.
- Nov. 15: vs. Detroit, 10 a.m.
- Nov. 22: at Minnesota, 10 a.m.
- Nov. 26: vs. Chicago, 5:30 p.m.
- Dec. 3: at Detroit, 5:25 p.m.
- Dec. 13: vs. Dallas, 1:25 p.m.
- Dec. 20: at Oakland, 1:05 p.m.
- Dec. 27: at Arizona, 1:25 p.m.
- Jan. 3: vs. Minnesota, 10 a.m.
This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Ex-Fresno State star Davante Adams looks to step up for Green Bay Packers."