Cobb, Nelson clutching tightly to leadership role with Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The on-field talent of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb is unquestioned. The two main targets in the Green Bay Packers offense both finished among the NFL's top-10 wide receivers in nearly every statistical category last season.
With the four-year contract extensions Nelson and Cobb signed, they could combine to make nearly $80 million through 2018. The Packers have clearly invested in them. But Nelson and Cobb want to make sure they're invested in Green Bay's future, too.
Throughout the offseason, it's never been more apparent how much time the two star receivers are spending to help it be more than a two-man show catching passes.
Nelson's hip injury put him into coach mode. He'd walk around practices with a play-sheet in his hands, giving constant instruction to the younger players who were taking his snaps. When Nelson was part of a veteran group given the last day of minicamp off, Cobb really stepped up in a mentoring role.
"As they go, we go," quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said. "They do a great job taking a lot of accountability in being leaders. You see Jordy out there, and Randall out there behind the receivers all the time. 'Hey, this is what you have. Remember this.' They're coaching them up.
"They just do a great job. Lucky to have those two in the room."
Before the team ever gets to the practice field, Nelson and Cobb have already set a tone with the group. In the classroom, their work is so detailed that none of the younger receivers dare use that time to relax.
"They're such great pros," Van Pelt said. "They do such a great job of paying attention in meetings, taking notes, finishing plays, blocking for each other. And it just permeates throughout the room. If you don't fall in line with that, you're probably not going to be around. That's kind of how that room goes.
"Those two guys are the stables, the pillars of that room."
The trickle-down effect is paying early dividends with second-year receiver Davante Adams. The compliments being thrown around about Adams throughout the Lambeau Field facilities in recent months have been at almost unbelievably high levels.
"In my mind, he has humongous upside, and he's starting to reach that upside," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said about the 22-year-old Adams.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said that if he was to name "an MVP or an all-star" of the offseason, Adams "would definitely be atop the list."
Not surprisingly, Rodgers attributes much of Adams' fast rise to the off-field preparation. It's the area where Adams has truly taken after Nelson and Cobb.
"If you look at the guys who've struck around here and gotten second and third contracts, it's guys who really understand how to make this work for them -- the game within the game, the note-taking, the preparation, the study habits, the focus, the practice habits," Rodgers said. "Look at the two guys in this room who had phenomenal seasons last year (Nelson and Cobb). They both have a great approach to their job, and you're seeing Davante really do that."
Nelson is doing everything he can to ensure the Packers get back to having one of the league's deepest wide receiver corps. He believes Green Bay always had that, "except for the last couple years."
A few seasons ago, the Packers were loaded with pass-catchers. Nelson and Cobb were joined by Greg Jennings, James Jones, Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley.
Now, Green Bay is trying to rebuild that type of group through the draft. Adams, Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis were all selected in 2014, while Ty Montgomery was picked in the third round this year.
"Ever since I've been here, we've been at our best when we've been able to go four or five deep," Nelson said. "There will be a great competition, and hopefully through training camp guys will be battling, making plays and hopefully putting the guys upstairs in a tough situation on who to keep and how many to keep."
Barring injury or consistently below-average performances during training camp or exhibition games, it would seem likely that the Packers will keep all six of those receivers on their 2015 active roster. But for as much potential that exists in that group, there's little experience behind the top two. Adams played 756 snaps as a rookie, with Janis only getting on the field for 15. Abbrederis missed last season with a torn ACL, and Montgomery is beginning his first NFL season.
That's why it's so important to Nelson and Cobb to worry about more than their own production.
Montgomery described Nelson and Cobb as being "very open for anyone asking questions." Janis added, "whenever I have a question, they come tell me what I'm doing wrong or what I need to do to correct it."
Though Nelson and Cobb spend plenty of time competing with each other, they make sure that it's never about comparing individual statistics. Instead, they compete with each other to always be better, whether lining up outside (Nelson's primary spot) or in the slot (where Cobb thrives).
"I think we have a great relationship, a great friendship," Nelson said.
As soon as new receivers join the team, they've been able to tell how positive things are between Nelson and Cobb. It's an early sign of what life is going to be like as a Green Bay wide receiver.
Nelson and Cobb wasted little time getting down to business with Adams, Abbrederis and Janis last year, and they repeated that again recently with Montgomery. The goal of the two Pro Bowl receivers is to get the entire group buying in to the team philosophy right away.
"Everyone in this room understands that we're about winning; end of story," Nelson said. "It can be a lot of pressure on guys coming in, understanding the level we've been at and the next step we need to be consistent at winning the big games, and taking that extra step we weren't able to make last year.
"So it's on everyone in here. It's not just on the guys who have signed extensions. It's on everyone to play their role and do their job."
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