Davante Adams dismisses Green Bay comparisons amid Derek Carr’s Raiders transition. In the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, rookie wide receiver Davante Adams was targeted 17 times by quarterback Derek Carr and finished with 10 receptions for 141 yards.
Since then, the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans both won while Adams was on the receiving end of 17 targets for a total of 48 yards. This weekend, the Denver Broncos will be in town.
Adams Maintains That It Is Too Early in The Season For “Trippin.”
Adams insists that no one is “trippin” this early in the season.
Even though many are wondering why he has seemingly been forgotten in Las Vegas after being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers for first and second-round picks in March and then getting a five-year, $140 million extension.
Adams predicted on Wednesday that “all the Green Bay folks would surely still be on it,” comparing statistics and the like. But in the end, we are not doing this for the numbers.
Adams, who spent the last eight seasons in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers, argued that the erratic performance over the past three games is only a result of the two adjusting to a new scheme together.
Carr was Adams’ college quarterback at Fresno State. Nobody in the NFL gets played [defensively] as I do.
Adams noted that his transition to working with Rodgers was “a little bit more gradual than what this was” since the two had played professional ball together for a longer period than he and Derek had.
As Derek puts it, “[Derek] and I dove right into the deep end, had a couple of one-on-one chances in the first week, and got 17 targets. People are adjusting, so it stands to reason that we should make a few of our own.
Common Defensive Strategy
One high guy and a single up the corner is not a common defensive strategy, so you shouldn’t count on it happening often.
Ideally, that’s what we’d like, but this time is going to be different since we always seem to figure out a method to discover the one-on-one matchup anyhow. Cloud coverage, double teams, and other forms of special attention will be used against me.
So, my teammates and I are attempting to figure out how to best counteract that while still being effective in the passing game. So, it’s time for a tweak, but the ruckus everyone else is making has nothing to do with reality.
Adams and Carr went through a “process,” according to first-year coach Josh McDaniels. They “didn’t see this together when they played previously in college,” McDaniels added.
“What transpired was not that. So, they’re receiving a variety of stuff, some of which Davante is more used to than the others because of the way he’s been played.
Adaptation is now a joint process for the two of them. We need to make sure that two people can keep working.
As a result, we need to work together.” The five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro had a touchdown reception in each of the Raiders’ first three games, but his total output is down from his previous two seasons in Green Bay (72.78% and 77.18% catch rates, respectively).
There Are Many Conflicting Reports
It’s not like he’s not there,” Carr said. “However, there are many conflicting reports, and several groups are making efforts to eliminate him.
We discussed this before the season began; I predicted a pattern.”
Some examples of this pattern include Pro Bowlers like slot receiver Hunter Renfrow (103) and tight end Darren Waller (107) in the two previous seasons. At Tennessee, Mack Hollins set career highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (158) in a single game.
Adams, who is now on pace for 96 receptions, has averaged 119 catches over the last two seasons. Those results are “a tribute to [Hollins’] skill and his work ethic,” Carr added.
“The fact that Davante and Darren were willing to sacrifice their protection to give Mack a chance to shine speaks volumes. And Davante, before he even arrived, was aware that he would be sharing the receiving duties with other capable players.”
However, Carr is just 7-for-17 for 87 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and five first downs after halftime when he targets Adams, compared to 10-for-14 for 102 yards with two touchdowns and seven first downs in the first half of games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
He’s Only Completed Two Of 10 Passes to Adams
In the fourth quarter, he has only made two of ten throws to Adams. Everything points to Carr making too many adjustments in an attempt to pass the ball around.
Carr shook his head sadly. After all, “I’m going to listen to Josh, and my progressions, and what he’s teaching me in the game,” Carr said.
“Our goal is to position the ball in a certain spot and getting there will need a lot of practice. Things go slowly.
It’s been just three games since we started playing together again. Not everything has gone wrong.”
