As a veteran of a decade's worth of NFL campaigns, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers knows a potentially elite player when he sees one.
Wide receiver Davante Adams, a guy who many expected to struggle during his rookie year due to a lack of polish, instead provided a promising glimpse into the type of big, dominant receiver the Packers haven't had in recent seasons.
Rodgers, the man who will get to toss passes to the big-bodied wideout, seems excited by the proposition of Adams' still-in-process development.
"In my mind, he has humongous upside - and he's starting to reach that upside," Rodgers said recently, via ESPNWisconsin.com. "I think the opportunities are going to come for him. He's got two great guys to play with. His attention to detail is very impressive and his approach.
"Obviously, the athleticism - as you see on Twitter with his 360, between-the-legs dunk - is incredible. He brings a different set of skills to the field that we haven't seen around here with his body type, his athleticism and his approach. 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 believes that Adams' chance to learn at the feet of de facto No.1 wide receiver Jordy Nelson and jack-of-all-trades Randall Cobb and see how the pair prepares for the season gives the second-year receiver a big leg up on his journey to becoming a complete player.
"Look at the two guys in this room (Nelson and Cobb) who had phenomenal seasons last year," said Rodgers. "They both have a great approach to their job and you're seeing Davante really do that. The biggest example to me of the kind of guy that he is, is last year when he went through stretches where he didn't catch the ball, has a huge game against New England, then goes through stretches again where he doesn't get a lot of balls thrown his way, then has a big game against Dallas. That's all about approach and focus. And you can't teach that."
Adams finished his rookie year in Green Bay with 38 receptions for 446 yards and three touchdowns. He added another eight catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs. He said that having the confidence of his likely future Hall of Famer worthy quarterback is huge to him.
"It's big, because that's the type of thing that's going to keep me fine-tuning my own game because I see a guy [in] a future yellow jacket [from the Pro Football Hall of Fame] who's got faith in the young guy," Adams said. "That means a lot to me. We've communicated a lot in the locker room and the film room, and on the field obviously. So when a guy like that come to me in clutch situations, it makes me want to push myself even more."
If Adams is able to take the step Rodgers expects him to, an already incredibly strong Packers offense may be on ther verge of becoming truly unstoppable.
