Receiver Davante Adams catches on in 2nd Packers camp
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Davante Adams would tackle a game of Monopoly with the intensity level that he would apply to a Green Bay Packers practice.
Preparation is important. Mistakes are corrected and banked into Adams' brain so that he doesn't repeat them.
Going into his second year in the league, Adams appears to be on the cusp of taking another step forward in the Packers' potent offense.
''I'm a competitor. When it comes to anything I can do to enhance my performance - in board games or whatever - I just want to be the best that I can be,'' Adams said after practice Wednesday.
He certainly put on a show with a few highlight-reel catches, including one in which he laid out for a one-handed grab that had fans gushing in the stands.
Selected the Packers' offseason MVP, Adams' hard work is carrying over to training camp.
''With the offense and everything, and just where I fit in, just knowing what to expect,'' Adams said. ''Coming into your rookie year, you don't know what to expect. In terms of that it's slowed down a lot on me.''
Keep this pace up and that could result in more targets going in Adams' direction in the regular season.
Adams had a respectable rookie year with 38 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest game came in one of the Packers' biggest wins of the season, a 26-21 victory over New England on Nov. 30. Adams had six catches for 121 yards with the Patriots paying extra attention to fellow receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.
That figures to happen again and again this year after Nelson and Cobb each caught at least 91 passes from MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Still, targets from Rodgers must be earned.
''It's just giving him opportunities,'' Rodgers said earlier this month. ''It's about matchups in this offense. We had two guys who caught over 90 balls. And as teams start to tilt even more to them, Davante's going to get more opportunities.''
Adams doesn't think he has made an improvement in one particular area in camp so far. Rather, the game overall is slowing down for him. Many coaches, including McCarthy, prescribe to the theory that players who succeed in the league often make their biggest improvements from their first to their second years.
''Just attention to detail. Fix and correct things that may be a minor fix, just things like that,'' Adams said. ''That's the stuff that they want to see - the coaches and Aaron.''
NOTES: McCarthy said LT David Bakhtiari likely will miss the rest of practice this week because of knee soreness. Don Barclay took his spot on the first team Wednesday. ... LB Clay Matthews (elbow) took limited reps, though McCarthy initially said he thought Matthews would miss practice. ... S Morgan Burnett missed practice for a personal matter.
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