Roary
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- Mar 18, 2019
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The Packers have started 2-0 this year, after rollling up 43 points on the Vikings and another 42 against the Lions. After Sunday’s win, I posed a simple, direct question to Packers running back Aaron Jones: Are the Packers better this year?
“Definitely,” Jones said, without hesitation.
He explained that the team knows the offense better this year, and that the players have learned the ins and outs of the Matt LaFleur playbook. They know how to run the plays the way that the plays are supposed to be run, after having time to do a deep dive into all of the strategies and concepts.
I then asked Jones whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers is any different this year. Jones said Rodgers is “more focused.”
That cried out for the obvious follow-up. Is Rodgers more focused because the team drafted a quarterback in the first round this year?
“It’s not that,” Jones said, explaining that the extra focus comes from the fact that the team got so close to the Super Bowl last year and didn’t make it.
Of course, extra focus wouldn’t be as critical this year if the Packers simply had, you know, used that first-round pick (and/or the fourth-round pick surrendered to trade up in round one) on a player other than a quarterback.