Packers’ Driver finally gets help, even if he’s fine without it

By Anthony Bialy  |   Monday, June 02, 2008  |  Comments( 7 )

Green Bay Packers
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There’s no need to worry about the Packers’ aerial game crashing this season: Its most valuable component is still active. Heresy or not, Donald Driver has staked out a claim as Green Bay’s most irreplaceably crucial passing attack asset, even more so than whoever the thrower happens to be. The team has wisely added two distractions to the receivers’ pen, which is great news for a player who’s already proved he can be fantastic when he’s essentially been its only catching weapon.

He’s often been a five-star recruit in a junior varsity platoon. Driver has led the Packers in receptions the past three seasons and four of the last six counting his 70-catch, 1,064-yard 2002. Unreformed prodigal son Javon Walker led 2004’s edition of the team with 89 receptions and 1,382 yards, with Driver not too far behind at 84 and 1,208, respectively; the year prior, Driver was the top Green Bay receiver in reception quantity terms with 52, although Walker won the team yardage total title with 716 compared to Driver’s 621.

Since then, it’s only been a matter of by how far Driver has finished ahead. In 2006, his 1,295 yards more than doubled the amount by the second guy, as Greg Jennings accumulated 632 yards; the Alcorn State product’s 92 receptions offered more statistical precision, as they were precisely twice as many as Ahman Green’s 46.

A gap half that size would be impressive, while the expanse the 6-foot, 190-pounder put between himself and his teammates is sufficient enough that he should have gotten at least a decent percentage of LaDainian Tomlinson’s MVP vote haul that year: His dominance might have made him more vital to his team’s success than even the famed Charger back.

The season before, Driver’s 86 catches for 1,221 far outdistanced Antonio Chatman’s 49 for 549. In those two years of ’05 and ‘06, if Driver’s totals were displayed against the respective runner-up in the form of a pie chart, his share would be identical to the percentage of Packers fans who enjoy beer during tailgating, while the next-closest receiver’s minuscule slice would be the portion who enjoy tippling cosmopolitans.

Last season was novel in that Driver’s margin was slightly narrowed as Jennings emerged with a flourish. While the veteran’s 82 grabs were far more than the second-year man’s 53, the speedier Jennings did get more ground per catch on his way to 920 yards, a respectively close sum to the more contact-oriented Driver’s 1,048.

That’s a positive development for not only the team's offense but also both players as individuals. Their skills complement each other as well as wings and bleu cheese, and the annual team leader in receptions has to actually be happy that his lead was cut this past campaign, as it means someone else is contributing. He deserves a lesser burden even if he’s capable of shouldering a far more remarkable load.

More receiving choices will help the pass deliverer, too. Just as Jennings’ auspicious showing, particularly for a second-year wideout, is going to make the upcoming quarterback conversion that much more painless, the drafting of the 6-3, 217-pound Jordy Nelson means that there is now a big receiver to accompany the physical and swift catchers the franchise already possesses.

It’s another wise draft tactic by the Packers: While the 33-year-old Driver will remain vital to this franchise’s success, making sure he’s not utterly indispensable is the key to maximizing his talents. Adding exceptional receivers so a single player isn’t options one through three will keep defenses from focusing virtually exclusively on Driver, even though serving as such never slowed him; now, with two promising teammates in the mix, opponents won’t get that chance again.
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