Zero2Cool
10 years ago
Interesting read.


Former Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings never will admit it publicly, but he made a big career mistake when he signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

His team is buried in last place in the NFC North with a 1-5 record. The quarterback situation in Minnesota is a jumbled mess with no apparent relief in sight. The Vikings are ranked a lowly No. 25 in total offense (316 yards per game), and Jennings is averaging a pedestrian four catches and 54.5 yards per game.

Meanwhile, Jennings’ former employer again sits atop the division standings with a 4-2 record, has an MVP-caliber quarterback in Aaron Rodgers directing an offense that is ranked No. 2 in the NFL (435 yards per game).

Not even the contract Jennings signed with the Vikings, which pays slightly more than $9 million per year, can make him feel better about his plight. That’s because the Packers offered Jennings a new contract early last season for more money — around $10 million per year.

So Jennings is bringing in less cash than he could have had, playing for an inferior team and seeing the ball less often in his new surroundings.

There’s not much to like about his situation, but he had no choice but to put on a happy face when he spoke with Wisconsin reporters this week in advance of Sunday’s Packers-Vikings game at the Metrodome.

When asked if he missed catching passes from Rodgers, Jennings replied: “No man, God has blessed me to move on from that. I’ve embraced my situation and my role here and my teammates here.”

As career moves go, Jennings’ decision is akin to giving up a cushy job at Facebook for a position at MySpace.

“It’s been a challenge, but life throws you a lot of challenges, a lot of adversity, a lot of curveballs, and it’s been no different,” Jennings said. “It’s something that has been a humbling experience.”

The worst part for Jennings is that he had a choice in the matter. The Packers made him a respectable, if not exorbitant, offer last year, but he hedged his bets thinking he could command a lot more money on the open market.

As it turned out, Jennings overvalued his talents and is stuck playing for a dog of a team.

Maybe the Vikings can turn their disastrous season around and become a contender again. Maybe they will one day find a credible NFL quarterback. Maybe Vikings coach Leslie Frazier will reclaim some job security with a few more wins.

But at this point those are pipe dreams in Minnesota, while in Green Bay success is an everyday reality.

Jennings has to be kicking himself — privately, of course — for giving up so much in deciding to leave the Packers. He apparently didn’t realize how good he had it.

Jennings was a perfect fit in the Packers’ offense, played a key role on their Super Bowl championship team three years ago and would have enjoyed success for years to come with Rodgers slinging passes his way.

The problem for Jennings was that he wanted a bigger slice of the receiving pie and knew he wasn’t going to get it in Green Bay.

It’s human nature to want more, so Jennings shouldn’t be labeled a villain. But by seeking a brighter spotlight individually, he finds himself on a sinking ship.

Jennings’ derogatory comments about Rodgers during the offseason produced big headlines, but something he said in March after signing with the Vikings about the Packers’ quality and depth at the receiver position was very telling and slipped under the radar.

“We all can’t be as successful as we want to be individually with so many guys around,” said Jennings on radio’s “The Jim Rome Show.”

“I believe this with all my heart: not one guy over there can really maximize their potential because of the depth we had.”

Jennings sounded like he was starving for attention. It wasn’t enough that he was one of the pieces to the Packers’ high-powered offense. He desired a higher profile.

Last year, receivers Randall Cobb (80 catches) and James Jones (14 touchdowns) played starring roles, and the year before Jordy Nelson led the team in catches, yards and touchdowns. Plus, tight end Jermichael Finley was always around to gobble up receptions.

It’s almost as if Jennings felt like just another guy amidst all that talent. He definitely held his own and made major contributions to the offense, but with so many other receiving options around him, he was forced to share and apparently figured he would never be the go-to receiver.

Jennings made a point during the offseason of saying he was a team-first player. If that was the case, he would still be in Green Bay, catching passes and winning games.

As it is, he finds himself in Minnesota, where the offense sputters and losing has become a way of life.

Mike Vandermause  wrote:


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sschind
10 years ago
He has a ring and he has millions of dollars. Maybe he is not kicking himself as much as we would like to think he is or as much as we hope he is. I get the feeling that he simply wasn't as happy in Green Bay as he felt he could be somewhere else. Maybe he did want more of the attention. Maybe he did feel as though with our group of guys he would never be "the guy" again and maybe he needed that. So that makes him a bad guy? I don't think so. You don't make comments like he did, jokingly or otherwise, if there is not a degree of truth to them. If he was indeed joking as he has recently said he was the seeds still had to be there for the jokes to come out. It follows that if there was any truth to what he was feeling that he wouldn't have been as happy here as he would have liked to have been. If you are not happy someplace and you have the ability to go somewhere that you might be why wouldn't you do so.

He claims that he is happy and had no regrets and as Packers fans we scoff at that. Is it because we feel he rejected us and we are taking it personally? How dare anyone not want to play here. Of course it made matters twice as bad when he chose the vikings over us. Who are we to say whether he is happy or not. I think some people are hoping he is not happy because if he is that means he has found someplace that he thinks is better than Green Bay and they don't want that to be the case. Especially if that place is with the vikings. To me that is nothing but spiteful and petty thinking.

We make it sound as if there is no place on earth better than Green Bay and that playing for the Packers is a privilege anyone would dream of. As a fan I can understand that but we are not talking about fans we are talking about players.

Was playing here a great experience for him? I am pretty sure he will tell you, honestly, that it was. He might even say, again in all honesty, that he wouldn't trade his experiences here for anything. At least as a Packer I would hope these things are true as it reflects highly on the organization that I love. On the other hand, while I would hope every players experiences here are positive and that they never want to leave I realize that this will not always be the case. Great experiences and great times do not always remain great. Things change, needs change, feelings change and experiences change. Happy places can become unhappy places and when that happens people want to leave. Can you blame them?

People toil away at jobs where they are unhappy because in many cases they feel they don't have a choice. In Jennings case he had the choice and he took it. Was it simply for the money, I don't think so. If it was truly about the money I don't think he would have said the things he did. I think he was not happy here, he saw his opportunity to do something about it and he did it.

The more people rail on guys like this the more I support their decisions. I'm not saying that Packers fans are alone in this type of behavior. It is fan behavior and every single team in sports has fans that act this way. We are not special in that way we are not special any way, neither the good ways or the bad ways. There is only one way we are special and that is because we have the privilege of rooting for the greatest sports franchise on the face of the earth (but I am sure others would disagree)

I honestly thought Jennings would have better numbers this year than he has but I don't know if anyone could have predicted that the vikings passing game being as horrendous as it is. I am happy that he does not have better numbers simply because the worse the vikings do the happier I am. I am not happy that he has poor numbers because he left the Packers.

If Jennings says he is happy and has no regrets I am going to choose to believe him. I'll leave the doubting and the nay-saying to those who somehow feel personally slighted by his decision to leave the Green Bay Packers or to those who somehow feel they have special insight into his personal feelings.

Greg, if you are happy I am happy for you. I will not wish you success on the field because I simply can not do that but I'm sure you understand. In everything else though I wish you the best and if for some reason in the future you wish to return to Green Bay (to retire as a packer or something like that) I, and a lot of Packers fans will welcome you back.
nyrpack
10 years ago
get out, you think it was a mistake going to minny !! lol
jimmy b.
DarkaneRules
10 years ago
Well I was over him personally. I don't stay attached to too many players for long, and if I do, they are more often defensive players. I really don't care that much unless I am watching the Vikings play, then it is all in good fun ragging on him. It is the spirit of competition.
Circular Arguments: They are a heck of an annoyance
wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member
10 years ago
It comes down the the old old choice- Big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond. He thought he was going to be a big fish. I can live with that. Hope he can too.

The thing that annoyed me most in his most recent PC was when he said he got out of town for the sake of the younger players. To allow them a better chance to develop. Bull. He did it for himself and his family. He didn't leave for the sake of Cobb or any of the future wrs. Cobb will grow and develop with or without Jennings being on the team.
UserPostedImage
steveishere
10 years ago

He has a ring and he has millions of dollars. Maybe he is not kicking himself as much as we would like to think he is or as much as we hope he is. I get the feeling that he simply wasn't as happy in Green Bay as he felt he could be somewhere else. Maybe he did want more of the attention. Maybe he did feel as though with our group of guys he would never be "the guy" again and maybe he needed that. So that makes him a bad guy? I don't think so. You don't make comments like he did, jokingly or otherwise, if there is not a degree of truth to them. If he was indeed joking as he has recently said he was the seeds still had to be there for the jokes to come out. It follows that if there was any truth to what he was feeling that he wouldn't have been as happy here as he would have liked to have been. If you are not happy someplace and you have the ability to go somewhere that you might be why wouldn't you do so.

Originally Posted by: sschind 



It doesn't necessarily make him a bad guy but it makes him completely fake. When he goes around saying he's "all about the team the team the team" and acts like hes some humble anti-diva for years and then his actions completely betray that it's not really a good look or a good quality of character.

It's not just about leaving to another team (even the Vikings). It's also how you do it. Guys like Woodson, Bishop, Jenkins, Wells, etc... didn't all leave on the best of terms but for the most part they handled it with tact and/or class and they certainly handled it a lot better than Jennings which is a big reason IMO why you don't see Packer fans hating on those guys much.
Wade
  • Wade
  • Veteran Member
10 years ago
It is extremely difficult (and often bad for one's future) to criticize one's employer. *Many, many* unhappy workers will, unless they are very sure of who they are talking to and that what they say won't "get out", will tend to feign happiness and contentment.

I never realized this until I became that unhappy employee. And I've never worked in an environment where I have to deal with "the press" and "the outside fans of the organization" on a daily basis. But I have worked in an environment that I've wanted to get out of, and I have worked in an environment where I thought it was dangerous to my employment health to let on that I was unhappy. And, yes, in that situation I was *very* careful about who I let know any of my discontent.

More than that. More than once I found myself having to pretend to be something else.

I don't apologize for that. If I were in the same situation now, I'd likely do it the same.

Does that make me inauthentic? Maybe. I don't know.

But I don't define myself by my job, much less by my current employment and organization. And I do not feel morally obligated to do so just because others define me that way.

I don't know Mr. Jennings. I don't know what he felt about the organization that employed him five years ago, and I don't know what he feels about the organization that employs him now. I believe that he did his job professionally and to the best of his abilities then, and I believe he does so now. And that, to me, is what matters. I would hope he was, and is, happy in what he does. But if he wasn't happy then or if he isn't happy now, I don't see how he had or has an obligation to disclose those feelings accurately to his employer, to ESPN, or to me, the boilerplate about "talking to the press obligations" in the standard NFL contract notwithstanding.

He has a job to perform. He did that. He did that well and he did that professionally. I've never heard anything from anyone to the contrary.

That's enough for me. I wish him well, and I wish him success in Minnesota or wherever he goes next.

(Except in games against the Packers, of course.)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
Dulak
10 years ago
oh maybe I didnt follow it closely but - I thought he left cuz we wernt going to pay him? ... this isnt true?

TheKanataThrilla
10 years ago
My 2 cents. If he wanted a shot at the HoF he should have stayed with the Packers or took a lower offer with a team with a better QB situation. I think this move to Minny will remove any chance he has of being a Hall of Famer. If he cares about that. I would think he might if he was all about wanting to be the man.
Porforis
10 years ago
Ouch. Calling the Packers Facebook and the Vikings MySpace? That's pretty brutal.
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