according to the gamebook report (page 16) Cobb and Driver were only in there for 29 & 18% of the plays.




Both play the slot most of the time. It is not that DD can't line up wide but I am sure Mike McCarthy prefers him to be the man who goes over the middle. He can do it better than most of the other WR.

Another factor for DD not being on the field as much on Thur is they didn't use the 3 WR as often. With Benson having a good game they had Kuhn or a TE out the to block for him.

I'm just surprised we haven't seen more of DD because there were a number of articles or pieces of articles about the good camp he was having. I definitely have more trust in DD than Jones. It's a long season, might they be saving him more for the end, giving the young receivers a chance to develop more or something else more than what we see on the surface?

Can you go through and show drop by drop the down and distance for the two? I'd be really interested in seeing those stats.

Rodgers and McCarthy abandoned the dink and dunk passing game that seemed to be Favre and Rodgers' bread and butter in their early years with the system.

Under that philosophy, Driver especially shined. Now that we've gone to a more vertical passing game and McCarthy has gotten all exotic, the bigger receivers have to see the field.

Can you go through and show drop by drop the down and distance for the two? I'd be really interested in seeing those stats.

I'll use a picture to illustrate one answer.

Obviously I remember drops more than pedestrian catches, but it seems like DD's been dropping a lot of balls this year. Might be a result of much less playing time, but overall I really hope Driver does not try to extend his career another year... Leave on a high note, Donald. Or make me look like an idiot and be Mister Clutch for the next 3 years, either way :)

Based on the season to date, I think this question can be split into two separate questions:

1. Why isn't DD on the field more. I think this is at least partly a question of play calling. If they go to three wides, its going to be Nelson/Jones/Cobb or, when Jennings comes back, Jennings/Nelson/Jones or Jennings/Nelson/Cobb. (IMO Cobb has become such a weapon, especially on slant-type plays which used to be part of DD's bread-and-butter, that he's going to come on the field before DD now.) And Jones is playing like some of us thought he was going to be playing a couple years ago. So that leaves 4 and 5 wides, neither of which is being called as much this year, despite MM's susceptibility to calling too many passes.

What I don't understand is that when they do go to >3 wides, they use Finley as the #4 so often and Driver so little. Which naturally leads into the second question ....

2. Why isn't DD being targeted more. My gut here tells me it is partly that McCarthy and, more so, Rodgers, are more homed in on Finley. Rodgers has always had a bit of a tendency to look to Finley too often, and McCarthy for whatever reason has been calling fewer plays that fit DD's skill set (quick slants, really crisp patterns) and more that fit Finley's.

And it might also be that Driver simply hasn't been able to get separation. Has anyone looked at the film on this? It's just a guess on my part, and would go a long way to answering why it is that Rodgers/McCarthy have the tendencies just stated.