The Green Bay Packers have seemingly kept receiver and fan and media favorite Jeff Janis off limits this offseason.
There might be a good reason for that. All of the shitbirds who cover the team are foaming at the mouth give Janis one label or another.
Offseason MVP, making the leap… you know all of the tired metaphors these tools like to throw around in May and June, year after year. The Packers are clearly trying to avoid that this offseason.
But Janis could not remain off-limits to the media forever.
On Tuesday, Jason Wilde tracked him down. Was Janis quick to declare himself a superstar in the making?
Lo and behold, he was not.
He said pretty much what you’d expect from a young player who hasn’t been given much of an opportunity.
“It’s a work in progress, but still being a young guy and only having one year under my belt really playing, it’s going to take a while,” Janis said. “But I’m just going to keep working, keep trying to get better at that. Once you start playing that way without thinking, you can definitely play a lot faster.”
Right answer, Jeff!
We have a pretty clear idea of what the Packers are looking for from Janis. It’s the same thing they’re looking for from any of their receivers.
Work with Aaron Rodgers, do what Aaron wants you to do, show attention to detail in practice and you’ll get opportunities on game day. It’s what has become known as earning Rodgers’ trust. Is Janis doing that?
This will excite you.
He told the Press-Gazette he thinks he is.
“Any time you can get anything out of Aaron that compliments you,” Janis said, “that means a lot. Just because I know that doesn’t come easy. He expects a lot out of us. Any time you can get anything like that, it’s important.
“I think he’s really starting to trust me a little more.”
We know Janis has made some plays this offseason, but we also know he still isn’t quite there yet.
It appears Janis will get every opportunity to make an impact this year. The roadmap has been laid out.
Now we’ll just have to see if he can do it.