Jason Vrable – Syndication Server

Position coach breaks down first NFL start for Packers rookie WR Romeo Doubs

Packers WR coach Jason Vrable on Romeo Doubs’ first start: “He graded out extremely well.”

“Cool, calm and collected.” That’s how Green Bay Packers receivers coach Jason Vrable described the first NFL start for rookie Romeo Doubs on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Doubs, who was named NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 3, caught eight passes on eight targets for 73 yards and a touchdown during the Packers’ 14-12 win.

Vrable said Doubs received a high grade internally for the performance.

“He graded out really well,” Vrable said. “I don’t think the stage was too big for him on any of the plays. He wasn’t nervous. He’s cool, calm and collected. That’s how he plays out there. He loves ball.”

Vrable said Doubs wasn’t perfect on a few releases off the line of scrimmage, but just about everything else was up to the team’s very high standard at receiver.

“He lost a couple of press releases, had maybe had one mental mistake. Other than that, he graded out extremely well for his first start…he did an awesome job, man.”

Doubs started and played 55 snaps. Vrable said Doubs is well-conditioned and handled the heat in Tampa with little problem.

The Packers haven’t been surprised because they know how much Doubs cares about the game and improving individually.

“This kid truly loves football above everything else,” Vrable said. “He’s a workaholic. I told him when he got here, you can be as good as you want to be. You have the talent. How good do you want to be? Let’s go do it. He’s very coachable. It’s going to be cool to watch him see where he goes this season.”

The obvious next steps are continuing to get better off the line and making sure he’s always on the same page with quarterback Aaron Rodgers on a down-to-down basis.

From there, the natural talent can take over.

The combination of ability and work ethic would appear to give Doubs a high chance of becoming an impact player. Vrable said Doubs often goes to the team’s indoor practice facility with an equipment manager to catch passes on the JUGS machine.

“I told him,” Vrable said, “it was only a matter of time before you start climbing.”

That climb took its biggest step Sunday in Tampa, but the trek to becoming an elite player in the NFL is just beginning for Doubs.

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Why Packers WR coach is ‘fired up’ about Sammy Watkins

Jason Vrable is pumped up to be working with Sammy Watkins again. Vrable, the Green Bay Packers’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, got to know Watkins when he played for the Buffalo Bills from 2014-16, when Vrable was on the Bills’ …

Jason Vrable is pumped up to be working with Sammy Watkins again.

Vrable, the Green Bay Packers’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, got to know Watkins when he played for the Buffalo Bills from 2014-16, when Vrable was on the Bills’ staff.

Now, after Watkins signed a one-year free agent deal with the Packers this offseason, Vrable is reunited with Watkins. He knows what the former Clemson wide receiver is capable of doing on the field and is certainly happy to be back on the same team with him.

“I mean, honestly, what’s funny is he’s been a free agent a couple of times now,” Vrable said to the media this week. “So, I’ve wrote up Sammy for the reports with Gutey (Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst) and those guys. I told them, I’ve been with Sammy, I know how he can catch, I know how strong he is, a lot of the good things he can do. So, I was with him for that time.”

After being drafted by the Bills out of Clemson with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Watkins battled injuries early in his NFL career and has since been with four different teams (Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and now the Packers).

Watkins had career lows in catches (27), receiving yards (394) and touchdowns (one) with the Ravens last season and hasn’t reached 700 receiving yards since posting the lone 1,000-yard receiving season of his career in 2015 with the Bills.

Still, Watkins has had a productive NFL career. Since 2014, he ranks No. 7 in yards per reception among NFL players with 300 or more catches, while he is one of five wide receivers in the league with 300-plus receptions, 5,000-plus receiving yards, 30-plus receiving touchdowns and an average of 14.5-plus yards per catch since 2014.

The former Tiger All-American also played a key role on the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV championship team in 2019, and Vrable feels the 28-year-old still has plenty left in the tank to offer the Packers now that he is in Green Bay.

“I talked to Sammy about it the other day,” Vrable said. “I said, the way that he was running some routes and catching, it reminded me of him when he first walked onto the field. So, the biggest thing with him had been some injuries, if you looked at the thing. But he knows he’s going to work as hard as he can. He’s here doing all the workouts right now and conditioning, feels good where his body’s at. One thing you’ll see with him is he plucks the ball different. He has hands that you’ll hear the pluck, and running through catch and his play strength – there’s a reason why we drafted him that high. He’s had a lot of, I’d say, successful years in his career. That Kansas City Super Bowl run was him in the playoffs, when they were doubling Tyreek (Hill), he had a one-on-one and he was winning those, when you watch the tape.

“So, I’m fired up about him. He’s learning the playbook. He said to me, ‘Man, it’s different. I’ve been in four systems in the last four years.’ So, he’s like, ‘Just getting back to what you coach…’ He’s like, ‘Vrabs, it’s been fun hearing you coach the same stuff then as now,’ and he knows the details. So, he’s in a good place right now, and I’m really excited about him.”

Not only is Vrable high on Watkins as a player, but Vrable loves who Watkins has matured into as a person as well.

“We went out to dinner, we broke some bread,” Vrable said. “We got to talk, catch up, hear about his three kids, and just good old times. Just see where he’s been and his maturity has just been exceptional. He was just a young rookie before and now he’s a grown man with a family and just living life the right way and trying to do as much as he can to get back and get another Lombardi, which he’s one of the few guys that has held one up that I’ve been around. So, that’s kind of his goal. And like I said, Sammy’s just smiling. He’s happy to be in a building where he feels a good fit right now. So, I’m fired up he’s here.”

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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Packers feel confidence growing for WR Amari Rodgers entering Year 2

Amari Rodgers’ rookie season in Green Bay didn’t go as planned, but he’s worked hard to rebuild his confidence and prepare for a second-year jump in 2021.

The Green Bay Packers invested heavily in rebuilding the wide receiver position this offseason, but the team hasn’t forgotten about the potential improvement of second-year receiver Amari Rodgers.

Packers wide receivers coach Jason Vrable said he see Rodgers’ confidence growing substantially entering Year 2.

“He’s taking those steps right now. I feel really good about Amari,” Vrable said Thursday. “(Randall Cobb) bumped me the other day and was like, ‘Yo, you can feel it from him.’ I just smiled. It’s just the start right now.”

Rodgers, the 85th overall pick in the draft last year, played only 103 snaps on offense, handled just five touches (four catches, one rush) and struggled as a returner as a rookie. It was a disappointing start for a player the Packers traded up to get in the third round.

Vrable admitted Rodgers wasn’t good enough to get on the field as a first-year player in 2021, but he also noted how difficult it can be to transition from the pre-draft circuit to competing on an NFL field. Building up his confidence – through “practice and habits” – was priority No. 1 this offseason. The result has been a faster and stronger player who is physically and mentally ready to make a big jump in Year 2.

“Biggest thing we worked on, I talked to him in the offseason, how do you get your confidence? Well, you work and train harder than you ever did,” Vrable said. “So if you were to see him right now, he already looks faster and stronger than he ever did. He’s in the best shape of his life. His mindset is, ‘I’m going to be the No. 1 guy at all three positions.’ He has that going for him. His route-running is already cleaner and crisper. He’s trained an entire offseason.”

An opportunity for playing time will be available for Rodgers after the Packers lost Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling this offseason. He’ll be competing with three rookies, including second-round pick Christian Watson, plus a handful of returning players. The Packers think he can play in the slot or at the ‘Z’ spot.

Vrable said Rodgers, Juwann Winfree and Malik Taylor look “night and day” better than last year.

“I think it’s all the way they worked in the offseason, the way they understand the playbook, and the way they are flying around out there. It’s a totally different speed. So I feel really good about them right now.”

Playing faster and with more confidence is the key to Rodgers taking a big step in 2022. The former Clemson star is off to a good start.

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Packers coach sees ‘a big step’ ahead for Amari Rodgers

Jason Vrable sees a big step ahead for former Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers in his second NFL season with the Green Bay Packers. Vrable, Green Bay’s receivers coach/passing game coordinator, spoke with the media this week and was asked what …

Jason Vrable sees a big step ahead for former Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers in his second NFL season with the Green Bay Packers.

Vrable, Green Bay’s receivers coach/passing game coordinator, spoke with the media this week and was asked what his message to Rodgers was after last season.

After being drafted by the Packers in the third round (85th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, Rodgers saw limited action on offense as a rookie, recording four receptions for 45 yards.

“Just like I talked about, the confidence,” Vrable said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for him is how can you go out there and just believe in yourself the way you did when you were at Clemson? Because just being like tough or maybe like being in there, that’s all good and stuff. But you’ve got to learn your physical skillset, learn how to get over and create separation. Like I said, we have a standard in our room of what we’re looking for on routes, of just knowing those details inside and out. And he’s just got play faster, he has to play with more confidence.”

Vrable said Rodgers told him recently that he is in “great shape, best of his life,” and Vrable believes the 5-foot-9, 212-pound wideout is ready to “take a big step” in his second NFL campaign.

“He was kind of on the world tour of the circuits and this and that, and then he came off the ACL (injury),” Vrable said. “He said just everything was like a whirlwind, and he really feels comfortable in his own skin. So, I think he’s going to take a big step. But he’s going to have to put in the work, and I’m really excited about him.”

–Photo for this article courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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