The Green Bay Packers are heading into a 2015 season in which they are expected to be a legitimate championship contender. Unfortunately, star wide receiver Jordy Nelson went down with a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Aaron Rodgers sat down and discussed how difficult it will be for the Packers to replace Nelson and how they can try and attempt it.
"It's tough because he is such a great guy and teammate," Rodgers said. "His play on the field is exceptional. He does things that you just can't teach out there. You can't replace him with one guy. It's just not possible. You just have to have everyone else lift their level of play and try and make up for the loss, if that's possible. But you don't get better losing a guy like Jordy Nelson. You just try to get back to where you were when you had him."
Needless to say, this was a big blow for the Packers moving forward and it is not just on the field. Seeing a teammate as well liked as Nelson go down for the season takes it toll on a team mentally as well.
Nelson caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns last season for the Packers, which shows just how important he is to Green Bay's offense.
Randall Cobb is ready to step up as the number one receiver for Rodgers, while Davante Adams is going to be the number two. Both of those players are capable of putting up big numbers. Outside of those two, Green Bay will be relying on a combination of Jeff Janis, Ty Montgomery and Myles White.
It will be interesting to see how Rodgers steps up as a leader this season to help replace Nelson. He knows that he will have to work with younger players that aren't as familiar with the system, which will take a lot of patience from the star quarterback. Rodgers will have to instill confidence in his young players, and will need to prove that he is a legitimate leader which has been one of the areas that the media has questioned him.
All of that being said, Green Bay will be stretched thin to fix the hole that Nelson's injury leaves. They are still one of the best teams in the NFL, and you better believe that Rodgers will figure out a way to plug the hole with one of his young receivers.
