The Green Bay Packers have been very happy that James Jones has replaced Jordy Nelson perfectly so far this season and they haven't changed their offense.
Jones was released by the New York Giants just ahead of the regular season and the Packers were more than happy to pick him up. Aaron Rodgers immediately started pushing Ted Thompson to sign Jones after he was released, which shows exactly the type of trust that the superstar quarterback has in his favorite target.
Nelson was expected to put up huge numbers once again this season, but the torn ACL was expected to hurt the Packers' Super Bowl hopes. That hasn't been the case, however, thanks to the star caliber play of Jones. He isn't the No. 1 target for the Green Bay offense, but he has been one of Rodgers' favorite targets each and every time that the Packers have gotten into the red zone.
Throughout the first four games of the season, Jones has caught 17 passes for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Those are the numbers that have allowed the Packers to remain playing the same type of offense despite losing one of their top producers.
Offensive coordinator Tom Clements talked about the lack of change in the offense and how Jones has impacted their ability to remain the same.
"We really haven't changed much at all," Clements said. "We were fortunate to get James Jones in here. He's done a great job. But we're playing the same style of ball, so we didn't really make too many changes at all."
That kind of praise from an offensive coordinator shows exactly how important Jones has been to the success of the Packers. He fits perfectly into the offensive system that they have run since Mike McCarthy took things over. Playing with a quarterback like Rodgers makes receivers better and that has obviously been the case for Jones in his return to Green Bay.
It will be very interesting to see whether or not Jones can continue producing at the same rate for the Packers throughout the remainder of the season. At 31 years old he is still in the prime of his career, but has the experience to know that he must make the most of this situation.
Expect to see Green Bay continue thriving on the offensive side of the football and to see Jones continue having a major impact for them.
