Kelvin Benjamin burst up the right sideline
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It wasn't so much the catch that thrilled Benjamin. It was, more so, how effortlessly he leaped now that his two once-wobbly knees are feeling better.
"I'm so happy to have both knees working for me at the same time," Benjamin said Wednesday.
"Last season, that catch, even trying to jump up and get that, I would have had to put so much effort just to jump. I mean, I did it with ease. It was just like second nature to me."
That's encouraging for Benjamin, who had offseason surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee. Benjamin also played through a sore left knee, which he strained while still playing for Carolina, before being traded to Buffalo on Oct. 31.
The 27-year-old is attempting to re-establish himself as one of the league's more productive receivers following a mostly forgettable season in which injuries and the trade stunted his production.
Benjamin finished with 48 catches for 692 yards and three touchdowns, all career lows since being selected by Carolina with the 28th pick in the 2014 draft.
Benjamin is eager to put last year behind, by saying, "You've got to have a short memory, you know what I'm saying, forget about it and move on."
It helps being healthy
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Just as important, Benjamin believes he's in a better place entering the final year of his contract after getting the sense he no longer fit the Panthers' long-term plans.
Benjamin revealed he prompted the Panthers to trade him.
"I didn't want to be there no more, nah," he said. "I just felt like they weren't featuring me more. I was their No. 1, but I wasn't getting my No. 1 targets."
Benjamin had just 32 catches on 51 targets in eight games with the Panthers last season. That was a sharp decline from his rookie season, when he was targeted 145 times, and finished with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane gave up third- and seventh-round draft picks to acquire Benjamin, and acknowledged having inside information on the receiver being available. Beane previously served as the Panthers assistant GM and had a hand in drafting Benjamin.
"I didn't think it was a what you'd call a perfect marriage at the time for various reasons, and probably looking at a lot of avenues for blame," Beane said of Benjamin's falling out in Carolina.
"I know when he's healthy what he can do. And you can't coach size and length that he has. And that's a weapon to defend."
In Buffalo, Benjamin is expected to be a fixture on a revamped offense lacking proven depth behind him at receiver.
He also benefits from playing under coach Sean McDermott, who has firsthand knowledge of the threat Benjamin can present after previously serving as the Panthers defensive coordinator.
"It's a matchup concern for defenses, it's a matchup concern for defensive coordinators, and one we need to use wisely," McDermott said.
The Bills' passing attack ranked no better than 22nd in three seasons under Tyrod Taylor, who was traded to Cleveland this offseason. Buffalo hasn't ****ed the top 10 of the NFL in yard passing since finishing fifth in 2002 during Drew Bledsoe's first season.
Rookie first-round pick Josh Allen
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Benjamin is eager to show he hasn't lost a step, while knowing he has something to prove when it comes to making a case for his next contract.
"I feel like it's going to come. You ain't got to sit there and beg for it," Benjamin said. "Money, the money, it's going to come."
NOTES: Allen ended the final day of mandatory practices on Thursday by hitting fellow rookie WR Austin Proehl on a deep touchdown pass on their first play from scrimmage. ... The Bills are off until opening training camp in suburban Rochester, New York, on July 26.
Aaron Rodgers' eventful offseason included a trip to India to see the spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and a pit stop to watch his girlfriend, race car driver Danica Patrick, at Daytona.
He also purchased a minority stake in the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.
This week, it's back to the practice field for the two-time NFL MVP.
On-field offseason workouts have started for the Green Bay Packers. They are especially important for a team that has had a lot of change since the end of a 7-9 season.
New general manager Brian Gutekunst cut longtime receiver Jordy Nelson; signed veteran tight end Jimmy Graham; and drafted three receivers all 6-foot-3 or taller. Former Packers assistant Joe Philbin is back as offensive coordinator. The playbook got a thorough review.
"Change can be really good ... any time you're in a situation where you've had the same type of things going on for a number of years, it's nice to change it up in some positions, yeah," Rodgers said at Lambeau Field after practice.
Not to say that the loss of Nelson, a salary cap casualty, didn't hurt. Nelson was a team leader. He was especially close to Rodgers
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"Honestly, it has nothing to do with this football team. He's a good dude, and we built up a really good relationship over these last four years," said Adams, who has assumed the role of the Packers' No. 1 receiver.
As for the playbook, Adams calls the changes more a fine-tuning of what's worked in the past.
"It's kind of more of a mentality of how we're attacking people. I love it," Adams said. "As long as we keep to it, keep working at things and clean everything up, it's going to be more dangerous (than) it's been in the past."
At the very least, the Packers hope they are in much better shape than 2017, when the offense struggled with Rodgers sidelined much of the season by a broken collarbone. After several weeks of classroom work, they were eager to take what they've learned out on the field.
"There's a little bit of an 'It's-about-time feel to it,'" Packers coach Mike McCarthy said before practice.
In Philbin, McCarthy brought a reassuring presence back to the coaching staff.
Philbin was offensive coordinator from 2007-11 before leaving to take the Miami Dolphins head coaching job. He was the coordinator when Rodgers took over the starting job in 2008, and when the Packers won the Super Bowl two seasons later.
Rodgers calls Philbin a "fantastic teacher" who commands a room. Philbin said Rodgers is processing the game in his mind even faster now compared to when he last coached him in 2011.
Rodgers also remains a master at preparation. There is no better role model for backups Brett Hundley and DeShone Kizer.
"From a preparation standpoint, he's been excellent, both in the quarterback room and the unit room. He's obviously got an outstanding command of what we're doing
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Off the field, he'll get back to cheering on his girlfriend this weekend. Patrick is driving her final race at the Indy 500 on Sunday.
Rodgers said he watched from pit road for a while when Patrick was at Daytona in February. He's hoping that Patrick can take the checkered flag at the Brickyard.
"She's had a lot of success at Indy over the years," Rodgers said. "I think several top 10s, hoping she goes out with a bang."
NOTES: Asked about the possibility of the Packers adding receiver Dez Bryant, who was cut by the Cowboys, Rodgers said, "Well, we like young receivers. So I'm assuming that's the way they're going to keep going. I don't know why you'd cut Jordy and bring in Dez, but he's a talented player." Besides taking three receivers in the draft, the Packers also have returnees Geronimo Allison and Trevor Davis competing for more targets. "He's going to end up somewhere" Rodgers said about Bryant. "If he ends up here, we'd obviously welcome him with open arms and get him up to speed as quick as possible."
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