Packers Film Room: Davante Adams burns Malcolm Butler in preseason opener

People take football very seriously. Sometimes too seriously. I’m here to change that one play at a time. For any plays you’d like me to discuss, tweet me at @farminvt.

Hoooo boy! Davante Adams is BACK, baby! Back from what, you ask? Back from his honeymoon to Greece? Back to the future? Back from the offseason, I guess? Anyway, we’ve gleefully watched Adams progress from “he only catches screens from Derek Carr against crappy competition” to posterizing the Legion of Boom (RIP but not really). Adams reminded us how awesome he is last Thursday in the Green Bay Packers’ preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans by making a 48-yard gain look easier than a hot knife cutting through butter. Easier than predicting the Warriors will make the NBA finals. Easier than Roger Goodell making himself look like an idiot.

An added bonus: the defender who was so embarrassed that he immediately forked over his $10 million signing bonus was none other than “Mr. Doesn’t Play in the Super Bowl Because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ”, aka Malcolm Butler. In crappy soap-opera dramas, its always the butler who commits the crime. This butler’s crime? Getting that much money from Tennessee to be mediocre at your job. Woof.

The play:

Aaaaaand again

But in all seriousness, this was absolutely filthy. Wide receiver coaches everywhere jumped from their couches and started hailing Adams as their messiah. Let’s go step by step:

Butler’s already a step behind here. Adams is pushing off his inside foot to go by Butler’s left shoulder before Butler has his inside foot planted. Oh just FYI, this next picture might be considered NSFW:

Butler opened up his hips faster than...well, I’ll let you fill in that one. If you see a defensive back resorting to this move just to stay with his guy, it’s a sign he’s cooked. Adams is starting his sprint upfield, and Butler is having to rotate his body 180 degrees. I hope his insurance is good; the whiplash he got by watching Adams go by him is probably pretty expensive to get treated.

Ho-hum. Just Adams getting a yard and a half of separation by his fifth step. I think I heard Adams tell Butler he’s slower than his Grandmother’s dial-up internet. Next.

“Why did Hundley have to underthrow me so badly? Tell me, oh great one, why?”

And lastly:

A little handplay between the two of them; nothing major, just enough for Adams to get that last second separation. Adams had so much time by himself he got bored, thought of a cool handshake, slowed down to show Butler the handshake, and at the last second decided he’d rather make the catch. I guess the world will never know what could have been. One last look, in slow motion:

That’s it for this week - remember to enjoy yourself, and stay weird.