Is Donald Driver Holding Back Packers' Youth?

The Green Bay Packers have been known as having a pass-orientated offence for a number of years, and, in fact, they have almost overdone the passing game, as they have thrown teams into submission.

To do that, you have to have an elite quarterback, and they certainly have one of those in Aaron Rodgers, and a stellar set of receivers. At the heart of that attack has been Donald Driver and, whilst many players were criticised for their part in the Packers season-ending game against the Giants, Driver was not one of them.

Despite that game, the question has been asked – how much longer can Driver go on and produce the goods? There's an old adage in the game of football, one that Packers general manager, Ted Thompson, has adhered to steadfastly in his time as Packers GM: ‘It's better to let a player go one year early, rather than one year too late’.

We are sure that letting Driver go in 2012 would be one season too early, but the Packers have plenty of young talent that they need to get on the field, probably sooner, rather than later. The receiver position is so important to the Packers, simply because Mike McCarthy's offense uses so many of them.

As long as they employ the multiple wide out sets, Thompson and company will need to develop young receivers. Another year of Driver on the roster may pay dividends on the field - or, equally, it may not. Take a chance on Driver with football betting online.

Donald Driver is an all-time Packers great; nothing will ever change that. However, as Thompson showed in his dealing with Brett Favre, no player should be given special consideration for what he has done in the past.
Thompson's job is to look forward and constantly improve the Packers as a football team.

Bringing back Driver for the 2012 season, starts to work against that ethic, especially with so much young talent at the receiver position for the Packers.

It would be a brave step for the Packers to make, but it would not be that surprising, given the way they have dealt with similar situations in the past. There is certainly something to ponder at Lambeau, over the next couple of months.

Take a punt on football with live in-play betting from Bet365.