After tweeting his frustration, Packers WR Davante Adams keeping focus on return vs. Bucs

GREEN BAY - In his frustration on the Monday morning hours before the Green Bay Packers hosted the Atlanta Falcons, receiver Davante Adams had a social media reaction he quickly regretted. 

Adams alerted everyone – bettors, fantasy football owners, the Falcons – through Twitter he would miss his second straight game because of a hamstring injury he believed had healed. In his tweet, Adams remarked the Packers medical staff must know more about his body than him, indicating he was ready to play. 

“It’s not too much,” Adams said Wednesday, “to read into it to say I was frustrated. Obviously, I’m a competitor. I think everybody knows that. Everybody knows what I’m about and how I play football, and I don’t necessarily, obviously understand what the club’s interest is, you know, and everything that goes with it. But being a competitor like I said, and me being who I am and how I’m wired, even if I’m not 100 percent, which I said obviously at that point I felt great to play. But even if I’m not 100 percent, I mean, I’ve played few football games feeling 100 percent. So at the end of the day, a lot of that factored into the decision.” 

Adams quickly deleted the tweet, not wanting to cause a distraction for his team. He said Wednesday it was his decision to delete the tweet. 

“A little frustrated when it happened, obviously,” Adams said, “but then decided to take it down just so there were no distractions on game day and my teammates could go out there and take care of business without hearing about too much extra stuff.” 

The Packers not only won the game that night, 30-16. They also won the long game with Adams resting another week. In the same game, the Falcons pushed star receiver Julio Jones through a hamstring injury. Jones left midway through and was unable to play last Sunday because of the injury. 

Adams, meanwhile, was back on the practice field this week. He appears on track to play Sunday at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being a full participant Wednesday. Defensive lineman Kenny Clark (groin) was also a full participant, while outside linebacker Rashan Gary (ankle) was limited. Clark and Gary also were inactive against the Falcons. 

Linebacker Kamal Martin (knee) and receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (ankle) also practiced Wednesday, after their return to practice Monday. Both remain on injured reserve. 

Cornerback Kevin King (quadriceps) and running back Tyler Ervin (wrist) did not practice. King, who left last week’s game against the Falcons early, stretched at the start of practice but did not join the team in drills. 

Cornerback Jaire Alexander (hand/knee), linebacker Krys Barnes (shoulder), tight end Marcedes Lewis (knee) and outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith (ankle) also were limited. Cornerback Chandon Sullivan (concussion) was a full participant. 

For the Bucs, receiver Mike Evans (ankle) did not practice. 

Although Adams wasn’t pleased with the decision for him to miss the Packers’ last game, it might have been for the best. 

“Hamstring feels good,” Adams said. “It feels even better than it was at that point, when the tweet was put out.” 

Bakhtiari, Pierre-Paul set to square off

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has been considered one of the premier pass-blocking left tackles in the NFL since earning his second, second-team All-Pro distinction in 2017, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul seemed a little surprised by the qualifier when asked Tuesday about matching up with Bakhtiari.

“Is he?” asked the 11-year veteran.

A Tampa Bay reporter replied in the affirmative, and Pierre-Paul continued: “I ain’t going to lie to you – I haven’t watched him yet. To be honest, I don’t too much worry about tackles, I just go out and play. All I just know it's going to be me and him one-on-one since you say he’s one of the best I just gotta give him my ‘A’ game and that’s what I’m going to bring. I wish him the best and come this Sunday and 4-something p.m. I’ll give him my best game and hopefully it’ll be his worst game.”

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At age 31, the 6-foot, 5-inch, 275-pound Pierre-Paul is off to a productive start with four sacks, two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles through five games. An All-Pro himself in 2011, Pierre-Paul has 83.5 career sacks but in two games playing against the Packers during Bakhtiari’s career, Pierre-Paul recorded zero sacks and hits on the quarterback while with the New York Giants.

Whatever Pierre-Paul may consider his ‘A’ game, Bakthiari said he’ll be sure to be ready for it.

“I like to get to know my opponent, both what they do recently through their film and also historically,” the left tackle said. “I kinda like to go back. I also like to just kind of see how they play either myself in the past or how they play certain players like me or how they play a certain play that might be something that we run, just so I get a feel for him because at the end of the day we’re not practicing against that player Monday through Saturday. We only get to on Sunday so I’ve got to get as comfortable as I can without going against the player. And, for what he said, I mean that’s, that’s fine. Everyone’s got their own preparation mentally and physically.”

Unfriendly field

Aaron Rodgers has made no secret in the past his disdain for the surface he’ll play on Sunday when the Packers travel to the Bucs. 

In three previous games at Raymond James Stadium, Rodgers has been injured twice. It was a shoulder injury in 2008, his first season as a starter. In 2014, Rodgers strained his calf muscle at Tampa Bay late in the season, an injury that infamously followed him through the playoffs. 

“I’ve had a couple rough ones down there,” Rodgers said, “but it kind of is what it is. They’ve had a lot of play over the years on that surface. I’m not sure what the surface looks like, haven’t played there since ’14, but hope to try and buck that trend in 2020 and hoping that that’s the reality.” 

Deguara, Hanson sent to injured reserve

The Packers have formally placed rookie tight end Josiah Deguara on injured reserve with a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. The third-round pick out of Cincinnati injured the knee against Atlanta on Oct. 5. He had missed the previous two games with an ankle injury.

Deguara played 31 offensive snaps and caught one pass on two targets for 12 yards. He also appeared on eight snaps on special teams.

The Packers also placed sixth-round draft pick Jake Hanson on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Hanson, a center out of Oregon, did not make the team out of training camp but has spent the first four weeks of the year on the practice squad. If he’s medically cleared, he can return to practicing in three weeks.

To fill Hanson’s spot, the Packers signed wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb. The 6-foot, 205-pound undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt was a priority free-agent signing for the Chiefs, as NFL Media reported he was given a $110,000 guarantee. He did not make the team out of camp but did re-sign to the practice squad before being waived on Sept. 29.