Packers Roundup: Jones having his best season

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GREEN BAY - Green Bay receiver James Jones is having a career season. And it couldn’t come at a better time for the Packers, who are currently without their two most productive wide-outs in the injured Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson.

Jones has been targeted 57 times, and has caught 36 passes without a drop. That’s a first in his six years with the Packers. The 28-year-old Jones can be seen on the sidelines talking to himself during games. He says it’s his way of staying focused – something he hasn’t always done. Jones says he’s had games in which he caught passes early and lost focus at the end – and sometimes, it’s been the other way around. Jones is averaging just over 11 yards per catch, and he has seven touchdown receptions. Meanwhile, Nelson missed practice yesterday after he injured a hamstring during a workout eight days ago. Coach Mike McCarthy said Nelson is getting rehab – and he could return to the field tomorrow if all goes well. Jennings is still expected to have surgery this week in Philadelphia to fix his lingering groin injury. An operation scheduled Tuesday was postponed due to Superstorm Sandy.

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Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy says he wants his team to focus on playing the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, and not think about the time-off they’ll get with a bye next week. The coach says the Packers have made the mistake in the past of looking too forward to the bye week – and Sunday’s game against the 4-4 Cardinals is too important not to put their total focus on it. But the fact is, the Packers have a golden opportunity to give two weeks of healing to a long list of injured players before the stretch run – and those chances don’t come along very often. Fullback John Kuhn and receiver Jordy Nelson did not practice yesterday – and neither did defensive players Sam Shields, Nick Perry, Jerel Worthy, and Mike Neal. They joined the two starters with long-term injuries – Greg Jennings and Charles Woodson – on the sidelines. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers sent the message yesterday that the backups are expected to produce when they’re called upon – and he mentioned rookie receiver Jarrett Boykin as an example. Boykin was the 11th player who never made it on the field when the Packers scored their first touchdown on a blocked punt in 22 years last Sunday against Jacksonville.

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