Getty Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams played college football with now-Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
Once upon in Fresno, California, Davante Adams and Derek Carr were among the best quarterback-receiver tandems in all of college football as they lead Fresno State to an 11-2 record and a Mountain West Conference championship
Now, as prolific members of separate pro teams, the two former teammates are taking a little friend-to-friend smack before they meet in Thursday’s preseason game in Oakland.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr started the fun Thursday when looking ahead to the matchup with the Packers he told reporters: “I’m going to play corner. I’m going to show everybody how to lock up Davante Adams because I know all his moves.”
No denying it from Carr, who quickly retweeted the sentiment.
It didn’t take long for the smack talk to reach Adams in Green Bay, and when asked Sunday evening about how accurate Carr’s knowledge of his “moves,” the Packers star receiver showed no mercy.
“That’s inaccurate,” Adams said. “I say that if he wants to get out there, I would love for Derek to get on the other side so I can show the world what it looks like when a regular person … gets out there and covers a crafted wide receiver.”
Carr had retweeted video of Adams’ comments within hours, suggesting the hysterical back-and-forth between friends could last right up until kickoff at 7 p.m. Thursday as the two starters prepare to play limited reps in the third week of exhibition games.
The Packers and Raiders will also meet on Oct. 20 at Lambeau Field during the regular season, where both teams face uphill battles and tough competition around their respective divisions.
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Fresno’s Finest
Carr was a redshirt junior coming off a breakout year for Fresno State when Adams arrived as a hotshot freshman from Palo Alto, California in 2012. The pair became an instant sensation and helped guide the Bulldogs to a combined 20-6 record over the next two seasons together.
Carr, who had thrown for 3,544 yards and 26 touchdowns in his emergent redshirt sophomore campaign in 2011, upped his game to toss for 4,104 yards and 5,083 yards in his final two years under center. All while steadily throwing more touchdowns as a junior (37) and senior (50).
Adams, on the other hand, broke onto the scene in his first-ever collegiate drive. On a 1st-and-10 situation, Carr hit him for 27-yard touchdown pass to give Fresno State the lead over Weber State in the first quarter. Adams finished the game with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns, with some immediately recognizing his potential to be a star.
To say he delivered is a modest way to put it. Adams caught 102 passes for 1,312 yards — a wow-worthy average of 12.9 yards per reception — with 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while his development mirrored that of his starting quarterback in his second year. The sequel saw the sophomore leap to 131 receptions, 1,719 receiving yards and 24 touchdown catches.
Carr and Adams were named All-Americans in each of their two seasons together, setting a myriad of FBS and Mountain West records before both declared for the 2014 NFL Draft. Carr went fourth in the second round to the Raiders, while the Packers scooped up Adams later in the round with the 53rd overall pick.
We Meet Again
Car and Adams have crossed paths since entering the pros in separate conferences, having some fun with it when the Raiders and Packers met for last year’s third preseason.
When the two reunited in pregame warmups, Carr reportedly insisted he and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers swap wideouts with Rodgers getting to throw again to Jordy Nelson, who had recently departed Green Bay and has since retired a Packer.
With Adams going long, Carr threw a deep ball to his former Fresno State teammate that connected just like the old days.
Swapping receivers for old times’ sake.
@derekcarrqb → @tae15adams
@AaronRodgers12 → @JordyRNelson
#GBvsOAK t.co/AdjT2hBDCz
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