It wasn’t Randall Cunningham bombing it deep to Randy Moss, but the 51-yard connection between Green Bay Packers quarterback DeShone Kizer and rookie receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling during Thursday’s preseason opener sure looked a little bit like the high-powered Minnesota Vikings duo from 1998. Watch below as Kizer steps up in the pocket and bombs it deep, allowing Valdes-Scantling to go up and get it above the trailing coverage: The Packers eventually finished off the 14-play drive with a touchdown run from Joel Bouagnon. The big play from Kizer to Valdes-Scantling came on 2nd-and-30 from the Packers’ own 37-yard line. It was the perfect marriage of a big arm attacking downfield and a tall, speedy receiver getting behind the coverage and beating the cornerback at the catch point. Valdes-Scantling leads all receivers with four catches and 86 receiving yards. Kizer exited the game in the third quarter after completing 10 passes for 139 yards. The Packers lead the Titans, 14-10.<doc-sep>“It was just learning every single play conceptually,” Valdes-Scantling said as he prepared for tonight’s second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lambeau Field. “Because a lot of guys come in and as a rookie, you just want to get on the field. So you learn one position. I wanted to learn each play as a whole and then understand why people are doing what they’re doing. Not just learning, ‘OK, I have this route on this play.’ I’m going to learn, ‘I have this route, another guy has this route, another guy has that route.’ I think that’s the biggest thing that I’ve — not had trouble with, but been learning how to do. “It took a little while to get it down, and I’m still learning, but for the most part, I’ve gotten it down and it’s definitely helped me to understand what’s going on with the entire offense — I understand what the quarterback is reading, where he’s going with the ball, why he’s going there, not just, ‘OK, I’ve got this route, I hope he throws me the ball.’ It’s definitely paying dividends now.” That’s not to say that Valdes-Scantling is a finished product. He still has plenty of room for improvement — he was among the young receivers quarterback Aaron Rodgers chastised last week — and still makes mistakes, but the way he played in the opener sure looks like a sign his unusual approach is working for him.<doc-sep>Arguably no rookie receiver was better than Marquez Valdes-Scantling during the first week of the preseason. The Green Bay Packers’ fifth-round pick was one of only two players to top 100 receiving yards, joining Minnesota Vikings running back Roc Thomas. He also earned a spot on Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week, finishing with the highest overall grade among rookie receivers. Valdes-Scantling finished Thursday night’s 31-17 win over the Tennessee Titans with five catches, 101 yards and a game-sealing touchdown. He went up and over a cornerback to catch a 51-yard bomb from DeShone Kizer, and he all but finished the Titans off with a 15-yard touchdown catch on a contested throw in the end zone. PFF notes that his night could have been close to perfect had he hauled in a low throw on a deep ball from rookie quarterback Tim Boyle in the fourth quarter: “The Packers rookie was the only receiver this week to top the 100-yard mark,” PFF’s Mike Renner wrote. “He did so on five catches – two of which were contested. His day could have been even better though if he could have hauled in a diving deep pass mid-way through the fourth that he got both hands on.” Jack Wepfer of Packers Wire reviewed Valdes-Scantling and the two other rookie receivers in a post published Saturday. The former USF star showed speed and contested-catch ability, making him a potentially dangerous deep threat. No other Packers player made PFF’s Team of the Week, but in terms of final grade, Brett Hundley wasn’t far behind Sam Darnold at quarterback. Former Packers linebacker Joe Thomas made the team after intercepting a pass for the Dallas Cowboys, and Titans edge rusher Harold Landry was the pick after he produced two pressures against the Packers, including a strip-sack.<doc-sep>Marquez Valdes-Scantling was one of the young Packers receivers who stepped up in a big way in the Packers 31-17 preseason win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. The South Florida alum notched five catches for 101 yards and one touchdown in the win, but there was one thing he forgot to do after he scored. The Lambeau Leap. On the Packers official Instagram page, it showed Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb directing Valdes-Scanting to the stands to do the Lambeau Leap, but he responded to the Packers explaining why he didn't do the leap for his first NFL touchdown. "Not in the preseason," Valdes-Scantling wrote. "First time leaping, I want to make sure it counts." MVS gave his reason for not wanting to Lambeau Leap on the Packers Instagram. pic.twitter.com/DJ3OuaEkek — Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) August 10, 2018 After the game, Valdes-Scantling was happy with his performance, but he knows he has more work to do. “It’s a good feeling but you can never get too high or get too low,” said Valdes-Scantling. “On the bad days, you don’t want to be depressed and on the good days, you don’t want to be too high. You kind of want to stay even-keeled and be consistent. That’s what it’s all about.” Valdes-Scantling's performance comes on the heels of him and the rest of the young receivers being called out by Aaron Rodgers for not giving their best effort in practice on Tuesday. “It was one of the worst cards sessions we’ve had,” Rodgers said, with “cards” referencing a coach holding a card showing the opponent’s play. “I don’t know how you can make it any simpler. You literally have what the play would be in our terminology on the card. The effort level was very low, especially with what I’m accustomed to. I’ve been running that period for a number of years. So, it’s not a good start for us on the card period for the young guys. I think (DeAngelo) Yancey has really progressed, G-Mo (Geronimo Allison), obviously 16 (Jake Kumerow). But everybody else was kind of piss poor.” The Packers will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. Stay up to date with everything – take five seconds to Sign up for our FREE Packers newsletter now! Valdes-Scantling is a big wide receiver who has a lot of speed. He started his college career at N.C. State but decided to transfer to South Florida in 2015 after a change in the team's offensive scheme. In 2016, Valdes-Scantling recorded 22 receptions for 415 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. He was able to improve those numbers last season, registering 53 receptions for 879 yards and six touchdowns. The 879 yards Valdes-Scantling recorded is now a school record. During the offseason, Valdes-Scantling got to work out with Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Valdes-Scantling posted one of the workouts on Instagram and he wrote. "I appreciate the coaching OG. Main man tried to come out of retirement today." This does not mean Valdes-Scantling will be the next Moss, but based on the way he played on Thursday, it's safe to say his NFL debut was a success.<doc-sep>
Marquez Valdes-Scantling was one of the few Packers players who stood out in the team's 31-17 win over the Tennessee Titans in the first preseason game of the year. And because of his efforts, Valdes-Scantling was named to the NFL "Team of the Week" which is done by Pro Football Focus. Here's a look at what Michael Renner of PFF had to say about Valdes-Scantling. The Packers rookie was the only receiver this week to top the 100-yard mark. He did so on five catches – two of which were contested. His day could have been even better though if he could have hauled in a diving deep pass mid-way through the fourth that he got both hands on. Valdes-Scantling finished the night with five receptions for 101 yards and one score. After the game, the South Florida alum said it's important not to get very pumped about have a strong showing because the NFL is a week-to-week league. “It’s a good feeling but you can never get too high or get too low,” he said. “On the bad days, you don’t want to be depressed and on the good days, you don’t want to be too high. You kind of want to stay even-keeled and be consistent. That’s what it’s all about.” Valdes-Scantling is a big wide receiver who has a lot of speed. He started his college career at N.C. State but decided to transfer to South Florida in 2015 after a change in the team's offensive scheme. In 2016, Valdes-Scantling recorded 22 receptions for 415 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. He was able to improve those numbers last season, registering 53 receptions for 879 yards and six touchdowns. The 879 yards Valdes-Scantling recorded is now a school record. The Packers will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. Stay up to date with everything – take five seconds to Sign up for our FREE Packers newsletter now! During the offseason, Valdes-Scantling got to work out with Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Valdes-Scantling posted one of the workouts on Instagram and he wrote. "I appreciate the coaching OG. Main man tried to come out of retirement today." It was good to see a young Packers receiver play well after what happened last week. Before the Packers faced the Titans, Aaron Rodgers talked to media after practice on Tuesday and he called out the receivers for not giving enough effort. “It was one of the worst cards sessions we’ve had,” Rodgers said, with “cards” referencing a coach holding a card showing the opponent’s play. “I don’t know how you can make it any simpler. You literally have what the play would be in our terminology on the card. The effort level was very low, especially with what I’m accustomed to. I’ve been running that period for a number of years. So, it’s not a good start for us on the card period for the young guys. I think (DeAngelo) Yancey has really progressed, G-Mo (Geronimo Allison), obviously 16 (Jake Kumerow). But everybody else was kind of piss poor.” Valdes-Scantling will look to have a repeat performance on Thursday when the Packers host the Pittsburgh Steelers.