I was today years old when I found out the father of Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson was also drafted by the team in 1993. The former sixth-round safety who changed his name from Tim Watson to Tazim Wajid Wajed took an impassioned stance in support of his son on social media this fine Friday ahead of Super Wild Card Weekend.
Wajed was not here for any of the narratives, and provided a personal update on Watson’s injury status as he continues to work through a nagging hamstring issue:
Most of the message cuts off, but it’s a lengthy one. Well worth the read for its entertainment value, not to mention how wholesome it is to see a dad stick up for his son in such resounding fashion:
“To all the critics and “social media doctors,” no, historically he actually hasn’t been injury prone (he started 51 consecutive college football games). To the ‘he doesn’t know how to condition properly’ contingent, you just sound absolutely silly. He’s an extremely well-conditioned world-class athlete… he’s not soft, and he damn sure has grit, and is as much of a ‘Dog’ as any you’ll find on a football field… WE DON’T RAISE THEM ANY DIFFERENTLY IN OUR HOME!
So, the bottom line is every single avenue to make this happen is in action. We are all as frustrated for what’s been missed, but also excited for what’s to come as are those of you who are genuine fans. All I know personally is that the last time the Cowboys placed NFLPA All Pro & Pro Bowl cornerback [DaRon] Bland in front of Christian Watson, Scoot made that young man look like he didn’t even belong in the NFL…We are just prayerful that the opportunity for such a challenge is presented again this Sunday… All positive vibes and well wishes are appreciated!🙌🏾📿#GoPackGo.”
Yo, I’m fired up. I want the Packers to win even more. Not just because it’d validate my case that Jordan Love is the real MVP to a large degree. More like it’s just funny to watch the Dallas Cowboys blow it every year. America’s Team shouldn’t even be America’s Team. That has more to do with their franchise valuation than any recent football-related accomplishments of note. The fact that ex-Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy is at the helm in Dallas only adds to the stakes.
Arguably the only quarterbacks who’ve played better than Love down the stretch are the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and actual MVP Lamar Jackson. Throw Houston’s CJ Stroud in there even though he missed a couple games with a concussion. What’s crazy about Love is, he did it largely without Watson, who’s easily the Packers’ WR1 when healthy.
Mr. Wajed is not wrong at all about DaRon Bland. Sure, he’s a different player than he was when he last faced Green Bay at Lambeau Field in Week 10 last season. Wasn’t that long ago. Bland got nuked for four catches on five targets for 58 yards and a TD. Watson caught all three of Aaron Rodgers’ TD passes that day and wound up with four catches and 103 yards in the Cheeseheads’ 31-28 overtime win.
Cue Tobey Maguire from Spider-Man 3, “NOW DIG ON THIS…”
Also noteworthy is the point Wajed raises about Watson starting 51 straight college games. I had no idea. Loved his physical tools coming out of North Dakota State. However, didn’t look much further into him. It was hard to evaluate that Bison offense. Quarterback Trey Lance thrived in it, yet it was so run-heavy and NDSU had such a talent advantage on all the other FCS schools that it made contextualizing Watson’s projection to the NFL very difficult.
For years, the Packers refused to add much in the way of skill position talent at Rodgers’ behest. Watson was their first dip into that pool, only after they traded Davante Adams to Las Vegas. Now? Green Bay has a bevvy of young, gifted pass-catchers headlined by Jayden Reed (and Watson) who are helping Love ascend to epic heights in his first year as the starter.
Love is borderline unconscious right now. Packers coach Matt LaFleur is in his bag as a play-caller. If Christian Watson is healthy enough to go for Sunday’s showdown in Dallas, this Green Bay offense is going to be even more dangerous. Look out Cowboys!
