Yahoo! Sports: Jordy Nelson Earns His Respect

Two days after his team's only loss of 2011, Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson lamented the quietest performance of his otherwise remarkable season.

With two-time Pro Bowl receiver Greg Jennings sidelined with a sprained knee, Nelson was peppered with questions about his readiness to stand in as his Aaron Rodgers' No. 1 target, but he responded with just two catches for 29 yards in a 19-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Asked if he's ready to be the top receiver, Nelson told Yahoo! Sports, "I don't care.

"I want to be able to step up and perform for the team, which we obviously didn't against the Chiefs. But you want to fill in and do what you can to help."

Or take matters into his own, massive hands.

In the final two regular season games, with Jennings still sidelined, Nelson hauled in 15 catches for 277 yards with five touchdowns. That capped a 68-catch, 1,263-yard season with 15 touchdowns, the third-most in a single season in team history.

"He gets overlooked, and he doesn't get enough credit for what he does," Chicago Bears Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman said of Nelson. "He and the rest of his receiving corps are the best in the National Football League."

A second-round pick in 2008, Nelson showed flashes in his first three seasons, scoring a combined six touchdowns. But he announced himself in Super Bowl XLV, after veteran Donald Driver was sidelined with a high ankle sprain. With the Pittsburgh Steelers focused on Jennings, Nelson abused the single coverage with nine catches for 140 yards, including one touchdown.

"He catches everything. You saw that in the Super Bowl last year," Tillman said. "The Steelers were under the impression that the go-to guy was Jennings. But here you got Jordy Nelson killing them."

HUMBLE START

Jordy Nelson grew up in Manhattan.

Except his hometown was nicknamed "The Little Apple" and is most famous as the home of Kansas State University.

Although a standout quarterback at Riley County High, Nelson was in the shadow of his older brother, Mike, who was an all-state basketball and football player. But he walked on at Kansas State, and Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder moved him from defensive back to receiver, where he steadily developed into a consistent threat.

After the Packers drafted him, though, Nelson recognized how raw he was, given his background as a quarterback. Buried on the depth chart, his focus was simple.

"A lot of it was not screwing up," Nelson said of his mentality.

Jennings said he didn't notice anything special right away.

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