Jordy Nelson seemed to be as involved in the Green Bay Packers' passing attack as anyone could be last season, but coach Mike McCarthy wants to feature the wide receiver even more.
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"Jordy is a perfect example of a guy who was given more opportunities last year and performed outstanding," McCarthy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week at the NFL Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. "We'll keep moving him around, probably play him in the slot a little more than he's played in the past. Those are the kind of things we continue to look at, give him more matchups, expand his route tree where he's maybe more of the focus."
Despite starting just nine games last season, Nelson led the Packers in several receiving categories, including catches (68), yards (1,263), yards per catch (18.6) and touchdowns (15).
McCarthy indicated that he would be inclined to make Nelson, and not veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings or tight end Jermichael Finley, the featured receiver sometimes "because statistics speak for themselves."
Nelson was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and didn't see much action until the 2010 season, when he caught 45 balls for 582 yards and two scores.
Nelson, 26, is part of a potent Packers passing attack that racked up 4,924 yards and a league-leading 51 touchdowns through the air in 2011. With Jennings and Finley returning to catch passes from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Nelson would seem to be positioned for another big year.