Packers Morning Buzz: How Davante Adams rose above all obstacles

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with Michael Silver of NFL.com doing an in-depth profile of Davante Adams in which the Packers receiver opens up about his difficult upbringing.

Silver describes one particularly frightening incident that Adams endured:

When Adams, then 14, heard the ominous sound of screeching tires outside his family's modest home in impoverished East Palo Alto, Calif., he looked out the window and saw a horrifying scene: A drive-by shooting was unfolding in real time, at the next-door neighbor's house, and Adams' preschool-aged twin sisters, Destiny and D'aishanae, were standing in the front yard and in the line of fire. 

In an instant, Davante bolted through the front door and grabbed the girls, then turned and made a beeline for the house as bullets flew around them. 

"It was one of the craziest moments of my life," Adams recalled in July as he stood outside the Packers' locker room at Lambeau Field following a training camp practice. "It wasn't the first rodeo, but it probably gave me the biggest scare. I ran out and grabbed my two little girls, snatched them up, threw them literally into the house ... and then got myself in there and then all of us on the ground. It was just in time, before the house was actually shot up. Nobody got hit. But it was definitely a close call." 

Silver's well-detailed story goes on to tell of Adams' road to Green Bay and his emergence as one of the NFL's elite. You can read it here:

What makes Packers-Bears the one true NFL rivalry? Pete Dougherty knows:

Tom Silverstein's annual 1-to-53 ranking of the Packers' roster reveals that the defense is on the rise:

Silverstein also serves up five things to watch for Thursday night, and our beat reporters make their game predictions:

Clip and save: Here's who our Packers beat reporters like to reach the playoffs and win the Super Bowl:

The final injury report brought good news about two key Packers performers:

We rank every one of Aaron Rodgers' 324 career TD passes and highlight the top 20:

The national perspective on Rodgers' relationship with new coach Matt LaFleur:

Leave it to Andy Benoit of The MMQB to put the Rodgers-LaFleur relationship into a proper football perspective:

The real issue is not how Rodgers handles the system before the snap, but rather, how he handles it after the snap. In McCarthy’s spread iso approach, Rodgers never had to play under strict dropback timing. He could get the ball out right away or a little later—there was room to play around. But in a system built on highly specified pre-snap gyrations and post-snap route combinations, precise timing is key. And LaFleur is famously particular about details in the passing game—especially at quarterback.

You can read Benoit's entire take here:

The Packers drew a difficult season-opening assignment in Chicago:

The Packers get some division-title love here, but are any of The MMQB's fearless forecasters bold enough to pick them to win the Super Bowl?

ESPN's Rob Demovsky retraces the unusual hiring process that landed LaFleur in Green Bay:

NFL.com analysts expert Cynthia Frelund projects 2019 win totals for each team based on data from the past 10 NFL seasons to factor in things such as personnel, scheme and matchups. She uses her formula to simulate the season more than a million times, producing a ceiling, floor and projected win total for all 32 teams.

The 2019 Packers fare well in her projections:

Green Bay Packers: 9.5 wins (projected wild card)

Ceiling: 11.1 
Floor: 8.0

Did you notice that? The ceiling part? Green Bay's ceiling is higher than Chicago's in my model. The Bears' elite defense keeps their median projection insulated, but Aaron Rodgers, increased O-line depth (SEE: rookie second-rounder Elgton Jenkins) and an improved defense (with the additions of Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos, Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage) drive the Packers' potential.

You can read the entire article here:

One of the seven USA Today panelists picks Aaron Rodgers to win MVP honors:

This seems like a good time to revisit the seven times Rodgers broke Bears fans hearts ...

... And it's always fun to relive Packers game played at Milwaukee County Stadium:

The Power Sweep compares Mitch Trubisky's stats when the Bears win to his numbers when they lose:

And finally: A reminder that the next Packers Podcast will be waiting for you when you awaken Friday morning, recapping the Packers-Bears opener:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt