Schroeder getting better

For some of us, he might always be remembered as the guy who Mike Holmgren dragged around by the facemask. Stranger still, recent or younger Packer fans might actually know him as nothing other than the team's go-to receiver.

Back in 1997, Bill Schroeder was introduced to us as a fast, local kid from UW-La Crosse via Sheboygan. He made an immediate splash in the Monday night opener against Chicago that year, returning punts for 46, 27 and 22 yards on five tries. To a state panicking over the free agent defection of Desmond Howard, it was an impressive introduction.

But Schroeder was full of boneheaded plays, too, and Holmgren got in his grille on national TV more than once in those first few seasons. He eventually broke into the receiving rotation in 1998, catching 31 passes. But he was considered little more than a stop-gap, third option behind Antonio Freeman, Mark Chmura and even an injury-riddled Robert Brooks.

But Brooks was retired by 1999, Chmura had his own slew of problems and Freeman was having a step-back season after holding out in training camp. Bill Schroeder, former track star and Holmgren whipping boy, was now the team's leading receiver, catching 74 passes for 1,051 yards.

After a 65-reception year last season, Schroeder appears poised to have his best year yet in 2001. Often lauded for his speed but derided for an inability to run professional routes and catch all the balls required of him, the sixth-year wideout appears to be Brett Favre's primary downfield option in an offense that ranks third overall in the NFL, more than 30 yards per game ahead of Randy Moss & Co. in Minneapolis.

Of Schroeder's 18 receptions, four have gone for scores, including long ones at key times against Washington and Tampa Bay that showcased his breakaway speed. His average of 20.3 yards per reception tops the league (minimum 10 catches) and clearly illustrates his growth as a player.

Before the season, the Packers receivers were one of the team's biggest questions. Freeman continued to have personal and personnel problems, Bubba Franks was coming off a shaky, boo-ridden rookie year, Corey Bradford was still recovering from a broken leg suffered last season, and youngsters Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson were far from proven. Schroeder, oddly, was really the team's most proven option.

But despite a couple of solid professional seasons in '99 and '00, the local boy never really got much respect.

"The biggest change they've had since they've been at the top is the wide receivers and even the tight end," Howard Balzer of Lindy's previews told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel before the season. "They still don't have a No. 2 wide receiver and there's a ton of questions about Freeman at No. 1. I think that's going to kill them ... Schroeder's not a 2."

Perhaps not; he appears to be a No. 1.

"I don't know if the other receivers can perform at a high level," ESPN's Sean Salisbury said in the same article, referring to everyone beyond Freeman on the depth chart.

Yet it's funny to note that Freeman, who mumbled last week about a lack of involvement in the offense, didn't finally have a big outing until this past Sunday -- a game Schroeder left in the first half with an ankle injury.

In Green Bay's 28-6 win over Carolina in Week 3, Packers radio analyst Larry McCarren gave Schroeder his due. {INSERT_RELATED}

"What (analysts) forget is that people improve year-to-year," he said as Schroeder caught four passes for 46 yards, including a 12-yard TD.

Receivers coach Ray Sherman concurs. "You can see the improvement in him each year," he told www.packers.com. "I saw before I got here that he had all the tools. Then last year I was able to watch him grow."

Both bring up a logical point. It's easy to forget that Dorsey Levens was once nothing more than a fifth-round pick who battled injuries for a couple years at Georgia Tech. But after splitting time with Edgar Bennett in his first three pro seasons, Levens merely went on to have one of the greatest seasons ever by a Packer running back in 1997. So is it that hard to believe that Schroeder could actually be getting better? That he may actually be good?

Not really. Schroeder is already just one TD catch shy of his career-high of 5, and his 67-yard scamper against the Bucs was also a career-best. At 30-years old, perhaps Schroeder is just hitting his stride.

Sure, he still reverts back to the Schroeder of old sometimes. His retaliatory personal foul penalty in the second half against Tampa might have cost the Packers a shot at a win, and he still doesn't catch every pass that hits his hands.

Then again, Favre doesn't hit everyone in the hands every time, either. The bottom line remains that Schroeder continues to do his job each week and gets better along the way. In a new Packers offense that features an ensemble cast and a great conductor, that should finally be enough to quell the naysayers.