Souhan: For Jennings, picking up stakes is repaid in karma

Thursday night, shortly after the Vikings lost 42-10 to Green Bay, Greg Jennings held his usual locker-front postgame media session.

He dressed immaculately and wore his typically large smile. For a while, he followed form by saying little of substance, his smile never wavering.

Then, when the minicams left, he spoke more freely to a couple of reporters. He was quoted by the Green Bay Press-Gazette as saying: "That's one thing that always [stinks] about playing wide receiver, is you can't throw yourself the ball, you can't do things yourself."

This line, as Jennings might put it, [stinks].

Jennings made his name as a good possession receiver blessed with great quarterbacks and renowned offensive coaches.

Jennings broke in with Brett Favre, who didn't need his receivers to get open. All he needed to see was a sliver of green jersey, and the ball became a threat to the health of that receiver's fingernails.

Unlike most receivers blessed with a franchise quarterback, Jennings did not see his fortunes altered when his franchise quarterback moved on. Aaron Rodgers replaced Favre and quickly became one of the league's best quarterbacks. In fact, on Thursday, Rodgers reached 200 touchdown passes in fewer games than any quarterback in NFL history other than Dan Marino.

The Packers offered less money and a passing offense that would reward a receiver who runs crisp routes but possesses limited speed and leaping ability.

The Vikings offered more money, and Christian Ponder.

Jennings chose the money — up to $47.5 million over five years — instead of the money-maker.

Before he played his first game with the Vikings, Jennings was so proud of his independence that he took a shot at Rodgers, referring to him only by his uniform number, "12."

"A lot of times when you have a guy who creates that spotlight for himself and establishes that and takes a lot of that, it becomes so-and-so and the team," Jennings said then. "It should always be the team."

He got to play with Ponder … and then Matt Cassel … and then Josh Freeman … and then, I think, Spergon Wynn, although that might have been a flashback … and then Ponder and then Cassel and at some point everyone lost track and yearned for the days when Joe Webb ran the read-option.

Jennings chose Ponder. He chose offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. He chose to taunt Rodgers. He chose the money.

Thursday night, Jennings caught two passes for 31 yards. Ponder threw toward him six times, sometimes even within a few body lengths of Jennings' hands. Through five games this season, he has caught 17 passes for 235 yards and one touchdown. He is on pace to be an older, more expensive Brandon LaFell.

Jennings is in his second season with the Vikings. In each season, he has played with three starting quarterbacks before the end of October.

He still runs disciplined routes, but he does not create as much separation as he once did. That is evidenced by the arrival of Teddy Bridgewater, who, in his breakout game, looked for Jarius Wright more often than Jennings, the Vikings' big-money veteran.

Jennings could still be catching passes from Rodgers, as the second-best receiving option in a refined offense.

That's not what he chose.

He chose Minnesota. He chose Ponder. He chose to pop off as if he could help Ponder become a star.

Then on Thursday night, when no Minnesota reporters were around, he portrayed himself not as entrepreneur but as victim.

Jennings can't throw Jennings the ball. Is that the gist?