For Packers QB Jordan Love, the Growth Has Been Immense
Third-year quarterback Jordan Love has had a couple of opportunities to showcase himself in the NFL. The first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in their bizarre 2020 NFL Draft, Love hasn’t had a great opportunity to prove he was worthy of the top pick as he’s played behind Aaron Rodgers, who has won the NFL’s MVP the last two years.
Despite the lack of significant playing time, Love was on center stage last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. He certainly proved he can play with the big boys.
Jordan Love has improved his fundamentals, and it’s paying off
In the offseason, the Packers brought back Tom Clements to serve as quarterbacks coach. Clements had been the team’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy from 2006 to 2016. Clements made it a point to work with Love on the basics.
“It’s the things we’ve worked on the most, which is footwork, the proper drop, going through your progression, not getting stuck on a receiver, not being late with the ball,” Clements said last week via Packers.com. “We work on different route concepts each week, we did a lot in the spring, but then you have to see it play out when you have a defense out there.
“You have to be able to go from 1-2-3 to your outlet quickly. You can’t lock on a guy, and you have to process information quickly, figure out where to go, and your footwork plays into that as well. If your feet are right and you’re seeing things right, you’re able to decide where to go with the ball. His footwork, rhythm, and getting the ball off on time is where he’s gotten a lot better.”
Love came in for an injured Rodgers last week and looked sharp, completing six of nine passes for 113 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s 40-33 loss to the Eagles.
Clements: The game is slowing down for Love
When Rodgers took a shot to his ribs and headed to the locker room, Love came in and quickly engineered a scoring drive. He connected with rookie Christian Watson on a 63-yard touchdown pass that brought the Packers within a touchdown. He looked poised and confident.
“He’s probably getting to the point where the game has slowed down for him,” Clements said. “When that happens, you kind of see things in slow motion. You see where guys are moving, you see where guys should go, and you’re able to react quickly.”
Love, who had struggled in his previous appearances, said he just wanted to remain calm and put his team in a position to win the game.
“I was telling myself – stay calm, stay relaxed, go out there and do what I do every day in practice,” Love said, according to Packers.com. “Obviously, the situation is what the situation is. I said a prayer on the sideline, and I tried to stay relaxed. I told myself, ‘Let’s go win the game.'”
Watson said the offense didn’t change at all when Love replaced Rodgers.
“I thought he came in and didn’t skip a beat,” said Watson. “When he came in, it felt like he had been in there before with all of us. I think we had a good shot with it.”
Rodgers plans to go Sunday against the Chicago Bears with injured ribs, broken thumb, and all. Should Rodgers go down again, the Packers appear to be in good hands with Love.
