Jordan Love isn't overly concerned about how teams will defend him this year, even with a full season of film to study. It’s not that Love doesn’t anticipate teams countering what made him successful last season. Instead, he and his coaches have their own designs on where he can take his game as he enters Year 2 as the starter for the Green Bay Packers.
Facing Defensive Adjustments
As the Philadelphia Eagles and other teams undoubtedly study Love's 19 starts from the previous season, he recognizes that defenses will have a better feel for what he and the Packers did well last year. Love has faith in his coaching staff, who he believes will put him and the team in the best possible positions to succeed.
Coaching and Development
Tom Clements, the Packers' experienced quarterbacks coach, is well-equipped to help Love hone the skills needed to combat defensive strategies. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has also made adjustments in practice to aid Love’s development. For instance, LaFleur added a 7-on-7 period to offseason practices, despite previously disliking it due to the lack of game-like conditions.
Clements and the Packers' offensive staff have taken time to anticipate what defenses might try to do to defend Love better. Their meticulous preparation is an essential component of Love's ongoing development.
Performance Under Pressure
Last season, Love struggled somewhat when pressured. His metrics in these situations ranked 27th and 26th among NFL quarterbacks, respectively. Love’s tendency was to throw deep away from coverage, a strategy that remarkably resulted in only one interception when under pressure.
Recognizing the need for improvement, Love has been diligently working on his pocket awareness and movements. His goal is to become more poised and balanced in the pocket, and he has been focusing on making smaller, more precise movements when under duress. "Sometimes I get out of whack with my feet, and I might start drifting in the pocket too much," Love explained. "Just pocket awareness, making smaller moves and understanding when I've got to get out of there," he added.
Adapting to Change
Love has shown significant growth in his ability to adapt and make plays on the run, an aspect of his game that Clements noticed improving late last season. Rather than simply taking off and running, Love started looking to throw the ball downfield, thereby creating more substantial plays during the scramble phase.
"Early in the season, when Jordan scrambled, I'd say 95 percent of the time he ran the ball," Clements recalled. "By the second half of the year, that maybe flipped—maybe not 95 percent but a larger percentage he was moving around, looking to throw the ball downfield." Clements emphasized that this is exactly what the coaching staff wants to see from Love because it opens up opportunities for big plays.
Love’s development in this area is a positive sign. As Clements noted, "Rather than just taking off and running, he's looking and trying to make a play, and that's where good things can happen." This evolution in Love’s approach underscores his commitment to improvement and his readiness to lead the Packers offense effectively.
Strategic Insights from the Coaching Staff
LaFleur and Clements have made perfect footwork a major emphasis during training sessions, demanding that players maintain optimal positioning as they progress through their reads. "What we're making a big emphasis on is having perfect feet," LaFleur noted. "Making sure the guys go through their progressions, having perfect feet. When they're not, they hear about it," he emphasized.
Clements also explained the likely defensive strategies Love will face, such as increased pressure and more sophisticated disguise schemes. "You might anticipate a defense maybe bringing a little more pressure," he explained. "Disguising a little bit more, making it more difficult to see where to go." To combat these intricacies, he advised the need for extensive film study and quick reactions on the field.
The Road Ahead
As Jordan Love enters his second year as the starting quarterback for the Packers, he remains focused on refining his skills and preparing for the defensive adjustments that are sure to come. With the unwavering support of a seasoned coaching staff and a commitment to continual improvement, Love is poised to build on his experiences from last season and lead the Packers to new heights.
"We know going into this year teams are going to have a better feel of what we do, what we did good," Love said. "At the end of the day, we've got a very good coaching staff that's going to put us in the best position. We'll also be able to adjust to what defenses might be doing and taking away from us, and we'll learn on the fly," he added.
Jordan Love’s journey is a testament to his resilience and dedication. As he continues to develop his game, both he and the Packers have their sights set on success and growth, regardless of the challenges that lie ahead.