This week the Green Bay Packers hosted the New England Patriots for two joint practices before the teams were set to play a preseason game over the weekend. Like every other time the Packers have stepped on the field, eyes were on Jordan Love.
This offseason, many people have commented on Love and how much he looks to have developed since being a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has received plenty of advice from Aaron Rodgers, the person he is going to be replacing, and Peyton Manning. This week, it was Mac Jones that was able to share some words of wisdom.
While many people wouldn’t expect there to be much for Love to learn from Jones, as he hasn’t even been in the NFL as long, he does have a unique perspective. Like Love, Jones had to replace a legend at the quarterback position for his franchise, Tom Brady.
Jones admitted this week that he is “trying to chase the standard that (Brady) set every day” and would tell Love “just continue to grow and be yourself” in the role that he is taking over this season.
The feeling of achieving the standards that have been set before him is something Love feels just like Jones did. The Packers have had 30 years of Hall of Fame production, as they went from Brett Favre to Rodgers and now to the Utah State product.
“I mean, I think, like he said, the standards have been set from the quarterbacks that have been here before us,” Love told reporters, as shared by Sean T. McGuire of NESN. “Obviously, we’ve had some really great quarterbacks here. The standard is kind of set and you’re trying to continue to raise your game until you get to that bar and continue to go past it once you get there.
“With standards, I don’t think it means you have to try and play like somebody else,” Love continued. “It’s just kind of what’s been done here, what’s happened in the past. And you can see something that’s been done at a really high level and that’s where you want to take your game to.”
As Jones enters his third season as the Patriots’ starter, Love will enter his first with the Packers. Both are looking to cement themselves as the long-term option for their respective teams under center while replacing two of the all-time greats to ever step on the field.
