The Green Bay Packers continued their preparations for the 2023 season this week in training camp with a visit from the New England Patriots. The teams are set to face off in a preseason game on Saturday night, but before that, they held some joint practices against each other this week.
The Packers had a few different standouts each day. On Thursday, wide receiver Christian Watson, linebacker Eric Wilson and left tackle David Bakhtiari were all highlighted. The pass rush deserves some recognition as well as they lived in the Patriots’ backfield with some eye-popping sack numbers in the two days.
On Wednesday, the first of the joint practices, quarterback Jordan Love was one of the biggest winners. The Patriots presented a good test for the Packers’ new starting quarterback given the exotic looks they regularly run offensively. Nothing phased Love, as he looked great in all of the competition portions of practice.
Some Patriots defenders were also impressed with how Love looked while commanding the Packers’ offense. One of the players who spoke about his performance was star pass rusher, Matt Judon. Judon believes that Love has what it takes to succeed.
“He’s a good kid, very calm, composed,” Judon said, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. “I think he’s going to be a great leader for this organization, a good player. We all can see the arm talent. He’s got some nice arm talent.”
While Love and the Packers’ offense remains a mystery as a whole, there is no denying that he has made improvements since joining the team. His teammates have commented on how much more poised and in control he is this season, as he demands their attention in the huddle.
To receive that kind of praise from a player of Judon’s caliber means a lot. Judon has played with and against some excellent quarterbacks, so for him to have such positive feedback on Love has to give the Packers and their fans some reassurance.
There will certainly be some bumps in the road as Love and a majority of his supporting cast are lacking in-game experience. But, the Packers are hopeful that in the end, their talent will begin to shine through, leading to some wins on the field.
