All eyes have been on Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love this offseason. People are interested to see how he handles the transition from being the backup to the starter in Green Bay.
After three seasons of sitting behind Aaron Rodgers, Love has received the keys to the Packers’ offense. He has been taking all of the first-team reps dating back to the spring during minicamp all the way through the most recent training camp practice.
There have been some ups and downs, but for the most part, Love has handled himself well. The coaching staff and his teammates have all spoken highly of him and the strides that he has made over the last few years.
That progress has been evident, as Love has shown an ability to bounce back quickly from any shortcomings. Last week in the second joint practice against the New England Patriots, Love and the first-team offense had their struggles. In the opening drive of the preseason game over the weekend, a bad snap led to a turnover.
But, he didn’t let that snowball into something bigger. On the third drive of the game, Love led a 93-yard touchdown drive. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been very impressed by how Love has performed and carried himself thus far.
“I think I’ve been really impressed with how he’s handled himself,” LaFleur said. “It dates back to even last preseason. I know we didn’t always have the results, and I sat up here and defended him pretty hard in terms of some of the play, but it’s about the process, and it’s about all the little things that goes into that position: the command that you have in the huddle, the total command of the offense, the operation.
“Obviously, execution’s a big part of that as well. I think we’ve all seen the growth over these last few years. It’s been pretty cool to witness, but you’ve got to have a short memory in this game because you’re only as good as your last game — we all know that — and there’s a lot of work and, quite frankly, it’s only the preseason. We’re going to have to keep building upon this and, hopefully, continue to get better each and every day at practice or whatever the situation he encounters.”
There is certainly a lot more to learn for Love. After all, he is limited in experience, throwing only 83 regular season passes to this point in his career. But, how he has looked at this training camp is certainly encouraging.
In five drives overall, Love has completed 12-of-18 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception, with the only turnover being the bad snap from Myers on Saturday.
If he can carry that production and momentum over into the regular season, the Packers could very well surprise some people in the coming months. While Love has the experience of a first-time player, he is a seasoned player entering his fourth year as a pro.
