GREEN BAY, Wis. – Perhaps at some point, Jordan Love will take over as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback.
If that day comes, can Love become as good as Rodgers? Perhaps even better?
“That’s the goal. That’s the goal right there,” Love said on The Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio on Tuesday night.
The Packers moved up in the first round to select Love in last year’s NFL Draft. With Rodgers coming off three so-so seasons and two significant injuries, the presumption was that Love was drafted to be Rodgers’ successor. That still might be the case, but Rodgers shredded the arithmetic with a turn-back-the-block season that is likely to result in him being crowned MVP for a third time on Saturday.
On Monday, general manager Brian Gutekunst essentially renewed his vows to Rodgers.
“I think that he is arguably the best player that I’ve ever seen or been around,” Gutekunst said. “The chances he gives us week in and week out are significant, so he’s going to be part of our future and we look forward to all the runs we’re going to try to make here over the next few years.”
So, where does that leave Love, whose career has been thrown in doubt? To become the starter, it was always going to be about Love showing he was up to the task. Now, he’s got to show patience, too, for a situation that is out of his control.
“Very patient. In the back of my head, I know my time will come,” he said. “It’s all about what I do with that. Got to make the most of that opportunity.”
Love put himself on NFL radars with a superb 2018 season at Utah State. With a coaching change and major personnel losses due to graduation, Love went from 32 touchdowns vs. six interceptions in 2018 to 20 touchdowns vs. 17 interceptions in 2019.
Nonetheless, buoyed by a good week at the Senior Bowl and an intriguing combination of arm strength and athletic ability, Gutekunst traded away his fourth-round pick to move from No. 30 of the first round to No. 26 to select Love.
“It’s weird because the whole [draft] process, you’re meeting with all these different teams and interviewing with people,” Love recalled. “You don’t know who wants you, who’s going to take you. Definitely caught me by surprise, just me sitting there thinking, ‘Who needs a quarterback?’ Yeah, but I’m glad to be here.”
Rodgers has been a good teammate with his backups over the years, whether it was a late-round draft pick like Matt Flynn, an undrafted free agent like Tim Boyle or a high-profile reclamation project like DeShone Kizer. Love was different, though. Love was there to potentially take his job. Rodgers, though, welcomed the rookie and wasn’t afraid to share his insight.
“I think the biggest thing I took from watching him is watching how he practices,” Love said. “The dude practices just like he plays. A super-consistent dude every day. He’s mad if he misses a throw or somebody messes up a route in practice, same way he’d be made in the game. Just learning how consistent he is.”
Love was behind the 8-ball as a rookie. There was no rookie minicamp to get his feet wet. No offseason practices to get a grip on the playbook or the fundamentals taught by quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy and coach Matt LaFleur. Training camp started late and there was no preseason. The lion’s share of the reps during camp went to Rodgers to get him ready for the season. With a year in the system and two years in the NFL – not to mention a significant amount of talent – Boyle had an insurmountable head-start on securing the backup job.
Against that backdrop, that Love was the No. 3 quarterback all season and a healthy scratch for all 18 games doesn’t matter one bit in terms of his long-term future.
For what it’s worth, LaFleur and Gutekunst said they were pleased with his progress behind closed doors. In the accompanying video, LaFleur said Love could take a week or two off before getting back to work and solidifying the “muscle memory” built from the season.
“I think I’m on the right path,” Love said. “For me, it’s developing and learning the offense. That’s the biggest thing. Obviously, I’m a good player who can make plays. Just learning the offense and then when I finally get some time to get in a game, whether that’s preseason or whatnot, just getting to showcase that.”
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February 04, 2021 at 12:56AM
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Love Confident ‘My Time Will Come’ - Sports Illustrated
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