Jordan Love isn't overly concerned about how teams will defend him this season, even with a full year of film for opponents to study. Love acknowledges and anticipates that teams will counter the strategies that brought him success last year, but he and his coaching staff have their own plans for elevating his game as he enters Year 2 as the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback.
Facing Defensive Adjustments
The Philadelphia Eagles and other NFL teams will undoubtedly scrutinize Love's 19 starts from the previous season. Love is aware that defenses will have a better understanding of what he and the Packers did effectively last year. Despite this, he has faith in his coaching staff, whom he believes will place him and his team in the best possible positions to succeed.
Coaching and Development
Tom Clements, the seasoned quarterbacks coach, is well-equipped to help Love enhance the skills necessary to counter defensive strategies. Packers' head coach Matt LaFleur has also made adjustments in practice to aid Love’s development. One significant change includes the addition of a 7-on-7 period to offseason practices, a drill LaFleur previously disliked due to its lack of game-like conditions.
Clements and the Packers' offensive staff have devoted considerable time to anticipating the defensive tactics teams might employ to better defend against Love.
Performance Under Pressure
Last season, Love encountered some struggles when pressured, ranking 27th and 26th among NFL quarterbacks in key metrics. His tendency was to throw deep away from coverage, a strategy that resulted in only one interception when under pressure. To address this, Love has been diligently working on his pocket awareness and movement.
Adapting to Change
Love has shown significant growth in his ability to adapt and make plays on the run. Clements observed this development late last season, noting Love's improved decision-making when forced out of the pocket. Instead of taking off and running, Love increasingly looked to make plays downfield. This evolution is a positive sign for his development as a quarterback.
As Jordan Love embarks on his second year as the Packers' starting quarterback, he remains focused on refining his skills and preparing for the defensive adjustments that are sure to come. Supported by 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.
Staying Poised
"We know going into this year teams are going to have a better feel of what we do, what we did good," Love stated. "That's their job—to try to figure out how to stop that. That's the fun part about the NFL."
Love emphasized his confidence in the coaching staff, adding, "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."
Clements underscored the importance of fundamentals, saying, "It's just more fundamental things. Footwork and how he moves in the pocket, and we're working on the drills, working on throwing a lot of routes on air."
LaFleur echoed these sentiments: "What we're making a big emphasis on is [having] perfect feet. Making sure the guys go through their progressions, having perfect feet. When they're not, they hear about it."
Prepared for Defensive Schemes
Clements highlighted the necessity of preparing for defensive tactics, explaining, "You might anticipate a defense maybe bringing a little more pressure, disguising a little bit more, making it more difficult to see where to go. If that happens, you have to have a lot of film study and be able to react."
Balancing Act
Love acknowledged the areas he needs to improve: "The biggest thing for me is just staying poised in the pocket, being able to stay balanced. Sometimes I get out of whack with my feet, and I might start drifting in the pocket too much. Just pocket awareness, making smaller moves and understanding when I've got to get out of there."
He also mentioned his focus on making plays on the run: "Throwing on the run, being able to escape the pocket and make those off-schedule plays is something I worked a good amount on."
Progress and Potential
Clements recalled Love's transformation: "Early in the season, when Jordan scrambled, I'd say 95 percent of the time he ran the ball. In the second half of the year, that maybe flipped—not 95 percent but a larger percentage—he was moving around, looking to throw the ball downfield."
"That's what you want to do because you can get a lot of big plays in the scramble phase of the game. Rather than just taking off and running, he's looking and trying to make a play, and that's where good things can happen," Clements concluded.
With each passing day, Jordan Love takes strides towards becoming a more complete and adaptable quarterback, prepared to face whatever challenges come his way.