Jordan Love approaches the upcoming season with a blend of calm confidence and a keen awareness of the challenges that lie ahead. As he prepares for his second year as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Love is not particularly worried about how opposing defenses might adjust now that there's a full season of film on him.
Nevertheless, he's fully aware that defenses, including teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, will dissect his 19 starts from last season in hopes of finding ways to counter what he did well. Love and his coaching staff anticipate such adjustments and are diligently preparing to stay one step ahead.
Facing Defensive Adjustments
"We know going into this year teams are going to have a better feel of what we do, what we did good," Love acknowledged. "That's their job -- to try to figure out how to stop that. That's the fun part about the NFL."
Confident in the capability of his coaching staff, Love trusts that they will place him and the team in optimal positions to succeed. "At the end of the day, we've got a very good coaching staff that's going to put us in the best position," he added. "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."
Coaching and Development
A key figure in Love's development is Tom Clements, who has been instrumental in helping him sharpen the skills needed to counter defensive strategies. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has also adjusted his approach to better aid Love's growth. Despite his earlier reservations, LaFleur incorporated a 7-on-7 period into offseason practices to simulate game-like conditions more closely.
"Footwork and how he moves in the pocket, and we're working on the drills, working on throwing a lot of routes on air," Clements said, emphasizing the fundamentals.
LaFleur echoed this sentiment: "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."
Performance Under Pressure
When facing pressure, Love had his struggles last season, ranking 27th and 26th among NFL quarterbacks in relevant metrics. His tendency to throw deep when under pressure resulted in only one interception, a testament to his decision-making.
"You might anticipate a defense maybe bringing a little more pressure," Clements explained. "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."
Love has been focusing on improving his pocket awareness and movements. "The biggest thing for me is just staying poised in the pocket," he noted. "Being able to stay balanced in the pocket. 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."
Adapting to Change
One of the positive signs in Love's development has been his growing ability to make plays on the run instead of just taking off. "Early in the season, when Jordan scrambled, I'd say 95 percent of the time he ran the ball," Clements recalled. "Second half of the year, that maybe flipped -- maybe not 95 percent but a larger percentage he was moving around, looking to throw the ball downfield."
Clements sees this as a crucial step in Love's evolution: "Rather than just taking off and running, he's looking and trying to make a play, and that's where good things can happen."
As the new season approaches, Jordan Love remains focused on refining his skills and preparing for the inevitable defensive adjustments. With a seasoned coaching staff guiding him and a commitment to continuous improvement, Love is optimistic that he and the Packers can build on last season's experiences and achieve greater success.
"Also throwing on the run, being able to escape the pocket and make those off-schedule plays is something I worked a good amount on," Love revealed.
In a league where adaptation is key, Love's proactive approach and the support from his coaches place him in a strong position to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.