Jordan Love isn't overly concerned about how teams will defend him this year, even with a full season of film to study. The Green Bay Packers quarterback is not naïve to the fact that defenses will be more prepared to counter what made him successful last season. However, he remains confident in the direction he's heading.
Entering Year 2 as the starter, Love and his coaching staff are focused on elevating his game to new heights. The Philadelphia Eagles and other teams will undoubtedly study Love's 19 starts from the previous season. They're expected to have a sharper grasp of what he and the Packers excelled in.
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."
Trust in his coaching staff provides Love with reassurance that he's in capable hands. "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 said. "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
Quarterback coach Tom Clements is particularly instrumental in honing Love's skills to better combat defensive strategies. Head Coach Matt LaFleur has been making his own adjustments in practice to aid Love’s development journey.
Previously hesitant, LaFleur has now implemented a 7-on-7 period into offseason practices, despite his earlier reservations about its lack of game-like conditions. LaFleur emphasized the importance of this change, particularly in refining footwork and progression reads. "What we're making a big emphasis on is [having] perfect feet," LaFleur noted. "When they're not, they hear about it."
Clements and the offensive staff are proactive in anticipating new defensive schemes. "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."
Performance Under Pressure
Love's performance against pressure last season revealed areas for improvement. His tendency was to throw deep away from coverage, which reduced his interception rate under pressure to just one. Even so, his overall performance under pressure ranked 27th and 26th among NFL quarterbacks respectively. Recognizing this, Love has committed to sharpening his pocket awareness and movements.
"The biggest thing for me is just staying poised in the pocket," Love said. "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
Jordan Love has shown significant growth in his ability to adapt and make plays while on the move. Clements took note of this development late last season. "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."
This shift in strategy is promising for Love’s development. "That's what you want to do because you can get a lot of big plays in the scramble phase of the game," Clements explained. "Rather than just taking off and running, he's looking and trying to make a play, and that's where good things can happen."
With a commitment to continual improvement and a seasoned coaching staff backing him, Love is poised to build on his experiences from last season. As he prepares for the defensive adjustments that are sure to come, his focus remains unwavering. "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 stated, echoing a sentiment of readiness and adaptability.
Love enters his second year as the Packers' starting quarterback with a clear vision and a relentless drive to lead his team to new heights.