Jordan Love isn't overly concerned about how teams will defend him this year, even with a full season of film to study. He understands that defenses will adapt and counter what made him successful last season, but he and his coaches are prepared for the challenge. Entering Year 2 as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Love is focused on refining his skills and tackling the defensive adjustments that are sure to come his way.
Facing Defensive Adjustments
The Philadelphia Eagles and other NFL teams will undoubtedly study Love's 19 starts from the previous season. Love recognizes that defenses will have a better grasp of what he and the Packers did well last year. Despite this, he has faith in his coaching staff, who he believes will put him and the team in the best possible positions.
"We know going into this year teams are going to have a better feel of what we do, what we did good," Love said. "That's their job -- to try to figure out how to stop that. That's the fun part about the NFL. 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."
Coaching and Development
Tom Clements, the Packers' quarterbacks coach, is well-equipped to help Love hone the skills needed to combat defensive strategies. Head coach Matt LaFleur has also made adjustments in practice to aid Love’s development. Notably, LaFleur added a 7-on-7 period to offseason practices, despite previously disliking it due to the lack of game-like conditions.
Clements and the Packers' offensive staff have taken time to anticipate what defenses might try to do to better defend Love. Clements commented, "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."
Performance Under Pressure
Love's performance under pressure last season wasn't stellar. He ranked 27th and 26th among NFL quarterbacks in various pressure-related metrics. Love's strategy of throwing deep away from coverage resulted in only one interception when under pressure. However, his tendency to throw deep also led to inconsistent results.
Love has been diligently working on his pocket awareness and movements. "The biggest thing for me is just staying poised in the pocket," he 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
Love has shown growth in his ability to adapt and make plays on the run. Clements observed some of that development late last season. Love's ability to make plays on the move instead of simply taking off and running has been a significant positive sign for his development.
"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. 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."
The Packers' coaching staff has been making a significant emphasis on fundamental techniques. "It's just more fundamental things," Clements said. "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 added, "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."
As Jordan Love enters his second year as the starting quarterback for the Packers, he remains focused on refining his skills and preparing for the expected defensive adjustments. With the support of 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.