Jordan Love isn't overly concerned about how teams will defend him this year, even with a full season of film to study. It's not that Love doesn't anticipate teams countering what made him successful last season; rather, he and his coaches have their own designs on how he can take his game to new heights as he enters Year 2 as the starter.
Facing Defensive Adjustments
The Philadelphia Eagles and other teams will undoubtedly study Love's 19 starts from the previous season. Love recognizes that defenses will have a better feel for what he and the Packers did well last year. Nonetheless, he has faith in his coaching staff, who he believes will put him and the team in the best possible positions.
Coaching and Development
The Packers' coaching staff is well-equipped to help Love hone the skills needed to combat defensive strategies. Quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, in particular, is instrumental in this regard. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is also committed to aiding Love's development by making adjustments in practice. This offseason, LaFleur added a 7-on-7 period to practices, despite previously disliking the drill due to its lack of game-like conditions.
Clements and the Packers' offensive staff have taken the time to anticipate what defenses might try to do to better defend Love. They're working on perfecting his footwork and ensuring he has a better understanding of pocket awareness. According to Clements, this preparation involves a lot of film study and drills focusing on throwing routes on air, all designed to refine Love's movements and decisions under pressure.
Performance Under Pressure
Last season, Love struggled somewhat when pressured. His tendency was to throw deep away from coverage, a strategy that resulted in only one interception but impacted his overall effectiveness. These struggles under pressure ranked him 27th and 26th among NFL quarterbacks in these crucial metrics. This year, Love has been working diligently on improving his pocket awareness and movements. He aims to make smaller, more controlled moves within the pocket and understand when to escape it entirely.
Adapting to Change
Love has shown growth in his ability to adapt and make plays on the run, an area where he demonstrated noticeable improvement late last season. Clements observed that, early in the season, Love would scramble and run 95 percent of the time. However, by the season's end, Love was more inclined to move around while looking to throw downfield, a change that signifies significant progress in his development. This shift has allowed Love to create more big plays during the scramble phase of the game, as opposed to simply taking off and running.
Preparing for a New Season
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 defensive adjustments that are sure to come. 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.
"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 positions. 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."
Coach Clements echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of fundamental techniques like footwork and pocket movements. "What we're making a big emphasis on is [having] perfect feet," LaFleur noted. "Making sure the guys go through their progressions, having perfect feet. When they're not, they hear about it."
"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."
Ultimately, Love is focused on staying poised and balanced in the pocket. "Sometimes I get out of whack with my feet, and I might start drifting in the pocket too much," he admitted. "Just pocket awareness, making smaller moves and understanding when I've got to get out of there." Additionally, Love has worked on throwing on the run, improving his ability to escape the pocket and make off-schedule plays.
As the Packers prepare for the new season, all eyes will be on Jordan Love to see how he adapts to the adjustments made by opposing defenses. With determination and a robust support system, Love has the potential to shine brightly in his second year as a starter, leading the Packers to a successful season.