Jordan Love is taking over as the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers three years after the Packers traded up in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft to take him. Of course, he is replacing Aaron Rodgers, who sat behind Hall of Famer Brett Favre for three years before becoming the starter himself.
While there are many questions surrounding the Packers this year, many seem to forget their history. 15 years ago, when Rodgers was named the starter, he was not warmly welcomed by fans. He was even booed at family night in 2008!
Of course, Rodgers’ play earned him the adoration of fans, many of whom did not want to see him leave. Many feel like Love can never come close to Rodgers (which, is unfair to say when comparing anyone to a future Hall of Famer). However, one NFL analyst reminds us that Love is actually more prepared to start than Rodgers was.
In a recent article on NFL.com, Grant Gordon shared the following table:
| Rodgers (2005-07) |
Love (2020-22) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Games (Starts) |
7 (0) |
10 (1) |
| Comp. Pct. |
59.3 |
60.2 |
| Pass Yds/Att |
5.6 |
7.3 |
| Pass TD-INT |
1-1 |
3-3 |
| Passer rating |
73.3 |
79.7 |
“Love has played in more games and thrown more touchdowns in his three years learning the Packers’ ropes than Rodgers did as Favre’s understudy," Gordon wrote. "Love has seen more game action and started a game in place of Rodgers, something Rodgers didn’t do until he was bestowed the QB1 reins.
“Statistically speaking, Love is more experienced as he readies to take over the Packers’ starting job than Rodgers was. Of course, just how ready Love is to lead the Pack won’t be revealed the 2023 season kicks off.”
It truly is remarkable. Based on the reaction of many fans when Rodgers was traded, one would have thought Love had far inferior numbers. In fact, the opposite is true. Love not only played in more games, but he also has better quality numbers (passer rating and completion percentage) despite having more opportunities to fail.
Of course, this does not mean that Love will go out and be just as good as (or better than) Rodgers. What it does mean, though, is that the Packers are not getting an unfinished project quarterback like the one they drafted in 2020. They are getting someone who has spent every day for the past three years preparing for this job.
He is ready.
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