Every Packers fan has had the chance to watch the ups and downs of Jordan Love this preseason. There were times where Love was able to make intense physical plays and get the ball where it needed to be. But then, there were some bad reads that resulted in turnovers.
The 2022 Packers preseason was one of excitement, but to many fans disappointment, it didn’t help solve the enigma that is Jordan Love. It can be difficult to draft someone high and not have them contribute right away. Packers fans have long awaited signs that Love is trending in the right direction, but at the cost of some mistakes as well.
Jordan Love‘s Confidence has Improved
Love has made strides and improvements without posting overly impressive statistics. Head coach Matt LaFleur and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers have praised the improvements Love has made. Preseasons won’t physically count for or against anyone but they can be telling in what a player is focusing on. The way Love moved and exited the pocket it showed significant improvement from what he used to look like.
The video above is from one of Love’s college games, but it serves as a reference to what his pocket presence used to look like. Love intelligently steps up in the pocket as he feels the pressure and delivers a great pass. However, he is shaky and not fluid in his foot movement but his arm makes up for it on this given play.
This video above is a bit longer but it is also a reel of multiple instances throughout the preseason where Love moves elegantly. He is much more focused on where the ball is going and where he needed to go to make the play happen. Not everything was completed or resulted in a major gain, but he is making the slight adjustments he needs to.
How can anyone tell Love is more Confident?
Judging anything mental is extremely difficult because nobody can get inside of Jordan’s head. However, there have absolutely been signs of improvement from how he used to be.
This side by side of Packers quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love making somewhat similar plays can tell a lot about him. Love did an excellent job this time in finding the right receiver, however, he got himself into these scrambling situations far too often and it cost him. He played frantically because he had such a small window to throw and it certainly carried over into the NFL.
Love Wants the Big Play
One of the hardest parts about getting blasted while delivering a throw is that the quarterback doesn’t want to do it again. Love got hit quite a few times in college and scrambled out of pockets early to avoid potentially getting hit. It takes a while to unwrap that concept and stay calm in the pocket in the face of pressure.
In this video, Love isn’t playing frantically while amid chaos. Instead, he focuses on where the play can be made and moves to a spot where he can do so. Sound familiar Packers fans? It has absolutely been something the Packers staff and Aaron Rodgers especially have focused on and wanted to improve for Love.
While it cannot be measured, Jordan Love sure seems more confident and it is certainly a sign of the work being put in. He just needs to continue to work on calming himself down. Love came from a system where he had to make every play, and now that he is getting closer to that he has let the ball fly a bit more.
The interceptions will happen, every quarterback can’t be perfect. Love had some bad interceptions, but he also had a significant amount of drops. Once he fully learns how to harness his emotions and take a step back he will develop even more. Love just can’t force the ball anymore. He needs to continue to focus on making the right play instead of making the highlight reel play. Not everything can be a touchdown, but he is certainly on the right track.
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