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. He and his coaches have their own designs on where he can take his game 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. However, Love has faith in his coaching staff, who he believes will put him and the team in the best possible positions.
Coaching and Development
Tom Clements, the Packers' quarterbacks coach, is well-equipped to help Love hone the skills needed to combat defensive strategies. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has also implemented adjustments in practice to aid Love’s development. 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 the time to anticipate how defenses might adjust to better defend Love. This proactive approach aims to keep Love one step ahead of his opponents.
Performance Under Pressure
Last season, Love struggled somewhat when pressured. Despite these struggles, his tendency to throw deep away from coverage resulted in only one interception when under duress. However, these numbers ranked 27th and 26th among NFL quarterbacks, respectively.
Love has been working on his pocket awareness and movements to improve in these situations. His focus is on maintaining balance and making smaller moves within the pocket, allowing him to stay poised and make better decisions under pressure.
Adapting to Change
Love has shown significant growth in his ability to adapt and make plays on the run. Clements observed some of that development late last season. Love's willingness to make plays on the run, rather than taking off and running, has been a positive sign for his development as a quarterback.
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 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."
Tom Clements also emphasized the fundamental aspects of Love's development. "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 echoed these sentiments, noting the emphasis on having "perfect feet." He stressed the importance of Love and the other quarterbacks going through their progressions with proper footwork. "When they're not, they hear about it," LaFleur emphasized.
Clements further elaborated on the defensive adjustments Love might face. "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."
Love understands the importance of staying poised in the pocket. "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."
Throwing on the run and making off-schedule plays is another area where Love has focused his efforts. "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.
Clements recalled Love's improvement in making plays while on the move. "Early in the season, when Jordan scrambled, I'd say 95 percent of the time he ran the ball," Clements noted. "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."
Clements highlighted the importance of this 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. So that's one illustration," Clements concluded.
As the new season approaches, Jordan Love's focus and dedication towards overcoming defensive challenges are clear. With comprehensive support from his coaching staff and an unyielding commitment to improvement, Love is set to navigate the inevitable adjustments and lead the Green Bay Packers with resilience and prowess.