When a receiver has smoked his defender and is WFO for a TD, Love has to make that throw. There's no other way around that.
I'm not panicking, or saying he needs to be benched, or any of that other crap.
But he really has to overcome throwing short for long-term success.
Forget which ESPN Milwaukee personality said it this morning, but Love's deep throws look like he is throwing into a net - like they sometimes do in practice and regularly at Family Night.
@vitaflo posted:They did, Houston got a 2nd rounder and a player. Who says packers couldn't have given their 1st and 4th (what we gave up for Love) to get Hopkins? If WR was our biggest need that year and was what was separating us from winning a championship (like everyone on the internet constantly says), then that trade would have been an "all in" move to do it.
Keep in mind Hopkins had an All Pro year that year, over 1400 yards and 6 TDs.
The player the got was David Johnson, a RB that put up 2000 yards of total offense in one season before injuries slowed him down. The #2 pick was the 40th pick in the draft. We never had a guy like that to offer and if we did what would be the sense of trading one key offense asset for another? I thought the goal was to add offense help for Rodgers.
If Houston traded Hopkins for the 30th pick and 136th pick in the draft their fans would wonder why they traded a major asset for draft picks that can't help immediately. Exactly what you're claiming the Packers did. And there are still cap issues.
The Packers gave up a #4 pick, probably the 140th pick in the draft to move up 4 spots to get Love.
It may not be fair to judge him but judge him you must.
He just needs to let it rip.
Definitely too soon to give up on Love. He doesn’t pass the eyeball test like 12 did at that stage, but he’s playing with an inferior cast of players.
The whole team looked more comfortable and confident in week 1... since then there is a lot of tentative play.
Just let it rip.
Hey H5, stop trying to make fetch, er Let it rip happen. - IC probably
@Goalline posted:Definitely too soon to give up on Love. He doesn’t pass the eyeball test like 12 did at that stage, but he’s playing with an inferior cast of players.
I think Rodgers was getting just as much criticism in his first year as a starter with similar results. He had a far better supporting cast, coming off a 13-3 season. After 8 games the Packers were 4-4 heading into a 2-6 finish. Maybe Rodgers looked better getting the same results because the team was much better, coaching included.
@PackerRick posted:I think Rodgers was getting just as much criticism in his first year as a starter with similar results. He had a far better supporting cast, coming off a 13-3 season. After 8 games the Packers were 4-4 heading into a 2-6 finish. Maybe Rodgers looked better getting the same results because the team was much better, coaching included.
Not from me. I thought he was the next coming. I thought the same of Love as well initially. Those feelings have significantly waned. They never did with Rodgers.
Don't forget the Packers drafted two QBs before that season, including a 2nd round pick, so that raised a few doubts for me. Rodgers entered the season in the final year of his contract so I think there were doubts in the organization. And when the doubts come from the people that know him the best it has to have a ripple effect.
@Goalline posted:Those feelings have significantly waned. They never did with Rodgers.
Interesting 🤔
I've seen enough to know that the physical talent is there with Love. Now.....he needs to match that physical talent with the cerebral part of the game. That is what takes time.
I'm willing to give him this year and next to see....are you?
It's all right in front of him. Trust it, don't see ghosts.
@Boris posted:Interesting 🤔
I've seen enough to know that the physical talent is there with Love. Now.....he needs to match that physical talent with the cerebral part of the game. That is what takes time.
I'm willing to give him this year and next to see....are you?
I'd really like to see him play a series of games with at least a C- level left tackle. It's very difficult for any QB to play well, let alone a young QB, if they have no confidence in the protection on their blind side. It's probably not an accident Love looked very good in the one game Bakh played.
I think the offensive line play has a lot to do with Love's sloppy footwork on his throws. A couple games with better protection would help in building Love's confidence in the OL. A solid game against the Steelers would go a long ways.
Packer fans:
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) November 13, 2023
In Aaron's first year the most important thing - way beyond the W-L record - was determining we had "the guy" for the future.
Same is true this year for Packers.
Still a small sample size, but watching yesterday, I saw some real signs that Jordan can be "the guy."
He took a hop yesterday, that's for sure. I don't know if it was a jump, but he did make some nice throws and was more on-target than in the previous stretch of games. Let's see what happens against these next opponents before we say "he's the guy."
He fit the ball in some tight spots yesterday but also have several receivers running wide open that he hit. Hitting the layups only helps his confidence and keeping the offense running with some momentum.
@Fandame posted:He took a hop yesterday, that's for sure. I don't know if it was a jump, but he did make some nice throws and was more on-target than in the previous stretch of games. Let's see what happens against these next opponents before we say "he's the guy."
What stood out to me was a number of his good throws came on 3rd and 4th down, when they were behind on down and distance. He seemed confident in those situations, and a few were well beyond the line to gain. He needs work on accuracy, even on his completions. But he pulled the trigger in some really tough spots. As someone else mentioned, this was the first week in a while where guys were actually running free. The Steelers were without Fitzpatrick, so that certainly didn't hurt. But it made me wonder if MLF has possibly switched things up, or if the skill guys are slowly learning to find open spots in the defense. Or if Love is seeing things he wasn't previously. Either way, I saw a distinct difference in some of his throws yesterday.
A number of his ints have been bad throws/decisions. But many have come on throws inside the red zone and into the end zone. Considering how this team has struggled in that area in years past, I'm not putting all of that on JL. They've gained a reputation for being bad in red zone efficiency even with Rodgers. Or maybe it's more accurate to say they've been hot and cold depending on the personnel they trot on the field. That area needs work regardless of who is taking snaps, and it's not a new issue.
2 weeks in a row that Jordan is in PFF's top 5 offensive players.
1. LG Elgton Jenkins: 81.1
2. WR Jayden Reed: 79.1
3. QB Jordan Love: 77.8
4. C Josh Myers: 76.6
5. TE Luke Musgrave: 72.7
Good to see Jenkins getting healthy and returning to form, Reed really coming on and Musgrave making his presence felt.
If Myers could finally start to show some promise that would be awesome.
There are a lot of factors, context beyond the stats, things we have written about, in some cases more than once. These are just the numbers as Jordan Love is past the halfway point in his first season as #Packers starter.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) November 13, 2023
@Fandame posted:He took a hop yesterday, that's for sure. I don't know if it was a jump, but he did make some nice throws and was more on-target than in the previous stretch of games. Let's see what happens against these next opponents before we say "he's the guy."
He had better protection yesterday which surprised me being it was the Steelers. In most games there was never time to even run a 20 yard route let alone all the successful plays they had over 20 yesterday.
@artis posted:
A number of his ints have been bad throws/decisions. But many have come on throws inside the red zone and into the end zone.
Almost all of those INTs were late in the game when the situation dictates the where and when the ball has to be thrown. Behind the sticks, in a situation where only a TD will suffice, time running out, etc. Love has been put in the most incredible difficult situations that could have been avoided. The Raiders it was a holding penalty that negated a Love run that would have put us in FG range. Now it's 2nd and 20. Yesterday as missed XP. Den we take the lead with 6 minutes left in the game and the defense gives up the lead.
I'm sure there are more but I can only remember two picks by Spillane in the Raiders game where the INTs were in the normal flow of the game.
@Boris posted:Interesting 🤔
I've seen enough to know that the physical talent is there with Love. Now.....he needs to match that physical talent with the cerebral part of the game. That is what takes time.
I'm willing to give him this year and next to see....are you?
Not sure. I think they should draft a QB high and open the position to competition. However I was out of the country and missed the Steelers game so I can’t comment completely on his progress.
@PackerRick posted:Almost all of those INTs were late in the game when the situation dictates the where and when the ball has to be thrown. Behind the sticks, in a situation where only a TD will suffice, time running out, etc. Love has been put in the most incredible difficult situations that could have been avoided. The Raiders it was a holding penalty that negated a Love run that would have put us in FG range. Now it's 2nd and 20. Yesterday as missed XP. Den we take the lead with 6 minutes left in the game and the defense gives up the lead.
I'm sure there are more but I can only remember two picks by Spillane in the Raiders game where the INTs were in the normal flow of the game.
There's one throw earlier in the season that I keep going back to. They had gotten behind early due to typical Packers ineptitude. I think they had gotten down two scores to the Lions.Love took a short drop and fired over the middle and the LB made a great play on the ball for the INT. It stood out immediately as one of the most confident, "grip it and rip it" throws he's made in his career. Of course you don't want to see a turnover, and odds are they may have baited him into a throw, as other teams have acknowledged happens vs GB. But that's exactly the type of fluidity you hope to see on the progress of a qb. The only thing that can fix those little things are live reps and learning from mistakes. It's a roller coaster ride that we aren't accustomed to after the Rodgers era.
If he's making the proper reads and the ball isn't getting there, it's an issue, but one you can address if you pinpoint the problem. I still think the game hasn't slowed down for him, but again that only happens the more you play and the more you become familiar with looks and schemes. And it's absolutely true that the majority of his poor throws on INTs have come in spots where he needs to make a play. This is why it's so important to have some element of veteran experience around a young qb. A healthy Bakhtiari might help Love in his ability to trust what he's seeing and have a better gauge on his internal clock. A reception by a vet rb to get OB would allow for 20 plus seconds more to navigate a drive where they need a TD. That play was the epitome of the uphill battle that's been put in front of JL by his head coach. The issues with the young wrs have been discussed ad nauseum. When it isn't one thing, it's another. But to me, the past two weeks have been encouraging in the way he's operating under center.
The Packers need to use a top 10 on QB for a couple reasons. That opportunity doesn't come around often. And,unless they give Love an extension, he could walk after the 2024 season. With everyone's job up in the air after 2024 I'm not sure if that will happen. If the Packers jell Love could be a hot commodity as a FA after 2024. He's a west coast guy and I could see the Niners, Seahawk, Broncos, and Raiders all having an interest.
Nice take on Love's INTs. Demovsky also asks, Why does Love keep going to Watson when five of his 10 INTs have come when he targets Watson? I think there's a subtext in there that's more about Watson than Love...
"On their own, there are valid explanations for both plays at the end. But on the whole, Love has thrown 10 interceptions this season, and five of them have come while targeting Watson.
"Six of Love's interceptions have come in the fourth quarter, which is tied for the second-most by a Packers quarterback within the first nine games of a season over the past 45 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Brett Favre did it twice (2000, 2005). Randy Wright had the most with nine in 1986.
"Five of Love's interceptions have come with a chance to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter. If there's any solace to be taken in that, it's that Aaron Rodgers had similar struggles in his first season as a starter. In 2008, Rodgers threw four interceptions with chances to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter. Love, however, still has eight games to play."
Here's the linky: Click me!
@packerboi posted:Packer fans:
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) November 13, 2023
In Aaron's first year the most important thing - way beyond the W-L record - was determining we had "the guy" for the future.
Same is true this year for Packers.
Still a small sample size, but watching yesterday, I saw some real signs that Jordan can be "the guy."
Real signs? I hope he figures it out and becomes “the guy”, but right now he’s a late game int machine.