Getty Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers jogs across the field during Green Bay Packers Training Camp at Lambeau Field on August 20, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Whatever the TV talkers have been saying about Jordan Love and his NFL future has not been getting through to the young Green Bay Packers quarterback.
Love caught up with Wayne Larrivee, the Packers’ radio play-by-play voice, on Wednesday night during the Packers Virtual Draft Party and gave him an update about the work he is putting in out in Santa Ana, Calif., in preparation for his second season in the NFL.
As he previously teased in some of his Instagram stories, Love emphasized his efforts to improve his footwork and better tie it together with the playbook he spent his rookie season internalizing. He was also asked how he deals with all the outside noise and scrutiny about his presence behind three-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, an answer Love gave with a knowing smile.
“That’s a good question,” Love said, a full day before reports broke about Rodgers’ alleged unhappiness with the team. “I just block all of that noise out, whether it’s good or bad. I try not to look at it. I’ve heard from plenty of players that come through, if you buy into the noise and the people talking outside the facility, you can get caught up in that. I know who I am as a player, I know who I am as a person and I’m super confident.”
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Love ‘Very Happy’ With 2020 Situation
For a first-round quarterback, Love didn’t have the most traditional rookie season. Not only were he and the rest of the 2020 draft class forced to learn their new roles during a pandemic without a preseason, but Love was also seated behind both Rodgers and backup Tim Boyle as the Packers’ third-string quarterback, never seeing the field in any of their 18 games.
But while Love admits he originally wanted to be “thrown in that fire” coming out of the draft, he also told Larrivee he was “very happy with the position I was put in.”
“It’s not that way for a lot of other rookie quarterbacks,” Love said. “You can get thrown in that fire right away and have to go produce right away, and obviously as a player, I want that and that’s something that I wanted to do and be a part of. Like I said, I was super happy to be picked by the Packers, being able to sit behind Aaron. The dude just won MVP this year, what’s better than learning from that?”
Year 2 Will Be Telling for Love
Love is only a few months into his second NFL offseason and already noticing the difference after spending a so-called “redshirt year” as a student in the Packers’ quarterback room. A full year of learning the playbook will have that type of effect on a young passer.
“Coming into this offseason, it helped having that year under my belt to know the plays, know the footwork of the offense and the ins and outs I can take out here and not be guessing and assuming what offense I’m going to be in and what roles I’m going to be playing in,” Love said Wednesday. “So it’s helped a lot. I’ve been working on my footwork, trying to tie in those mechanics, my throwing motion. We’ve been getting good work out here. It’s always good to be out here with Steve, and he’s been getting me right.”
Love has shown off his progress a few times throughout the offense, sharing some short clips to his Instagram story that show him working different passing and footwork drills.
More offseason clips from Packers QB Jordan Love.
He’s putting the work in and that release is looking real clean. 👀