Despite what the national bozos might try to make you believe, we won’t be getting any long-term answers about Jordan Love in Saturday’s preseason opener.
First preseason games are generally quite sloppy and Matt Lafluer has a habit of resting players in the practice opener. In 2019 LaFleur rested 28 players for the first preseason game. Playing with numerous backups in an inherently sloppy game, there is no reason to expect to see Love prove or disapprove anything major. He will do some things right and he will do some things wrong. This is just the start of the process.
Instead of listening to dramatic takes about what his performance should mean, let’s talk about a few things that actually matter. 3 things you can watch for as you monitor his play on Saturday.
Progressions
Every NFL level quarterback can drop back and hit their first read if he’s open. And Matt Lafluer and company will surely try to make things as easy as possible for Love early on. Expect three-step drops, slants, and easy options to help Jordan develop a rhythm. But then we need to see more. The hallmark of the best quarterbacks in this league is calmness under pressure. When things don’t go perfectly for Jordan is he able to remain collected and go through his reads to find the open man? No one wants to see scrambling when your first option isn’t there, or forcing the ball into places it doesn’t belong. He doesn’t have to be perfect every time but the ability to withstand adversity, go through your progressions with pressure coming, and hit the open man is huge.
Command
Where is Love in terms of his command of the offense. He’s been with the team going on two years now and had the entire off-season activities to act as the starter. No one is expecting Peyton Manning against the Texans. We don’t need him calling the game from the line of scrimmage. But what you want to see out of Love on Saturday is him lining up his teammates when they’re in the wrong place, calling out the defense at times, and adjusting the offense if and when necessary. Even if we get one smart audible that would be fantastic. It’s time to show that he understand Matt Lefleur’s scheme and is capable if being the leader of it.
Swagger
No one will ever be Brett Favre. The insane childlike enthusiasm with which he played the game will be unmatched in the history of professional football. But to be a top quarterback in this league you need an “it” factor. Aaron Rodgers certainly has it, and it’s time for Jordan to put a little bit of it on display. Love is a soft-spoken kid who’s teammates have even commented that they’re trying to bring him out of his shell. Let’s see some flashes of that big game personality on Saturday. Let’s see some of the enthusiasm and “it” factor that makes you believe that others will believe in Jordan. Just a singular moment of charisma can go along way in developing a following both in the locker room and with the fan base.
Again, it would be absolutely absurd to think that you can definitively say if Love is the future of the franchise based on Saturdays performance. But it would be nice to feel good about where we are heading and accomplishing these three things would go along way to help that.
