Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is producing as many long-pass completions as anyone in the league in his first year as a starter.
Yet the key to his recent surge has been his willingness to settle for a smaller gain when a big play isn’t available. Love has thrown for 590 yards with five touchdown passes and no interceptions during the two-game winning streak that the Packers (5-6) carry into a Sunday night matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3).
“I feel like it’s just comfort, being comfortable in the pocket,” Love said Wednesday regarding his improvement. “Obviously getting more reps, more reps, being comfortable with my reads, understanding what the defense is doing, where I need to go with the ball and just growing and learning [from] every rep I get and obviously learning from mistakes, learning from the good plays.”
Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements was more specific this week in discussing one way that Love has learned from earlier mistakes.
“We might have a play that’s designed to go downfield, but if you don’t get the defense that’s best for that type of play, you have to be ready to check it down,” Clements said.
“Maybe early in the year he kind of held on to the ball a little longer and maybe didn’t check it down at times. But he’s done that more recently, and it’s paid dividends.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur has noticed the difference.
“I think he’s done a much better job of that because everybody wants to throw down the field,” LaFleur said. “But sometimes you’ve got to be calculated. It’s got to be there. It’s got to be the right read.”
LaFleur and Clements both discussed how Love showed clear progress during the Packers’ 29-22 Thanksgiving Day victory in Detroit. Clements cited a specific instance in which Love threw a short pass to AJ Dillon, who caught the pass around the line of scrimmage and turned it into a 22-yard gain.
That play started a 62-yard drive resulting in a field goal.
“That was a play…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/patience-paying-off-for-packers-qb-jordan-love-during-his-recent-surge
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Publish date : 2023-11-30 00:09:55
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