Jordan Love 2025 Version

[Sunshinepacker]

Yep. After a shaky 2024, I almost forgot Love’s ability to scramble. He comes into the NFL very equal to Aaron Rodgers as far as his ability to hurt Defenses. Many don’t know that Aaron Rodgers is not just a Top 10 Passer in history, he’s holds a distinct Duo threshold. Rodger is both a top 10 Rusher and top 10 passer in NFL history.
We speak often to Jordan as a Passer and for good reason, but Jordan rushed for 4 TD’s, 4.9 per carry and 16-1st downs in his 1st starting season. He’s similarly to young Rodgers, he’ll punish you with his feet if you lose focus.

PS. Rodgers has opportunity to move up the ladder into 8th or 9th most rushing yards by a QB ever.

Yeah, that’s one of the major aspects of his game that was missing last season with all of his lower body injuries. Even Mina Kimes mentioned it to him this offseason when she was talking to him, asking him why he doesn’t just take off when the defense has their backs turned downfield. He said it was something he was going to focus on more this season.

My primary criticism of Love is that he seems to throw off his back foot far to much. I want to see him set his feet and use the ground to generate more throw strength and accuracy rather than falling backward all the time which is a big factor in his poorer throws.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Yeah, that’s one of the major aspects of his game that was missing last season with all of his lower body injuries. Even Mina Kimes mentioned it to him this offseason when she was talking to him, asking him why he doesn’t just take off when the defense has their backs turned downfield. He said it was something he was going to focus on more this season.

My primary criticism of Love is that he seems to throw off his back foot far to much. I want to see him set his feet and use the ground to generate more throw strength and accuracy rather than falling backward all the time which is a big factor in his poorer throws.

Good point. After 5 seasons, 2 as a starter, I'd think these types of throws would be rare. Love still needs the game to slow down for him. Then these mistakes will become rare. This is a good season for him to put it all together.

 

[gopkrs]

For some reason I'm not concerned about Love. I think he will be very good. But the O line needs to be very good.

 

[El Guapo]

Favre's career effectively ended on a cross-body throw in the Bountygate game.

I don't mind the questionable throws as long as the majority of throws are smart and accurate.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Favre's career effectively ended on a cross-body throw in the Bountygate game.

I don't mind the questionable throws as long as the majority of throws are smart and accurate.

Yeah just my opinion - I was ok with Favre's INTs because he mostly won games and was incredibly fun to watch. And his aggressiveness was an integral part of how he played football. "Live by Favre, die by Favre" - and the Packers did for many outstanding years.

And when he played for the Queens he did the same thing, missing a solid chance at reaching the SB by throwing what looked to be an incredibly dumb pass/INT. He did the same thing in an NFCCG at Lambeau on a truly frigid night against the Giants. But he got the team to two SBs and won one. I'm fine with that.

 

[Voyageur]

He's got the same arm length as Mark Tauscher

Tauscher learned to use those shorter arms to gain advantages on defenders by utilizing his body more. I think that could happen with Morgan. Often, the longer arms make an OT more reliant on their arm strength than they do body positioning, and that can lead to some serious mistakes when it comes to stopping a pass rush or inside moves.

Until I see where this is a problem with Morgan, I'm going to assume he has the same ballet attitude that Tausch brought to the position and play the body position more than a long-armed tackle would.

Does this mean I'm condemning him to play right tackle? Not in the slightest. Tausch could have slid over and played on the left, but we had solid competition there and he was so darned good where he was at.

Excellent point EG! Glad you brought it up.

 

[Voyageur]

Agree with all that OS, but Love needs to refine his dicision making and take the yards, move the sticks when he can. the 49ers throw across his body to end it is burned into my brain, he also had a couple like that last year.. but granted he maybe had to protect himself more. It's an area I hope he can improve upon this year and hurt the defense more.

Exactly what I've been preaching right along. He has to see his chain moving guys out there instead of looking to that lights out play when the situation dictates it. He has tunnel vision way too often in plays especially on 1st & 2nd down. 2nd and 4 is much better than 2nd and 10.

 

[El Guapo]

Does this mean I'm condemning him to play right tackle? Not in the slightest. Tausch could have slid over and played on the left, but we had solid competition there and he was so darned good where he was at.

Excellent point EG! Glad you brought it up.

Yeah, I just get annoyed by all of the pundits that state someone's arms are too short or they aren't tall enough. Yes, the Doug Fluties of the world are few and far between, but they deserve the chance to show what they've got.

The quote from Dave Robinson at the bottom of my posts sums it up perfectly.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Exactly what I've been preaching right along. He has to see his chain moving guys out there instead of looking to that lights out play when the situation dictates it. He has tunnel vision way too often in plays especially on 1st & 2nd down. 2nd and 4 is much better than 2nd and 10.

Yeah his reach is longer than his grasp on long passes. He does use them too much, and outside of Golden and with Watson out, there aren't any WRs who can get reliably open well downfield. So Love has to be coached to dial that back, hit singles and doubles instead of reaching for HRs. OK, I know this is football.......

That tendency should have been coated out of him by now. Whether he is ready or not, this is the biggest season of his young career.

 

[shockerx]

Wish they could lock Love in a room and just watch late season Mahomes film. Mahomes will destoy the Defense with his brain, his feet and the 6 yard pass +yac. Hope Love can just take a tiny bit more of that into his game this year. He going up against some really good defenses this year... take what they give you, be manageble on second down, extend drives.

 

[Voyageur]

Wish they could lock Love in a room and just watch late season Mahomes film. Mahomes will destoy the Defense with his brain, his feet and the 6 yard pass +yac. Hope Love can just take a tiny bit more of that into his game this year. He going up against some really good defenses this year... take what they give you, be manageble on second down, extend drives.

This is exactly the point. If you do go to the shorter route soon enough, the YAC goes up significantly. Judging it based on the throws being late for the most part is after the receiver has lost that space he needs to make moves.

I honestly believe this might have been part of the problem Doubs had with things last year.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Wish they could lock Love in a room and just watch late season Mahomes film. Mahomes will destoy the Defense with his brain, his feet and the 6 yard pass +yac. Hope Love can just take a tiny bit more of that into his game this year. He going up against some really good defenses this year... take what they give you, be manageble on second down, extend drives.

Well said. And it's just a good way for a talented offense to move the ball. Pile up TOP and tire out the opposing defense, especially in the 4Q. Fewer risks of TOs, more ball control. What's not to like?

 

[Heyjoe4]

This is exactly the point. If you do go to the shorter route soon enough, the YAC goes up significantly. Judging it based on the throws being late for the most part is after the receiver has lost that space he needs to make moves.

I honestly believe this might have been part of the problem Doubs had with things last year.

Good observation. Love made way too many throws over 10-15 yards. That might be a problem with MLF's play calling, or Love just not seeing opportunities to get rid of the ball faster, or both.

There are a lot of very talented guys on this offense. Engineer long, time-consuming drives. Spread the ball around, set up RPO and take the occasional long shot when a safety bails out early. That will require Love to increase his reads and take what a defense is willing to give. IMO that's the best way to leverage a talented offense. I like the excitement from an air-happy attack, but I like winning more.

 

[David Ciembronowicz]

If the O line situation does not get fixed then Love had better be able to scramble and improve his release timing or it will not matter what receivers are on the field. When you look at this O line now with Jenkins on the NFI list (may be mistaken but it means 6 weeks unable to practice or play games). They have no true center, Morgan at Guard is a work-in-progress and questionable as to his ability to be a stable presence. At this point in time the OL is IMO more important than any other group on this team. Their list of players for C position is pedestrian at best and most untried and untested. Their G positions similarly and only T seems to have the guys that can do the job. Unless the Pack finds "gems" amongst these players may be a difficult time for the O in both passing and running the ball. Hopefully they find the right combo and backups who can do the job during TC

 

[gopkrs]

If you want the short passes to have yack; you need to send people out for those 15 yarders to loosen it up imo. And Mahones is looking for that first unless it's a design for Kelce. And even then Kelce is always waiting a couple beats to know where the open area will be. I'm not a fan of giving up on the 10 to 15 yard passes. I think we will do very well in that area this year. I hope we don't overdo that w/o screen. Jordan should know at the los if that's going to work. And if not; then audible out of it

 

[Voyageur]

If the O line situation does not get fixed then Love had better be able to scramble and improve his release timing or it will not matter what receivers are on the field. When you look at this O line now with Jenkins on the NFI list (may be mistaken but it means 6 weeks unable to practice or play games). They have no true center, Morgan at Guard is a work-in-progress and questionable as to his ability to be a stable presence. At this point in time the OL is IMO more important than any other group on this team. Their list of players for C position is pedestrian at best and most untried and untested. Their G positions similarly and only T seems to have the guys that can do the job. Unless the Pack finds "gems" amongst these players may be a difficult time for the O in both passing and running the ball. Hopefully they find the right combo and backups who can do the job during TC

Actually Jordan Love's stats shows he has a 2.71 second release time which is slightly slower (2.69 seconds average) than most QBs in the league, but his roughly 3.2% scramble rate is well below the average showing he really has had enough time in the pocket to make his reads and might want to consider all the options at the snap instead of going through the reads which takes time. A lot of times you'll be able to read sets on the defense which will tell you that opting out of one of the longer routes into a shorter route is an obvious choice, but when you take more time, you tend to go with the longer route because the shorter routes end up getting covered by the team you consider them.

This is a trait that all the great QBs have. They see that shorter route and take advantage of it because they know it also sucks the defense in closer to the LOS and that longer route isn't covered as well as it is when the defense is in doubt which choice you'll make.

This is one of the things that I saw Williams doing so well in Chicago last year which contributed to a lot of his success. It's also Kirk Cousin's number one quality because he makes these reads and doesn't try to play Superman. Love still hasn't mastered this art.

The #1 QB at making these reads, all time, Dan Marino in Miami. He'd pick you apart with nickel and dime passes. Then when you drew in, he'd burn ya deep!

 

[OldSchool101]

Agree with all that OS, but Love needs to refine his dicision making and take the yards, move the sticks when he can. the 49ers throw across his body to end it is burned into my brain, he also had a couple like that last year.. but granted he maybe had to protect himself more. It's an area I hope he can improve upon this year and hurt the defense more.

Absolutely. I still believe in the grand scheme Love is relatively green. Sure he sat and learned, but imo that’s not nearly the same as live play. We sometimes forget that Jordan played just 2 FULL seasons in College. He only played 1/2 season his Freshman year and then he was drafted as a College Junior. Pretty raw overall when you couple it with a Lower echelon Conference competition. The fact that he played at such a high level to finish 2023 was pure impressive. That shows to me he has took studying seriously and had all the tools to toss it 20:1 TD/INT ratio as far as physical attributes and decision making. If you can do that and shred an NFL playoff caliber Defense in year 1 as a starter? Love should definitely not be doubted he’s still way early in his career. He did it without premier weapons and very young players around him.

I’d say we need to be patient. It’s likely Loves has not seen his best play. Imagine him topping 2023, that’s an interesting thought. He’s plenty good we just need to enjoy the ride getting there.

 

[OldSchool101]

If you want the short passes to have yack; you need to send people out for those 15 yarders to loosen it up imo. And Mahones is looking for that first unless it's a design for Kelce. And even then Kelce is always waiting a couple beats to know where the open area will be. I'm not a fan of giving up on the 10 to 15 yard passes. I think we will do very well in that area this year. I hope we don't overdo that w/o screen. Jordan should know at the los if that's going to work. And if not; then audible out of it

Exactly and the at least for myself anyway, I’ve noticed the Packers 2025 O Roster is loaded with Yards After Catch types. This would be a good year to mix in a heavier dose of Short to medium range passes and let your athletes do their thing. Keep the opposition honest, but I really like our group when they get the ball in their hand with a yard or two of space. In 2025 out guys are big and quick and possess good contact balance or substantial mixture of speed.
Golden, Reed, Jacobs, Lloyd, Kraft, Savion, then possibly Hardman or Watson thrown in when in motion?
That’s a lot for DC’s to game plan

 

[Heyjoe4]

If the O line situation does not get fixed then Love had better be able to scramble and improve his release timing or it will not matter what receivers are on the field. When you look at this O line now with Jenkins on the NFI list (may be mistaken but it means 6 weeks unable to practice or play games). They have no true center, Morgan at Guard is a work-in-progress and questionable as to his ability to be a stable presence. At this point in time the OL is IMO more important than any other group on this team. Their list of players for C position is pedestrian at best and most untried and untested. Their G positions similarly and only T seems to have the guys that can do the job. Unless the Pack finds "gems" amongst these players may be a difficult time for the O in both passing and running the ball. Hopefully they find the right combo and backups who can do the job during TC

I don't think the situation with the OL is quite as dire as you describe David, but you do raise valid points. Jenkins NFI is a concern, although I don't think it requires any mandatory time off, like being on IR. But even assuming Jenkins is healthy and will play well at C, who would be his backup? I don't know.

I think the staring OL is set with guards and tackles. Tom was just extended at RT, and depth is better this year.

I share your misgivings on Morgan. Where is he gonna play, assuming he's healthy? My best guess is that he starts the season as an all-purpose backup at G and T on either side. I don't think he'll displace Walker as the starting LT in camp and PS. I guess it's a good problem to have - but in hindsight, Morgan was probably not worthy of a first round selection, or at least not by the Packers. Past is past. He's a talented guy and will have a role to play.

And regardless of the quality of OL play, Love must get better when the pocket breaks down and he has to scramble and go through his reads. I don't know if he is injury prone, and would rather not find out.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Actually Jordan Love's stats shows he has a 2.71 second release time which is slightly quicker (2.69 seconds average) than most QBs in the league, but his roughly 3.2% scramble rate is well below the average showing he really has had enough time in the pocket to make his reads and might want to consider all the options at the snap instead of going through the reads which takes time. A lot of times you'll be able to read sets on the defense which will tell you that opting out of one of the longer routes into a shorter route is an obvious choice, but when you take more time, you tend to go with the longer route because the shorter routes end up getting covered by the team you consider them.

This is a trait that all the great QBs have. They see that shorter route and take advantage of it because they know it also sucks the defense in closer to the LOS and that longer route isn't covered as well as it is when the defense is in doubt which choice you'll make.

This is one of the things that I saw Williams doing so well in Chicago last year which contributed to a lot of his success. It's also Kirk Cousin's number one quality because he makes these reads and doesn't try to play Superman. Love still hasn't mastered this art.

The #1 QB at making these reads, all time, Dan Marino in Miami. He'd pick you apart with nickel and dime passes. Then when you drew in, he'd burn ya deep!

Agreed that Love has to get better at moving through his reads. Seems to me he panics too often and too quickly, and that's when big mistakes have happened. By now, the game should have "slowed down" for him. We're about to find that out.

 

[El Guapo]

I don't think the situation with the OL is quite as dire as you describe David, but you do raise valid points.

Agreed. I'm cautiously optimistic about the line. If our FA guard pans out, Walker plays for a contract, and Jenkins' injury is a non-issue once the season starts.....we'll be fine.

Too many ifs and buts, however, these aren't huge leaps of faith either.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Agreed. I'm cautiously optimistic about the line. If our FA guard pans out, Walker plays for a contract, and Jenkins' injury is a non-issue once the season starts.....we'll be fine.

Too many ifs and buts, however, these aren't huge leaps of faith either.

Yeah for me, the bottom line was the moves Gluten made in the off season to shore up the OL. Signing Banks, drafting Belton, and now extending Tom. There are a number of things up in the air, but they're more along the lines of who plays where, and when.

I don't think Morgan or anyone else will outplay Walker in camp and PS for LT. If that happens, I expect the Packers will move quickly to extend Walker so he isn't tempted to try FA next season. That doesn't mean he won't, but a bird in the hand......

 

[El Guapo]

I don't think Morgan or anyone else will outplay Walker in camp and PS for LT. If that happens, I expect the Packers will move quickly to extend Walker so he isn't tempted to try FA next season. That doesn't mean he won't, but a bird in the hand......

I really hope that they don't offer a contract to Walker. We just paid top dollar at LG, RT, and likely will be restructuring C for more money. I'm not sure that it makes sense for us to pay top 15 money (or whatever it would be) at LT when we have guys that should be ready next year. Of course, we have many other positions of need for cap dollars as well.

 

[gopkrs]

I really hope that they don't offer a contract to Walker. We just paid top dollar at LG, RT, and likely will be restructuring C for more money. I'm not sure that it makes sense for us to pay top 15 money (or whatever it would be) at LT when we have guys that should be ready next year. Of course, we have many other positions of need for cap dollars as well.

And I really hope all 3 of these new guys are really good

 

[Heyjoe4]

I really hope that they don't offer a contract to Walker. We just paid top dollar at LG, RT, and likely will be restructuring C for more money. I'm not sure that it makes sense for us to pay top 15 money (or whatever it would be) at LT when we have guys that should be ready next year. Of course, we have many other positions of need for cap dollars as well.

Good point. LG, RT and now C are all in the top tier of compensation for O linemen. That's just not sustainable for any position group - well at least I don't think it's sustainable. The GM has to leverage rookie contracts somewhere to stay within the cap and also remain competitive.

Walker is good and I still expect him to start all the games he can this season. Based on your comment, it's probably very unlikely the Packers would extend him at what will also be top $$$. Fortunately Gluten has beefed up the OL, and Morgan should be a very viable option at LT, even if it's not this season. Tom could probably also play LT if Morgan is better suited at G, or maybe RT.