The Green Bay Packers are entering a vital 10-game stretch of the season. Losers of four consecutive games, the team needs to figure out a way to display their growth on the field. If they fail to do so, there could be some tough conversations coming in the offseason, especially leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Of course, the most controversial and heated discussion that is already happening is the question of Jordan Love and his status as the potential future of the franchise. Yesterday, general manager Brian Gutekunst would not commit to Love being their franchise quarterback, but also stated that the rest of the team is failing to play well around him.
In other words, they do not feel like they can accurately and fairly evaluate Love because of all the mistakes the rest of the offense is making around him. This is a sentiment that was also shared by head coach Matt LaFleur on Monday, and by linebacker De’Vondre Campbell.
Green Bay Packers Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell Believes the Rest of the Team Needs to Play Better Around Jordan Love
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
In a recent interview by Justin Melo of Fan Nation, De’Vondre Campbell spoke about his charity work, specifically on his efforts to feed the homeless. He was also asked about his confidence in Jordan Love and whether or not he sees Love as a long-term solution at quarterback. Campbell responded:
“I’ve always been a Jordan Love advocate even before he became our starting quarterback. People have to realize that I practiced against him every single day for two-and-a-half-years until he took over the starting job. He was our scout-team quarterback.
“I’ve seen the talent. I’ve watched the growth he’s made throughout the three seasons I’ve been here. I’ve told everyone that I think he’s a starting quarterback. I still believe right now that he’s a starting quarterback.
“Football is a team sport. There’s a lot of things that go on that people don’t see or know about. It’s not always Jordan’s fault. Yes, Jordan can play better as well. He’d tell you that himself. There’s certain things that go on within the course of a football game that impact certain outcomes. It’s not all on Jordan. I’m not going to get into the details.
“I firmly believe in Jordan Love. Our confidence in him has not wavered. It will never waver because we’ve all seen it. He’s made some special throws throughout the course of this season. There’s only a couple of people on the planet that can make those throws, and Jordan Love is one of them.
“The potential is there. I tell him every day to never lose his confidence. He’s here for a reason. There’s a lot of people that wish they were in his shoes. That’s why there’s so much outside noise.
“He has to realize that he plays for the most famous franchise in the world. There’s going to be people that hate him just because they want to be him. He can’t worry about that. The only thing that matters is us. We’re the ones going to war with him. As long as we believe in him, nothing else matters. We all believe in him. He’s our quarterback. We have his back.”
It is important to note that Campbell is not giving Love a free pass. He explicitly states that Love can play better. However, he also states that the things Love has shown and certain throws he has made can only be done by a handful of quarterbacks. Campbell also reiterates what Gutekunst and LaFleur said when they stated that the players around Love have to play better.
As mentioned previously, no one in the Packers organization feels like they can fairly or accurately evaluate Love due to the mistakes the rest of the offense is making. LaFleur went so far as to say that it seems like someone does something wrong on every play.
Sometimes, that person is Love; other times it is not, and the number of times Love is the culprit is fewer than the number of times it is another player.
But while the coaches, front office, and fans may not be ready to commit to Love, Campbell is clear: “I firmly believe in Jordan Love.”
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2 Comments
Yep. The line is absolutely awful and at least one WR and a TE run the wrong routes or miss a block on EVERY play.
Love is under massive pressure. The drops don’t help either, which always seem to happen on the (very) rare occasions that everyone does their job.
I do think many of Love’s problems come from poor line play, inexperienced receivers, poor running game, poor blocking tight ends.
When this many things are wrong it’s probably the GM’s fault and the coaching staff. I’d get rid of them, not Love.