The Green Bay Packers seem to have found the formula to success when it comes to finding their franchise quarterback. Even though they had a Pro Bowl level quarterback in Don Majkowski in 1992, Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf traded a first round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Brett Favre. After Majkowski got hurt, Favre went on to start every game as the Packers quarterback for the next 15 years.
Even when Favre was still playing well, the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. After sitting behind Favre for three seasons, Rodgers was made the starter and Favre traded to the New York Jets.
Similarly, Green Bay traded up in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft to select Jordan Love even though Rodgers was still playing at an extremely high level. Just as before, Love sat behind Rodgers for three years before the future Hall of Famer was traded to the New York Jets to make way from him.
The Green Bay Packers Were Heavily Criticized for Trading Aaron Rodgers in Order to Start Jordan Love
At the time of the Aaron Rodgers trade, the Packers took a great deal of criticism in the media and from their own fanbase. Even today, Pat McAfee cannot talk about Green Bay without taking some kind of shot at the organization.
One of the loudest critics of the Packers and Love last offseason and preseason was sports commentator Colin Cowherd. After a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals in which Love was 7/10 passing for 46 yards and a touchdown, Cowherd said:
“He is what I was told throughout the offseason that I thought he would be: he’s a game manager. There’s no special there.
“You can say what you want about Justin Fields at 5-20, but see wow all the time. I saw wow this weekend with Anthony Richardson. I don’t expect Anthony Richardson to be refined and polished.
“But if you’re still wearing floaties year four in the pool, you’re not Michael Phelps. In fact, maybe swimming’s not for you.”
As one can see, he went as far as to say that Love should quit football altogether. However, earlier this offseason, he had completely changed his tune:
“I’m a huge buyer on Green Bay. Jordan Love SHOCKED me with his improvement last year. J-Mac still wants to see him in 8-10 more games, but I was blown away by how good he is. He’s just a little wild. He’s more Favre than Aaron Rodgers, but boy, they drafted well this year like ALL their drafts. Green Bay is the best drafting team in the league, we just gotta own that.”
Colin Cowherd Still Can’t Compliment Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love without Taking a Shot at Him
During his show on Wednesday, Cowherd once again talked about the improvements Love made as the season went on last year. There is no denying that he needed reps and time in order to reach the level of player that Green Bay envisioned he would be. However, when describing Love’s improvement, Cowherd gives all the credit to Matt LaFleur and the organization and none to the quarterback himself:
“Jordan Love could have easily been another first round miss… In one season, he went from bad to pretty good to wow.”
— @ColinCowherd on how Green Bay developed their QB pic.twitter.com/3i4dz4wTYo
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 5, 2024
“When it comes to quarterbacks, Green Bay is really good at [making big choices]. And even though I would like to see six, seven, eight more starts from Jordan Love, I only got a great December and January, the Packers are and have seen enough.
“They’re in. Jordan Love, last year, was bad early, good middle, great late… Jordan Love though, if he goes to Tennessee, maybe Carolina, plays too early, he could have been a disaster.
“This is what the Packers do. They draft, they’re patient, and they develop… Jordan Love got busted for smoking pot in college, had a bad junior year, I talked to GM’s who weren’t in on him at all. But those were GM’s who needed a quarterback to play immediately. Green Bay never does.
“….Green Bay, Matt LaFleur, and Brian Gutekunst, they found him, they developed, and in one season last year he went from bad to pretty good to wow.”
Now, it is true that LaFleur and the Packers are great at developing quarterbacks. However, to say that they deserve all the credit without giving any to the player who worked hard and waited for three years is insulting.
Furthermore, Cowherd brought up talking to general managers who were not high on Love to begin with before the draft. However, check out what he himself had to say about Love before he was taken in 2020:
Colin Cowherd’s prediction on 1st Round QBs drafted:
1. Burrow-Cin
5. Tua-Mia
6. Herbert-LAC
7. Love-CarolinaColin Cowherd “PREDICTED” Should Utah State QB Jordan Love get drafted i… https://t.co/k6GYC0DWvu via @YouTube
— Richard Rodriguez, Ph.D. (@Richard06467410) February 14, 2020
Colin Cowherd: ‘I wouldn’t be shocked at all’ if Jordan Love had the best career of the 2020 QB Draftees https://t.co/08PozHpKEC pic.twitter.com/ckDmC6M9kO
— Melina Sosa (@MelinaS49507908) February 28, 2020
So, Cowherd had Love going seventh overall to Carolina, who he now says would have been a disaster for him, and that he would have the best career of any quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.
When it comes to Cowherd on Jordan Love, one can always count on a little bit of flip-flopping.
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