The Green Bay Packers offense is certainly going to look different with Jordan Love under center at quarterback than it did when Aaron Rodgers was there. This has already been put on display for fans and media to see in the team’s two preseason games against the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.
In particular, Love has been using the checkdown option more, or throwing to a running back or tight end when his receivers are not open down the field. In the past, Rodgers used to throw the ball out of bounds or force a throw into coverage. Many times, these throws worked for him, especially when Davante Adams was on the team. However, it is not typically the wisest option for a quarterback.
There is, though, one other (perhaps even more important) way that the team is different with Love as the starting quarterback.
The Green Bay Packers Are Noticeably More Comfortable and Having More Fun with Jordan Love Than They Did with Aaron Rodgers
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Last season, there was a bombshell report posted by The Athletic that detailed the struggles that young players, specifically wide receivers and other offensive skill players, had when trying to grow chemistry with Rodgers. Of course, Rodgers refused to report to the team until training camp in each of his last two seasons in Green Bay. The effects of this lack of familiarity with his receivers was on full display much of last season.
In the article, former Packers wide receiver Sammy Watkins was asked about how tough it is for young or new wide receivers to work with and learn from Rodgers because of his demeanor (he would yell at them if they made a mistake). Watkins was quoted as saying:
“If you’re not up to date 100 percent of the time, you pretty much can’t go out there and make plays,” Watkins said. “You can’t really play fast, and I think that’s what the young guys kind of are — not afraid of — but if you’re just trying to do the right thing, you are not focusing on getting open, you are not focusing on releases.”
A major story from the article was the use of Rodgers’ infamous hand signals and how he refused to teach them to the young pass catchers. He expected them to pick up on them and/or learn them from another veteran. He was brutally tough on them and did not always provide them with the encouragement or the lesson that they needed.
One former Packers player discussed Christian Watson and how his drop in Week One against the Vikings affected him:
“He lost his confidence a little bit, you could see in practice and in the next games,” Beyer said. “And I think that is tough to gain your confidence back. He has made that catch a million times over and that’s why he got drafted where he did. … You’re thinking, ‘Oh, I let Aaron Rodgers down, he’s not going to trust me.’”
In other words, it was a culture that was not conducive to having fun or playing loose. The young players were so worried about displeasing the future Hall of Fame quarterback that it negatively affected there play.
Things have certainly changed with Jordan Love. Many Packers fans and media members have taken to social media to express how much looser and how much more fun this team is having with Love under center as opposed to Rodgers. For example, Wendell Ferreira of Zone Coverage noted:
Rodgers was draining the energy from this team. The roster seems unburdened now.
— Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp) August 20, 2023
It is not difficult to see that Love has created this environment on purpose. Immediate after Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, he got together with veteran running back Aaron Jones to start working on drills and plays together in California. There were at least two other instances throughout the offseason where Love invited his teammates to California to keep on working and building their chemistry.
Another big example of how the environment has changed could be seen last night at the very beginning of the game. During the first series, center Josh Myers prematurely snapped the ball. It sailed over Love’s head and was recovered by the Patriots near the end zone.
Love did not blink. He did not scream at Myers on the sideline. He did not throw him under the bus to the media. He just went out and did his job.
When players made mistakes when Rodgers was the quarterback, he would oftentimes scream at them on the field. Even the great Davante Adams was not spared Rodgers’ on-field lectures at times.
Oftentimes, we forget that football players are people with the same emotions as everyone else. How many people would thrive in a work environment where they were under the constant worry of being screamed at by their superior or a fellow co-worker. That is not a healthy work environment.
One might hesitate to call the environment Love has created as “relaxed” because they certainly are not relaxing. They are putting in a great deal of hard work. Rather, one might call the environment productive and welcoming. No one feels like their leader is going to throw them under the bus.
While this may not show up in the stat sheet, it is an incredibly important difference, one that may even lead to a few more wins in 2023.
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