Everything is going to be a learning experience for Green Bay Packers rookie quarterback Jordan Love.
The Packers’ first-round pick is still swimming upstream – especially mentally but also physically – after missing all of the on-field work during the entire offseason workout program, so it’s no surprise that he’s not playing fast or confidently to start his first training camp.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur understands the hurdles but still wants to start seeing his rookie quarterback letting it rip.
“I just told him, ‘Hey, you can’t play hesitant. You can’t play tentative,'” LaFleur said. “We tell the quarterbacks, ‘Indecisive equals ineffective.’ And sometimes, I know a lot is going through his mind right now, but sometimes you’ve just got to shut it off and let your instincts take over and really go out and rip the ball. That’s the challenge to him right now.”
Love, who started for two years at Utah State, faced an almost impossible situation, having to transition from an all-virtual offseason to the real, on-the-grass work of training camp, all while being a rookie quarterback in a brand new offense. Missing all the on-field reps of OTAs and minicamp robbed Love of valuable early learning experiences that he now has to go through during camp.
At this point, the challenge really is knowing the basics of the playbook and confidently calling a play in the huddle. Executing a play without thinking will likely take time.
“He just needs more time to be able to learn how to play,” offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said Wednesday. “He’s just not 100 percent sure at times. That’s why experience is so important, especially at that position.”
Don’t forget, the Packers won’t play preseason games, so Love has to make the most out of every 11-on-11 opportunity during camp.
“The more practice he can get, the more situations he can get, the better he’ll be,” Hackett said.
Quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy said he’s “getting better every single day,” which is all the Packers can ask for considering the circumstances of this unique camp.
“You look at Jordan, obviously this is an unbelievably unique experience,” Hackett said. “To not have an offseason, besides a Zoom call, not have practice, not be around your teammates. And then be thrown into an NFL system versus a defense like Coach Pettine’s. It’s a challenge.”
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