It’s the topic that just doesn’t want to end. Ever since Jordan Love was drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, the speculation started like a tidal wave.
The Packers traded up to get Love with the 26th pick and ever since then you could hear it building. It continued to grow and when he started in Week 9 at Kansas City this year, the wave only gained steam.
Aaron Rodgers took a seat after the first half on Sunday and Love took over from there as the Lions held on for a 37-30 win in the season finale.
Yet, that wave of Love debate continues to gain speed and strength. But what exactly do we know about Love? I honestly don’t know. I am impressed with Love’s quickness and if he earns the chance to be a regular starter in this league, his quickness will be a focal point. Lots of bootlegs, play-action boots and rollouts. This is how you can take advantage of his skill set.
“(Jordan Love) been steadily growing this entire year and obviously his snaps with Aaron (Rodgers) being up and everything but he’s grown tremendously throughout practice week in and week so I’m very proud of him,” said Packers receiver Allen Lazard.
That’s high praise. The team sees how hard Love has worked this year. They know that he has stepped into a hornet’s nest. Rodgers, who is the King of all Shoulder Chips, likely used that pick to fuel two straight MVP seasons.
But therein lies the problem. Stop comparing Rodgers to Love. It’s beyond unfair. Love isn’t going to be Rodgers. It was the same thing Rodgers went through when he replaced Brett Favre. Rodgers isn’t Favre, but he has molded the position and the team into his liking and that’s what really matters.
I’m not saying that Love is going to be as good as Favre or Rodgers. The thing is, I have no idea. What I have seen is a guy that has shown flashes of solid play, but I have also seen a guy that has had clunky footwork, bad decision making coupled with careless mistakes.
The reason why this has been so hard is because Rodgers is the best quarterback in the league. If the Packers trade Rodgers, which I don’t think they should, the Packers will go from the No. 1 seed in the NFC to the No. 4 team. Green Bay will likely still maintain its stranglehold on the NFC North not because of how good the Packers are, but because of how bad everyone else is.
Love is completing 53 percent of his passes out of the play-action this season with no picks. I think all of the things that he is struggling with are fixable. Whether that’s mechanics, grasping the offense or just being a leader — which doesn’t come overnight.
Now does that mean that the Packers should turn their back on an MVP quarterback if he is willing to take a financial haircut? The short answer is no. I don’t care if Rodgers turns 39 next December. If Green Bay can bring him back, you do that.
But if the Packers and Rodgers cannot find some middle ground, Love isn’t a terrible choice. If Love were to start next season at quarterback, he would be the No. 2 quarterback in the NFC North behind Justin Fields. I really like Fields. His quick feet and athleticism are going to cause problems in this division for years to come.
Love has looked timid because he hasn’t had a large sample size. Let’s not forget that he didn’t even dress last year and this year he has started one game in COVID relief and has appeared in a total of six games.
If Love is the starting quarterback next season, let’s not get carried away with unattainable expectations.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on “Clubhouse Live” and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn