Focusing on process will lead to results for Packers Jordan Love
By Paul Bretl
Of the eight OTA practices that took place over the previous three weeks for the Green Bay Packers, three of them were open to the media. And during that relatively small sample size, what we saw from Jordan Love was to be expected–it was up and down.
There were some beautifully thrown downfield passes, but there were some overthrows as well, as he and the young receivers work to get on the same page. Love was quick out of the huddle and commanded the line of scrimmage well, but there were also some decisions that I bet he’d like to have back. Love did a very good job of taking advantage of the defense over the middle, but he also threw a few interceptions along with what could have been a few more had the defense not dropped them. He was often accurate and on time from the pocket, but a bit inaccurate on the move at times.
You get the idea. There’s been some good, and there’s been some not-so-good. But at this stage of the offseason for Love, as he embarks on his first season as the Packers starting quarterback, head coach Matt LaFleur isn’t overly concerned with what the end result of the play is during OTAs or even upcoming minicamp. Instead, he is focused on the process, and if that is done correctly with consistency, the results will come.
"“You always continue to work on the mechanics, a smooth throwing motion,” said LaFleur last week. “It’s about being accurate, throwing on time, making the right decisions, putting the ball in the right spot. I’ve been encouraged, especially over the course of this last week. One of the things we talked about in that room is how important is the process of playing quarterback. I’m less concerned about the end result right now, but I do believe that if the process is correct, he is going to be more consistent. So within that is the footwork, the mechanics, keeping a base in the pocket, and being able to throw at any point in time. I think just the rhythm and the timing, that’s something we’ve really stressed. I think he’s done a good job, in particular, this week of making some really significant strides.”"
When quarterbacks coach Tom Clements arrived in Green Bay last offseason, he immediately went back to working on the basics and fundamentals of the quarterback position with Love. Footwork, specifically, was perhaps the biggest point of emphasis. As Clements said recently, watch a quarterback’s feet, and you’ll have a good idea of how the throw is going to turn out.
Footwork is the foundation for a successful throw, and if out of whack, whether that be out of rhythm, not following the quarterback’s eyes through the progression, or off-balance, there is a negative trickle-down effect that impacts the rest of the mechanics and can result in inaccurate passes.
Clements and Love also spent time working on drops from both under center and from shotgun, going through progression drills, along with throwing on the move–a must in today’s NFL.
We caught a glimpse in Philadelphia last season of what can happen when all of these emphasized aspects of playing the quarterback position come together. Filling in for Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter, Love went 6/9 for 113 yards with a touchdown.
Although it was an impressive showing, it was also a small sample size. If we fast forward back to today, what LaFleur is looking for is consistency in the process, specifically in Love’s decision-making and the mechanics just described, so that the performance we saw in Philadelphia can become more of the norm rather than the outlier.
Last Tuesday served as another one of those learning opportunities where if the process isn’t right, the result has little chance of working out as well. During the two-minute drill to close out the final OTA practice open to the media last week, the Packers needed a touchdown in this situation, and Love had moved the offense from their own 25-yard line to the opponent’s 30-yard line. Feeling the pressure, Love escaped to his right, and instead of throwing the ball away, he committed “a mortal sin,” as he called it afterward, throwing late over the middle towards the end zone. The ball ended up being intercepted by Tarvarius Moore.
Should Love have made that throw? Absolutely not. Being late while throwing over the middle rarely ends well for any quarterback. But if there is a time of the year to push the boundaries in order to see what he can and can’t do, this is it, especially during a two-minute drill where scoring is a must.
"“I think it’s a great learning experience,” said LaFleur, “and you’d rather have that happen in practice than out in a game. Certainly, there is going to be those moments, and there’s going to be for every quarterback. But certainly, when you talk about the situation, you’re talking about a two-minute, end-of-game, no timeouts, sometimes you’re a little more aggressive. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I think you just have to go through those experiences and try to learn from them and get better from them, both when they’re good and obviously when they’re bad.”"
Minicamp will take place Tuesday and Thursday of this week before the team reconvenes at the end of July for training camp. Eventually, in the not so distant future, the end result of the play will be all that matters. However, for the time being, how Love goes about the process of playing quarterback from in the huddle to pre-snap to mechanics and decision-making will determine whether the play was a success or not. But if those aspects are done correctly, more often than not, the results will take care of itself.