Packers: Jordan Love ‘struggled with accuracy’ at minicamp
Mandatory minicamp got underway for the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday and, unsurprisingly, there was no Aaron Rodgers in the building.
Rodgers’ absence opens the door for second-year Jordan Love to get valuable reps with the first-team offense on a regular basis.
For a young quarterback, there are going to be ups and downs along the way. Especially this early in the year and also considering how little opportunities Love had in 2020.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Love “struggled with accuracy” during Tuesday’s practice with the first-round QB going 12-of-23 in team along with a “failed” two-minute drill.
The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman also noted that Love struggled at practice but did add that the “arm strength is there”.
Jordan Love struggled with accuracy during team work today. The arm strength is there, but missed a handful of makeable throws. Period ends with Blake Bortles finding Isaac Nauta deep down the left sideline for a TD.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) June 8, 2021
So, what to make of this? Well, in truth, not a lot.
It’s no time to panic with Jordan Love
Love is a second-year quarterback who had limited reps a year ago as he sat behind Rodgers and Tim Boyle on the depth chart. On Tuesday, many of the Packers’ top wide receivers returned to the practice field after skipping voluntary OTAs.
It’s no surprise that Love wasn’t on top of his game on Tuesday. It’s also to be expected with a young player developing his game.
The Packers will still be hoping Rodgers returns as the starter this season, giving Love more time on the practice field without being forced into regular-season action before he’s ready.
But while Rodgers is out, this is valuable learning time for Love. He’s going to have days where he doesn’t play well. There are going to be mistakes. But this is the time to make those errors. In June, on the practice field, in only his second year.
Patience is needed with Love. He was always going to need some time to develop his game. Unfortunately, he didn’t get much development time a year ago with no preseason and limited on-field work due to the pandemic. One positive from Rodgers’ absence is that Love is now getting that time to work on his game with the Packers’ coaching staff.
He may have a long way to go, but patience is needed for Love.