There's arguably just one piece missing from Jordan Love's game.
The national narrative is that he's careless with the football, especially in the biggest moments, but Love dispelled that myth a long time ago. He has thrown only six interceptions in his past 22 regular-season games, and, per PFF, his turnover-worthy play percentage was the ninth-lowest in the NFL last year.
A bigger issue is that Love doesn't always maximize his ability to run. He's good at it. That doesn't mean he needs to become Malik Willis, but elite quarterbacks know when to take advantage of opportunities on the ground. Aaron Rodgers was an effective scrambler throughout his time in Green Bay. Patrick Mahomes is a master of it.
That's where Love can improve, and he knows it. Matt LaFleur challenged his quarterback in the offseason:
"If we call a play, and there was an incidence where we call a play, they're playing two-man, and it's the worst play in the world for playing two-man, please, please use your legs to try to make a bad play and try to make it good," LaFleur said in March, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
He also referred to it as an "area of emphasis." One day into training camp, Love is already showing signs of a change in approach.
Jordan Love is already showing a willingness to run after one training camp practice
"Jordan Love now has two rushing TDs today. Pulls and keeps up middle in third and goal from 5. He's a whole new quarterback," Ryan Wood reported from the Packers' first training camp practice.
Wood also noted that Love faked a handoff to MarShawn Lloyd and ran it in for a 3-yard touchdown earlier in the session.
It's only one practice, of course, but it's encouraging.
Love has spoken openly about the need to use his legs more. We've seen him do it occasionally in his career. It's particularly effective against man coverage, which the Packers see plenty of in the NFC North.
According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears ranked No. 3 and No. 8 in man coverage rates last season, respectively.
Love missed an opportunity to scramble for a first down in the playoff loss to the Bears in January. The Packers held a 21-6 lead, and Love had more than enough space to move the chains with his legs on 3rd-and-2. He chose to throw it away instead, and Green Bay punted.
It's perhaps why LaFleur called it an "area of emphasis" for the offense to get better when a play breaks down, which includes Love scrambling more.
Again, it's only one practice, but it's something to watch closely throughout the summer. Love was one of the most efficient quarterbacks through the air last season. You can pick out almost any metric, and he ranks near the top.
If Love can add that extra layer – the feel for when to take off and run – the entire Packers offense will level up dramatically. The early signs are encouraging.
Add us as a preferred source on Google