Jordan Love solidified his spot as one of the league's best quarterbacks last season. According to NFL legend Joe Thomas, it's now time for Matt LaFleur to truly realize that.
Last season, LaFleur's conservative play-calling raised questions about whether he trusts Love enough to fully hand the reins of the offense to his $220 million quarterback.
Appearing on ESPN Madison, Thomas, who is a Brookfield, Wisconsin native, called that out.
"Jordan Love needs to take that step in accountability and leadership and understand that he is a top-five quarterback in the NFL," said Thomas.
"He needs to go into Matt LaFleur's office and let him know that, 'I want the football. I want to be able to throw the football and have a large input on what we're doing from a gameplan standpoint, and then from an in-game adjustment standpoint, from a play-call standpoint on the sidelines. I want to be treated with a level of responsibility and respect that Peyton Manning did, that Aaron Rodgers did, that Tom Brady did, because if you want me to play like those guys, you've got to give me those expectations.'"
Joe Thomas is 100 percent correct about what Jordan Love needs from Matt LaFleur
Thomas, whose 10 Pro Bowls and eight All-Pro selections helped him become a first-ballot Hall of Famer, said the quiet part out loud about Love. And, quite honestly, LaFleur should listen closely.
The reality is that LaFleur does trust Love to operate his offense at an elite level, but LaFleur often gets caught up in balance, preferring to go run-heavy on early downs to stay ahead of the sticks. That cautious approach, paired with the Packers' inability to run block, is why the offense sputtered throughout key parts of last season.
When LaFleur handed Love the keys, his quarterback repaid the faith.
Love proved why he's one of the NFL's most magical passers while eliminating the turnovers that haunted him earlier in his career. Love completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, good for a career-best 101.2 passer rating in the 15 games he played.
Only Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow earned a higher PFF passing grade than Love, while his EPA/play trailed only Drake Maye.
Beyond the stats, Love delivered the moments.
His 51-yard touchdown to Christian Watson at Ford Field, placed perfectly to hit his receiver in stride. How about his 34-yard strike to Watson in Pittsburgh, rolling to his right before dropping the ball into a bucket and barely over a leaping Juan Thornhill's outstretched right arm?
Love's clutch 15-yard fourth-down conversion to Tucker Kraft to ice the game in Arizona. His picture-perfect 16-yard strike to Dontayvion Wicks on 4th-and-3 to seal a Thanksgiving win in Detroit. Tying Brett Favre's franchise record of 20 consecutive completions in the comeback win over the Steelers.
The NFL world might not fully admit it yet (we're looking at you, Bears fans), but Love has become one of the league's best quarterbacks.
Thomas is right. LaFleur needs to give him the opportunity to prove it, and not just in the must-have moments for the Packers.
"It has to happen from the first quarter from the first play all the way through when you really need him in the fourth quarter and it's third down and it's hot," Thomas said. "When it's 3rd-and-7, and it's a gotta-have-it situation and the defense is blitzing."
Well said.
Thomas gets it. Let's hope LaFleur was listening.