Jonathan Gannon does, in fact, exist, and he gave Green Bay Packers fans thoughtful responses to a wide range of questions in his introductory press conference on Monday.Â
For example, what appealed to him about the defensive coordinator role in Green Bay? Gannon's answer makes perfect sense if you think about it, but it's not the first thing one would expect to hear out of a DC's mouth:
"Jordan Love. That was a huge thing to me. I think he's in the in the top tier. If you got those things right, you probably have a chance to win. … He can make all the throws. Protects the football. He's mobile and smart. Obviously, that's probably a better question for Matt, but just competing against him, accuracy, decision making, you know, his legs. He's hard to defend."
Gannon knows how to find his way into Cheeseheads' hearts. Love's 2025 season was underappreciated by the national media, but hearing Gannon give him his flowers from the perspective of a defensive playcaller provides some welcome validation.Â
It also signals that the new Packers DC has a humble sense of his own best interests. Gannon's defense will benefit from a better quarterback than he ever had as a head coach in Arizona. Keeping the offense on the field means fresher defenders for Gannon, which will only make him look better.Â
Although Packers fans had to wait a while to hear from him, he's already kicked off the relationship on the right foot.
Gannon already recognizes how Love will help defense without playing a snap
Gannon could have answered the question above by naming Micah Parsons. He could have referenced a young core of Edgerrin Cooper, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness. Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams are elite at the safety position. Instead he named Love, a player he won't even be coaching.Â
While that might seem counterintuitive, it makes sense for a variety of reasons. Not least among them is his recent experience trying to find a capable quarterback as head coach of the Cardinals. There, his teams made do with a declining and oft-injured Kyle Murray, journeyman Jacoby Brissett, career backup Joshua Dobbs, and former Packers practice squad call-up Clayton Tune.Â
Not great.
He won't have to worry about routine three-and-outs exhausting his defense in Green Bay. With Love at quarterback and Matt LaFleur calling plays, Gannon will reap the benefits of scheming a defense to complement a competent offense.Â
Another bonus: he no longer has to face Love and the Packers from the opposite sideline. In two games against Gannon, Love dissected the Arizona defense for 437 yards, a 67.2 completion percentage, and five touchdowns to one interception. Per Pro Football Reference, his 108.4 passer rating against the Cardinals is his second-highest versus any of the 12 teams he has played at least twice in his career.
Gannon didn't find much success in his last post, but if going 15-36 taught him anything, it's what doesn't lead to winning. Unlike Arizona, the Packers have a strong overall roster, a good offense, and an MVP candidate at quarterback. "If you got those things right, you probably have a chance to win."Â
In Green Bay, Gannon will have more weapons on his own side of the ball than he did with the Cardinals, whose defense ranked 28th in total EPA and 26th in EPA per play last season. On top of the unit's internal talent, adding Javon Hargrave and Zaire Franklin gives him two players he knows and appreciates from earlier coaching stops.Â
Losing Jeff Hafley still stings, but Packers fans should be excited for Gannon to prove that having him there gives the team a good chance to win as well.Â
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