Jordan Love had the luxury of learning from Aaron Rodgers for three years, including two MVP campaigns. Now, he may have surpassed his predecessor in certain aspects of his game.
That's what Matt LaFleur believes, at least.
While Love is still underrated by so many, LaFleur had the highest of praise for his quarterback in an interview with NFL Network. LaFleur spoke about Love's ability to make adjustments to protections at the line of scrimmage, a skill he learned from Rodgers. LaFleur believes he has become even better than his mentor in that regard.
"He's got to be the best I've been around in terms of protections and adjustments, and rarely does he get out-schemed. It's pretty remarkable," said LaFleur. "That was all foreign to him coming into the league, and I think having the opportunity to sit back and learn from Aaron and watch him do it at the level he did it, I think was invaluable for him."
Host Stacey Dales wanted confirmation. Love is the best at it? It's fair to say Rodgers was a master of unlocking a defense and changing protections before the snap.
LaFleur had an opportunity to walk back his comments. Instead, he doubled down.
"Hey, and Aaron's going to get mad about this, but no, it's uncanny what (Love) can do at the line of scrimmage with our protection adjustments."
Matt LaFleur's praise of Jordan Love shows just how far he has come
Love has always had poise and calmness even under the highest pressure. It's one of his superpowers. It's no surprise, then, that he's able to maintain a clear mind and command at the line of scrimmage. He couldn't have asked for a better teacher than Rodgers, and he's now become one of the best in his own right.
You could see examples of it all the way back in Love's first season as a starter.
Take his 20-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 playoffs as an example. Love recognized pre-snap that the Cowboys were sending pressure. He quickly made adjustments at the line, made a signal to his receivers, and then hit Wicks with a pitch-perfect pass for a touchdown.
Love has evolved even more since then and is truly excellent at making the necessary adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
It's why Love has one of the lowest sack percentages in NFL history. Part of that is his ability to avoid would-be tacklers and make off-platform throws under pressure. But it's also down to how he reads what he's seeing and adjusts before the snap.
Is he better than Rodgers at it? That's up for debate. LaFleur is always going to back his quarterback over his former tag-team partner.
But the fact that it's even a conversation shows how far Love has come. Although it may also hand Rodgers some extra bulletin board material before he meets the Packers in Thursday night's preseason opener.
Add us as a preferred source on Google