If you spent even two minutes scrolling social media on Friday, your green-and-gold algorithm likely fed you a Matt LaFleur quote about Jordan Love and how he is "gonna let him cook" this season.
LaFleur's jestful comment was slapped on graphics, reposted, and portrayed as a promise from the head coach to the phone screens of millions of Packers fans. In reality, the words on the page lacked the real context. They were blown out of proportion. Cooked, if you will.
It was a tongue-in-cheek response to Cheesehead TV's Aaron Nagler, who had jokingly urged LaFleur to call more passes and let his quarterback "cook" this season.
Just moments later, though, LaFleur provided another quote, a real one this time, that should have made the rounds on social media instead. Asked about the Packers' rep counts at practice and whether he had made a change to their approach this summer, LaFleur said:
"I will say this: I think our guys are doing a much better job of just our procedure," said LaFleur. "We're trying to get the calls in a little bit quicker."
That final part caught Nagler's attention, prompting a follow-up question. Has LaFleur prioritized increasing the tempo on offense?
"Yeah, I think that was definitely a point of emphasis this offseason, just trying to get in and out of the huddle a little bit quicker," LaFleur added. "The faster they approach the line of scrimmage, the more pressure it puts on the defense. So that was a big point of emphasis."
Phenomenal question from Nagler, who had already sparked LaFleur's soon-to-be viral quote just moments earlier. You might wonder why LaFleur's emphasis on tempo is so important, and why it could truly be a game-changer for Love and the Packers' offense. Let's break it down.
Packers' desire to increase their tempo could allow them to 'let Jordan Love cook'
It's poetic that LaFleur joked about letting Love cook before immediately offering real insight into why it might actually happen.
Love was as efficient as any quarterback in the league last season, no matter what metric you looked at. EPA/play. Passer rating. Touchdown-to-interception ratio. Pro Football Focus numbers, too. He had PFF's third-best passing grade, ranked fifth in big-time throw percentage, ninth in adjusted completion percentage, and had the ninth-lowest turnover-worthy play percentage.
Love had MVP efficiency without the true MVP numbers. Why?
A big factor? He lacked the volume that other quarterbacks had. Love attempted 439 passes, ranking just 19th in the NFL. MVP winner Matthew Stafford threw the ball 597 times, the third-highest.
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It comes back to tempo. Green Bay's offense ran at a snail pace. By the time LaFleur had called the play into Love's headset, the defense had time to go for a coffee, visit the Titletown District, slide down the tubing hill Mark Murphy turned into a meme, and return before Love had even broken the huddle.
According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Packers averaged 30.1 seconds per play, ranking 22nd in the NFL, while running just 59.4 offensive plays per game, ranking 24th. That's not good enough.
It's the approach a team without a franchise quarterback would take. Slow the game down, limit the number of possessions, keep the scoreboard low, and try to steal it. Make it a messy game. That's how the Carolina Panthers won at Lambeau Field. For the record, they also averaged 30.1 seconds per play and averaged 59.5 offensive plays per game.
Why increasing the tempo will help Jordan Love unlock another level to his game
Despite the Packers' frustrating lack of urgency, Love and the passing game were still highly efficient. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky put it best, saying Green Bay has forced Love to play with "training wheels."
The 2025 Packers generated the 3rd-most EPA on dropbacks (behind Patriots & Rams) despite registering the 4th-fewest dropbacks in the NFL (551).
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) July 28, 2026
Is this going to be the year the @packers lets Jordan Love play without training wheels? If not now, when?@PaulHembo
And Love has proven he can handle a higher tempo. In fact, let's crank it all the way up and talk about a no-huddle offense. FTNFantasy put together a table ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in DVOA in a no-huddle offense last season.
Love sits No. 1 in the league with a DVOA of 67.8 percent, miles and miles clear of every other quarterback. Spencer Rattler ranked second (42.1 percent), Sam Darnold third (35.3 percent), and Trevor Lawrence fourth (34.5 percent).
That's not to say the Packers should turn into a rock-and-roll, no-huddle-on-every-play offense (although that does sound exciting on second thought), but it highlights Love's comfort level when working at pace.
Get the play in fast. Line up. Snap the ball.
The Packers move far too sluggishly between and before plays, a holdover from the Aaron Rodgers era. Rodgers would intentionally drain the play clock to zero, forcing the defense to reveal its secrets before the snap.
But the Love-LaFleur offense has gone too far. At times, it's shambolic. They almost ran out of time in the bizarre overtime tie with Dallas.
LaFleur's comments show self-awareness. He spent the offseason stripping down his offense and rebuilding from scratch. He clearly saw the lack of tempo and how it hurt the Packers.
It's time to hand Love the reins. To, well, let him cook.
LaFleur has foreshadowed exactly that, not in his viral comment made in jest, but with the thoughtful answer he gave just seconds later.
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