Packers Jordan Love exudes confidence an

by durovis on Jun 1st, 2023 08:58 AM

When signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension in March 2022, 2020 first-round pick quarterback had no idea if he would ever have a chance to the starting quarterback of the . Fast forward to Wednesday, when Love stood at the Lambeau Field podium in his first pre s conference as THE guy -- the Packers' starting quarterback."I'll admit, I think the hardest time was when Aaron Rodgers re-signed the contract last year," Love . "It was kind of like, 'Well, where do we go from here? What do I do?' I think I sat back, thought to myself and just came back with the approach like, 'Let's just go ball out any opportunity I get.' I'm going to get preseason, and who knows what happens after Olamide Zaccheaus Jersey that? So just grow and try and become the best version of myself, and I can't really control what happens after that, so let it play out." While Love was stuck tapping his toe behind Rodgers, the Packers' all-time leader in touchdowns pa ses who collected a MVP trophy and four MVP trophies in 15 seasons as Green Bay's starter, his focus was on how he could develop as the clear-cut backup."It's very hard to be patient, it's not easy," Love said. "Obviously, you want to be the guy. Everyone wants to be the guy. Everyone wants to be on the field making plays. It's not easy, but it was the situation I was put in. Nothing I could do about it. ... What I could control about Julio Jones Jersey that situation was how I approached each day, how I learned, and grew." GB QB #10 CMP%66.7YDs195TD1INT0YD/Att9.29 Love ensured he was like a sponge when it came to learning from Rodgers, absorbing what made the all-time great ahead of him thrive, both on and off the field."I learned a lot," Love said of his predece sor. "I was just able to watch a great quarterback: how he works every day, how he handles busine s in the locker room, interacts with teammates, and how he attacks every day. To be able to sit back as a quarterback and observe him, his footwork, how the ball comes out of his hands, how he practices every day and takes it into the game, is very valuable stuff that I was able to pick his brain on and watch him work. ... Watching him, watching the confidence that he has, how he operates every day, how quickly he makes calls and is able to proce s information, and how well he knows the system. All those little things, to get to see it from a guy who's been doing it a long time elevates your game by building all that into my game ." Even though Rodgers' final days as a Packer this offseason were seemingly frosty with the Green Bay front office, Love revealed Rodgers has kept the door open for future communication between the two of them. "He wished me the best, and said he'd always be there for me if I need anything or have any questions," Love said when talking about his conversations with Rodgers after the trade with the went through. "I will always be grateful to be around him, and the time I had with him where I was able to learn and be behind him. I'm very grateful for it." The waiting game has played out, and Love has now taken the baton from Rodgers, who took the mantle of Packers starting quarterback from first-ballot Hall of Famer Brett Favre. With the uncertainty around Rodgers all offseason, starting with his darkne s retreat, Love attacked the offseason with the idea that he could be the starter. Once Rodgers revealed his "intention to play for the New York Jets" on "The Show," then Love was able to do more things that starting NFL quarterbacks do, like organize workouts with teammates outside of the facility."The whole offseason I approached it as I'd be the starter. That was just my mindset going into it. I couldn't control what happened going forward. ... I approached it this offseason the same way as past offseasons . The only thing that changed is getting our guys out to throw with me to get some more reps. It's a little easier being the starter to have guys out." Two of the teammates Love has spent the most time working with this offseason are second-year wideout and Vic Beasley Jersey Pro Bowl running back , both of whom came to work with him on the West Coast."Romeo Doubs is out in California, the same as me, and we train with the same coach, so that one is easy," Love said. "We've done that in the past. Getting Aaron Jones out, he's come to California a couple times. He hit me up and wanted to come when out there. I think it's beneficial. Any time John Abraham Jersey you get extra reps outside of here to work and build that chemistry is huge." GB RB #33 Att213Yds1121TD2FL3 Jones, who initially made a plea for Rodgers to return to Green Bay, is now all aboard the Love train after working with him and observing his development over the past three years. Jones said Love's timing with teammates and his are both elements of his game that have improved in a noticeable way this offseason. "He believes in himself, that's No. 1," Jones of Love on Wednesday. "You've got to believe in yourself or nobody else is going to believe in you, so he believes in himself, he cares about everybody around him, and we've seen him just come in consistently and just work, work, work. As an athlete, you want to come in and play right away, and that wasn't Jordan's case. He didn't have that opportunity, and he did it the right way. He waited his time and you never heard one peep or complaint out of him. ... He has everybody's full trust."Love categorized his own growth since becoming a Packer as "drastic." Now, at 24 years old, he gets to help lead the growth of his wide receivers and tight ends, just about all of whom are younger than him: 2022 second-round pick wide receiver (23 years old), 2022 fourth-round pick wide receiver Romeo Doubs (23), 2022 seventh-round pick wide receiver (25 years old), 2023 second-round pick tight end (22), 2023 second-round pick wide receiver (23 years old), and 2023 third-round pick tight end (23 years old). That's a dramatic age shift in comparison to the veteran-laden group that was present during Love's first three seasons with Rodgers as the starting quarterback."I think it's great," Love said when asked about being older than . "We'll get the opportunity to grow together, learn each other... It's easier with younger guys that haven't been around other guys quarterbacks who want it a certain way. It's easier to get my point acro s about how I want things to run. It'll be great to be around these younger guys." A lot of Love's leadership as the backup quarterback came by example, like when he came off the bench in Week 12 of the 2022 season on "Sunday Night Football" on the road at the eventual NFC Champion . He completed six of his nine pa ses for 113 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown pa s to Watson. Love's second and final drive of the night culminated in a 33 Matt Ryan Jersey -yard field goal by kicker , the final points in a 40-33 defeat."I've always been confident in myself," Love said. I've always known that if I had to go in, I need to make the most of my op