Some consider the Green Bay Packers picking Jordan Love a mistake. If they play him as a rookie it could be disastrous.
It’s natural for any NFL team to look for ways to extract value from their first round draft picks. If the Packers try to do that with Jordan Love it could torpedo their hopes of making a lengthy postseason run in 2020.
That’s why Green Bay fans should be very concerned about the idea of their favorite franchise building a package of plays for Love this season. That’s just what the coaching staff is currently considering at the moment. When asked about the idea of a special package for Love offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett remained evasive by telling the media that “anything can happen.”
Playing Jordan Love would be a disaster for Green Bay Packers
The Packers coaching staff should, instead, keep things simple at the quarterback position. Anything that takes away from Aaron Rodgers’ ability to lead this offense is a mistake. It would be nice for Green Bay’s coaching staff to spoon feed Love some snaps as a rookie, but that would decrease the team’s ability to win games in 2020.
It’s important to realize that Love’s skillset isn’t something that NFL coordinators don’t prepare for on a regular basis. He’s not going to confuse defenses in the way that Taysom Hill does with the Saints. If anything, giving snaps to Love would just allow defensive coordinators to prepare for a lesser version of what Rodgers brings the Packers offense.
The only rationale explanation for giving Love meaningful snaps in 2020 is that the Packers front office wants to justify spending a first round pick on his services. Green Bay fans are understandably confused as to why the franchise didn’t do more to add talent capable of immediately helpling Rodgers in this year’s draft.
Providing Love a package designed to accentuate his strengths might turn some of those doubters into believers about the quarterback’s long-term prospects.
The right thing for the Packers to do is to make sure Love holds a clip board for the vast majority of the 2020 campaign. He should only receive playing time if Rodgers is injured or the game in question is out of reach. Nothing about Love’s play at Utah State gives any indication that he’s ready to be a superior option to Rodgers anytime soon.