One NFL coach was very comfortable dragging Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love through the mud anonymously.
The annual QB tier rankings at The Athletic feature anonymous commentary from 50 NFL coaches and executives. What better way to get the unvarnished thoughts of those who actually work in the sport we all watch and love?
Naturally, the NFL brain trust does not always align with the broader public in the court of opinion. One offensive coach offer fairly blunt criticism of Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love, who has 83 career pass attempts to his name:
"We have no idea what this guy is. My initial read is that he doesn't process the game well enough. I don't see a natural, smooth, instinctive player, the way he reacts to the defense."
Anonymous NFL coach slams Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love
This "offensive coach" certainly isn't the only Jordan Love cynic. The Packers have had the luxury of two decades worth of all-time great quarterback play between Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Now the Love era begins, and it certainly doesn't feel like the Utah State product can live up to his predecessors.
That shouldn't be the barometer by which he is measured, of course. It's generally smart to reserve judgement on young QBs until they've actually played a fair amount of professional football, but Love has been a lightning rod for advanced criticism. That comes with the territory. It wasn't Love's choice to replace an all-time great, but the spotlight will linger on him all the same.
In 83 career attempts, Love has completed 50 passes (60.2 percent) with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has 606 yards and a collective 0-1 record under center. That is simply not enough of a sample size to derive any serious takeaways from his performance.
Now, if this coach has the luxury of seeing Love in practice every day, that's another matter entirely. But one has to generously assume that the Packers' offensive coaching staff isn't shredding Love behind his back.
Plenty of coaches and NFL professionals saw Love's tape at Utah State, and sure — there were questions about his readiness coming out of college, as there are with any rookie QB. Love profiled as a "deep-ball artist" with a gunslinger mentality prior to his arrival in Green Bay. Bleacher Report's draft expert Matt Miller also noted a "slow trigger" and Love's tendency to gamble.
So, there's a precedent for the coach's criticism in The Athletic QB rankings. It just feels a bit hollow to lean on old tropes when we haven't seen Love play real football in two years. He has spent those two years learning at the altar of Aaron Rodgers, for goodness sake. If ever there was a QB to teach instinct and reaction speed, it's Aaron Rodgers.
Love could very well flop for the Packers, who have a long period of soul-searching on the docket as the organization tries to find its identity post-Rodgers. Green Bay fans should proceed with patience as Love gets his feet wet in the NFL's deep, swirling waters. Just don't expect the experts around the league to exercise the same patience.
