Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements credits Jordan Love’s improved decision-making as one of the catalysts behind his play in recent weeks.
“His decision-making in split-second situations,” said Clements when asked where Love has improved the most. “Every quarterback that has a good arm, which Jordan does, likes to throw downfield, but sometimes you’ve got to recognize that throwing downfield isn’t the best option on a particular play.”
Over the last month, Jordan Love has steadily improved each week, culminating with what was his best performance to date in Detroit on Thanksgiving. During the Packers’ most recent four-game stretch, basically pick any key category for a quarterback, and there is a good chance that Love is near the top of those rankings.
Specifically what Clements was referring to when discussing decision-making was Love having a better understanding of when to push the ball downfield and when to take the check-down, whether that be due to the deep shot not being there or the pressure from the defense is closing in.
Taking what’s available rather than trying to force the ball into a tight window or downfield is something that Matt LaFleur and Love have discussed and worked on for a large portion of the season. In the last four games, Love ranks 10th in the percentage of throws that are made behind the line of scrimmage, up nearly six percent from the first seven games of the season.
“(Detroit) was probably his best game from the standpoint of checking the ball down when he needed to,” added Clements. “We got some big plays on check-downs and throwing the ball away when needed to. So we didn’t get any sacks. We’ve talked about that.
“You might have a play that’s designed to go downfield, but you don’t get the defense that is best for that type of play; you have to be ready to check it down. Maybe earlier in the year, he held on to the ball a little longer or didn’t check it down at times. But he’s done that more recently, and it’s paid dividends.”
An important aspect of all this is that even though Love is utilizing short-area throws at a higher rate, that hasn’t deterred him from trying to push the ball downfield, either. During the previous four games, Love still ranks sixth in pass attempts of 20-plus yards. While, yes, Love needs to take what’s available to create positive plays, Green Bay doesn’t want to discourage him from trying to create chunk plays, either. It’s a balance that has to be struck based on the look the defense is giving Love and whether or not there is pressure.
Getting to this point – like anything – has been a process, as it would be for any first-time starting quarterback. As Clements noted, mistakes are made in the early portion of the season. There is then the teaching moment in the film room, the part where Love then works on correcting those mistakes in practice through drill work, and now we are seeing the results of all of that on Sundays.
Along with Love’s improved decision-making, his ability to feel pressure coming, navigating the pocket, and knowing where to get the ball to quickly has been a key factor in his recent surge as well. As LaFleur said on Monday, that element of a quarterback’s game comes only through experience, with some having a more natural feel than others and it’s not something that can necessarily be coached.
Without much of a run game to lean on against the Lions, Love and the passing game had to shoulder the burden on the offense. Love was 14-for-16 with two touchdowns and averaged nearly 8.0 yards per attempt on passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Any capable quarterback is going to be efficient in this part of the field, but the encouraging aspect of this performance that shows the growth Love has had is the much-improved process and decision-making that led to some of these opportunities underneath.
“You have to treat the check down as an extension of the running game,” added Clements. “It gets you five or six yards, or more, like the one he threw to AJ Dillon where he got about 20 yards. The play was designed to go downfield but he got some pressure quickly and he knew where the check down was, got it out of his hands and made a positive play and kept the drive going. Just have to be able to do that consistently. The last game was a good illustration of how you need to play.”
