Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) walks off the field following the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – At some point during every Packers TV broadcast this season, a graphic would be shown comparing Jordan Love to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. “Eight games into his career, he has more wins the Aaron… he’s thrown fewer interceptions than Favre.” That would drive me crazy. To state the obvious, Jordan Love is not Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers. To think that his career will unfold the same way is silly.
This is no different than comparing me to Howard Gernetzke or Marv Nelles. Both are Wisconsin Broadcasting Hall of Fame members. I’d find it offensive to hear things like, “Chris tells better stories, but I liked Howard’s voice better.” They are they. And I’m not them. Comparisons are unfair to everyone. Personally, I’d prefer if Love stays more humble and less arrogant than Rodgers. I hope he doesn’t send filthy text messages to sideline reporters like that Favre tweet that I can’t unsee.
So what can be said about Jordan Love’s first season as a starter? Well, for one stretch of it, from Thanksgiving to his first playoff win, he played at least as well as Favre and Rodgers. For those glorious seven games, he may have been the best quarterback in the NFL. Yet for some of those games before that, he had us questioning whether the Packers made a horrible mistake. And most mistakes are the residue of lack of experience.
The Packers season ended on a bad pass, with Jordan Love throwing across his body toward the middle of the field into triple-coverage. From the warm comfort of my favorite chair while watching on my 72-inch flat screen, throwing that pass was an obvious mistake. Yet things look completely different to someone on a rain-soaked football field being chased by huge linemen. Brett Favre-the gunslinger-might have made that throw. Aaron Rodgers-the precisionist-would not. Jordan Love is neither of them. He’ll develop his own set of tendencies… his own strengths and weaknesses… as his career develops.
What have we learned from this season? That he has the potential to be another great Packers quarterback.
Chris Conley
Comments