NFC Notes: Bears, D’Andre Swift, Lions, Packers, Jordan Love

Bears

Bears HC Matt Eberflus explained that they want to continue developing OL Teven Jenkins after playing him at right guard in practice.

“You don’t put a ceiling on him. Let him grow. Let him do his thing because some people mature and grow at different times,” he said via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “And all of a sudden, they just grow into a player, they grow into a really good NFL player. And that’s for any position. We’re never going to put ceilings on guys.”

Lions

Lions RB D’Andre Swift is confident that he can achieve 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a single season. 

“I know that (it’s a rare feat),” Swift said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I know with (running backs coach) Duce (Staley), the way he coaches me and how I know what I can bring to this team, it can be done.”

Swift mentioned that RBs coach Duce Staley is pushing him to learn coverages and defenses.

“He’s pushing me to my limits,” Swift said. “He’s pushing me to my limits in every which way. Learning coverages, learning defenses, just detailing my work on and off the field so when I see it in a game, I’ve done seen it before in practice. One of the best coaches I’ve been around to play for.”

Packers

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers spoke about the turnovers by QB Jordan Love in the first preseason game, placing the blame on the receivers instead of the 2020 first-round pick.

“I felt really bad for Jordan the other night because we had a couple of total mental busts for picks,” Rodgers said. “We had a drop for a pick. We had two guys running who knows what on the third one. Now, he shouldn’t have thrown the ball there probably, but some of that’s veteran stuff making veteran mistakes.”

“The most important thing for any age quarterback is the feet — throwing the ball on time and in rhythm. And I think he’s done a nice job of really focusing on the little things of this training camp and throwing the ball more often on time. It’s just about consistency and I thought there were some really nice balls. A couple of decisions he’d probably want to have back, but those are kind of normal. But I’d like to see him keep trusting his feet and his athleticism,” Rodgers continued. “I’d love to see him [when] the pocket breaks down, nobody’s quite open on time, extend a play and take off and run and slide. But overall, I thought he did some really good things. … It might look bad in the stat sheet with three picks, but the film tells a different story.”

Packers HC Matt LaFleur says that Love has played far better in the preseason than his statistics will show.

“I know the numbers don’t necessarily reflect probably how I feel,” LaFleur said, via Packers.com. “He stood in the pocket and was throwing on rhythm. Unfortunately again we had too many drops. He was decisive. I think that’s the big thing for him. I see a much more decisive player out there. I think that’s going to lead to a much more effective player.”