NFC Notes: Jordan Love, Packers, Panthers

Jordan Love

Packers HC Matt LaFleur says that QB coach Tom Clements deserves praise for the development of QB Jordan Love.

“Just watching him last year, I think Jordan’s made some huge strides,” LaFleur told reporters, via Brenna White of NFL.com. “I really do, and I think a lot of it is a credit to Tom, and just, he knows how to train these guys. He knows how to drill them and he’s very, very consistent. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He just is a matter of fact and I think there’s no doubt.”

“Aaron would praise him and give him so much credit in his own development,” LaFleur said. “I think anytime you got a player like that, especially of that talent and how much you respect a guy like Aaron, you always listen to that. I asked Jordan after the season how he felt about him and he said he loved Tom, and thought he did a hell of a job helping him, you know, develop over the course of the year. For me, it was a no-brainer. It was just whether or not Tom wanted to come back, so I’m happy he wanted to be here, and you know, we’re lucky to have him. He does a great job, too, not only with the quarterbacks but just helping out with our offense and bringing suggestions and great ideas. You know, it’s been a fun process getting to know him and just the standards that he holds, that room, too, and he does a hell of a job.”

Packers

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said the team isn’t looking to rebuild after trading QB Aaron Rodgers.

“No, I don’t ever look [at] it like that,” Gutekunst said, via ESPN. “We’re excited about this football team and where it can go. Obviously, we’re a long ways away from what our 53-man roster and our 16-man practice squad is going to look like, but we’re really excited about it. It’s going to be new, obviously, specifically at quarterback, it looks like. But at the same time, the goals don’t change around here. It’s going to be the same goals we’ve always had, right? There’s one goal here every single year, no matter what. And just like it was back the last time we moved on from one quarterback to the other, right? The goals are the same. It’s going to be on those guys to put in the work. It’s going to be exciting to see. Nothing’s really changing.”

Packers LT David Bakhtiari contrarily said the team is entering a rebuild, whether they call it as such or not.

“The Packers are rebuilding, whether you think so or not,” he said. “Could they be good? I don’t know. Could they be bad? Probably if you’re betting more people are gonna think they’re gonna be bad than good, right? Isn’t that fair to say?”

Bakhtiari said the team could be good under QB Jordan Love, but admitted there’s likely to be a transition as they move on from Rodgers.

“We’re moving on from a Hall of Fame quarterback. I literally today talked to Jordan [Love] about this. I’m like, ‘The Packers rebuilt from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers.’ What are we going to say? It’s not a rebuild? Like, that is what that is. And that’s totally fine. I’m not saying that we’re going to be bad. I’m not saying we’re going to be good. I don’t know and that’s the beauty. No one really knows how good they are.”

Panthers

Panthers owner Dave Tepper made a rare media appearance after Carolina’s draft, and while he didn’t take questions, he did own up to having made a lot of mistakes in his first few years on the job, which is evident by the team’s dismal win-loss record in that time. However, he emphasized he believes the team is ready to take a step forward and he pointed to the thorough processes they went through both to hire HC Frank Reich and fill out his staff and to settle on No. 1 overall QB Bryce Young. Process was a big buzzword under former HC Matt Rhule but Tepper admitted it wasn’t always reflective of their decision-making. 

“I can’t emphasize enough, we are true to this process this time. Not all the time in other past years,” Tepper said via The Athletic’s Joe Person. “But process in this coach. Process in getting this quarterback and not leaving a stone unturned. This is truly in everything we’re doing and everything that we did with the coaches and when Frank was hired. The process of, do we have the best person? We’re not messing around. I’ll say it that way. The work is here, truly.”