Packer Central

3-for-3: Packers QB Jordan Love Practices on Friday

For the third consecutive day, Jordan Love practiced on Friday, perhaps improving the chances of him starting for the Packers against the Titans on Sunday.

Bill Huber

Jordan Love gets warrmed up before Friday's practice.
Jordan Love gets warrmed up before Friday's practice. / Bill Huber/Packers On SI
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love headed outside for the start of practice on Friday, perhaps increasing the odds that he will start in Sunday’s game at the Tennessee Titans.

Reporters don’t get to watch any practice on Friday. What they are allowed to watch is the 15-minute pre-practice warmup routine inside the Don Hutson Center. From there, the players gave a quick huddle inside the Hutson Center before going out to Clarke Hinkle Field.

Exactly two weeks after suffering a sprained MCL in Brazil against Philadelphia, Love on Friday went through the stretch, which includes two-foot hops, one-foot hops and some running to get warmed up for the start of practice. Love did all of those things, just like he did before practicing as limited participation on Wednesday and Thursday.

For good reason, the coaching staff has been incredibly tight-lipped about Love all week. Asked after Thursday’s practice if he anticipated Love practicing on Friday, LaFleur replied with a straight face:

“I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m sure he’ll be limited.”

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich enjoyed a laugh about it on Thursday. When asked if he had a feel for what Love can handle, he said, “He’s limited right now and we’re moving forward with that.”

When the reporter with a laugh said it was “worth a shot,” Stenavich laughed, too.

“Nice try. I respect that.”

On a serious note, the Packers will have to make a decision at some point on whether will start against the Titans or Malik Willis will get the call against his former team. That point might come on Saturday, when it’s time to elevate (or not elevate) Sean Clifford from the practice squad. Or, as LaFleur said, the decision could go all the way to having to declare inactives 90 minutes before the noon kickoff.

How will the team know if he’s ready?

“I think he’ll tell us,” Stenavich said. “If he shows up Sunday and he’s ready to go, then great. If not, then we’ll go with Malik. That’s our approach.”

On Friday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said, “He at least has a realistic chance of being out there against the Titans. … He’s got a shot. It is going to be about can he be functional? Can he protect himself?”

To answer those last points made by Rapoport, Love has been practicing with a brace to provide stability to the left knee. Getting a few days of work, to see what he can do and can’t do, will be critical for all parties coming together to make the right decision for the short and long term.

“There’s a lot of boxes” to check, Love said on Wednesday. “Obviously, I think being back at practice and doing that and feeling what it feels like to take those drops, be in the live fire, things like that. But, like I said, we’re taking it day by day. The trainers are doing a great job of monitoring me and seeing how I’m doing and how I’m reacting to every play. They’ll be the ones to clear me when the time comes.”

For quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, it’s been business as usual.

“He’s been in all the meetings and the last couple days he’s been out at practice in a limited capacity, so it’s just like it always is,” he said. “Talk to him, see what he’s feeling about how he feels about the things we have in, whether he likes them, dislikes them, and we can make adjustments accordingly. And we’re doing the same thing with Malik – things he’s comfortable doing – and that’s how we prepare.”

The Packers have a long injury report. By number of injured players, the Packers have 12 players on the report compared to only two for the Titans.

On Thursday, cornerback Carrington Valentine (ankle) and offensive lineman Jordan Morgan (shoulder) were the only players who did not practice. Those were the only players on Friday, as well. Including Morgan, five of Green Bay’s top six offensive linemen are on the report.

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Bill Huber

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.