ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky Details What He’s Seen From Packers QB Jordan Love

Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky discusses what he likes, what he doesn’t like and why there’s no reason to panic despite Jordan Love’s slump.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Dan Orlovsky, the former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst, was “really encouraged” by what he saw from Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love to start the season.

With Love hitting some bumps in the road, what does Orlovsky want to see during the final 12 games, beginning next Sunday at the Denver Broncos?

“I think you want to see him be cleaner with his decision-making,” he told Packer Central this week. “He gets a little bit, I don’t want to say hoppy or bouncy, but a little bit of question mark with his feet. Sometimes, he gets to the back of his drop and it’s almost like a pop-up. It’s like, ‘What am I actually looking at?’ instead of watching a baseball pitcher throw a fastball.

“I want to see a little bit more confidence in what we’re looking for, cleaner eyes, cleaner decision-making, a little bit more rhythm and efficiency.”

Love’s debut as Aaron Rodgers’ replacement was impressive. He threw three touchdown passes and zero interceptions in a win at Chicago, three touchdown passes and zero interceptions in a narrow loss at Atlanta, and led a comeback from a 17-0 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the New Orleans Saints.

The last two games, however, been a different story, with one touchdown and five interceptions in back-to-back losses to Detroit and Las Vegas.

Dan Orlovsky vs. the Packers in 2017 :: Photo by Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports Images

“He came off of what he was looking like in the preseason,” Orlovsky said. “He looked really similar to the success he was having. The ball was going to the right place at the right time, was seeing the field really cleanly, used his legs when it was needed, was accurate and aggressive down the field, found the matchups at the right time, played on time on a consistent basis.

“The last two weeks, he lost some of that. He lost sight of some of the keys of the defense on where to go with the ball. He hasn’t seen the field clearly. Sometimes those balls have been tipped, sometimes those balls have been interceptions, sometimes those balls have been throwaways, even though some of people in the pass progression were open. I think they’ve got to get back to finding out why some of the stuff that happened early on has gone away over the last two weeks. There’s still a good amount to be encouraged by.”

What Orlovsky liked was how Love played aggressively but not recklessly, fit the ball into tight windows and used his legs to either extend plays or make positive plays on the run.

However, after opening with a 123.2 rating vs. the Bears and 113.5 vs. the Falcons, Love ranks 28th out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in passer rating (77.3), 31st in interception percentage (3.7) and 33rd in completion percentage (55.6). 

The speed of the game, which is something former MVP Rich Gannon pointed to in comparing it to a 16-year-old who just got his driver’s license, seems to be overwhelming at times, which has led to indecision, bad timing, missed opportunities and big mistakes.

Nothing indicates Love has made any progress over the last few games, but that’s not disconcerting to Orlovsky. Rather, it’s all part of the development of a young quarterback playing with a lot of young players as part of a lineup with a lot of moving parts.

“You go through so many waves in that league,” he said. “You’ve got to remember, this is the first time that Matt LaFleur has called plays for Jordan Love, so he’s trying to learn Jordan a little bit. This is the first time in four years that Matt’s calling playing for someone other than Aaron Rodgers, outside of that one start that he had. So, that’s part of it.

Packers QB Jordan Love threw five INTs the last two games :: Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today Sports Images

“There hasn’t been a ton of consistency with the people on the field [due to injuries]. This is the first amount of tape that teams have on Jordan. ‘Well, this kid likes to do this. This is what he’s good at. He struggles to see that.’ That’s why it takes so much time to really find out what you’re good at and not good at. There’s going to be some really good moments and then some moments that don’t look as good.”

One of those not-good moments came last week against the Raiders, with Love throwing three interceptions in a 17-13 loss against a team with only one impact defensive player on the field and two starting defensive backs out with injuries.

While it’s true Love didn’t play well, it’s also true that receiver Romeo Doubs and tight end Luke Musgrave dropped passes on the final drive. So, rather than a chance to throw the game-winning touchdown pass, Love threw the game-ending interception.

“If those balls get caught, what’s the situation? It may not come down to, ‘Oh, my gosh, a third interception to end the game. This kid stinks,’” Orlovsky said.

This bye week has given LaFleur time to find some answers and Love a moment to exhale before getting back into the grind.

Love entered the season with the unbridled support of his teammates, who went out of their way to make it clear they were all-in on Love following the offseason trade of Rodgers, the four-time MVP and franchise icon.

Now what? Against Detroit, the Packers had negative net passing yards while trailing by three touchdowns. Against Las Vegas, even a decent performance would have been enough to win the game given how well Green Bay’s defense played.

“The mind-set coming off of that is something to really pay attention to,” Orlovsky said. “It’s really hard when you have to walk into that locker room of grown men who are so used to winning in that place and you being the new guy, essentially, in that role and you being part of the reason why the loss happens. That’s hard. You’ve got to have really thick skin and a big-boy mentality and outgrind it.

“There’s a lot to like. I’m super-interested to see what he looks like next week.”

More Green Bay Packers News

Former NFL MVP QB Rich Gannon had a great analogy about the speed of the game when we talked about #Packers QB Jordan Love this week. ⬇️⬇️https://t.co/Ce8ODkA8uG

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 13, 2023

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