By his own admission, Love didn’t play well in his first NFL start at Kansas City last season, when he completed 19 of 34 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception (69.5 rating) in a 13-7 loss with Rodgers sidelined by COVID-19.
But against the Eagles, he looked like a different quarterback, and showed all the areas of improvement — decision-making, processing, footwork, rhythm and timing — that Clements had observed throughout training camp and in-season practices, where Love not only has run the scout team but got extended first-team snaps while Rodgers nursed a broken right thumb.
“I think since I came back this offseason, I think my confidence has just been rising every time I step on the field,” Love said. “I’m able to see myself make those plays, and it’s like, ‘I can do this, too.’ Obviously I’ve seen Aaron do a lot of things, and now I’m starting to do those, too. And I think, ‘If he can do it, I can do it too. So, let’s try it and see.’
“I think my confidence has just been building and building and building.”
Where that leads, of course, is anyone’s guess — including Love’s.
Speaking with reporters during his first in-season Q&A session of the year, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he doesn’t feel the need to play Love in the team’s final four games — starting with next Monday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field — instead of the 39-year-old Rodgers to feel better about Love succeeding Rodgers if Rodgers decides to retire.
“We’re really pleased with his progression and what he’s been able to do,” Gutekunst said last week. “I think that it would be really good for him (to play in games), the growth that you need to go through, seeing things for the first time, making those mistakes that you need to make. But I think from our end of it, we’ve seen what we need to see.”
https://madison.com/sports/football/professional/jordan-love-s-mentality-my-confidence-has-just-been-rising-every-time-i-step-on/article_94d579f3-ce1b-53cb-892d-7106656be9d5.html
Jason Wilde wrote: