How Jordan Love can have success leading the Green Bay Packers in Year 1 as their starter.
Wins aren't the most important thing when it comes to Jordan Love's first season as the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback.
You have to remember that Aaron Rodgers wasn't always playing winning football in Year 4 out of Cal in his first season as the Green Bay starter with the 2008 Packers. Of course, he would lead the team to its most recent Super Bowl appearance and victory two years later in 2010. He leaves Green Bay a future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, mostly because he is a four-time MVP…
So if we want to take a blueprint out of the Rodgers playbook, success for Love in Year 1 as the Packers' starter needs to look somewhat similar. Now what does that look like exactly in 2023?
What success looks like for Jordan Love in first year as Green Bay Packers starter
The good news for the Packers is this was always going to be a two-year runway for Love. Why else would they essentially give him the rough equivalent of the fifth-year option without it actually being the fifth-year option? In short, we are going to know if Love is the guy for the Packers around Thanksgiving of next year. We are looking for any signs of promise in Year 1.
From a team standpoint, you want to see the players on the field have positive body language when playing with him. You can fake it verbally, but these subtle cues could tell us more than words ever could. If he can demonstrate great leadership qualities in his first season as the starter, that will go a long way as well. Of course, he has to make plays beyond that of a game manager…
Overall, we are going to need to see the game slow down for him as the weather starts to change. If he is still playing frenetically and unsure of himself by around Halloween, that's not a good sign. Surely, Green Bay has enough talent to win around six games this season. The big question is if Love can be a difference maker to get them around two or three more. 9-8 would be a great mark.
Ultimately, we don't need to worry about wins, just poise and progress. The NFC North may be more winnable than people realize because the Detroit Lions (the Detroit Lions!) are the favorites to host a home playoff game. 10-7 may be what it takes to do that. Green Bay may be a game or two short with Love, but come 2024, hopefully, he will have done enough to take this to 11, baby!
Success for Love is all about ensuring confidence in the Packer faithful that he is a guy long-term.