30 Days Until Training Camp: Biggest Question at Offensive Line
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Exactly one month from today, Jordan Love will lead the Green Bay Packers onto the practice field for the first time during training camp.
The six-plus weeks to follow, obviously, will be a critical time for Love to build chemistry with his green-as-grass group of receivers. It also will be an important time for Love to get on the same page with the offensive line that will be protecting him on Sept. 10 at the Chicago Bears.
Frequently, plays – and games – are won or lost at the line of scrimmage. What is the defense showing before the snap, and how can the offense adjust? For instance, if a linebacker and safety are going to blitz from the strong side, how can the offense adapt to not just protect against the blitz but make the defense pay?
With more than 200 games of starting experience, former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a big hand in making those adjustments. The four-time MVP wasn’t fooled very often. That’s the benefit of a veteran quarterback. In a Baskin Robbins world of defenses, the Packers often tasted vanilla.
That’s certain to change with Love.
The pressure will be on Love and the entire offensive line – center Josh Myers front and, well, center – to see the game the same way.
“I think it puts more responsibility on me, for sure,” Myers said during minicamp. “Aaron’s not there to make sure we’re doing our stuff right (on the offensive line), and so it’s up to me at this point to make sure. I don’t have to rely on a quarterback to tell me if I’m doing it right or not. I just have to.”
Last season, even with David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins coming off torn ACLs, the Packers ranked seventh in sacks allowed (32) and sack percentage (5.68). It certainly wasn’t because of Rodgers’ youthful legs allowing him to run out of harm’s way. Rather, Rodgers’ experience and ability to adjust blocking assignments often put the line in advantageous positions to block whatever was coming.
Love doesn’t have the experience to adjust the blocking and the routes to the extent that Rodgers did over the years. That will part a larger onus on Myers and Co. to get the protection right.
“I guess for me, more than anything, I know I had the security blanket of Aaron being able to fix something,” Myers said. “So, sometimes, I wouldn’t make certain calls because I knew that he knew the right answer and he would make it. And now it’s kind of forcing me to learn more and to have the confidence to be like, ‘We’re doing this, and if it’s wrong, it’s on me, it’s my fault.’”
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