Knowing the importance to his effectiveness as an improvising passer, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love prioritized getting better while throwing on the run during the offseason.
Love said he worked on getting his shoulders square and finishing throws when he’s moving to both his left and right.
“One thing I’ve been working on a lot this offseason is throwing on the run,” Love said in an AMA video on Bleacher Report. “I think that’s a big part of my game. Being able to extend plays when plays go off schedule, whether you’re going left or going right, being able to get your shoulders down to the target and being able to finish throws. I think that’s a huge part of my game last season and something I’m really looking to build on this year.”
The stats back up Love’s desire to improve on the run, even if some of his highlight plays — like the incredible third-down touchdown pass to Jayden Reed vs. the Buccaneers — were throws on the run. He can certainly do it, but improving consistency is always the leap required to go from good to great.
According to Pro Football Focus, Love ranked fifth in the NFL in passer rating when throwing the ball in under 2.5 seconds — generally the time it takes to deliver a pass within the structure of a designed passing play. When he held the ball past 2.5 seconds, his passer rating dropped by over 10 points and his turnover worthy play percentage was almost four times higher.
Love certainly wasn’t bad when playing off schedule — his 27 big-time throws when holding the ball past 2.5 seconds ranked tied for second in the NFL. But he also threw 11 picks (third most) and completed under 60 percent of his throws.
Of course, his final pass of the 2023 season was an interception thrown while he was buying time to his right in the waning moments of the Packers’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round.
Improving his accuracy and decision-making when on the run to either side of the field could turn Love into one of the NFL’s most dangerous off-schedule quarterbacks.
The chaos factor ramps up when going off schedule. Defenders are flying all over the field and receivers have to break off routes and get on the same page as the quarterback. While on the move, throwing accurately can become a bigger challenge, and careless turnovers often become more likely.
Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers was the king at buying time and creating something out of nothing, but it’s no way to live as a quarterback down in and down out.
Still, quarterbacks must be able to improvise when a play breaks down and create big plays out of structure. And in an offense like Matt LaFleur’s, throwing on the move is a pre-requisite.
Back in May, Love said he also wanted to work on improving his “pocket movement,” especially in terms of staying poised inside the pocket and making sure he’s able to make the right small moves to buy time. While improvising outside the pocket can sometimes create important plays, especially in big situations like third down and the red zone, the best quarterbacks can play consistently and effectively from the pocket each and every Sunday.
