Jordan Love has had a certain unusual level of continuity in the NFL. He entered the league in 2020, and has been with the same team, the same head coach and offensive playcaller, the same offensive system for the Green Bay Packers. There is one area, though, where change has been inevitable: The position coach.
When Love was drafted in 2020, Luke Getsy was the quarterbacks coach. Two years later, he left the building to have offensive coordinator experiences with the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. Matt LaFleur accepted the idea of Aaron Rodgers and hired Tom Clements. The veteran was instrumental for Love's development, but decided to retire after last season.
Even though there were multiple options available, the decision to replace Clements was ultimately an easy one, and LaFleur prioritized, once again, continuity. After spending a year as a Packers offensive assistant, working primarily with the quarterbacks, Sean Mannion got promoted.
On Thursday, Mannion spoke to the media for the first time since he took the new job. For him, keeping the work Clements did is important for Love and the other quarterbacks, even though he will add some elements based on his own playing experience.
"It's the same staff. It's the same system. Now I'm stepping into a role that Tom had, so I want to make it familiar with Jordan, but I kind of sprinkle in some things from my own experience to maybe just change things up here and there, try to stimulate a couple things with his development," Mannion stressed. "But we want it to be familiar with Jordan and really just getting feedback from Matt, (offensive coordinator Adam) Stenavich, everybody in the QB room on how we can best support Jordan. Because, ultimately, that's what is most important."
Curiously, Luke Getsy will also be a part of the coaching staff. He returned last year on a consultant role, and this year was hired as a senior offensive assistant. Having both voices is impactful for Love, entering his third year as a starter.
What's to improve
Year 2 was some sort of disappointment for Jordan Love. After a stellar second half of his first season as a starter, Love had to handle multiple injuries, inconsistent receiver play, and the lack of his own consistency—Love tends to be like that, more explosive and with less play-by-play success.
Mannion believes their focus should be on technique, especially the footwork, for Love to keep progressing. That will allow him to marry individual performance with the offensive scheme.
"I think it's ownership of our progressions and timing and reading with our feet. And then just the fundamentals of the position," Mannion mentioned. "For me, it really starts with footwork. That's something that all quarterbacks need to focus on, but I know really when I first was exposed to it was with Matt in LA in 2017. It was kind of a foundational moment in my playing career. I got so much better from understanding how the footwork helps your accuracy. It helps your decision making, it helps the timing of the play."
Despite some ups and downs, Jordan Love has the trust inside the building. Sean Mannion pointed out what makes working alongside his starting quarterback easier.
"He's a great talent. He's a great person," Mannion added. "He's a great person to work with every day and he has great habits, so I think really when you combine those three things, really the sky is the limit. For him, what we're really trying to focus on I think is the fundamentals and the footwork. I think, like I kinda spoke before, that'll help you be your most consistent accuracy wise, decision making wise and timing wise."
For Matt LaFleur and the Packers, having and developing the right quarterback is the most important aspect of team-building. They have already found Jordan Love, and he has already gotten much better. In Year 3 as a starter, it's the perfect moment to leap from good to great.
