Green Bay had their annual family night practice game…the typical non-contact practice/game, but this being an 11-on-11 and played mostly like a real game with the clock and chains moving, etc., but with no contact/tackling.
Now, the event was no joke, totally, because the Packers organization only allowed a local station to broadcast the game AND when some outlet tried to stream it online -- the Packers management swiftly had it taken down. The Packers president stated that they did not want the game out there in too many places for competitive advantage reasons (to not let the other teams see some things).
I mention that to let you know that while the play was non-contact and thus it’s hard to get a full read on players within that -- do know that the starters and rotations, I think, are to be taken seriously…they’re clues to the coach’s mindsets right now. And looking at my notes and some bootleg footage -- I think we cannot ignore/shrug off some of the game notes here.
-- A lot of QB news and comments to discuss…
1) Jordan Love is the clear starter, and he does look good running the offense…but that’s the thing…he LOOKS good with no pressure. The more of these practices that I watch with the giant foam helmets and the no contact -- it’s really ridiculous that we (analysts) even try to glean anything from these activities. In this case/’game’, I’m watching Love drop back into the pocket and set up without a care in the world of anything going on around him. The ‘touch’ sacks on him don’t stop the play and don’t phase him…he just sits back there with an unrealistic amount of time and makes his throws. So, he LOOKS great…he really does look like a legit NFL QB…kinda looks like Patrick Mahomes just a touch.
But I’ve seen Love wilt under pressure…under the bright lights with contact happening. But I’ve also seen moments where he looks OK under the bright lights too. He’s also had one sweet college season…followed by a disappointing clunker season. I saw him have a great 2021 preseason…then a dud preseason 2022. I’ve seen him have a great Senior Bowl practice, followed by a mess the next day.
In reality, I make strong overall J. Love predictions right now -- but I really don’t know what we’re gonna get any given week. I’m just going to kinda stay away from this situation for FF. I’m going to play it neutral and not as hard ‘anti’ as I have the last few weeks. I know two things that are in his favor…
a) The organization is heavily vested…monetarily and vocationally. This was THEIR guy. Love will get every chance in the world and then some.
b) We saw from the 2022 season -- anyone with solid skills can succeed in the NFL at QB. We got the rise of Geno, Dan Jones, Purdy, Trevor…and Tua, to name a few, rising up to shocking heights. Love could stay within himself and the offense and if he gets good blocking -- he could do OK. So could Sam Howell and Ridder and Baker/Trask, etc.
I need to tamper down my anti-Love ways…QB scouting is more about: (a) Do you have some skills? (b) Do you have a solid O-Line? (c) Are you in a progressive or restrictive offense/who is your HC and O-C?
Love has some skills. The GB O-Line is OK. I don’t love the coaching. Could all equate to just a ‘meh’, erratic 2023.
2) The Love-Clifford-McGough QB group has shown enough that recently listed #2 QB Danny Etling got cut after the game. They just don’t need him because the other three guys have some NFL skills and moxie to varying degrees…and Etling doesn’t. This is good news for the other two QBs we haven’t mentioned yet…
3) Sean Clifford was moved to 4th-string recently, with the arrival of Alex McGough a few weeks ago. I still like Clifford, but I feared he was going to miss an opportunity to be a ‘Brock Purdy’ candidate for 2023 and maybe be a shock starter at some point for GB in a 2023 crisis and surprise everyone with his decent abilities right away. That notion seemed to be waning since McGough arrived -- but watching some of Clifford’s work in this ‘game’ -- I thought he still looked promising for a rookie. Has a nice zip on the ball. Has nice feet. Definitely a ‘rookie’ but that’s not the fear, in a rookie season, that it used to be.
4) Alex McGough was solid as well, but in this event -- there wasn’t enough tape of it for me to really tell the big difference (or not) between him and Clifford. For whatever that is worth.
In the end, seeing snippets of all these GB QBs…Love by far looks the part/the most talented…but everything is so protected and almost ‘touch football’ it’s impossible to really tell who can play when the bullets are flying…and that’s where I think McGough could have a slight advantage -- he’s played in more rougher/turbulent circumstances in the past year or two in the USFL…and Clifford’s been a star at Penn State…Love has been playing ‘touch football’ for the better part of four years now.
-- Aaron Jones played the most snaps at RB in this showcase…we think nearly double A.J. Dillon’s snaps. The thing that’s been true for multiple years with Jones-v-Dillon is already true in a friendly scrimmage game…JONES IS THE MAN for GB. Note: there were NO packages shown where Jones and Dillon were in the game together.
Tyler Goodson took a couple snaps at 1st-team RB…he’s the clear #3 RB now for Green Bay.
-- The leading WR in snaps was reportedly Jayden Reed…but basically the same count as Christian Watson-Romeo Doubs. Reed is the for sure #3 WR and he took most of his snaps working as the slot WR.
Samori Toure took the 4th-most snaps at WR…he is trying to unseat Doubs more than Reed, I think…but it’s not gonna happen.
Every tape I see from this camp (and last year’s from memory), in more serious 11-on-11, Doubs is easily covered by legit corners. He just does not have the juice to be a star WR…he has great hands, and people think that means ‘great WR’. He just catches everything in perfect, noncontact, shorts and t-shirt environments…is all.
-- There is no competition in the tight end race for the Packers…Luke Musgrave looks fantastic and is the starter, the clear starter. Tyler Davis seems to be the #2. Tucker Kraft is way back at #3 tight end…or was in this game’s rotation.
-- The Packers signed free agent SAF Jonathan Owens just a few days ago, and he’s already starting for them (apparently). He was in the 1st-team SAF group for this family night event. He had 125 tackles in 17 starts last season for Houston.
