GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) \u2014 Jordan Love doesn\u2019t necessarily agree with the assertion that he and the Green Bay Packers took a step back last season.<\/p>\n
But the Packers quarterback is certain about this much: It\u2019s time for his team and his game to take a major step forward.<\/p>\n
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Love heads into his third season as a starter coming off a three-interception performance in the team\u2019s season-ending NFC first-round playoff loss<\/a> to the Philadelphia Eagles but believing he\u2019s on a team capable of winning the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n Whether Love and his teammates reach that goal depends in part on how much Love improves his game and whether he can avoid the injuries that sidelined him for 2 1\/2 games last season. Love begrudgingly admitted those injuries affected his play.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re talking about Super Bowl. That\u2019s the goal for us,\u201d Love said Wednesday following the first open-to-reporters organized team activity practice of the offseason. \u201cI\u2019m definitely trying to be that guy to be able to take this team and lead them to that.\u201d<\/p>\n Love suffered a left knee injury<\/a> in the closing moments of the team\u2019s season-opening loss<\/a> to the Eagles in Brazil, with the injury sidelining him for the next two games, both of which the Packers won with backup Malik Willis<\/a> under center.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Love then sustained the left groin injury<\/a> during an Oct. 29 win at Jacksonville,<\/a> just as his knee was getting back to full health. He admitted that the injuries might\u2019ve had an effect on his accuracy and mobility, but insisted they were no excuse for not playing better.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously it\u2019s not fun playing through injuries, but sometimes those (are) things you\u2019ve got to do,\u201d said Love, who finished the 2024 season with a 61.3% completion rate and a 96.7 passer rating, with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. \u201cThere might\u2019ve been some things that might\u2019ve been affected, but at the end of the day, I\u2019m still trying to put my best foot forward and I\u2019ve got to go out there and be the best player I can be.\u201d<\/p>\n Love raised expectations inside and outside Lambeau Field with his torrid finish to the 2023 season, when he completed 70.3% of his passes for 2,150 yards with 18 touchdowns and only one interception (112.7 rating) over the final eight regular-season games. Love then led a first-round playoff upset<\/a> of the No. 2-seeded Dallas Cowboys on the road.<\/p>\n Packers coach Matt LaFleur disputed the notion Wednesday that Love struggled in 2024, pointing not only to the injuries but the 33 passes his receivers dropped during the regular season \u2014 tied for the third most in the league.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n “I think there\u2019s a narrative out there for whatever reason that he wasn\u2019t as productive as the year before,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cWell, he missed significant time (with injuries) \u2026 and also \u2014 let\u2019s be honest, we\u2019ve talked about this \u2014 we did have a lot of drops last year.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, there\u2019s other circumstances that play into it.\u201d<\/p>\n LaFleur said he liked what he\u2019s seen from Love this offseason and how he\u2019s handling a myriad of new challenges. Those challenges include transitioning from having 71-year-old Tom Clements<\/a> as his position coach to having 33-year-old Sean Mannion in that role, trying to keep all his wide receivers happy when there are only so many passes to go around and rising to LaFleur\u2019s publicly stated challenge that Love needs to be more of a vocal leader in his sixth NFL season.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s already doing that,\u201d veteran running back Josh Jacobs said of Love\u2019s altered leadership approach. \u201cHe definitely has been more vocal, whether it\u2019s at practice or even in the meetings. If he sees something he doesn\u2019t like, he\u2019s speaking up. \u2026 I\u2019ve definitely seen a big change in him.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n NOTES: Jayden Reed, the Packers\u2019 leading receiver the past two seasons, insisted he\u2019s not worried about his role in the offense, despite a report that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, contacted the team looking for clarity about his client\u2019s role. \u201cA lot of people misinterpreted that,\u201d Reed said. \u2026 LaFleur said wide receiver Christian Watson, recovering from a torn ACL<\/a> in his right knee suffered in the Jan. 5 regular-season finale, is \u201cdoing outstanding. I would say he\u2019s ahead of schedule, but I\u2019m not a doctor.\u201d \u2026 LaFleur confirmed that the team will have two joint practices this summer, one at Indianapolis and another at home against the Seattle Seahawks. … The Packers will begin training camp July 23.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n