Cory’s Corner: More Pressure Is On Jordan Love

The pressure was on Jordan Love the moment he signed his $200 million contract. 

That pressure has been turned up a notch thanks to how things look at the Packers running back position. Josh Jacobs suffered a quad injury last year and his contact per carry (2.35 yards) was the lowest mark of his career. He also had a hamstring injury in the offseason workout program and he suffered a groin injury in training camp. 

There was speculation that MarShawn Lloyd would begin the season on either the PUP list or the injured reserve. That didn’t happen as the rookie tap danced with a hamstring injury that was sandwiched between a hip injury that he dealt with at the beginning of camp. 

“It’s one thing to sit in the classroom, learn it, or, even when you’re behind seeing other guys run the exact plays that you’re going to run and you’re trying to take mental reps, it’s a lot different than hearing the calls made in the huddle, lining up properly, doing all those things,” said Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans. 

Lloyd was my favorite pick the Packers made this past spring and Packers Nation is in for a treat if he can show off his explosiveness that earned him a third round pick. He can do so many things and at USC he has made a knack out of turning routine plays into highlights.

Then there’s Emanuel Wilson. The second-year pro was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Fort Valley State last year. He played in seven games and had 14 rushing attempts. He raised a lot of eyebrows in preseason with his electricity and it looked like he found another gear from last year. He also looks a lot more confident. But there’s a very strong possibility that Wilson is the primary backup at some point this season due to injuries.

Finally, I cannot forget AJ Dillon. He will not play for the Packers this season after suffering a neck injury in a joint practice with Denver. But let’s be honest, Dillon didn’t have a good camp. He often second guessed himself at the line of scrimmage. Now, someone like Barry Sanders could get away with that because he had staccato feet and Dillon does not. Dillon just needs to keep his legs churning keep going north and south. With the neck injury, there’s a chance that Dillon doesn’t put on a pro helmet again just like former Packers safety Nick Collins. 

So the Packers are rolling into the season with two guys that have been peppered with injuries and one that is still green with inexperience. 

That means that Love will be forced to carry more of a burden. He does have plenty of able pass catchers and he has shown that he isn’t afraid to run with it as well. But instead of the offense being run through the running backs, it will have to be run through Love, just because I don’t see the top two running backs making it through the entire season unscathed. 

Does that mean that Packers coach Matt LaFleur will likely call more passes on third-and-3? It certainly could. We could also see some type of option setup where Love can run it himself, pitch it or throw it. 

The beauty of this offense is that there are so many ways that it can beat you. Even if two of the top running backs go down with injury, Love could still carve up an opposing defense because he has never cared who gets the ball. He simply finds the guy that’s open. 

The stakes are now raised for Love. But even if the top running backs are injured, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft are an absolute nightmare to cover.

Maybe with injured running backs  means that the play-action won’t be used as often, but that’s fine. Love will just beat defenses presnap anyway.