Packers and Jordan Love - Hope is the Word

Jersey Al is pouring it all out trying to make some sense of the Packers drafting Jordan Love.

What the hell happened last night? I'm still in a bit of shock so I wanted to pour it all out here.

First, this is not at all about Jordan Love. Frankly, I'm unqualified to opine on quarterbacks and what their NFL future might be. You could substitue another QB's name for Love's and nothing in this article would change. SO, having established that, let's proceed.

I guess I was naive, or maybe just a victim of blind loyalty to my future HOF quarterback. 

I'll be honest, I smirked a little whenever I read one of you in the comments talking about how they can cut Rodgers in two years and plotting on who the Packers might be able to trade for or draft to replace him. Pfft, I'd say. Rodgers isn't going anywhere, he has four years left on his contract, he intends to play for at least that long and the Packers will surely accomodate him. The Packers' best chance at a Super Bowl in the next four years is still with Rodgers as the QB, I would rationalize. 

Well, last night was a kick in the nuts.

I used a good number of words on here to express my distaste for even thinking about drafting a quarterback this year. TOO SOON, I said. The blueprint in vogue right now is to clean house, free up a ton of cap space, draft your quarterback, and use the draft and that cap space to build a contending team around him while you have that QB dirt cheap for 4-5 years. Is that what's going to happen here? No.

Whether you thought the Packers were real contenders last year or pretenders at 13-3, do you see them scrapping everything next year and starting from scratch with Jordan Love as the new franchise quarterback? No.

Can I rationalize this as the identical move that Ted Thompson made when the Packers still had Brett Favre? It's not, as succinctly put by Packers super fan Kyle Cousineau.

 

I've seen people theorize that this was a move to light a fire under Rodgers' ass and stack another chip on his shoulder that will motivate him to prove the Packers wrong? While it could have an effect, can we believe that the Packers would do this specifically for that reason? No.

Is this merely a power play by Gutekunst and LaFleur to wrest the team identity away from Rodgers and let everyone know this is THEIR team and Rodgers better fall in line and do things THEIR way? Not likely.

Was it really necessary for them to trade up 4 spots? We will never know. While the teams in front of them were not considered likely to be drafting a quarterback, neither were the Packers. What I think happened was that teams with early second round picks that needed a quarterback tried to trade into Green Bay's spot. The Packers declined, but had to figure if those teams were calling them, they surely were calling the teams in front of the Packers. So Gutey did what he had to do to get his guy.

Are they truly in love with Love and firmly believe he can be the third straight Hall of Fame level quarterback for the Green Bay Packers?  THIS is what we HAVE to HOPE it is.

Admittedly, I've been firmly in a WIN NOW mindset. Why? Becasue the biggest thing I feared for my beloved Packers was the future. After being so incredibly lucky to have back-to-back HOF quarterbacks, what would life be like for us Packers fans with a pedestrian QB leading our team? It's something I avoided thinking about too much because the spector of such a scenario was downright depressing.

So all I have here is hope. Hope that the Packers have found their underappreciated diamond. Their Patrick Mahomes, their Lamar Jackson. Quarterbacks that saw others drafted ahead of them, but turned out to be infinitely better than those that preceeded them. 

HOPE. It's all I have.

 

 

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__________________________

"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of many hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He is also a recovering Mason Crosby truther.  Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP

__________________________

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11 points
 

Comments (168)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
WilsonMaywick's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:40 am

Totally agree Al. As of right now, Raheem Mostert is STILL running all over our defense.

10 points
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sonomaca's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:58 am

I think that’s exactly what the Pack saw. Gute figured that there was nothing they could do in this draft to unseat the Niners. So, why try? What’s the point of getting crushed in SF yet again. Might was well look to the future.

If the Pack are in the first stages of rebuild mode, look for the Pack to draft high upside offensive linemen.

-7 points
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mrtundra's picture

April 26, 2020 at 08:39 am

In Rounds 6,7 and 8, the Pack did go heavy on O lInemen. Rebuilding starting now!

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Leatherhead's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:40 am

Yeah, but if we’d taken a WR or OT it would still be true, we just wouldn’t have so much whining.

#Surprised and Optimitic.

I think next draft, we just have to find out who Jersey Al and the Cognoscenti don’t want the most and that’ll be our pick..

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x24's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:41 am

You've managed to turn my disdain this morning into hope...

7 points
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Paul_from_Scotland's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:43 am

To most Packers fans, obtaining a backup QB for the injury-prone legend #12 was probably 5th or 6th biggest need. For the Packers, it seems like ILB, OL, are not as high a need as for fans (they know more than we do about future contracts/ potential talent/ scheme).

So, you could argue that this is them simply taking the best player available at say their 4th biggest area of need.

I don't think it is necessary to think much deeper about it than that. If Love is developed, plays well in relief and in pre-season he could be traded for a 1st or 2nd round pick.

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JerseyAl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:05 am

You don't pick a quarterback in the first round to be a backup and then trade him down the line. Ron Wolf did the backup QB churn the best, but never with a high draft pick. A QB pick in the first round means you are looking at him as your future starter.

15 points
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sonomaca's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:15 am

Yep. Plus, Love is part of the QB “new wave”. Mahomes, Jackson, and Kyler are doing really well, it turns out. The run-and-gun club, to which Rodgers once belonged, but no more.

0 points
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Packers2020's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:22 am

Love is none of those guys.

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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:18 am

Correct, Rodgers is likely QB #1 for 2 more years due to the dead money in his contract. There is a chance a team trades for Rodgers after that and the Packers could demand a 1st rounder. This will be interesting moving forward but Love WILL start in the next 4 years.

5 points
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Leatherhead's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:57 am

24 hours ago, openly stating Rodgers had two years left would rile a bunch of folks . Reality.

As for this season, it looks like our starting offense is already under contract and that the GM is thinking about the organization’s future......and his. If Love is ready to rock in two years then Gutekunst is in a better position to argue for a new contract. If he’s not, and we haven’t won a Super Bowl, then Gute is probably gone.

He’s an improvement at the most important position...probably. We’re not worse than we were last year on offense.

0 points
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Cubbygold's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:31 pm

Well, we did lose Bulaga. I'm not sure I'd take this year's starting 11 over last year. Hopefully TE has been upgrade through addition by subtraction (though it'd be nice to have lewis back).

0 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 03:04 pm

Belichick started Marshall Newhouse. Get the ball out faster to better WRs. Still a lot of draft capital to use on playmakers.

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Razer's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:23 am

...A QB pick in the first round means you are looking at him as your future starter...

Bottom-line truth. Let's just hope that this isn't a Deshone Kizer first round hope. Hard to get behind this pick.

2 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:50 am

Kiser was a two pick and Love transcends his level of play. Lynch moved up to bag Aiyuk who was probably one of Gutedkunst's targets. Love had a first round grade. Nobody saw Carroll moving for Brooks who was projected to the second or high third. The Queen story still seems flat and is an over-rated guy. If Gutey sat at #30 both LBs would still be gone and the RT from Georgia. He said he sniffed the board for trades from #20 to #40 and was given this shot. Miami secured Jackson @ # 18 as predicted. Who was left for O lineman? Jones has a guard's rating. It was the BPA choice.

5 points
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shmelbs's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:56 am

Well said, jannesbjornson. I'm not sure Queen is overrated at #30 where the Packers were, but it's possible someone else would've taken him before us, and it's possible someone would have leapfrogged us to nab Love. We'll never know. Gutey said Love was a high value pick. As GM, he has to balance win-now AND continue-winning-for-years AND the budget AND player contracts AND etc. etc. etc.

I don't even like the Love pick, much less love it. But that's because I have the luxury of being a casual fan, not a GM. Let's let the rest of the draft and post-draft process play out and see where we are, then. After that, we congregate in small, six-feet-apart groups with pitchforks and torches.

2 points
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dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:25 am

See: Rosen, Josh.

1 points
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jh9's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:48 pm

I'm with you, dobber. I think the Packers pulled the trigger too soon. The timing doesn't make sense.

BG should have used his first-round pick to get someone who can help the Packers win now and used that 4th round pick in a trade with Miami for Rosen.

Josh Rosen has talent, but has been a victim of terrible luck in his NFL career. He has been with the wrong team at the wrong time. But he is still younger than Joe Burrow.

I would have rather had Rosen backing up Rodgers for a year or two to see what he has got. If he didn't work out, then use a top draft pick to get Rodgers' replacement.

1 points
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packerbackerjim's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:40 am

Can you imagine the furor if Wolf trades a 1st for a disinterested 2nd round selection the year before? Oh to have had CHTV then. Site would probably have crashed, fatally!

2 points
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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:16 pm

Yeah, Prodigy was pretty unreliable dial-up.

1 points
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goguihc's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:45 am

Great read!
I'm in with the pick! If it pans out as GM expects (big IF) I think getting a future franchise QB, no matter when, is much better than getting a stud defender or WR.

1 points
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Harold Drake's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:55 am

Packers' fans who like me are in a state of shock should read this compelling critique by Brad Gagnon at Bleacher Report:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2888381-packers-nonsensical-decision...

3 points
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murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:11 am

He has his opinion that might be right or wrong, but as my brilliant Father who owned a newspaper once told me...”son, believe half of what you read”. Enough said.

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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:19 am

He is a journalist, not a scout

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murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:20 am

Most of These comments come from the media, and even if they were scouts their success rate amounts to around 50-50 as well.

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JerseyAl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:36 am

Maybe it's just me, I didn't find much that was "compelling" about it.

6 points
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dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:24 am

Much about focusing on what the Packers didn't do as what they did.

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Mojo's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:56 am

Sure, that's what they call analysis.

1 points
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D.D.Driver's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:03 pm

STEP 1: Dig out old opinion piece about the 2005 draft.
STEP 2: Control F for "Rodgers" and replace with "Love"
STEP 3: Control F for "Favre" and replace with "Rodgers"
STEP 4: Control F for "Thompson" and replace with "Gutekunst"
STEP 5: Harvest clicks

0 points
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Mojo's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:54 am

What most posters are ignoring is the cap hits GB would take if they traded Rodgers. Over 30mil the first two years and 17 in the third. From a practical standpoint it makes him untradeable for three years.

That means Love sits for three years - minimum, and GB blows the three years of the cheap rookie contract that makes it so much easier to build around him. Plus, after three or even four to five years if Rodgers meets his goals, we won't know whether Love's any good. Then he's a FA.

Or the Pack sits Rodgers and still pay him his over $30mil a year to grumble on the sideline.

The time to pick a QB was in a few years unless they're moving on from Rodgers now. I don't see that happening. It's just going to raise conflict, with little upside in the present.

Horrible pick Gute. Horrible.

5 points
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Cubbygold's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:24 pm

Agree. The time to decide on a change was 2 years ago, or 2 years from now.

What I don't understand is why Gute is still making 'win now' decisions. Why are they paying Crosby $4M if they're not doing everything they can to win a superbowl in the next 2 years. He's not going to be kicking in 2025. Use that money to pay KC. Use that money to front load some contracts.

Seems odd to make a 'win now' move like keeping Crosby and then make a 'win later' move by passing on an instant starter at WR.

0 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

April 24, 2020 at 03:46 pm

Yup @Mojo and @Cubbygold.

Also, it is hard to reconcile restructuring AR and push $11M overall into being dead money in 2020 and $2.85M extra for each season, 2021 and beyond.

My answer is that GB is more interested in making the playoffs every year than winning a super bowl.

1 points
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Cubbygold's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:28 pm

I thought the article did a good job of summarizing the confusion of this pick. It's not just that they drafted a QB when Rodgers contract is what it is. It's not just that they traded up. It's not just that they effectively decided to pass on drafting a good WR at 30.

It's all of those things combined that make the decision a confusing one to understand. It's one thing to have a clear focus and then succeed/fail based on how the seasons develop. NO being a perfect example these past few years. Failing with a well executed plan is one thing. Failing because you don't have a clear vision is just unforced errors.

-1 points
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Handsback's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:59 am

When do take a replacement QB? Not when you need him, it has to be before that happens. Will Love be the guy that sustains the Packers playoff runs? Who else could you pick that would make a difference?
All questions that Gutsey struggled with before the pick. Will Mims be the All-Pro receiver that Green Bay needs next season, probably not. Will Queen make the difference in stopping a team's run game? Again I doubt it. Love has the chance to make a difference in the Packers continuing to go to the playoffs or not.
I hope Gutsey is right. No use crying over spilled milk on who they could have gotten...just enjoy the young QB's development. BTW...if Love had Burrow's receiver and RB corp do you think he would have lasted to the end of the first round?

13 points
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murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:03 am

Handsback....I like where your thinking is going now!

4 points
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Cubbygold's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:34 pm

I think a likely counterpoint would be, if Love played against the type of defenses that Burrow faced, do you think his stats would be as impressive?

Utah State doesn't face nearly the same competition. However, we're lucky because Utah State did face LSU last year. Love's team scored six points, and he threw 3 interceptions...

0 points
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

April 24, 2020 at 03:51 pm

You take a QB when you need one, not before you need one if your team is close.

I don't agree with the premise. Taking Love is probably sound policy according to the accountants. Um, wait, I am a numbers guy, but I am in win-now mode with a clear policy, rather than zig-zag, going off on tangents and diversions from the main purpose: WIN NOW.

0 points
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murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:02 am

Great article Al.....I had to ask myself this question....do I think one late 1st round draft pick would make the difference of winning a SB in the next two years? Probably not, this is a team game with 53 players, most all needed to win. Then my thoughts went to, what if this QB after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers turns out to be a Franchise QB, and provide us with 15 more years of consistently being in the playoffs, would I take this risk? YES I would. With those thoughts in mind, I’m all in and hoping for the best for Love to learn under the tutelage ofAaron Rodgers and become our next Franchise QB! Here’s to you Mr. Love. GPG.

8 points
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JerseyAl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:09 am

"what if this QB after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers turns out to be a Franchise QB, and provide us with 15 more years of consistently being in the playoffs, would I take this risk? YES I would."

There is your HOPE.

6 points
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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:29 am

That is certainly what Gute is banking on. Even as a one whom likes this pick, this pick absolutely defines Gutekunst GM career with the Packers. Just as acquiring Favre defined Ron Wolf and drafting Aaron Rodgers defined Ted Thompson.

5 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:55 am

Well, it sure wasn't the Graham signing.

2 points
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murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 02:55 pm

Of course if it works out the naysayers won’t give Gutey credit just like they don’t with TT.

1 points
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Packers2020's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:27 am

So you are saying that if we could not have found a player in the first round to help stuff the run which was almost the sole reason we did not go to the SB, we should look to the future and pick a QB. Who has 3rd round talent by the way.

I hope I eat my words in 2 years from now but I think we are going to be in for a unpleasant awakening. IMO, Jordan Love is not a franchise QB.

-10 points
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Lphill's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:54 am

Patrick Queen was there for the taking rated number 1 over Murray against the run . Who would help more against the run this season Queen or Love?

0 points
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gkarl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:26 am

Good question. I do believe Love as a higher RAS.

0 points
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CheesyTex's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:01 am

Kudos to Al and murf.

One additional thought: With 1#2 at QB over next two seasons, we all expect Pack to do well AND therefore end up at the tail end of the draft. It's probable that Gute & Co. believed this was their best shot at getting their best HOPE for a franchise QB via draft.

Don't want to get into the LaF vs. #12 thing, but from the look on his face MLF was clearly pleased with the pick. HOPE is that #12 was all in for Love as his backup.

3 points
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D.D.Driver's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:59 pm

I'm with you. Some have describe this as a high risk/high reward move. I disagree. It is medium risk/high reward and worth a shot.

You are 100% on point: the 30th pick is highly unlikely to be a difference maker. The last time the Packers drafted 30th? Damarious Randall. Is a Randall-level player really the guy who is going to put the Packers over the top this year?

The whole notion that Gutekunst is refusing to WIN NOW! is ridiculous. There are exceptions (Clay Matthews) but drafting in the high 20s you almost always end up with a developmental player. Did Kenny Clark help the Packers WIN NOW! back in '16? Aren't we glad we have him now? Unless you are draft in the top 10-12 the draft is always about the future.

4 points
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Demon's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:12 pm

And last year we took Gary who the packers from day 1 said needed development. Sk tell me again how we are in win now mode?

I dont see Gute having a clear cut plan. It seems scattershot at best.

0 points
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Guam's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:04 am

I don't love this pick, but I didn't love the Rodgers pick in 2005 either. I was in win now mode with Favre then and I am in win now mode with Rodgers now. Having said that, Gute is a smart man and he has to know that he is betting his future on this pick. I believe Gutekunst was in Green Bay when Thompson picked Rodgers and saw the fan reaction then. He had to know before hand that this would be an unpopular pick for all of the obvious reasons.

The only conclusion is that Gute loves Jordan Love and believes he is the next franchise QB for the Packers. If he is right, all will be forgiven. If he is wrong, he will lose his job and be forever vilified as the guy who wasted Rodgers last few years. Jersey Al is right - all we have is hope now because we won't be able to really answer this question for another 2-4 years. Sigh......….

6 points
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Irish_Cheesehead's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:54 am

He won't lose his job over one pick that doesn't pan out. If GMs had to get ever pick correct, there would be no GMs. Let's see how rounds 2-7 go.

2 points
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dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:27 am

"I believe Gutekunst was in Green Bay when Thompson picked Rodgers and saw the fan reaction then."

Hats off to Al and the CHTV staff for rapidly rebuilding the site after the fans burned it down last night.

5 points
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Guam's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:23 pm

Cookie for Dobber!

1 points
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Cubbygold's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:39 pm

Very good point about Gute. He did not make this decision lightly. He knows the magnitude of this decision and the impact it'll have on his career, and he made it anyway....

0 points
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PackfanNY's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:09 am

I would sum it up like this:

Things I heard Packers fans say before drafting Love:

“Aaron Rodgers is clearly on the decline.” “Packers are one injury to Rodgers from season over”. “It could take the Packers YEARS before we find a QB replacement”. “Let’s face it folks, Aaron is just not the same guy since he got hurt” I have plenty more comments but you get the idea.

Packers fans AFTER drafting Love:

“Aaron Rodgers doesn’t deserve this”. “How can they do this to Rodgers”. “Why do they need to draft a QB now?”.

Rodgers is not going anywhere soon. Or at least for 3 years. But always remember, Failing to PLAN is planning to FAIL.

12 points
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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:55 am

What you are saying is very true. I am one whom believes Rodgers is in decline. He is not close to the QB he was in 2014 nor would I expect him to be. He is still good but this is decline......The way Rodgers plays does not lend itself well to playing into his 40s, holding the ball for 7 or 8 seconds and taking sacks and scrambling out of the pocket in your late 30s lends itself to injury as we have seen before......Brady and Brees are playing into their 40s by getting rid of the ball very quickly and taking minimal hits....Rodgers has a history of major injury and approaching 37.....

8 points
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Slim11's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:29 am

Absolutely agree! Rodgers won't play until he's 40 unless he starts getting rid of the ball sooner. I've said this before...his physical makeup isn't the same as Farve's. He's not the ironman Brett was. Time caught up with him too.

2 points
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PackfanNY's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:33 am

Father Time is undefeated. I see Rodgers as QB1 for maybe the next 3 years. Barring injury. Love will still be on his rookie deal. That gets Rodgers until he’s almost 40 years old. If you want to continue until 41 that still leaves Love on the option.

4 points
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PeteK's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:09 am

Thanks, for debunking all the conspiracy theories. We still have 8 picks, and a solid DT and ILB is still in range. As far as WR, I would sign the veteran Gabreil. At least now we have a good reason to watch the preseason. Also, remember Lafleur has a history of working well with QBs.

5 points
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stockholder's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:20 am

I've lost Hope AL. While I'll always respect your opinion. This was a power push. Love was expected to fall. They took Love to replace Rodgers. It would have been so much easier to bring in a veteran. And I still remember how Joe Theisman and Doug Williams changed the Redskins. Gutey just turned #12 into a number. The leadership has been replaced with doubt. You have to keep doors open by writing positives. But I'm ready to vomit. This was not a focus on winning!

-5 points
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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:04 am

Does it really matter if some analysts expected him to fall? If Love becomes a franchise QB it doesn't really matter all that matters is getting him. Conversely if Love is a bust, it would not matter if we was taken at 26 or 30 as he is a bust. Gute believes he is a future and went and got him by sacrificing a 4th. 3rd days picks are a lottery anyway.

4 points
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stockholder's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:20 am

Franchise? Gutey wants Rodgers Salary for Free Agency. Thats where he's gotten praise and knows it. Remember this guy is what TT became now. A GM. Management only look at numbers!

-6 points
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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:52 am

Mangement looks at winning and success

-1 points
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dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:28 am

That's exactly what they're paid to do , and exactly what you WANT them to do.

0 points
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stockholder's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:43 am

It will only take 1 or two bad games for you guys to scream Love. Gutey was after Rodgers salary. Gutey. is No draft wizard. His job status was sealed in Free Agency and he knew it. The Wrs drafted only caused Frustration with Rodgers. Gutey needed the money for his own glory.

-1 points
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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:32 pm

Yup..the first rough game he has.....and he will have a few as all young QBs do.....Packers Twitter will lose its collective mind

-1 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 03:02 pm

Some believed the Raiders would have made a move for him. Indy was in the hunt. Most fans don't do their homework or watch college ball.

1 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:02 am

See where your guy, Tee Higgins ends up, but he is not worth a one pick. There is plenty of action coming around later today. He can recover the four pick with some bundling.

3 points
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stockholder's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:12 am

Ok - He wasn't. Forty time dropped him. No body liked Brooks either and he made the first. Now you get to watch #12 get more frustrated with his Wrs. The pick should have been Queen. But I'm sure the other guys cleared the way for Love. It's still the budy system in whats good for the NFL as a whole.

0 points
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dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:30 am

" No body liked Brooks either and he made the first"

Apparently Pete Carroll and John Schneider did. Their opinion was the one that mattered.

0 points
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gkarl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:38 am

Warden Norton

This is a GD conspiracy that's what this is !

0 points
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Packers2020's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:20 am

AR has two years at most left with GB. In 2022, they save 22M in cap space. This year they save nothing and next year the save about 5M. Two years and he is gone.

2 points
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jannes bjornson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:05 am

Or, they have Love for five years on contract. Rodgers plays out three years to age 40 and decides if the Game still appeals to him. He's seen it all before with Favre, Montana, now Brady.

3 points
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stockholder's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:24 am

NO, they'll beg him to retire, and still try to give him money.

-2 points
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Ferrari-Driver's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:22 am

Love has the physical tools, but lacks one key component in my opinion which is the lack of expertise in reading defenses and processing the information before him quickly as required by exceptional NFL quarterbacks. Another key ingredient which is important and doesn't seem amenable to learning is accuracy. Love may be good enough in that area, but not among the elite by any means. Overall, I'm gravely disappointed in this pick would have preferred the Packers waited; primarily, I hope I'm just one of those Packer fans who lack foresight and I'm dead wrong.

-2 points
2
4
jannes bjornson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:08 am

How many of the QBs drafted in round One were two or three read guys? Love has a chance to learn the Pro Game behind Rodgers without the pressure to perform right off the bat.

6 points
6
0
murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:26 am

He was 65% and 62% completion rate his last two years.....look up favre’s numbers in college and maybe you will rethink your statement.

2 points
2
0
mnbadger's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:31 am

Thank you Jersey Al for polishing this turd with a heavy coat of hope. But for this pick to make sense, we have to HOPE one of the following occurs:
1. AR gets hurt
2. AR's play dramatically regresses
3. AR gets traded
I don't know about you, but I WILL NOT HOPE FOR ANY of those to happen!

-4 points
3
7
CJ Bauckham's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:50 am

4) Rodgers plays 3 more years, retires, and Love steps in seamlessly

I can hope for that one

-1 points
0
1
taarons420's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:45 pm

1 and 2 have already happened.

0 points
0
0
Adorabelle's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:35 am

The pick is certainly a future versus right now argument. When the Packers are in the 2021 playoffs and need a play, the fact that your number one draft pick is on the sidelines holding a clipboard is not helping.

But if the pick pans out it helps insure that the Packers are in the playoffs in 2024 and beyond.

As for all the what signal is this sending to Rodgers I will leave for others because we are all just guessing about that.

4 points
5
1
Qoojo's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:36 am

It was a nut punch last night, but I have thought about it some. I think the current pandemic might have been a big motivator for the pick, and that the packers graded the remaining QBs much lower than Love.

Consider this scenario: No college football, or a very abbreviated season, which is very possible. That would mean no QB pick in the next draft, if it's even reasonable to have a draft which would be based on the 2019 season mostly. Then next year football resumes to normal. If they don't take Love this year, it's 2022 before getting a shot at the heir QB. What if the board doesn't roll their way in 2022?

8 points
9
1
dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:38 am

Thanks, Qoojo, you've punched that 500-pound gorilla in the room right in the gut!

Nobody here is talking about the fact that we have no idea whether there will be meaningful football in 2020. I suspect they'll play something, but how many games? 8? 10?

As a college professor, we have no idea whether we're going to be open in the fall or all distance learning. If it's deemed unsafe for on-campus instruction, there won't be sports.

In the end, there's not likely to be a lot of development in 2020, and most help for the front-liners is going to come from FAs and 2019 holdovers.

2 points
2
0
Spock's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:01 pm

Qoojo, You said exactly what I was thinking when I saw this pick. You have to think GB being very cautious in FA this year was, in part, due to the strong consideration of an, at best shortened season, and possible non-season for college and the NFL. I am not optimistic that this pandemic is just going to go away any time soon and until a vaccine is readily available (we're told a year to a year and a half away) I don't visualize any way stadium sports can be played. That sucks as a fan, but we have far larger issues ahead I fear.

0 points
0
0
flackcatcher's picture

April 24, 2020 at 02:43 pm

In my day job I'm watching the increase in special leave my guys are taking, and the number in sick bay rise every day. Covid-19 is a damn monster and at best we won't have a vaccine till early next year. I agree. This looks like more planning for 2021 than this season. Like dobber says, no College President is going to risk live sports much less a high contact sport like football in this environment. Odds of a draft, pretty slim. Pro football in empty stadiums and then when a super spreader inflects a game. We all know the outcome. Good news is hot weather kills this thing. Bad news is winter is coming...

1 points
1
0
Thegreatreynoldo's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:12 pm

I think the answer is nobody knows how the pandemic is going to affect the NFL. If Gute is plotting craftily with that in mind, I suspect that is a mistake because I don't think the US Supreme Court could advise about what is going to happen.

As far as the draft, players gain eligibility by being three years removed from high school, not from playing football in college. What do the NFL constitution and by-laws say about a myriad of possible things? How much discretion do the commissioner, owners and union have? IDK. Maybe the NFL will just cancel the 2021 draft. Maybe they cancel the season. Maybe they can't, either due to rules or practicality.

Will the contracts of the players toll, or will the NFL have to pay them? Will Congress send a $4 Billion forgivable loan to the NFL so it can furlough the players? Just Kidding, btw, I think.

1 points
1
0
CrazyPackersFan's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:37 am

The tweet above is a little off. The Packers were coming off a 10-6 season in 2004 when they drafted Rodgers; the 4-12 season happened with him on the team. I know it's minor, but I want to be fair.

I personally "LOVE" the pick. Maybe it's frustration with Rodgers's poor performances in the last three NFC Championship Games, or maybe it's the excitement of starting a brand new era. Hopefully Rodgers goes out with a bang, but even if he doesn't, there's lots of hope for the future!

3 points
4
1
Lphill's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:59 am

Because it was Rodgers allowing the 49 ers to run all over them in the NFC game?

0 points
0
0
Leatherhead's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:12 pm

Maybe drafting a WR in the first.......which MANY people wanted.....would have fixed that.

2 points
2
0
PatrickGB's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:38 am

You misspelled “dope”. That’s the real word.

0 points
3
3
Turophile's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:43 am

I've posted here before that having a starter-level QB is critical.

It WAS early to get a new QB in round one, the Packers could have done something in any of the next three years to secure a future signal caller, but they chose to strike this year.

As I posted before, getting the next starter QB they believe in, trumps everything. So, being a year early, irrelevant, the cost of a 1st and 4th, irrelevant, he isn't the guy YOU like, irrelevant. The Packers have taken the potential future QB. Do they love Love ? maybe. Gute did specifically say they stayed true to their board, so Luck must at least have been in their top tier, whether or not he was the one who they wanted the most, pre-draft.

Luck is not a nowacrat pick, this is buildican all the way, a pick for the future (as Rashan Gary was last year). It will be interesting to see where this goes and how it plays out with Rodgers too. I call this a bold pick, a chancy pick (virtually all QB picks are chancy, with a low success rate), it might even be a Gute/LaFleur defining pick. Now we have to wait a year or two to see where this all leads.

I am surprised at this pick, but I am neither very excited by it, or downcast by it, my feeling is best described as curious how it will play out............

9 points
14
5
Packman60's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:40 am

Fans are always about "today", what have you done for me lately, but those of us who are old enough to remember the dark days of the 70's and 80's and having quarterbacks named Hunter, Whitehurst and Tagge can understand the rationale behind this pick, especially if their 1st round board had pretty much been decimated by that point. Whether this move works in the long run remains to be seen, but they obtained a prospect with incredible tools. Now they just need to develop those, if they do the Packers could continue their incredible streak of franchise quarterback play for another 15 years.

10 points
11
1
Packerpasty's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:44 am

its because thats how the NFL works.."today"...I don't have much hope in this Packer front office organization, other teams are taking more chances and building better teams...incredible, incredible, bah, this kid seems like another Kizer to me...throw it a mile and miss by a half a mile...people say he's like Mahomes..come on man, don't be insulting...all rookie ab's have "incredible" skills or they wouldn't be in the NFL, they'd be up in Canada or selling cars...

0 points
0
0
FAN24583's picture

April 24, 2020 at 05:26 pm

Without another SB.

-1 points
0
1
Booner's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:47 am

Guty's first move dump Jordy get washed up Jimmy G. for 10 mil a year? That should have been our first red flag.

1 points
6
5
Turophile's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:48 am

They just got the wrong Jimmy G. If they'd got Garoppolo they could have sold off Rodgers to leave another team with the monster contract.....Booner hasn't yet realised that Gute is a joker, he likes messin with ya.

-1 points
1
2
Sketch's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:50 am

This may be evidence that Gute and Co. simply aren't changing their mindset from the beginning and see 13 and 3 as an aberration, a fluke. So instead of going in thinking "one game away" they are continuing the "retool/rebuild" mentality. Many fans believe 13 and 3 was just luck. Right or wrong, time will tell.

3 points
3
0
Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:05 am

There was some luck involved l, realistically they played like a 10-6 team

0 points
1
1
dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:30 am

...but they won like a 13-3 team.

1 points
1
0
Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:27 pm

Agreed...a win is a win

1 points
1
0
WinUSA's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:55 am

Why I can stomach this pick: Rodgers, the warrior has given his all but Father Time waits for nobody. If this would be a non COVID -19 year.. I would feel differently. But it isn’t. The season will either start later, possibly be shortened, or heaven forbid cancelled. Next years draft is going to be filled with unproven quality QBs because of college response to COVID-19. With that in mind Rodgers will be possibly a year older and one cannot realistically expect him to improve his play from 2019. That said, Love might have been the best pick with the future in mind that they could have made. Balls to the walls Gute let it all hang out. Go Pack!

7 points
8
1
Since'61's picture

April 24, 2020 at 09:58 am

Al, like you I was very surprised by this pick. I posted last evening that I understood Gute’s rationale for taking Love. But like you I see a player who probably won’t be ready to help the team for at least 2 seasons, unless Rodgers sustains an injury.

Plus we could have saved a 4th round pick and still have taken a player at 30 who could help us win in 2020 or 2021.

Rodgers needs weapons but instead we chose his eventual replacement. So what is Rodgers thinking now?

I will reserve my judgement on this draft until all of our picks are in. But for now I agree with you in that all we have now is hope for the future and nothing yet to help us win now, which is what I thought this was all about. We’ll see how the next 2 days play out. Stay well. Thanks, Since ‘61

3 points
5
2
L's picture

April 25, 2020 at 08:00 am

Good column. Agree with much of it, as usual.

But, I didn’t react negatively to the pick when it happened. Was I surprised? Absolutely.

But, I’ve also developed a perspective around our Quarterback that’s different than yours, and perhaps many others.

I don’t think Rogers is washed-up, needs to be traded or potentially traded, or think he’s become more or less average like a few people I know openly opine. I also don’t necessarily think he’s arrogant to a fault like several other people I know strongly suggest. Finally, I’m not someone who thinks he can’t do no wrong as I see plenty of fault in his play.

Personally, I just think he wants to play perfectly and use his traditional playmaking ability to help make it so. I ponder about how well that meshes with what LaFleur desires. I do think Rogers’ playmaking ability isn’t as effective as it was when he was younger. And his holding onto the ball is hurting him more often than it use to, but at the same time if he doesn’t trust himself to make timing route throws without turning it over what can you do?

One answer is certainly to get him “better” weapons that can help him grow his trust in them as well as himself. The mindset that believes in this answer only, certainly would’ve been upset last night. I do believe the team is trying to do this despite what the pick last night on face value alone seems to suggest isn’t their 1st priority.

If the team believed that Jordan Love was a tremendous player worth investing a 1st round pick in than who am I to say otherwise, at this point in time.

Clearly they believed him to be BPA and someone who could add tremendous value to the team in time and maybe even somehow now. But, “in time” is the key thing I’ve learned from watching numerous Drafts over the years.

It’s very easy to get invested in what *you* personally believe would have been the best pick and we like to convince ourselves of our great fortitude when things, now and then, pan out as we foresee, but the truth is our insights are significantly lacking. Plus, we can only speculate at their potential strategic planning around shaping the team to meet its goals today, tomorrow, and into the future.

Another potential answer is that with someone who creates a more intense practice competition and perhaps adds a motivational chip we’ll see a better Rogers too. Again, time will tell.

Anyways, I do expect that Rogers and LaFleur’s cohesion will be “better” this year and I fully expect that the team believes Rogers is their leader on the field for the next 4 years unless the wheels completely fall off or (knock on wood) injury.

My hope is that we just drafted the team’s third consecutive HOF’er QB who can take over in ~4 years which (fingers crossed) comes after another Championship, but time will tell.

11 points
13
2
murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:33 am

Very good analysis L.

1 points
1
0
stockholder's picture

April 24, 2020 at 03:05 pm

Don't bet on it.

0 points
0
0
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

April 25, 2020 at 01:59 pm

If Love turns into a 'very good' starting QB there is absolutely no player the Packers could have drafted in round 1 that would have anywhere near the career or impact as Love.

Even if the Packers had drafted a 'good to a very good' wide receiver, an ILB, or an OT they would likely have a career lasting 4 to 10-years. A 'good to very good' QB can have a career for 12 to 20-years.

As I mentioned in another post why is selecting Love in round 1 after the Packers going 13 & 3 in the regular season and going to the NFC Championship game any different than what the Packers did in 2008? The Packers went 13 & 3 during the regular season in 2007 with Favre as the starting QB and went to the NFC Championship game. Then the Packers shipped Favre off and started an inexperienced Rodgers and the Packers won only 6 games in 2008 wasting a potential SB team.

So many of the Packer fans memory is whatever they want it to be conveniently forgetting history. I'm happy with the Jordan Love selection and believe most of us will be very happy down the road with the selection.

1 points
1
0
gkarl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:06 am

BPA or positional need. Looks like we have our answer with Gute. Good for him, right or wrong

5 points
5
0
TarynsEyes's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:08 am

If the FO had Love as the BPA and believed he will be valuable under the rookie contract sitting on the bench for what would be the entire length of the 1st round contract where teams look to benefit from such, then the FO is now even a larger detriment to GB winning another SB over the next 4 seasons, especially since we know Rodgers can't do it himself but needs more help than ever to simply make the playoffs.

I cannot help but feel we've drafted Ponder, Weeden etc but without having to play them, which is the only benefit the FO supplied to the team. My Hope is the FO awakens from this stupor and does something to ease this farce of ranking Love as the BPA and a 1st round value at all.

-5 points
3
8
Lare's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:14 am

Looks like a lot of fans have a Love hate relationship.

8 points
8
0
Slim11's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:36 am

HA! Nice play on words...

0 points
0
0
Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:56 am

Solid

0 points
0
0
JerseyAl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:10 pm

You mean hate Love.

3 points
3
0
BobbyMack's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:15 am

Jersey Al,
Great analysis.
Hope you and your family are well.
Maywood tennis misses you.
Go Pack Go
Cheers,
Rob

1 points
1
0
Difer's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:15 am

Dumb pick. Denial is the first stage of grief for Packers fans. Let the process begin.

-3 points
4
7
gkarl's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:22 am

RAS 8.75

1 points
1
0
Ken Kessler's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:17 am

I didn't like the pick last night but i'm warming up to it. This will hopefully give some breathing room if AR gets hurt again and give him time to recover instead of rushing back to early to save us.
Still lots of time left to get some needs.

0 points
1
1
WestWi_Packfan's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:22 am

Whether Love works out or not, we were 1 game from the Super bowl and needed to close the gap with the 49er's, who drafted 2 pretty decent guys that will actually play for them this year and not hold a clipboard. Does
anyone actually think we have gained ground on them yet? Or can even do so now in 2020? We didnt land any big free agents and now our best chance at closing the gap is spent on a developmental project. Doesnt seem to me like we will be able to get past them again with the help of this decision.

1 points
3
2
jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:06 am

In my despair during the NFC Championship game I called out "Time to draft a QB". After a few days I thought I became more sensible, "I want to see what Rodgers does in year 2".

I guess Gutey didn't soften.

I'm still not enthralled with this move. I'm still not enthralled with the Gary pick. I think 1st rounders should contribute meaningfully when you are close to a championship.

Oh well, on to day 2.

2 points
2
0
Lphill's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:07 am

During the championship game why didn’t you cry out time to draft run defense help or O line help since Rodgers was pressured the whole game , but yea it’s all Rodgers fault the Packers defense got embarrassed, again.

3 points
3
0
jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:39 pm

I cried a bunch of things. Including some 34 letter words about the Smiths loafing in run pursuit.

Rodgers played poorly in the first half and couldn't keep the offense on the field. He threw a horrible ball with 1:00 left in the first half that put the game out of reach. Don't be confused by his garbage time stats from the 2nd quarter when the game was already over.

1 points
1
0
splitpea1's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:23 am

I've calmed down a little bit, but I also don't like the fact that we've taken projects in the first round two years in a row. Gute was so enamored with Love that he got antsy and gave away a fourth just to ensure that he got him (if he received calls from other teams about moving up, he should have strongly considered that option--New England did). I thought it was imperative that the Packers take either a WR, DL, or ILB in the first round--somebody that could get on the field ASAP and play. So much for that.

0 points
0
0
@ballark's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:50 am

This is sort of an aside comment, but one thing that absolutely bothers the living hell out of me are the "fans" who go on social media and trash the player we just drafted, often @ that player so he (maybe) sees the comment. Have an opinion, sure. Voice that opinion, go ahead. But to @ the player and trash him?? FOH. This person was just drafted *BY GREEN BAY*. He didn't have a say in it. Why make that player's first impression of Green Bay and its fans a negative one? I really, really hate that shit.

Look at Lil Wayne's post from last night. Nothing but a warm welcome, a nice mention of Love's father, and hope for the future.

Packers fans, be more like Lil Wayne.

5 points
6
1
Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 10:58 am

I agree, if Love becomes the franchise many will claim they were on board all along, remember the Rodgers hate from the Favre forever people??

4 points
4
0
dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:24 am

This much is clear: it's not Love's fault that the Packers dealt up and picked him. He's just the guy whose name was called.

If you're pissed off, make sure you direct that anger at the right people. But this 21-year-old kid shouldn't take the beating.

6 points
6
0
dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:23 am

A few unsolicited reflections...

...for many, the reaction to this pick is not in what the Packers did do, but rather what they DIDN'T do. During the draft, I was chatting with Bearmeat and a few others, and when that tradeup was announced, every one of us felt Queen was the pick. But IMO Queen does them very little good in 2020 if they don't shore up the DL too.

...we have no idea whether, after the 2019 season in self-eval, the coaches and staff looked at each other and said: we are SO CLOSE! ...or they said: this season was lightning in a bottle. This pick argues that the staff and management feels like they can make a run with mostly the players they had in place at the end of 2019 and the small number of signings this off-season.

...one or two others have hinted or stabbed at this directly: we have no idea whether there will be a season in 2020. Period. So while we chastise this as a pick that will--under the best circumstances--provide no help in 2020, we don't know if there will be a 2020 and what that season would look like. No OTAs, no minicamps, likely an abbreviated preseason...only a small number of rookies at a small number of positions would have the ability to contribute in whatever the 2020 season would look like. An abbreviated season cuts down the impact of injuries and the opportunities for draftees to plug and play. If we see a lot of guys drafted whose bios state, "needs technique work" or "needs a year in the weight room" or "a low risk, high reward type" or the like, then we know that BG is saying that he's skeptical about 2020 rookies and is playing the long game with this draft.

...I'm still on the fence about this pick. Love, by consensus of virtually all evaluators, belonged in the first round. His draft value is not really in question. The question is whether his value to the Packers matches his draft value, and whether it will be something they are in a position to capitalize on.

...I have no qualms about drafting the QB of the future at this point. I stood and cheered when TT pulled the trigger in 2005. After the 2020 season, ARod can be cut or traded and he actually nets cap savings. They've put him on notice. Never since becoming a starter has he EVER had to defend his job. He's said many times that he's not worried about the Packers drafting or signing a QB because he believes they can't outplay him. Good...go show us. Some will say "ARod deserves..." or "He wants to play..." and so on. But you don't just get what you want, and the Packers have made ARod a very wealthy man. It's a what have you done for me lately league.

...people are pointing to San Fran and beating the Niners. It's one thing to design your team to beat a division rival. You know you're going to play that team twice every year and division championships are the safest route to the post season. San Fran is on the schedule one time in 2020...and no one can guarantee they'll be on the postseason schedule if the Packers get there.

...most of us said for years that "Trader Ted" and his moving back for picks was a waste. MOVE UP! GO GET THE PLAYERS YOU LIKE! Well, here it is. This is what people asked for...BG is not your father's GM, but he has moved down and garnered picks (see: 2018 draft). He's found two really good starters in the first round (Alexander and Savage) and two wait-and-see players (Gary and Love). I would argue that he's not patient, and he's apparently not a fan of the 4th round, but he's certainly not passive.

...no draft can be judged on a single pick (unless you're Mike Ditka chasing Ricky Williams). How BG handles the remainder of this draft will say a lot about how he's approaching roster building. As of right now, the frustrating part is that we don't know what that strategy is.

5 points
6
1
jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:47 pm

"we have no idea whether there will be a season in 2020."

I've though about this too. After your 2020 comment I went back and looked and they could indeed save ~5 million in 2021 by cutting Rodgers. But, now that I see that it's way more likely trading Rodgers would happen since Rodgers on a a three year base salary of 14, 25, 25 is probably worth a 1st and one or two 2nds to a Team that needs a QB.

Thanks for the insight, I hate this less now. I still hate the pick (not the player) but it gives me more hope I am wrong :)

3 points
3
0
Lphill's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

So all the Packer homers feel it was a great pick, 2 picks now out of the next 140 , so say hello to our starting inside linebacker Oren Burks, this May become the worst 1 st round pick ever. If the Packers had an owner I bet there would have been more Lombardi’s , I don’t think the Packers come close to 8 wins this year, this defense is not improving from this draft, Gute will be the guy who passed over a playmaker at linebacker for a clip board project QB.

0 points
3
3
dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:31 am

Then there aren't all that many homers here, because there haven't been more than a handful of posts adoring this pick.

0 points
1
1
Brandip's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:42 am

You honestly think one draft pick will alter the Packers season that much? Short game VS future. Look it up. This is why you are not a GM and you have to use words like "Homers". Rodgers days are numbered. He is not getting younger. Who is supposed to play QB? A Linebacker? Lack of vision is all this is.

1 points
2
1
Brandip's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

I was not expecting this pick, but I understand it. There is nothing wrong with obtaining a player at the most important position. Love can sit behind Rodgers and learn the game. That is a win in my book.

1 points
2
1
cheesehead1's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:22 am

Surprise pick to say the least. I was hoping we’d move up to get Murray. Still need ILB and WR, maybe Gute will wheel and deal and move up in the 2nd round.

-1 points
0
1
11Bravo1p's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:26 am

Favre's 2004 team went 10-6 and were in the playoffs, not 4-12. They went 4-12 during Rodgers first year, Rodgers wasn't ready, and it seemed like a wasted draft pick. That year, the Packers lost Wahle and Rivera in free agency, and injuries were horrible. It seemed like they were signing a street free agent every week to start at running back, and that every wide reciever, except Driver, was on the IR. Rodgers was better his second year, looked real good his 3rd year and replaced Farve on his 4th year.

Rodgers wasn't really ready to start until his 3rd year. Hopefully, things will work out with Love too, we probably won't know for a couple of years.

0 points
0
0
packergal's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:31 am

Hello Al,

Thank you for the article...always a good read--especially where "Hope" for the future is concerned.

Another topic worth exploring for discussion: Can anyone comment on the GB Scout resources/ team?

I believe Sam Seale is the National GBP Scout that promoted the selections named below from 2015 to present. The record shows that 2 of 11 selections actually panned out. And now Jordan Love!

Perhaps the Scout Team needs to be re-tooled.

Seale Selections
• Trevor Davis
• Kyle Murphy
• Damarious Randall
• Ty Montgomery
• Brett Hundley
• Davante Adams
• Richard Rodgers
• Carl Bradford
• Datone Jones
• David Bakhtiari
• Johnathan Franklin

Cheers!

2 points
2
0
Demon's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:12 pm

I thought of this last night also packergal. Missing from your list is the great Nick Perry. Another of Seales flop recommendations. If a scout was constantly recommending duds I'd think his seat would be warm. But not in GB evidently.

0 points
0
0
dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:47 pm

The buck stops with the GM.

0 points
0
0
Packerpasty's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:36 am

Don't like it...just a power business move by Gute's to show who's boss or else he's not very smart...reminds me of this Jerry Krause guy in the popular "The Last Dance" thats playing on espn....doing stuff just to show who's boss...I guess Packer coaches think Funchess is suddenly going to become and all pro or that Jake S is going to set the world on fire...Packer brass forever hoping that players make "that 3rd, 4th, 5th year leap"...if you aint good in the pro's in your first two years you aint good....

0 points
2
2
leche's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:41 am

It's remarkable to me how much better Bill Belichick has the league figured out and yet teams like the Packers refuse to learn from him.

He's spent the last few years punting on the future to make the team better in the short run (it also says something that he didn't want Love; but that's another discussion)... And he went to 3 straight Super Bowls and won 2 of them. The league is proving to be more and more one where you need to pick your lane. You're either winning now or you're winning later. And the Packers are the relic organization who refused to get on board and tries to do both.

And because of that, we're going to continue to find ourselves disappointed with the outcome.

4 points
4
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Dragon5's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:46 am

(Gulp) "Using the college-to-pro projections developed by PFF's Eric Eager, Love’s median projection comps to players such as Colt McCoy, Christian Ponder, E.J. Manuel and Daniel Jones. That’s not exactly a promising group, and it comes down to all the negative throws he makes, whether that be uncatchable passes or passes directly to defenders."

3 points
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Johnblood27's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:56 am

I dont care if gut knew teams were calling to jump up and nab love.

He didnt HAVE to jump ahead of anyone UNLESS he had established that IF a QB was available that he had a high grade on he would go get him.

This is where the stupid starts.

There is absolutely NO NEED for GB to have a developmental QB NOW with so many expensive years left on AR contract. This was just plain stoopid.

IF gut thinks AR's best is behind him and that he will falter, he is tied to him at the helm for at least 3 more years. IF AR falters in that time span, that will lead to a poor record and a high draft slot, higher than 30 for sure, which would allow (along with other draft capital from earlier selections in subsequent rounds) to move in the draft to select the "future HOF QB of the draft" at a more appropriate time of the franchise.

Here is where stoopid gets enormous.
IF teams were calling GB to jump back into the 1st round to grab precious love-r boy, that means that GB had the opportunity to trade back and play teams against each other to grab a bounty of picks in this middle-heavy draft in a year that GB needs multiple chances at filling many roster holes.

There are still 8 GB selections left, however the gutting of the middle draft has doomed this draft to be right alongside each of guts first 2 drafts as littered with poor decisions and mostly useless football players. 1 guy from draft #1 and 2 guys from draft #2. Just NOT good enough.

Lost in this shuffle is poor Tim Boyle. He of the solid stature and strong pocket presence along with a beautiful deep ball. Hasn't he had a few years of this franchise's guidance on his way to NFL stardom through coaching? How has that worked out? Yup.

Taking a project like love and hoping this group of dolts will somehow mold him into a HOF QB is fools gold of the highest order. Just pathetic.

This ranks right up there with the John Hadl trade, Ditkas trade for Ricky, the Herschel Walker trade and O'Briens dealing of Hopkins as stoopidest move of all time.

Every last bit of faith in gut is gone. Time for the BOD to cut the strings on Howdy-Doody and his cast of cast-off characters running the GB franchise down a sledding hill straight to hell.

-1 points
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5
murf7777's picture

April 24, 2020 at 03:18 pm

Wonder how KC fans think about their GM for trading up for Mahomes when he was projected at the later part of round 1 and Smith just took them deep in the playoffs?

2 points
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dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:25 pm

You win the thread, murf!

0 points
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Bojan Glisic's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:58 am

I have to disagree with Mr. Kyle Cousineau. Farve's team was 10-6 when Thompson chose Rodgers. So yeah, we can compare the move.

1 points
1
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Demon's picture

April 24, 2020 at 11:59 am

I have to wonder where Murphy was in all of this. That decision last night basically told the Packers fans that they will not win another SB with Aaron Rodgers.

I would have expected Murphy to ask Gute just how the team was going to improve this season. I dont believe that anyone thinks that the team has improved at all this offseason.

I personally havnt seen that AR skills have eroded to the point that he is incapable of winning another super bowl.

I fear Gute really messed this one up badly! Just like TT always building for 5 years down the road.

I wish there was a member of the press somewhere who actually had some balls. Somebody needs to ask Gute why he did not attempt to upgrade 1 position of the starting lineup on a team that was 1 game from the SB.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the draft, Gute gets an F for the whole offseason.

Ted Thompson still haunts Green Bay!

2 points
4
2
Brandip's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:32 pm

I respectfully disagree. When we talk team needs, the QB position is very important. How long has it been since we have had a QB that could step in? Matt Flynn was that guy almost a decade ago. I am saying, "What took them so long"? This has been a need for a long time. It has been addressed. You might not want to heat it, but the Packers need to look big picture future for their organization, not just Rodgers'. Balancing win now and future needs is tricky, but Gute is attempting to do just that. I understand your frustration with this pick. I want the Packers to stop teams running on them as well. This pick might make the Packers contenders after Rodgers is not playing any more. It might backfire on them. Big picture looks better. Now Gute needs to nail these following selections.

0 points
1
1
leche's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:25 pm

When you have a superstar QB, you don't build your team to win without him. The backButup QB position should be one of little money and draft capital and need only be a short term replacement.

The big picture argument is why we haven't been back to the Super Bowl in a decade despite having Rodgers this whole time. Balancing how to win now vs win in the future isn't really how the NFL is functioning anymore. Teams are learning that you get bad -> Acquire good young talent -> Fill the roster in with veterans and be good. Then blow it up and start over. The reality is we make the short term team WORSE in order to make the future better. But that isn't conducive to actually winning.

0 points
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Demon's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:20 pm

I agree completely! Id rather win a SB and have a couple down years, then be 9 and 7 or 10 and 6 and be 1 and done in the playoffs every year.

That was Teds philosophy, and appears Gutes as well.

0 points
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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

April 25, 2020 at 01:51 pm

Brandip,
Agree!

What everyone conveniently forget is In the 2007 NFC Championship game the Packers were a very good team and their W-L record during the season as the NFC North Champion was 13 & 3. They then decided to gut the Packer team in 2008 wasting an opportunity to win a SB by sending Favre to the Jets and starting an inexperienced Rodgers. The Packers won only 6 games with Rodgers at the helm in 2008. A differential of -7 victories not counting the playoffs. Yes, eventually Rodgers became a great QB, however Favre should have been kept for 2008 to give the team another shot a winning a SB.

Drafting Love was a smart move and I have no problems with Gutey's decision. Any chance the Packers have an opportunity for a starting caliber if not potentially a great QB in the draft they have to do it. I still painfully remember the John Hadl draft.....

0 points
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flackcatcher's picture

April 24, 2020 at 03:14 pm

This is all on Gute. Agree or disagree it's his decision. Short story. It's written into his contract as VP of football operations. Same as Ron, same as Ted. There is a long ugly story as to what happened that does not reflect well on Mark Murphy. It's sad, because as Packer President, Murphy has overall done a fine job in steering the team in the past decade...

0 points
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FAN24583's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:20 pm

Right on point!!

0 points
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Bret Iverson's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:21 pm

I like most was not prepared but I do realize that Boyle may not be the future or even a back up in the NFL. Drafting a QB is a need if Rodger went down. Most Packer fans know without Rodgers the we would be lucky to win 4 games and no playoffs. The organization wants a competitive team that has a chance to win a Super Bowl not a dominate team that will need to be overhauled every few years see Minnesota. Having a quality QB for 30 years would be better for the bottom line than a sub .500 team for more than 5 years see 1970's and 1980s. The Packers have never gutted a team. They do not trade players away but this situation does lead the team into at least a two year dip after Rodgers. Love's contract will be up unless they trade Rodgers in two years. If I was GM, if Love is the future you need to trade away any player over 28 in two years. Then resign him in a cap friendly deal in year five hopefully the team the two years prior can load up on young players and a few FA's to run at a Super Bowl. Any other scenario means Love was a poor pick. They are truly banking on Burks, Keke, Adams, Summers, Sternberger, Hollman, Jackson, and the young WR's to improve this team.

0 points
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1
Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:34 pm

Rodgers v Love may not be an either/or proposition these next few years. Perhaps MLF is brewing up an offense where both are on the field at the same time. Come on people, think big!

-2 points
0
2
stockholder's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:54 pm

It won't be for the next Few years. Rodgers needs to get out now. Before the vultures pick his bones. He should be grated the rights to be traded. Get out now or he'll go down the ship. Watch how this plays out now. Bahk, Linsley and King should not re-sign!

0 points
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dobber's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:49 pm

Read the next article.

He can't and won't be traded or released before the end of the 2020 season, at the soonest.

0 points
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Bure9620's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:49 pm

Maybe for some read option

0 points
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D.D.Driver's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:16 pm

"The blueprint in vogue right now is to clean house, free up a ton of cap space, draft your quarterback, and use the draft and that cap space to build a contending team around him while you have that QB dirt cheap for 4-5 years."

Is it? I thought the model was to "be the New England Patriots." That's the only proven blueprint for long term success.

3 points
3
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blacke00's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:48 pm

Picking a QB is not necessarily a bad thing. The real question, is Love the guy?

Why consider a QB at this spot?

1. The scouts and the brain trust really loved this guy (no pun intended)

2. The Packers need a quality backup at this position. The old quality veteran backup just is not there, they are few and far between. A late round pick is not going to be any better than what you already have. Hoping you're going to find a quality backup in the late rounds is wishful thinking at best.

3. The clock is ticking on Rodgers whether you want to believe or not.

4. The Packers may know something we mere mortals may not.

5. I think the real reason is that the chance of Love panning out is good. That means the Packers will have a quality QB for years going forward. Something that will absolutely "Piss Off" al the Bears and Vikings fans and make Packes .....smile!

-1 points
2
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mrtundra's picture

April 26, 2020 at 08:54 am

As of now, Boyle will remain our back up QB. It will take Love about 3 years, under Rodgers, to learn this team's scheme. We had better hope Rodgers stays in GB that long or GB may be forced to deal with a young, not ready for primetime, QB running their offense.

0 points
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PackBacker's picture

April 24, 2020 at 12:59 pm

Inexplicable! I guess the only question I have now is which kicker and punter will Gutekunst draft in rounds 2 & 3?

0 points
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LambeauPlain's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:15 pm

What's done is done. Welcome to Green Bay, Jordan! Oh, by the way...it is not "Hi Aaron!". It is "hello Mr. Rodgers, sir!"

Gutey better have a solid Friday evening or he better make sure his dog is in his basement on Saturday morning!

What would the reaction if he packaged up his 62 and his 2021 second rounder to move up to the top of the 2nd round tonight and take the best WR on the board?

0 points
1
1
edp1959's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:27 pm

It's a shame Aaron can't get to New England somehow so he can win 5 more rings. Bill doesn't mind providing his QB what is needed to win now.

2 points
2
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Houndog's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:51 pm

Some guy named Tom Brady might have a difference of opinion with you on that one.

1 points
1
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marpag1's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:34 pm

So many people seem to think the draft is over. We got a few more picks, right?

2 points
2
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Houndog's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:55 pm

Yeah, a few, and that's a good thing, we'll need all we can get to hide this F-U.
Exactly what did Murphy trade away to move up to draft our 3rd string QB?

-1 points
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Houndog's picture

April 24, 2020 at 01:49 pm

I'm really late to this party as I was away from home last night and didn't know until late this morning about this pick, and I think it sucks. This is a Ted Thompson kinda' move, to hell with the present, I want to win 5 years from now! Draft and develop, then let them walk in FA, it was the Ted Thompson way.
My position is that there are too many other positions that could have been helped with that pick if the strategy is to win now. Trading up to get your second or third string QB, are you kidding me? This is not going to help A-Rod, Gutekunst, or the Packers, win another SB in the near future. And then, once again they completely ignored what has become the invisible position in Green Bay, Linebacker, while Queen sat and watched. Baltimore must have rolled out the Champagne and thanked the Lord they have a real GM.
Magic Mark (after ignoring the team for so many years) and Gutekunst now seem intent on making this "their team" and that's all well and good, they can go down in flames together.

1 points
3
2
flackcatcher's picture

April 24, 2020 at 02:20 pm

Unlike most fans, I wasn't in shock over the Love Pick last night. Surprised the heck out of me. (Fell on the floor laughing so hard...) There is some context missing here in the big picture. Outside of two maybe up to a half dozen players, most drafted players fall within a very small range of grades from pro teams and their scouts. To put it somewhat crudely, one you get past the middle of the 1st round, drafted players are all the same. The main factor is if the talent level overall is greater from year to year. In other words, the draft becomes a lottery after first 5 picks. And what determines success is if the talent overall is better than what it was or is the previous years. If you are a GM and you believe the overall talent is very high, then it follows that you will load up on draft choices beyond the 2-3rd rounds. Sound familiar. Especially if your roster is void of young core talent needed to replace older or Capped out starters. From some of my friends who work in the AFC side in front offices, they believe this may be the highest level of talent in the draft in over a decade. Is it? I don't know, I'm not fit to judge if it is true or not. I thought I just put it out here. It may help to see Gute's draft in context.

1 points
1
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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

April 24, 2020 at 04:33 pm

I agree. To suggest that Love is much better than Queen, Jones, Mims, the CB, is what an evaluator is paid to do, but the success rate of GMs in the late first round and later isn't great. See Massey and Thaler and the winner's curse (Nobel Prize Winning Economist with a studies specifically on trading up in the NFL), to which I've linked multiple times over the last few years. If those studies are too long, the short answer is GMs have an abundance of hubris.

In one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, one would think it a good idea to accumulate picks in rounds 2, 3, and 4. Now GB traded up in the first, and some suggest trading up in the 2nd round.

I am going to write a comment in prayer form: Lord, do not sharpen my elbows when I respond to other comments. Preserve me from the hubris I have complained about in Gutey. Ah, I probably can't do it without lots of grace.

0 points
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Packerpasty's picture

April 24, 2020 at 08:24 pm

I didn't think Gute-bomb could top last years eye roller of a pick with Gary way up in the first round but I think he may have....

0 points
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KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

April 25, 2020 at 01:28 pm

In looking thru all the mock drafts out there I only found two sports writers who had mocked Jordan Love to the Packers.

Andy McNamara of Sortsnet

Alex Khvatov of NFL Draft Blitz

For what it is worth!

1 points
1
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mrtundra's picture

April 26, 2020 at 08:49 am

What does Gute/ MLF do if Rodgers decided to pull a Gronk-style retirement by 2021? He still has good football in him, but not for GB. This would force Gute/MLF to deal with either Boyle or Love stepping in and taking over, while Rodgers signs with someone else,(maybe the Bears, the Lions or the vikings) just to mess with Gute/ MLF. And if Rodgers goes, will Adams be far behind?

0 points
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