Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Head Coach Matt LaFleur excused Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the veterans to the locker room after 1 hour and 54 minutes to allow Love and third-year backup Tim Boyle to run one more team period.
Love then closed practice with a deep ball to Malik Taylor down the sideline, earning a congratulatory slap on the backside from Boyle. These types of live reps are what Love missed the most during the virtual offseason.
The 6-foot-4, 219-pound quarterback tried to simulate those situations as much as he could back home, but there's no way to replicate the situations Love has been presented in 11-on-11 periods of camp.
Both Rodgers and Boyle have been helpful in assisting Love with adjusting to the playbook and scheme. When he's not under center, the rookie quarterback has been watching the two veteran QBs closely during drills and team periods.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst, who drafted Love 26th overall back in April, has liked what he's seen from the rookie. Certainly, there's a long way to go but the tools the Packers were drawn to on Love's Utah State film have come as advertised.
"I think obviously the physical gifts are all there," Gutekunst said. "Now it's getting himself into a comfort zone and all the different things that the coaches are asking him to do and then allowing those physical gifts to come out.
"Again, learning how to play quarterback in the National Football League is a pretty big accomplishment, and I think these things will take time. But he's certainly done some very good things in the short time he's been here."
More than anything, it's just been invaluable for Love to finally be around Rodgers in-person. Love knows his job right now is to listen, learn and improve. He speaks when spoken to and offers his opinion when warranted.
Love says he's taken a seat behind the two-time MVP in the quarterback room and appreciates hearing from Rodgers on film review and plays.
"It's definitely been a lot for me just in terms of learning the playbook and trying to get a grasp on that right now, but that quarterback room, it's a great room, great environment to be around," Love said. "I've got two dudes that I can learn from; I've learned a lot so far from them and will continue to do that."