Green Bays new defense has challenged offense daily in practice

Mike Spofford

GREEN BAY Packers quarterbackJordan Loveis ready to play however many snaps or series Head Coach Matt LaFleur wants him to Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

While no specifics have been decided or divulged, it won't be much for Love and the first-team offense in the preseason opener.

There's only so much tolerable exposure for the team's top players, particularly after Love injured his non-throwing thumb in last summer's first preseason game and had to miss a week of training camp.

But LaFleur has confirmed his belief in the value of some, if limited, preseason action to bridge the gap from practice to the games that count, and Love is on board.

"It gets you in the right mindset and just gets you back in that real game feel," Love said Tuesday. "Obviously, we've been going against each other in practice. To be able to see new looks, a new defense, different guys out there, I think it's all good stuff that just gets you in the right mindset going into Week 1."

Any new looks the Packers see from the Steelers aren't likely to be as challenging as what they've faced in camp from new Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonnathan Gannon, who has thrown an array of blitzes and disguises at Love & Co. on a daily basis.

Preseason games are usually more simplified scheme-wise, because teams don't like to put on film in advance any special, exotic packages they're working on. That goes for both sides of the ball.

So Thursday night, the expectation is to execute the basics, move the ball and get out healthy.

In all reality, the schematic stress in practice against Gannon has been better preparation for the real thing, and Love said the offense has been pushed more by this defense than others he's faced in previous camps.

"They're doing a great job, disguising stuff, holding stuff 'til the snap," Love said. "It's just testing everybody's rules. It's testing the O-line in pass pro, it's testing the running backs to make sure their eyes are in the right spot, quarterbacks, receivers to make sure we're seeing stuff, doing all the little things right."

The give-and-take in practice has been evident, as both sides have opened up their playbooks. The defense has brought pressure from all angles, while the offense has run its share of trick plays in order to keep the defense honest.

"They get the best of us and we get the best of them," safetyXavier McKinneysaid. "Sometimes they get their shot. Sometimes we get our shots and we go back and forth. We just try to make each other better."

Added receiverChristian Watson: "Going up against this defense and everything they're throwing at us has been really good, just getting different looks and being able to adapt and adjust to stuff on the fly. It's been really good for us as an offense to find that next level and grow."

Now in his fourth year as the starter, Love likes where the Packers are offensively, even while dealing with injuries and absences this month. Those have included tight endTucker Kraftand left guardAaron Banksnot yet cleared for 11-on-11, right tackleZach Bako-Bewelegradually getting back to full-go, and various bumps and bruises to running backJosh Jacobsand receiversMatthew GoldenandJayden Reed.

The strongest constant has been Love, who's been praised by LaFleur for his protection adjustments at the line of scrimmage against Gannon's pressure looks. LaFleur even told NFL Network that Love is the best he's seen in that specific aspect, which is lofty praise considering Aaron Rodgers won his last two MVP awards with LaFleur.

Regardless of ranking, there's no denying Love learned from the master in that regard, and he admitted he's grown more in the realm of protection calls and adjustments than any other as a pro.

"That's probably the biggest jump I've made since being here," Love said. "In college, we didn't do anything (like that). We didn't handle protections. We just threw hot (against the blitz). If we got pressure, we didn't make any changes to the line of scrimmage.

"So getting into the NFL, that was the biggest test for me and the biggest area where I just had never done stuff like that."

It's becoming almost second nature to him now, a testament to the tutelage from Rodgers and his steady development under LaFleur, who continues to give him more freedom at the line of scrimmage the more he proves he can handle it.

"Trust is something that's earned, and I think the more reps I have, the more time we have together, you just keep building," Love said. "He'll give me more opportunities to show that I can go do the right stuff out there and make the right decisions, get us in the right plays, and it's something that if you keep doing the right stuff, he'll keep trusting you more and more."