Last week, we looked at Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s 5 dropbacks in the opening preseason game. We’re doing the same thing with this week’s game against the Denver Broncos. Love and the first-team offense only got one drive, but it was a long one: a 12-play, 63-yard drive that took 6 minutes & 35 seconds and was capped with a TD pass. On that drive, Love had 7 dropbacks. He went 5/7 for 56 yards and 1 TD.
Let’s dig in.
Dropback 1: 1st & 10, 14:55 remaining in the 1st quarter
Last week, the Packers opened with a quick-out to Christian Watson,
and the timing was slightly off. This week they opened with a play-action deep-out to Watson. It’s a perfectly good throw, but Riley Moss does a good job of reading Watson’s route and getting his hands on the ball to break it up. Between you, me, and the fencepost, Watson could probably do a better job of attacking this pass and protecting it from Moss, but it is a nice play by Moss to drive on this ball.
They went with a mirrored look here (both sides of the field running the same route/concept). This is something we haven’t really seen much out of the Packers since Aaron Rodgers was playing QB.
The idea behind mirrored concepts is to let the QB read the defense pre-snap and immediately post-snap and allow him to decide which side of the field to throw to based on that. Since it’s the same concept, it becomes an if-this-then-that read. “Do I like the way the defense is presenting more on the left or the right?”
It can sometimes be a simplified version of offense, but it’s also an interesting idea to mix in a little more if you trust your QB. In a world where defenses are getting more complex every year and offenses have begun utilizing full-field reads more, mirrored concepts is a way to give the QB full control while also allowing him to get the ball out quickly on a favorable match-up.
I don’t know if this is something that the Packers are using in the preseason simply because it gives less away or if it’s something they’re going to be using more as part of their offense this year. Either way, it’s something to keep an eye on over the first couple weeks of the season.
Dropback 2: 2nd & 10, 14:49 remaining in the 1st quarter
Dragon (slant/flat) out of a split backfield look and Love with an absolute laser. Watson is running a slant from the outside with Skyy Moore running a flat route from the backfield. We get a man coverage tell pre-snap, so this looks like a pretty easy read. If they’re truly in man, Moore will be covered by a linebacker, so Love would just wait for the LB to clear the window then throw to Watson.
The Broncos mix things up a bit, with the LB holding in place to watch Love while the safety takes Moore out of the backfield. That still leaves a window for Love, but one that he has to keep open.
He starts by looking down the middle of the field, then works back to Watson. Watson gets inside leverage on Pat Surtain II, but the LB over Moore is still sitting in the middle of the field. Love puts some serious mustard on this ball, zipping it past the LB waiting in the middle of the field.
Or maybe it’s sauerkraut. Whatever you prefer, I guess.
This was ruled a fumble on the field, but Watson was ruled down on replay.
Dropback 3: 3rd & 1, 12:55 remaining in the 1st quarter
Packers go with an old favorite, PA Boot. This one is slightly different in that it’s a frontside boot. Watson is running the Sail route, Matthew Golden is on the crosser and Josh Whyle is on the flat. Typically the Packers will run this with Love turning his back and booting the other way, so this frontside boot is slightly rarer, but it’s still something you’ll see them run quite a few times in the regular season. Nothing too exotic here.
Nick Bonitto stays home and is baring down on Love, so Love dirts it.
Dropback 4: 4th & 1, 12:51 remaining in the 1st quarter
The Packers go for it on the very next play. Once again, they go with a variant of PA Boot. It’s kind of a PA Boot/High Cross mix, with Watson running a deep crossing route over Golden. The pocket is slightly moving, but not a true bootleg. It looks like they’re trying to play this off as PA Boot, with Love hoping to hit Watson in the other direction for a big gain. Get the defense leaning and hit them with a big play.
On a true PA Boot, you typically leave the End Man On the Line (EMOL) unblocked, with the concept itself taking him out of the play. With this play not calling for a true bootleg, Chris Brooks is set to block the EMOL, but he isn’t able to stay in front, leaving Jonathan Cooper with a run right in Love’s face.
With Whyle working as the flat control, there’s a window open for Golden on the crosser, so Love takes a half-step back, lowers his arm angle, and hits Golden.
Good read by Love and a really nice adjustment. He talked in the offseason about getting better on his footwork in the pocket. I think this is still something he does last year, but that slight step-back-and-throw is nice to see.
I also love the placement on this. Typically the route from Golden stays fairly flat across the field, but the throw from Love leads Golden upfield, away from the defender closing from underneath.
Dropback 5: 1st & 10, 12:12 remaining in the 1st quarter
Another PA Boot. Man, they really don’t like showing a ton, huh? I get it. I like it. Love hits Drake Dabney in the flat.
Next.
Dropback 6: 1st & 10, 9:43 remaining in the 1st quarter
PA Boot. Watson on the slide.
Slightly different formation from the last time and the flat route comes from a different place. In the last play, Dabney has a block-and-release off the same side as the flat. This time, Watson releases to the flat under the formation. This can really help hammer home the whole “illusion of complexity” thing.
Dropback 7: 3rd & 1, 8:30 remaining in the 1st quarter
In the red zone in Nub formation (three receivers to one side of the formation, with the other side of the formation featuring an in-line TE). The Packers are running a Smash variant (with an underneath rub) on the right side. On the left side, Whyle is running a corner route, and MarShawn Lloyd is running an option route from the backfield.
Love does a nice job of working back to the left and finding Lloyd in the middle of the field, and Lloyd does the rest.
Nice route from Lloyd. He pushes out, keeping inside leverage on the defender. When he cuts back to the inside, he has a nice patch of green grass to work in.
I know it’s only preseason, but it was awesome to see Lloyd get this TD. After everything he has been through over the last couple of years, I bet he felt amazing being able to get into the end zone here. Let’s hope we see it even more during the regular season.
This was a really nice showing from Love and the starting offense. Something notable here is how they ran the offense. Yes, they kept it fairly simple, but it was primarily through moving pockets. You can read that a couple different ways.
The first reading is that the Packers were keeping this simple and leaning on some of their core passing concept. Don’t give anything away. Keep it vanilla, etc.
The other reading goes hand-in-hand with some of the changes on the offensive line. It hasn’t been any secret that the Packers have been looking to get bigger on the offensive line over the last few years, as a way to lean more into the power running game. With Jager Burton and Jacob Monk getting time at guard this preseason, they have shown a smaller look. Smaller guards would support a return to Wide Zone being a bigger part of this offense. And if Wide Zone is a bigger part of this offense, that pocket movement – PA Boot, half-boots, etc. – would naturally be a bigger part of this offense. Those concepts have never truly gone away, but they’re a bigger part of the offense if Wide Zone is a bigger part of the run game. It’s worth noting that the injuries to Aaron Banks & Bako-Bewele also have some bearing on the current situation at guard.
Either one of those readings is valid and we won’t really know until we see how the Packers operate in the regular season. As I’ve said a thousand times already, it’s something to keep an eye on.
Albums listened to: Roadside Monument – Eight Hours Away from Being a Man; Squirrel Flower – Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going; Phoebe Bridgers – Lost Weekend
