The Green Bay Packers shipped former Super Bowl champion quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in one of the most anticipated trades in NFL history.
While nobody is expecting new Packers starter Jordan Love to fully replace an all-time talent like Rodgers in his first year, getting a high-level of play from Love would go a long way toward returning the Packers to the playoffs.
Love, for his part, is drawing rave reviews from a key source: Veteran offensive lineman David Bakhtiari.
Speaking on The Jim Rome Show, Bakhtiari raved about Love, saying he’s seen a “higher standard” from the quarterback than you’d expect from a first-year starter thanks to Love being able to learn from Rodgers for three years.
“Definitely a higher standard,” Bakhtiari said Tuesday when asked if he was evaluating Love as a first-year quarterback or something more. “He’s had three years to understand the math of the offense, which is very fortunate for any first-round quarterback to get to watch and see how a first-ballot Hall of Famer and generational talent and a guy who borderline changed the quarterback position and how it’s played. And even the mechanics of even throwing the football. You’re able to see that for three years and then now coming in, so yeah, his baseline for me is way higher.
“I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen from him. And I think he’s also understanding that he’s not going to be judged, either, by a first-year quarterback, which is great. I think he’s going to be competitive right out of the gate. I’ve seen his development in practice. I’m really excited to see it translate into the game, and him to get those game time and hours logged in. And really see how he adapts and corrects himself mid-game and game to game.”
The Packers start their season against their longtime NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears, Sept. 10.
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