When Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets in 2023, he handed the reigns to his understudy, Jordan Love. Although expectations were initially low for the Green Bay quarterback, he showed a lot of poise despite a 2-5 start to the season to ultimately booking a playoff berth. Super Bowl LVIII is over and Love now has the time to reflect back on his first successful season as the starting quarterback: Chasing those Hail Mary moments isn’t the priority just yet and shouldn’t be for the rookies either.

With a level of wisdom, Love is echoing the rallying cry to the 2024 draft class: master the fundamentals first. From precise footwork to diligent defense reading, it’s the unglamorous basics that forge a quarterback’s foundation, allowing the flash to flourish later. And Love would know – he took the long road to Lambeau, soaking up every hard-learned lesson along the way.

Jordan Love’s advice on ‘fundamentals’ can work in diverse sports!

Jordan Love’s path to becoming an NFL starting quarterback was far from a straight shot. After a rollercoaster college career at Utah State, the young passer had to patiently bide his time behind Rodgers in Green Bay. Now that he finally is getting his shot, Love has a message for the incoming class of 2024 that he shared with Thanasis Antetokounmpo on Thanalysis this week.

Love knows firsthand how easy it is for prospects to get dazzled by the jaw-dropping highlights of superstar QBs like Rodgers and Mahomes. The 25-year-old said, “You see so many guys nowadays trying to master the cool throws that they see like Aaron and Patrick Mahomes doing. It’s like man you got to focus on the basics first, you know focus on footwork, on your fundamentals of how you’re throwing the ball make sure all that’s that’s good and then you can you know start focusing on those cool plays and doing all those crazy things…”

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From consistent footwork to diligently reading defenses, he stressed that those core skills are paramount before emulating the playoff-winning heroics. The wisdom resonated because Love has been there – dreaming of recreating those dynasty-defining moments as a wide-eyed rookie.

But coursing through the professional gauntlet reaffirmed what his coaches preached: there are no shortcuts to sustainable success under center. “You think in college you got it all figured out and you get to the NFL and…I learned so much more just about defense and schemes.”

It’s that humble outlook, coupled with an appreciation for the nuts and bolts of quarterbacking, that could make Love’s counsel so invaluable to the 2024 draft class. While flashes of brilliance get you drafted, it’s the relentless refinement of technique that determines longevity at the sport’s most demanding position.

However, the Green Bay former QB, A-Rod, who praised his successor this season, expressed his thoughts about crowning young players too early and how it can be detrimental to their development as it adds a lot of pressure on them. In an interview a few months ago, A-rod said since it is Love’s first season as a starter, “He’s playing, especially the last two games, outstanding, but he’s in his 1st year starting… Can we not crown him right now? For his own sake. Because we shouldn’t do that to kids. We shouldn’t crown him and we shouldn’t cancel him.”

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And as the NFL landscape welcomes a fresh wave of signal-callers, heeding Love’s fundamentals-first mantra could be the key to establishing staying power. While Jordan Love advocates prudence, top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams can’t help but admire the generational talents that have shaped the modern NFL.

Caleb Williams’ Rodgers reverence and the 2024 NFL Draft landscape

For Caleb Williams, Aaron Rodgers represents the full realization of quarterback mastery – the combination of elite arm talent with unflappable poise that separates the greats. And as he prepares to enter the league himself, the USC product is intent on emulating those very attributes. Williams has been upfront about modeling his game after Rodgers, specifically studying the veteran’s ability to make throws from unique platforms and angles.

During the interviews at the NFL Combine earlier this month, Caleb Williams gushed, “My football G.O.A.T. is Aaron Rodgers. He’s the ultimate quarterback in regards to arm strength.” It’s high praise befitting Rodgers’ portfolio of iconic moments – from the ‘Miracle in Motown’ Hail Mary to his four NFL MVP awards.

Yet as the 2024 draft draws near, Williams’ reverence for Rodgers is emblematic of a larger dynamic playing out across the league. With quarterback prospects like Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr. also generating buzz, franchises must carefully weigh the allure of premium passing against other pressing roster needs. Do you bypass an offensive line rebuild to secure your potential franchise QB? Or prioritize safeguarding your current signal-caller from Day 1? It’s the ever-present conundrum facing decision-makers – and one that could determine the fates of teams for years to come.

Striking that delicate balance is key, as Love’s words underscore. While heroics from the Rodgers mold may be the aspiration, a quarterback’s path to greatness begins with a renewed commitment to the basics. That’s what are the keystones paving the way for those Hail Mary moments fans dream of.

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