Jordan Love should be used as a kind of “utility” man by the Green Bay Packers this season, according to Brett Favre. The future Hall-of-Fame quarterback talked to TMZ Sports on Sunday and said the team should base its use of the rookie quarterback on the way the New Orleans Saints use Taysom Hill. Favre recognized the Packers have a bit of a dilemma on their hands, considering starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers plans to play in 2020 and then several years beyond that . There hasn’t been any indication from the team that Love could win the starting job anytime soon. Favre thinks that instead of having the team’s first-round pick spend the upcoming season on the bench, they need to find a way to get him into games.
Favre said the Saints have done a good job of putting both starting quarterback, Drew Brees, and Hill on the field at the same time. Hill is widely considered the heir apparent for the Saints when Brees retires, but for now, Hill is the backup who gets into the game at other positions.
“I think there’s ways to incorporate it much like Taysom Hill with the Saints,” Favre said.
“Use him as a halfback, a halfback pass, but occasionally let him run it just to show that you’ll do that. Something like that.”
TMZ Sports pointed out it’s not clear if Love would be up for being a utility player during his first season in the NFL. Favre thinks the rookie should have no expectations of getting on the field in any role other than as a gimmick. During the interview, Favre offered some advice for Love, saying he should soak everything up this season and understand that his time will eventually come.
The biggest difference between Love and Hill, especially when it comes to using either as a running back, is that Hill rushed the ball quite a bit during his college days. In his sophomore year, Hill ran for over 1,000 yards as Brigham Young University’s (BYU) starting quarterback. Injuries limited how much he carried the ball after that, but in his senior season, Hill ran for another 600 yards.
Love ran the ball occasionally but wasn’t considered a rushing quarterback. In his final year at Utah State, he posted a career-high in rushing with 175 yards. The prior year, he did show an ability to get into the endzone on short runs, scoring seven touchdowns on just 43 carries.
Favre added he thinks finding a specific role for Love could help reduce the tensions created by his selection with Aaron Rodgers. Favre said the Packers’ starting quarterback has never voiced animosity toward the rookie but Rodgers was frustrated the team didn’t use the pick for more offensive help.
