Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love talks about the 2023 season, the hunger for what's ahead and who's going to win the Super Bowl in this interview with Sports Illustrated.
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00:00 Okay, look, look, look, look.
00:02 We live, we rolling?
00:03 We live, we rolling, but we gonna just roll smooth.
00:05 Athlete to athlete. We're going athlete to athlete.
00:07 I got a bone to pick with you, dawg.
00:10 Here we go.
00:11 I'm a cowboy.
00:13 Okay.
00:14 The only time I've been to the playoffs, the Packers took us, sent us home.
00:19 Okay?
00:21 I'm retired now, Jordan.
00:23 I'm thinking my team's gonna do something this year.
00:27 And then you come around and just balled the heck out, sent my dawgs home, shocked the world.
00:35 Let's talk about your season, man.
00:37 First year as a quarterback, I know you didn't make it to the Super Bowl.
00:41 But to take your team from where you were at the beginning of the year, to grind those games out and make it to the playoffs.
00:49 When you sit back and look back at the season, what, I guess, are you impressed with when you look back at that with yourself?
00:58 Man, I think I'm most impressed with myself is just staying the course, man.
01:03 You know, we went through some tough games.
01:06 Tough couple weeks, losing four in a row, man.
01:08 And that's hard.
01:09 Here, in Vegas.
01:10 Here, right here, man.
01:11 Three picks.
01:12 So, the vibe in the locker room, man, it stayed together.
01:15 But outside the locker room, man, there's a lot of pressure on us.
01:17 A lot of people saying, "We're not this, we're not that."
01:19 But, you know, we stayed the course, man.
01:21 We found ways to get better and turned it around, man.
01:23 Made it to the playoffs and made a little bit of a run.
01:25 But I'm most impressed with that, myself, and the whole team, man, how we stayed together.
01:29 So, what were those conversations like within the locker room?
01:32 A lot of you guys are younger guys.
01:34 Guys getting their first starts.
01:36 All your receivers are new guys.
01:38 So, what were those conversations like?
01:40 Because y'all are all building yourselves up.
01:42 Because y'all are all trying to make a name for yourselves in the league.
01:44 Man, like I said, it was some tough times.
01:46 After those losses.
01:48 But everybody took accountability for their own play.
01:50 Everybody looked in the mirror and was telling themselves, "How can I find ways to improve my play that's going to help the team?"
01:56 Nobody pointed fingers.
01:58 That's what you love to see.
01:59 That's a team. That's a bond.
02:00 You know what I mean?
02:01 Everybody, it's not selfish.
02:03 So, I think that's what really helped us throughout the season and get over that hump.
02:06 Everybody looked at themselves, found out how I can get better and help the team.
02:09 And that's exactly what the guys did.
02:11 Okay, so you have the experience.
02:13 You did it.
02:15 What do you think you have to do next year to get over the hump to make it to an NFC Championship game?
02:21 Yeah, man. We've got to come out better.
02:23 That's all it is.
02:24 I think early on in the season, our biggest thing, we had to find ways to win.
02:28 A lot of our losses were close games that we had an opportunity at the end and we couldn't find a way to win it.
02:33 So, going forward, that's going to be the thing.
02:35 In those close games, we've got to find a way to execute, capitalize, make as few mistakes as possible, and win those close ones.
02:42 That's going to propel us into postseason again.
02:44 Once we get there, man, we've been there.
02:47 We've seen what it feels like to lose and be that close.
02:49 We're excited and we're fueled up going into this next season.
02:53 I think the Packers, when I think about it right now, you guys probably in the last 20, 30 years have had the least amount of quarterback changes.
03:02 The lineage has been strong.
03:04 Brett Favre, A. Rodge, now you.
03:07 Aaron, learn from Brett. You learn from Aaron.
03:10 What are some of those key takeaways that you got playing behind Aaron, seeing him in practice every day for the last four years?
03:16 Man, it was a blessing being able to sit behind A. Rodge, see how he worked.
03:21 But, man, that's really what it was, just being able to see him every day, see how he plays his position, see the cool things he does.
03:28 And just my biggest thing I took away was the consistency.
03:31 He's the same dude every day at practice, in the game.
03:33 He's making crazy plays in practice, putting the ball in the money.
03:37 And it opened my eyes up just how consistent a great quarterback is, a Hall of Fame quarterback.
03:41 And it propelled me to be like, man, I want to be like that.
03:43 I want to make plays like this. I want to be just as good as him.
03:47 And it's just motivation all along, man.
03:49 So I'm blessed to be able to say I sat behind him and learned and got to see a Hall of Fame legend do it.
03:54 For sure. We're in Vegas. We got the Super Bowl.
03:58 You played against the Niners.
04:01 I played against the Chiefs, too, yeah.
04:03 So what do you think the Niners have to do to win the game?
04:07 Three key points. And what does the Chiefs have to do, three key points, to win this game?
04:12 Yeah, for the Niners, I say, man, it's all about stopping that Chiefs offense, man.
04:16 Obviously, you know, Patrick Mahomes is a phenomenal player, Travis Kelsey, and they got a lot of weapons over there.
04:20 So you got to be able to limit them, limit all the phenomenal plays that he makes, limit off-schedule plays.
04:27 And then obviously, the Chiefs got a good defense.
04:30 And, you know, the Niners, great offense as well.
04:33 So they got to lean on that offense, lean on Chris McCaffrey.
04:36 And then obviously, the pass game, you see the weapons they got once they get the ball in those playmakers' hands.
04:40 So I think it's going to be a defensive game all around.
04:44 But I think it's a great matchup.
04:46 It's two great defenses and two great offense.
04:48 Those are two evenly stacked teams, you know.
04:50 So the Chiefs, like you said, for them, I mean, making those big-time plays, putting up a lot of points,
04:56 keeping the ball in Patrick Mahomes' hands as long as they can.
05:00 And their defense, they got a really aggressive defense that likes to send some pressure.
05:04 So throwing those pressures at the Niners will be huge and trying to limit Chris McCaffrey.
05:08 So who do you think wins the game, Jay?
05:11 Man, I think it's going to be a great game.
05:13 I think it's going to be a great battle.
05:15 But I'm going to take the Chiefs, man.
05:17 You know why you said that, right?
05:19 Yeah, we just lost to the Niners, man.
05:21 We just lost to the Niners, man.
05:22 I don't mess with none of y'all.
05:23 I don't like none of y'all.
05:24 I'm not shaking up nobody if I see you in the hallway.
05:26 So we got to go with the Chiefs.
05:28 Talk to us a little bit about your partnership with Oil Spice.
05:31 Yeah, man. Partnering with Oil Spice here today, man.
05:33 You know, they got this new Total Body deodorant.
05:35 Okay.
05:36 It's some good stuff here, man.
05:37 Okay, talk to me.
05:38 You know, deodorant is just deodorant.
05:39 It's for everything, man.
05:40 Okay.
05:41 Armpits, toes, everything between, man.
05:43 Okay, okay.
05:44 It's going to be something that's going to help my team next year, man.
05:47 We're going to be closer, closer bond in the huddle.
05:49 Everybody's going to be smelling great, smelling good.
05:51 And I'm excited to be able to help them promote that product.
05:54 It's an awesome product, though.
05:55 Cool, calm, and collected, smelling good, swagged out.
05:58 We got Jordan Love.
05:59 I want to say thank you so much for coming on the show.
06:01 Hey, I'm looking forward to seeing the great things that you do in the future, baby.
06:05 Yes, sir.
06:06 Thank you, man.
06:07 Thank you for having me.