Although his head coach and teammates came to his defense, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love said he believes a brief scuffle during Friday’s joint practice with the Denver Broncos was the result of an on-field shooting by the opposing team.
Coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers were not pleased when Broncos defensive end Nik Bonnito was suspected of hitting Love in the arm during an 11-on-11 game. In practice, hitting the quarterback in any way is not allowed. It is especially not allowed during joint practices.
Love, however, believes the hit to his throwing hand actually came from right quarterback Zach Tom.
“I was going to throw it, but I think Zach Tom got pushed and hit me in the arm,” Love said after practice. “I don’t think it was anything with the defensive line or anything like that. I think it was just friendly fire.”
Love was hit in the shoulder on the throw, causing the throw to go incorrect and was easily intercepted by a Broncos defender.
Love wasn’t 100 percent sure it was Tom — “I have to see it on film,” he said — but he understands the mighty reaction from the coaching staff and teammates after seeing him get hit.
“I think a lot of guys didn’t see it and didn’t know what happened,” Love said. “We’re very focused on keeping our distance from the quarterback, so they might have thought the center fielder hit me in the arm or something like that, which I don’t think happened.”
You be the judge. Here’s video of the game from a Broncos fan who was in attendance:
Nik Bonitto FORCES an interception of Alex Singleton. Anger erupted after that and a fight broke out. photo:twitter.com/TosOgkph2S
— Jake Goetz (@broncosnews303) August 16, 2024
Love can be wrong. Either way, the Packers don’t want any close calls with the quarterback who just signed a $220 million contract extension.
Despite Love being intercepted on a failed play, the Packers’ No. 1 offense struggled for much of their practice.
Love said the Packers offense wanted to “push the envelope” and “test the waters” on a few plays, but admitted they missed a few plays. Training camp practices are about trying recent things and understanding what it takes to make plays or throws work when games matter.
“It wasn’t our best day in terms of productivity,” Love said. “We’ll be able to go back and watch film and learn from those opportunities.”
Listen to more from Love below:
