Once every month, Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy takes some time to answer five questions from fans on the team’s official website. Eventually, the column brings some treasures from a fun perspective, and the October edition is a great example of that.
A fan named Bonnie sent a critical question, saying that the Packers shouldn’t have played quarterback Jordan Love against the Minnesota Vikings in week 4, his first game back from the knee injury.
Here’s the full question:
“I think it was a mistake to play Jordon Love on 9/29. In my opinion he was not ready, reason being HE COULD NOT RUN THE BALL. When his receivers were not available for a pass he chose to throw the ball into some very dangerous territory, thus the interceptions against the Vikings. Whereas, Malik Willis, was able to RUN THE BALL when his receivers were not available. Malik did a great job while Jordan Love was out. Thus, we now have our second loss of the season. Keep Jordan Love out until he is able to RUN THE BALL.”
Mark Murphy is always polite and thankful for the questions, but he brought some heat this time around with an hilarious answer.
“Thanks for raising this issue, Bonnie. One of the toughest decisions that teams have to make is when to bring players back from injuries. Our medical staff was confident that Jordan was healthy enough to return, and that he could protect himself. He was rusty, but he seemed to settle in as the game went on. He said he was sore after the game but did make it through without reinjuring his knee. Bonnie, you do not need to be able to run the ball to be a good QB. I think most people would agree that Tom Brady was the greatest quarterback of all time, and HE COULD NOT RUN THE BALL!”
Jordan Love was clearly not 100% during the Vikings game and was obviously much better against the Los Angeles Rams in week 5, but it doesn’t mean the decision to play him was a mistake. Yes, Malik Willis played well against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans, but Brian Flores’ defense would be a completely different (and harder) challenge.
As far as Mark Murphy, the president is in his last year with the Packers. By the franchise’s internal guidelines, he is forced to retire on his 70th birthday, which will be on July 13. The new CEO and president will be Ed Policy, the current COO and general counsel. A former NFL executive, Policy has worked for the Packers since 2012.
