Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love may take part in 7-on-7 drills in practice

GREEN BAY – Quarterback Jordan Love is going to practice this week and it could be as early as Aug. 18.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that he was going to construct practice in a way that Love would be able to perform some duties without putting his surgically repaired left thumb in danger.

“We kind of just went through everything,” LaFleur said Aug. 17 of the discussion he had with his coaches and the medical staff about what Love might be able to do this week. “We're going to alter some things to allow him to get involved.

“We may do my favorite seven-on-seven that I absolutely despise, but in some instances it's good. So, I'd rather do that than just throw on air. So, we'll incorporate some seven-on-seven into practice.”

Love had surgery Aug. 12 to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb suffered in the team’s first preseason game against the New York Jets. His hand was immobilized with a wrap during the team’s joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts Aug. 14.

Before the game against the Colts on Aug. 16, the wrap was gone and Love threw some warm-up balls to teammates with only a thumb brace on his left hand.

The seven-on-seven drills are offense vs. defense, but they do not include defensive and offensive linemen. The drill was a favorite of West Coast offenses in the 1990s and early 2000s when coaches were emphasizing precision in the pass game.

But LaFleur, like many coaches, don’t use the drill. They prefer to have the linemen there to give the quarterback a truer look of how a play might work against the full defense.

The Packers have said that Love will be ready to play against the Detroit Lions in the season opener Sept. 7. They think he will be unaffected by the injury given it’s on his left hand and has a short recovery time after surgery.

LaFleur has said Love won’t take part in the joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 21 and the preseason finale against them Aug. 23. The Packers will practice several times the week after the finale but their heaviest work in preparation for the Lions will start during the week of the game.

Running back MarShawn Lloyd, end Barryn Sorrell won’t be back soon

The Packers were hoping to catch a break with the hamstring injury MarShawn Lloyd suffered in the 23-19 victory over the Colts.

But it didn’t turn out that way.

“He’s going to miss some time,” LaFleur said. “Another hamstring.”

Lloyd missed all but one game as a rookie last year due a recurring hamstring injury, an ankle sprain and a case of appendicitis. During the offseason, he went to Badger Athletic Performance in Madison, a clinic that specializes in assessing a player’s biomechanics and determines what can be done to avoid soft-tissue injuries.

Lloyd made it through the offseason without any problems, but he suffered a groin injury July 28 in practice. After missing eight practices and the preseason opener, he returned Aug. 11 and practiced throughout the week, including in the joint workout with the Colts.

He had six carries in the game but at the end of an impressive 32-yard catch down the right sideline, his legs got tangled with two defenders and he was slow to get up. He went to the sideline and did not return.

“I don't know what to make of it, other than the fact that he's had to fight through a lot of adversity,” LaFleur said. “And, you know, hopefully he can rebound from this, and we can get him back at some point in time because he certainly has shown a skill set and play-making ability.

“I mean, that was a heck of a play. It was great throw, a really nice catch, but it's just unfortunate.”

LaFleur said he asked the medical staff if there was anything else they could do to keep him from reinjuring himself.

“He’s in great shape,” LaFleur said. “I think you have to chalk it up to some bad luck.”

LaFleur said rookie defensive end Barryn Sorrell will miss some time with a knee injury. He didn’t say how severe the injury was or when he thought Sorrell might be back.

Safety Omar Brown still was in Indianapolis and wouldn’t return until Aug. 18 with what LaFleur said was a lung injury. Brown got hit in the chest and continued to play for a few snaps but had trouble breathing.

“It’s his lung and that’s a pretty serious thing,” LaFleur said. “But he’s showing a lot of improvement. So, that’s a positive.”

Matt LaFleur encouraged by quarterback Malik Willis, would prefer Taylor Elgersma use more discretion

One of the players LaFleur praised the most in his news conference Aug. 17 was quarterback Malik Willis.

In three series, Willis engineered drives of 43, 21 and 33 yards. On the final two drives, the Packers had a combined three penalties that cost them 30 yards.

Willis finished 6 of 14 passing for 83 yards. He did not have a carry, but he used his legs to keep plays alive.

“You look at the first drive, he took us right down the field,” LaFleur said. “And had the great play on fourth-and-5 (a 9-yard completion to tight end John FitzPatrick). So, I thought there was a lot to like.

“I mean, shoot, he hits (Julian) Hicks on a big reception that gets called back for a holding. We would have been in scoring position on that drive as well. So, I think there's a lot to like with what he did. Was it perfect? No, but it rarely ever is.”

LaFleur said his criticism with Willis would be on a couple of decisions, such as a ball he threw to FitzPatrick on a corner route that was almost intercepted.

“I just wish you’d see him read with his feet and check that ball down because that was the only play that was there to be made,” he said. “But I thought there were a lot of great things, things that you cannot coach, like his escape ability, his ability to avoid a couple of those sacks.

“We're third-and-long, somebody had him basically in the grasp, and he's able to spin out of it. I know we didn't complete the ball, but he's able to avoid and get out of the pocket. That's what you love about the guy. You can't coach that stuff. That is just his ability. I thought he played pretty decisive in the game in regards to what he wanted to do, and when he took off, he went.”

MUST READ: Taylor Elgersma much improved but still has long way to go

LaFleur liked some of what Canadian-born Taylor Elgersma gave him but said there are some decisions that were questionable. The completion to tight end Ben Sims in the end zone that was nullified by a penalty was one of them.

“We can't throw that ball,” LaFleur said. “And then he had the one that got picked off, that got called back for a facemask. You can't throw that ball. So, I think for his first, I would call it extended action, I thought there was some really good moments, and then also some things that you have to learn from.

“But he's, I mean, shoot, he's still getting used to the field dimensions out there from Canada.”

Matt LaFleur thought the play improved in the second half

Regardless of the outcome, the performance against the Colts was better than the debacle in the opener against the New York Jets. LaFleur didn’t like all the penalties and turnovers in the first half, but he said the play style was much better.

“It was much cleaner,” LaFleur said. “There weren't as many self-inflicted wounds. I thought our guys for the duration of the game, they battled, and I never thought it was like a lack of effort in any phase of ball. Our guys were competing, and that's what you really ultimately want to see.

“Now, there's a lot of things that mentally we’ve got to do a lot better, and some of the communication things that we’ve got to clean up. But I loved how our guys competed. They kept playing where you’ve kind of got your backs against the wall, when you're down 13-nothing, and just to be able to come back and compete (was good).

“I thought just when they (the Colts) were playing their starters, I thought our guys did, in really every phase, a really nice job as well. I think there was a lot to like and a lot to learn from.”

Matt LaFleur considering a closed practice Monday, but injuries will dictate whether he does it

The Packers still have a considerable number of starters and key backups who are injured and LaFleur isn’t sure if he’ll add a third day of practice like he did last week. The only open practices are Aug. 19 and 21, along with walk-throughs on Wednesday and Friday.

This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers quarterback Jordan Love may play in 7-on-7 drills in practice