by The Making of a Quarterback: Inside Jordan Love’s Pregame Routine
Every NFL quarterback has their own unique process for getting mentally and physically prepared before kickoff. For Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Jordan Love, his pregame routine is meticulously planned and executed with the goal of putting his mind and body in the optimal state to lead his team to victory. Let’s take an inside look at the key components that make up Jordan Love’s pregame routine.
Waking Up and Breakfast (7-8 hours before kickoff)
Love’s day begins around 8-9am on gamedays, giving him 7-8 hours to go through his routine before the opening kickoff scheduled for 4:25pm. His first order of business after waking up is a healthy breakfast high in carbohydrates and protein to fuel his body for the day’s activities. Eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, and fruit are typical staples to start his day. “I try to eat clean in the mornings to give my body the nutrients it needs,” Love said. “A good breakfast sets the tone for how I’ll feel throughout my routine.”
Once breakfast is complete, Love uses the next hour or two to relax and unwind. He might catch up on emails or return messages from family and friends, or spend time reading a book or watching film from previous games. “The early morning is a time for me to decompress and mentally reset,” Love explained. “I don’t want to ramp myself up too early. It’s important for me to start in a calm, relaxed state.”
Stretching and Warmup (4-5 hours before kickoff)
Around noon, Love begins his physical warmup with a full-body stretching routine targeting his shoulders, back, hips, hamstrings, calves and ankles. Proper flexibility is key for an NFL quarterback to maintain mobility and avoid injury. After 30 minutes of stretching, he progresses to light jogging and dynamic movements like high knees, butt kicks, and karaoke drills to gradually increase his heart rate and loosen up his muscles.
Next comes roughly 30 minutes of on-field throwing to continue warming up his arm. Starting with 5-10 yard passes, Love slowly works up to intermediate and deeper throws as his arm loosens up. His favorite target during this portion of warmup is Packers backup quarterback Danny Etling, who helps him work on different routes and throws. “Throwing for at least 15 minutes is really important for me to feel ready,” Love noted. “It’s about more than just getting throws in – it’s mentally preparing too by visualizing different plays and situations.”
Once his arm is sufficiently warmed up, Love incorporates footwork drills into his throwing to work on drops, pocket movement, and footwork. He’ll practice three-step, five-step, and seven-step drops as well as bootlegs, rollouts, and play action fakes. By the end of his hour-long on-field warmup, Love has worked up a light sweat and his body is primed for maximum performance.
Mental Preparation (3-4 hours before kickoff)
With his physical warmup complete, Love turns his focus to the mental side of pregame preparation in the hours leading up to kickoff. He heads back to the locker room for lunch, usually a meal high in complex carbs like pasta, rice or potatoes to provide sustained energy. While eating, Love reviews his folder of notes on the upcoming opponent, focusing on tendencies, strengths/weaknesses of different players, and keys to success.
After lunch, Love spends 30-45 minutes meditating to achieve full mental clarity and focus. He finds a quiet spot, dims the lights, plays calming music and clears his mind of distractions. “Meditation is huge for me to get in the right headspace,” Love noted. “I want to be completely locked in on our gameplan when it’s time to take the field.”
The next step in Love’s mental routine involves visualization – a process he feels is vital. He pictures himself executing each play perfectly, hitting receivers in stride and leading scoring drives. Love visualizes both successful and unsuccessful scenarios to mentally prepare for any situation that could arise. “I try to see every possible play or situation before it happens so I have a plan for how to respond,” he explained.
Finally, about an hour before kickoff, Love reviews his notes one last time while listening to upbeat, high-energy music on his headphones. At this point, his mind is laser focused on the task at hand and any lingering jitters or nerves have subsided thanks to his thorough preparation. Love is now fully in his “performance zone” and ready to lead his team out of the tunnel.
Pregame Warmups (30 minutes before kickoff)
In the final 30 minutes, Love joins his teammates on the field for stretches and positional drills during pregame warmups. He works on footwork, ball security, playfakes and option runs alongside the rest of the Packers offense. Love also spends time in the huddle going over last-minute reminders of checks, adjustments and situational plays with his fellow quarterbacks and signal callers.
By the time the national anthem plays and kickoff approaches, Love’s routine is complete. His body is loose, warm and energized while his mind is laser focused thanks to hours of mental and physical preparation. As he awaits his number to be called, Love feels fully equipped to execute at a high level no matter what situations may arise during the game. All that’s left is for him to lead his team out of the tunnel and onto the field, where nearly two days of preparation will be put to the test.
Cool Down and Postgame Recovery
Of course, Jordan Love’s pregame routine is just the beginning. After the final whistle blows, his work is far from over. Love spends 15-20 minutes stretching and cooling down his body to avoid soreness. Within an hour after the game, he’ll consume a protein-rich recovery meal to replenish depleted nutrients. In the days following, Love prioritizes rest, hydration, massage therapy and low-impact workouts to aid the recovery process and get his body primed for the next Sunday.
While no two quarterbacks have exactly the same process, Love’s meticulous approach exemplifies the level of focus and dedication required to succeed at football’s highest level. From waking up to winding down, every aspect of his routine is strategically planned with the sole purpose of mental and physical optimization. It’s this attention to detail in his preparation that allows Love to confidently take the field each week ready to execute regardless of circumstance. With many more NFL Sundays still ahead, Jordan Love’s process will continue to evolve – but his commitment to thorough pregame planning will undoubtedly remain the same.
