If you can’t beat him, join him, seems to be the philosophy of new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Gannon got an up-close look at Packers quarterback Jordan Love, when Green Bay came back to defeat his Arizona Cardinals, 27-23 last season, and as it turns out, Love was a big reason why the former Cardinals head coach coveted the chance to become Matt LaFleur’s defensive coordinator.
Packers’ Jonathan Gannon opens up on why he took the job
Gannon didn’t shy away from why he was so interested in taking the Packers’ defensive coordinator job, during a recent press conference during Green Bay’s offseason program.
“Jordan Love,” Gannon told reporters. “That was a huge thing to me. I think he’s in the top tier.”
By aligning himself with a quarterback he views as elite, Gannon is betting that a dominant offense will provide the perfect runway for his defensive vision to take flight.
In today’s NFL, there is no greater asset for a defensive play-caller than the confidence that your own quarterback is the best player on the field.
Now, Gannon will have the chance to unleash the likes of Micah Parsons, Zaire Franklin, and Edgerrin Cooper after opposing quarterbacks, with the confidence that Love is built to maximize any takeaways his defense can create.