Packers' Jordan Love calls out Falcons' Jessie Bates for being a 'ballhawk'
If there's one player that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love needs to be worried about when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, it's safety Jessie Bates. But Love knows that. "Jessie is a really good safety for them," Love said during Wednesday's press conference. "He's a ballhawk, you've seen the numbers he had […]
If there's one player that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love needs to be worried about when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, it's safety Jessie Bates.
But Love knows that.
"Jessie is a really good safety for them," Love said during Wednesday's press conference. "He's a ballhawk, you've seen the numbers he had last week with two interceptions and a forced fumble. So you know, he's a ballhawk, he's a really good player. He's a very instinctual player and he plays on quarterbacks' eyes, and that's how he made his plays last week. So, definitely a guy we got to be looking out for and just know where he's at, at all times."
Bates, who suited up for the Falcons for the first time last week, put on an NFC Defensive Player of the Week performance in Week 1, logging 10 total tackles, two interceptions, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.
When asked how he plans to get around Bates' ability to read his eyes, Love made it clear that there really is no way of telling how you get around an experienced guy like that–you just have to stay on your toes.
"I think he's just a vet, he's been around. He's played a lot of ball and I think he's a savvy guy. He plays in the post and makes quick reads on quarterbacks' eyes, and where they're playing, and he triggers very hard on passes. He has good ball skills and he goes and makes plays on it. He's played a lot of games and he knows what he's doing back there.
"I think you just got to make quick decisions and not stare receivers down and then you just have to know where he's at. You know that he's probably going to jump a lot of your passes – and just be aware of that."
The Falcons signed Bates, a former second-round pick in 2018, back in March as a free agent after he had spent the previous five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Bates now has 16 interceptions and four forced fumbles in his career, but certainly more to come.
Latest injury report for Falcons vs. Packers, Week 2
The Falcons had two starters return to practice.
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