Packers confident Flynn has what it takes
By Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel
Green Bay The Green Bay Packers have heard the howls and storm warnings from fans about signing a veteran backup quarterback ever since Matt Flynn claimed the No. 2 job in August 2008.
If general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy listened, they certainly didn't respond. In Flynn, they trust.
"I like him, I like that guy," McCarthy said this week. "Was he as good as everybody thought he was last year? No. But I was excited about his ability to grow. And the guy's better this year than last year."
Maybe you think the Packers' brain trust is somewhere out in left field on this one. Maybe you think McCarthy is just blowing smoke. Maybe, in his private moments, he wonders what in God's name would happen if Aaron Rodgers really did go down.
"You never know until it happens," the offensive coordinator, Joe Philbin, said of the Packers' chances with Flynn. "We'll see. But I like his energy and I like his take-charge attitude."
Perhaps it's because he started just one year in college. Maybe it's his status as a seventh-round draft choice. Or possibly the fact he has never been a great practice player has created this negative perception.
If that perception of Flynn is fairly common in Wisconsin, it isn't shared by some personnel people for other National Football League teams.
"If I was a GM and I needed a quarterback that's who I would go get," an executive in personnel for an NFL club said in unsolicited remarks in April. "I think he's the best backup in the league.
"Colt McCoy isn't as good as Flynn. In fact, if you threw him in, I'm not so sure that in two or three years he wouldn't be every bit as good as Tony Romo. Maybe better. They said he didn't have a big arm but all he did was win a national championship. He's smart and he's tough, and when he came out he was a high 4.6 (40-yard dash guy) guy."
That scout tried to sell Flynn to the decision-makers in his organization before the 2008 draft but "couldn't get to first base. I absolutely loved the kid."
A personnel man for another NFL club brought up Flynn's name in conversation about a year before that. His message was almost exactly the same: If he ever became a general manager he'd be trading for Flynn.
"I wanted to draft him, but we didn't do anything about it," the scout said. "Look. That guy is the next Mark Brunell. They will get a high pick for him some day."
Just like Ty Detmer, Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck, Aaron Brooks and Rodgers before him, Flynn has had time to assimilate the NFL game without having to play prematurely. He's bright, industrious and well-coached, as were most of his predecessors.
"This is a big preseason for me," said Flynn, whose four-year contract has two years remaining. "I really don't want to think about that until after my third year. I love it here in Green Bay. I don't know what's going to happen."
All anyone from beyond the Packers' practice field has to go by is tape of Flynn throwing 17 passes in the regular season and playing in six exhibition games.
In 2008, Flynn played so well in training camp and exhibition games (100.2 passer rating) that McCarthy-Thompson had to swallow their pride and put him ahead of Brian Brohm, their second-round pick.
Last summer, when Brohm was given every possible chance to prove himself and instead played himself out of town, Flynn played less than a half in two exhibition games before a bruised shoulder stopped him from taking a snap in the last two.
In other words, Flynn hasn't played much since his high school days in Tyler, Texas. He sat behind JaMarcus Russell for four years at Louisiana State before starting 12 games for the national titlists in '07.
When Flynn has one of his very mediocre practices, and there have been some in the first 10 days, the Packers remember that he's long been known as a "gamer" and consider his supporting cast.
"We've had a couple days where his percentage has been down," said McCarthy. "But those second and third quarterbacks, I'm not making excuses for them, but they're as much a product of who they're in there with, too, sometimes. That's tough sleddin'."
Flynn understands what it's like for his fellow offensive backups as they fight mental fatigue during the installation phase of camp. He expects the backups to become more productive soon because installations end this week.
"Now I understand why we're doing things instead of just memorizing plays," said Flynn. "Now that I have the offense down so well I can kind of go up to the line and listen and pay more attention to what the defense is doing, kind of like Aaron does. I think I've had a pretty good camp so far."
When Flynn wasn't working out in Green Bay during the off-season he was working out with former teammates and coaches at LSU. They let him know that his arm is stronger, which he attributes to footwork and maturity.
"All you can ask for is a chance," Flynn said. "That's my goal, to be a starter."