Packers quarterback Flynn attracts attention
Solid start likely to boost interest in him
Green Bay When Ron Wolf put backup quarterbacks Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks and Matt Hasselbeck up for trade during his years as general manager of the Green Bay Packers, interested parties had to base their evaluations on preseason games and spot play.
All three quarterbacks had suffered the misfortune of playing behind Brett Favre, who avoided plays spent on the sideline as though it was prison time.
In a combined five seasons, the three attempted just 56 passes and were 0-2 in games in which Favre had to leave because of injury. Eventually they were all acquired by other teams that had no empirical evidence they were capable of being starters.
For sure, none of them had the kind of game Matt Flynn did last Sunday at New England.
Starting for injured quarterback Aaron Rogers (concussion), Flynn stepped in and completed 24 of 37 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. His passer rating of 100.2 was the highest by an NFL quarterback making his first career start against a team with a 10-2 record or better since the 1970 merger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Packers lost the game, 31-27, but Flynn had the Packers on the brink of breaking the Patriots' 15-game winning streak at Gillette Stadium.
"Obviously, it was a great experience for me, especially going up there and having some success and doing well," said Flynn, who has returned to his backup position with the return of Rodgers. "I guess it could add some positive things for my career, but it's one of those things; we lost. That was the only thing that was really on my mind."
It may not be all that is on the mind of a few general managers in the market for a quarterback next season. If there is no rookie salary limit next year, teams may find it cheaper to acquire Flynn as a restricted free agent or in a trade than drafting a quarterback in the first round.
By no means has Flynn done anything to show he's a surefire NFL starter, but he has at least one credential Wolf's quarterbacks didn't have: He started and finished a game against a quality opponent and deserved to win.
"It wasn't too big for him," Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements said of what Flynn proved. "He managed the team well, he generally made right decisions, he made plays with his arm, made plays with his feet. He looked comfortable operating the team."
During the off-season, general manager Ted Thompson will have to decide whether to get the most he can for Flynn before he becomes an unrestricted free agent or let it play out and risk losing him for nothing.
If the current free agent system is reinstated, Flynn will be a restricted free agent. He would be able to shop himself around the NFL, but through incremental qualifying offers the Packers would be able to raise the level of compensation as high as a first- and third-round pick.
If they go to the high end, they would have to pay Flynn a salary around $3 million next year. At the end of that season, Flynn would be unrestricted and free to go anywhere with no compensation if the Packers didn't put a franchise or transition tag on him.
"I think somebody's going to come and get him," receiver James Jones said. "If they don't, they're stupid, especially the teams in this league that need a quarterback."
Thompson could follow Wolf's lead and deal Flynn before the contract situation even comes up. Wolf traded Brunell and Hasselbeck after their second seasons and Brooks after his first.
For Brunell in 1995, he got third- and fifth-round picks from Jacksonville.
For Brooks in 2000, he got a third-round pick.
For Hasselbeck in 2001, he was able to move up seven spots to No. 10 in the first round as well as get a third-round pick.
If Flynn is viewed as a starter around the league, Thompson might not take less than a third-round pick based on those previous deals. The big question is whether Thompson would do it given his tendency not to do anything rash.
"Obviously, my goal is to be a starting quarterback, but it's not something I'm thinking about right now," Flynn said. "I've just been very fortunate to be tutored by some good quarterbacks coaches and be under Aaron. I've learned a ton.
"I feel more prepared this year than in the past. The more time I spend here, I kept getting better."
There may be some scouts who still question Flynn's arm strength, but few would question his toughness and poise. He's sometimes so calm that people think he is disinterested, which is far from the case.
"People at LSU, fans used to get mad at me because in games I'd look like I didn't care," Flynn said. "Obviously I did, but I wouldn't show emotion if good things or bad things happened. I guess it's just how I am. I don't know. It's not like I'm trying to do it. It's funny that people notice that."
If they noticed anything at the end of the Patriots game it was the apparent chaos that ensued after the clock was down to 23 seconds and Donald Driver's catch had left the Packers with a fourth and 1 at the Patriots 15 with no timeouts. From afar, Flynn looked like a deer in headlights - until it was time to get the team to the line and get off a play.
"We thought it was a first down," Flynn said. "Driver thought it was, I thought it was, the sideline was telling me to clock it. Once I realized that it wasn't, I looked over and it was like, 'Ah, can't do this.' And then the refs were taking a couple seconds (to spot the ball) and I was like, 'All right, we've got to go, we've got to get this play off.'"
Flynn did exactly that. The play went off without a hitch, but with eight defenders covering four receivers, he couldn't find anyone open in the end zone. He tried to extend the play by scrambling outside but was sacked.
Some wondered if Flynn might have been able to run a sneak, get the first down and then spike the ball with time left for a play or two. But Flynn had thought that through and realized it wasn't a good idea.
"Earlier in the game when we did a quarterback sneak, the defense had laid on me for a while," Flynn said. "So if I was a defender, that's what I would do."
Ultimately, victory slipped through his fingers, but an opportunity to impress did not.
"It kind of solidifies the confidence I've had," Flynn said. "It was good to go out there. I had a blast. I just love playing the game. I had a great time."
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