The Green Bay Packers have shown nothing but confidence in backup quarterback Graham Harrell this offseason. That says a lot, considering Mike McCarthy‘s record with quarterbacks.
McCarthy and his coaches prepared Aaron Rodgers to take over for Brett Favre. They landed Rodgers’ former backup Matt Flynn a fat contract and a potential starting job in Seattle.
That being said, word coming out of Green Bay is the Packers could pick up a veteran quarterback to backup Rodgers if Harrell doesn’t cut it in the preseason. The only other guy on the roster is rookie seventh-round pick B.J. Coleman and he’s far too raw for a team with Super Bowl aspirations to throw into a regular-season game this year.
Although he went undrafted out of Texas Tech and hasn’t played in a regular season game, there’s no reason to think Harrell can’t win the Packers’ backup job. He was a winner in college, is now in his third year in the Packers’ system and McCarthy likes him.
“I’ll say this about Graham: I’ve always been impressed with the progress he’s made with every opportunity he’s been given,” McCarthy said. “This is clearly his best opportunity of his professional career. He’s getting better. It’s right there for him as far as being the No. 2.”
Will it translate to the field? We’ll see.
If it doesn’t, the Packers have a few options.
One of those is Donovan McNabb.
Although McNabb shit the bed in his six-game stint with the Vikings in 2011, he re-devoted himself to strength conditioning this offseason. In other words, he’s hungry for one last shot. Plus, he’d likely have little trouble picking up the Packers offense. Green Bay could do a worse than starting McNabb for one or two games this season.
Another situation to keep an eye on is what happens in Miami. They currently have Matt Moore, last season’s starter, David Garrard, the former Jacksonville starter, and first-round pick Ryan Tannehill. It stands to reason they’ll part ways with one of the veterans once they sort out who’s their starter.
The other option is Cleveland’s Colt McCoy, who’s going to be replaced as the starter by first-round pick Brandon Weeden. The Packers reportedly had interest in McCoy during the draft, but nothing happened. Cleveland will eventually trade or release the veteran.
Harrell is better than any of those guys. He is going to be better than Flynn.
Here we go: the yearly talk of acquiring a veteran back up QB.
If Harrell gets injured in the preseason, then sure.
harrell definitly deserves a shot and i do beleive he could be just as good at the very least as flynn
Way to create a story out of think air. How about McCoy may be looking for a job if he gets cut, or the packers will need a new starting QB if AR is injured.
Where is ‘the word out of Green bay” coming from? The local pub I suspect.
McCoy is not as good as everyone thinks – he just had one of the best teams in college football supporting him. McNabb will never happen. Too much ego for the coaching staff to even consider.
Harrell will surprise once he is allowed to play with actual members of the packers during a preseason game- I though he did pretty good given what he had to work with last preseason.
I’ll kill myself if McNabb is under center for the green and gold.
I second that.
It makes sense the Packers pick up McCoy if they can get him for a 5, develop him and let him back up Rodgers for a year or two as cheap insurance while developing their other young quarterback, BJ Coleman. Coleman is bigger and stronger and ultimately better suited to backup Aaron Rodgers and maybe replace Rodgers in the distant future. In two years when Coleman is ready they trade McCoy to someone looking for a starter or good back up.
With what I have seen of Harrell in the 1st 3 preseason games, whoever the supporting case has been around him, I just don’t think he has what it is going to take to be Rodger’s backup.
I do trust McCarthy’s judgement. If he truely believes in Harrell, I will pull for him to have success in Green Bay.