Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn is a Toss Up
Coming into the training camp, the Green Bay Packers backup quarterback job was Matt Flynn’s to lose. We predicted he would indeed lose it to Scott Tolzien. This week, the contest was declared even.
“I think it’s up in the air right now,” quarterbacks coach Scott Van Pelt said. “It’s in a competition. That’s healthy for everybody.”
Scooter has been taking No. 2 reps this week, the first time he’s done so in training camp. The coaches say that’s unrelated to last week’s preseason performance, but Tolzien had by far the superior game, so draw your own conclusions.
Against Tennessee, Tolzien was 8-of-12 for 124 yards and Flynn was 5-of-10 for 49 yards. In addition to the statistical disparity, the Packers offense had another dimension with Scooter under center. Namely, the one that involves throwing the ball more than 10 yards.
With Flynn, the Packers passing game was dink and dunk.
The Packers haven’t publicly committed to giving Tolzien No. 2 game reps this week, but we fully expect to see him follow Aaron Rodgers against the Rams. If this really is an open competition, they have to get a look at Scooter with the No. 2 unit in a game at some point.
Everything seems to point to that time being now.
If the performances are similar to those last week, then Tolzien will have established himself as the man to beat for the job.
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Flynn please. No one else will grab Scooter & he will be on our practice squad.
Flynn has shown he can get the job done as a # 2 & Tolzein is still a project…
BTW…Dosen’t Flynn still hold some Packers records or something…???
Second that opinion. I never see any preseason stats on my vast football card collection from the 80’s. Hopefully no matter who it is they won’t set foot on the field this year anyway.
Tolzien is NOT practice squad eligible AND is much more likely to be picked up over Flynn. Tolzien can sling it and has shown improvement. My guess is we keep three QBs this year and likely next Flynn will be out.
Thanks. I dont know how many times it has to be stated for people to realize that Tolzien isnt practice squad eligible anymore.
I don’t think Tolzein can be put on the practice squad due to the three year rule on that.
Just hope AR doesn’t get hurt again for an extended period of time. There’s no replacing that. You can only hope to survive.
Then again, just make the playoffs and get on a roll.
I was not impressed with either QB last week. Tolzien racked up some cheap completions and yards with 36 seconds left in the 1st half and the defense not giving a shit.
I agree that Flynn looked worse than Tolzien. True. It also appeared that the stuff from Van Pelt about Flynn having a stronger arm this season was BS. Maybe the rain had a lot to do with that. We will see.
Personally, I still think you keep all 3. The concussion rules mean that a player can get be benched for the game at any point. Only having 2 QBs ready to go is a gamble.
I for one am a Tolzien believer. The only reason the Niners gave him up is because they had to. He has a superior arm to Flynn’s. Development will turn him into a perfect backup. Hes much younger too.
You don’t ever give up on a talent because you “have to”. If you think he has the ability to play, especially at the all-important QB position, you keep him. The Niners aren’t so loaded at all positions (particularly the QB) that they couldn’t possibly afford to drop someone in place of Tolzien or put him on the PS (if he was eligible at that time). It’s either a misdiagnois/myopia (coaching and need) by the Niners or the Packers..
I honestly don’t know how Flynn does it. He has a weak arm and he isn’t very mobile, but the guy can win games for the Packers. He saved the Division championship last season. This is something that Tolzien, Vince Young and Seneca Wallace could not do last season. You just never know how good a quarterback is going to be until the pads are on and the live fire begins.
Flynn. Enough said!