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Green Bay’s quarterback quandary: Is a veteran needed?

By Andy Erdman | May 11th, 2008

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Following the retirement of Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers went from fielding one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the NFL to heading into the 2008 training camp with three greenhorns.

This could be problematic should a run of bad luck strike Titletown. Would it be beneficial for general manager Ted Thompson to sign a veteran signal caller to serve in a guidance role?

Although Favre’s replacement, Aaron Rodgers, has shown promise at times, particularly in the week 13 game at Texas Stadium last year, he is wholly untested. Entering his 4th season with the Packers, Rodgers’ career stats – 35 for 59 for 329 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT – resemble the kind of numbers guys like Favre, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady put up in a single game. In total, Rodgers has appeared in just seven games since entering the NFL – most of which were in mop up roles.

Rodgers will be able to keep defenses on their toes in a way Favre never could: with his ability to scramble. But what scares many Packers fans is what some see as his tendency to injure easily. Nobody questions his toughness and desire, but Rodgers has sustained an injury in each of the past two seasons that caused him to miss substantial time.

And if Rodgers does go down – looking at it from a worse case scenario, of course – his two replacements are even greener than him. Heck, they’re rookies! If Brian Brohm or Matt Flynn is called upon as a rookie, I doubt the playoffs would any longer be a reality for Green Bay.

After drafting Brohm and Flynn, the Packers did make a good move by releasing quarterbacks Jerry Babb and Dalton Bell. They had no experience either and have far less potential than Brohm and Flynn.

So where does the veteran leadership at quarterback come from? To whom does Rodgers turn for advice when he hits a rough patch? Is signing a veteran quarterback a wise move? Or is heading into the season with Rodgers, Brohm and Flynn adequate? If a veteran was signed, it would have to be a guy who understands that Rodgers is the man, and that he is being brought onboard in a leadership, bail out capacity only.

The problem, of course, is that the experienced veterans available currently are few and far between. Most Packers fans have voiced their disgust with the prospect of picking up Daunte Culpepper, and he’s probably not a good fit regardless. So who’s left? Craig Nall? Not good enough. More veteran QBs will become available once the preseason hits and teams starting paring their rosters down to the final 53. A Brad Johnson-, Mark Brunell- or Trent Dilfer-type backup could be beneficial for serving as a mentor (somebody call up Vinny Testaverde!).

Something is a little unsettling about the Packers quarterbacking corps as it stands. Full of potential, certainly. But unsettling, nevertheless. Like the semi-blind leading the blind.

But the good news is that the Packers’ weapons on offense are plenty, which will definitely make Rodgers’ (or Brohm’s) job much easier going forward.

And things could be much worse: at least the Green and Gold aren’t heading into ’08 with Wrecks Grossman as the starter.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 1:44 pm and is filed under Ted Thompson, Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers, Free Agency. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

20 Responses to “Green Bay’s quarterback quandary: Is a veteran needed?”

Aaron says:

May 11th, 2008 at 6:07 pm

I think we are ok at QB….yes, I am worried about Rodgers getting hurt, but I think the Packers coaching staff will see how fast Brohm catches on before picking up a veteran QB…..Remember, we have the best veteran QB in the wings with lots of experience-none other that #4….
Casey Burkett says:

May 12th, 2008 at 9:07 am

Rodgers should have plenty of experience heading into this season and shouldn’t need a shoulder to cry on if he hits a tough stretch. Thats why we have a QB coach. As far as back ups go I think the best back up we have is sitting home right now. If Rodgers gets injured and we have a winning record look for Favre to come back in dramatic fanfare to take GB to the superbowl.
s jeans says:

May 12th, 2008 at 10:39 am

I agree with all of the above, except for one thing. Brohm and Flynn actually know more than people are giving them credit for. If Rodgers goes down, THEN we will just SEE what the young guns can do. I am all in favor of #4 tutoring the new guys even if it is just by his presence.
Armand Smith says:

May 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm

I hope one day Dalton Bell comes back and throws a nice TD pass against GB. All people do is trash him when he hasnt even had a chance.
sam says:

May 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

i don’t think we should pick up a veteran qb just for the sake of having a veteran on the roster. rodgers is our veteran in the making and there are a lot of teams who have young qbs as their back ups. furthermore, i think kc is right to say that if worse comes to worse and we need someone to step in for a playoff run, there is no way favre would be able to say no. no way. which actually puts us in a better position at quarterback than most teams in the league if their starters get hurt.
Casey Burkett says:

May 12th, 2008 at 10:19 pm

I don’t think anyone was “trashing” Dalton Bell. We just have a overflow of young talent on the team at quarterback. He was odd man out. Hopefully he replaces baldy in Seattle.
graham says:

May 13th, 2008 at 9:39 am

Hey Armand Smith who is Dalton Bell?? He will never get a chance because he does not have the size (6/2 206), arm strength (they say “rifle” more like average), speed (okay he WAS a track star, empahsis on WAS) or anticipation (I mean not even close) it takes to be in the NFL. There is a reason he does not get a chance, and its not just to spite Dalton, it’s because he cant compete at the NFL level. The seahawks are probably going to cut him come game 2 of the preseason.
Mark says:

May 13th, 2008 at 10:29 pm

So Rogers has “shown promise” against the mighty Texans? Not a particularly strong resume item.
MikeinMIami says:

May 14th, 2008 at 9:11 am

You guys are in trouble. Get ready for a nice 8-8 season at best. I think Brohm will be the better of the 3 however the team cant and wont rally around him like they did favre.

Packers are in trouble
Andy Erdman says:

May 14th, 2008 at 9:17 am

Mark: Put down the crack pipe.

Rodgers (not Rogers) showed promise at Texas Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys (the top team in the NFC last year) play — not the Houston Texans. The Texans play in Reliant Stadium.
Casey Burkett says:

May 14th, 2008 at 11:34 am

Wow Andy, that was a one two punch I don’t think Mark can get off the mat from.
jerry says:

May 15th, 2008 at 7:58 am

I believe that back in 1992-93 we had 3 “green” Qb”s in Favre, Burnell and Detmer and the Pack did alright. This group could be the second comming.
Hunter says:

May 15th, 2008 at 10:26 pm

I’m having trouble with this talk about Brett filling in. The man’s retired. How’s he possibly going to be in playing shape for next season? He’s admitted that it’s been a real grind as he’s gotten older. Isn’t it just sentimental fantasy?
joe says:

May 16th, 2008 at 9:49 am

the pack will be alright at qb, lets not forget about ryan grant who led the league in rushing after making his fisrt start in wk 7. we have a running game and a good defense. favre is impossible to replace and everybody’s heart dropped when he went down against dallas, but he filled in nicely now that he’s the man. we’ll see if he can handle the pressure ( this is what scares me. 1. replace brett favre 2. take over a team that was an ot field goal from going to the super bowl 3. draft 2 qbs in the draft) too much pressure on a young qb. i just hope he can handle it
Mark says:

May 18th, 2008 at 7:22 pm

I’m down for the count. I’m looking at the world through purple tinted glasses.
West of the St Croix says:

May 19th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

Ryan Grant will not, I repeat, WILL NOT be anywhere near as effective as he was last year… I am not knocking him, but there are a few things stacked against him… 1) The league now has VIDEO on the guy… They can actually plan a game around what he does… 2) Opposing teams can put an extra guy in the box because the old man isn’t under center, which means: Th pack will be expected to run the ball more; and the old man was the king of the ghetto move… I will miss that opposite had shovel pass…

Ryan Grant was a successful product of the zone-blocking offensive line… The same one that made Samkon Gado a Fantasy stud for 2-3 games two years ago… Similar to the Denver offense that can turn my grandma into a 1000 yard rusher…

Once again, I’m looking forward to Game 1 of the season.
Trevor says:

May 20th, 2008 at 8:19 am

West
Wow…that is a LOT of assumptions in one post about Ryan Grant. I am not one to think Grant is the next HOF back…he’s a good back that is going to be successful in the right system, which is the one he is in! He’s not an AD…though even AD was slowed down last year. I think its a VERY big mistake to assume that Rodgers will be as inept as your QB on the other side of the St. Croix. Rodgers has shown nothing but promise after spending 3 years in the system learning and practicing. Is he going to do what Favre did last year? Nope. Is he going to be a flop? Nope. He still has a good line that is continuing to grow together and is anchored by two great OTs. He still has 3-4 VERY talented WRs that know the playbook well and are only getting better. He still has an emerging TE and a new rookie. So what is out there that makes you think he can’t manage at team and keep the safeties out of the box. When the Packers spread 3-4 wide I guarantee you Sharper won’;t be floating around in the box very much…he’ll be too busy trying to keep up with Jennings and Jones downfield!!
Robert LIngle, Jr. says:

May 20th, 2008 at 7:29 pm

I think Packers fans are going to be pleasantly surprised at Matt Flynn - if he ever gets a chance. I saw the Peach Bowl in 2006 where he had to make his first start at LSU in place of the injured JaMarcus Russell. He came in a took charge of the team like he had been behind center all year. After several series he threw a 40 yard touchdown pass to the secondary receiver, and it was off to the races. 40-3 over Miami.

I never saw him lose his cool at LSU during the national championship season. He has tangible leadership abilities and plenty of skills. He will be a solid back-up somewhere, if not a starter.

The pro’s are are tougher, but he will
Randy S says:

May 21st, 2008 at 8:26 am

Off the top of my head, I can think of one other QB who sat quietly behind a superstar for at least three years before getting his chance to start.
Anyone ever hear of Steve Young?

We all know how he turned out.

Barring injury, I think Rodgers is gonna surprise a lot of nay-sayers and doom-and-gloom prophets.
doom guns stats says:

July 8th, 2008 at 3:07 am

doom guns stats…

How do you come up with so much material to blog with?…