Green Bay Packers: Ten Misconceptions About Signing A Veteran QB

In my last article detailing why the Green Bay Packers need a veteran quarterback, there was a great deal of disagreement over the choices I pointed to. I can understand this—there is a reason the players left on the market are not in demand.

There also were a lot of misconceptions over basic premises that I would not have expected. And I am not just talking about having my statements misrepresented, as that is typical on blogs where people do not read what you have said carefully.

For instance, I remarked that having one of these players could get the Packers that one extra win over what Matt Flynn could accomplish if Aaron Rodgers missed four games, and that one extra win would allow Rodgers to get us to a Super Bowl. Somehow, that became me claiming Daunte Culpepper could lead the Packers to a Super Bowl.

I also said Mark Brunell could finish his career the way he started it, in Green Bay as a backup to a future Hall of Famer. Somehow, that meant I was putting Rodgers in the Hall of Fame already.

But there were other assumptions made more central to the meaning of the article, so let me address these right away so there is no time wasted debating moot points this time around:

1. A third string quarterback does not take up any roster space. They are inactive, which is not the same as being exposed on the practice squad—they cannot be snatched up by another team.
2. Thus, we do not need to choose between this guy and Matt Flynn. I am not saying Flynn is not ever going to be a capable backup or even that he might not be this season. I am merely saying all indications (only one good preseason game in two seasons and a 37 passer rating in the regular season) are that he is not ready yet.
3. This is not a slight on Flynn. He was not expected to be a capable backup by his third year—that is why he was a seventh-round pick. Even making the team was an accomplishment. I know there have been lower picks who were good, and he might still be. But seriously, in Bart Starr's day (17th round pick), scouting was not only much less of a science, but almost non-existent...do not bring up players from different eras.
   
4. I do not care what he did in college. Gino Torretta won the Heisman Trophy and had numbers for his career similar to what Flynn already has. College success often does not translate to the pros and there are players who did little in college (or nothing—Matt Cassell sound familiar?) but still succeeded in the pros. College is an indicator of potential success, but not as much as the round a player is taken.
5. I know there are other teams that lack a capable backup, but that does not mean we should be one of them. And we may be the only team without a reasonable third-string option: Chris Pizzotti was undrafted for a reason, and he could be put on the practice squad with no risk—it is unlikely he would be taken and unlikely to be a loss if he were.
6. Just because I am advocating bringing a guy in ostensibly to be our second quarterback does not mean he automatically gets the job. Much like Brian Brohm, who was drafted to be our second-string quarterback, if Matt beats him out in training camp, the job is his and the veteran can be the third quarterback.
   
7. Bringing in another backup will not stunt Flynn's growth. A veteran will not need that many reps because of their experience. Moreover, that experience may actually help Flynn by mentoring him. They will have learned more than the young Aaron Rodgers, and in fact, having less ability than the Pro Bowl QB can offer more to Flynn about how to get by without it.
   
8. It would be foolish to wait for better options. If a better option comes along before the preseason, you dump the first guy you signed. If he comes along after it, unless he has played in this complex offense, he will not be an improvement until he has time to get it down, and even then will also need to get used to his teammates.
   
9. Do not even broach the subject of money better spent elsewhere. Resources are not so finite as to restrict us from getting a player of need elsewhere because we sign a player to what would be close to a veteran minimum, non-guaranteed contract.
   
10. Be careful when looking at statistics of performances elsewhere. Just because a guy has not played for a couple years or performed badly for a bad team does not mean he cannot play. For example, Daunte Culpepper was not very good last year, but he out-performed teammate Matthew Stafford—does Stafford have no game?

All that being said, there are certainly concerns over the quarterbacks on my list, so I decided to look further into the topic. In my companion article on PackerChatters, I examine who might be available and why, plus the pros and cons of having them in Green and Gold...