Green Bay Packers Past & Future Position Analysis, Part One: Quarterback

Welcome to the week one installment of the analysis of the Green Bay Packers by position. In each article, I will examine not only how each player performed in 2008, but how the position is set for 2009 and beyond.

Aaron Rodgers: 341-536 (.636), 4038 yards, 28 TDs, 13 int., 93.8 passer rating

Factoring in the sacks and rushing yards, Rodgers accounted for 4014 yards on 626 plays (6.4/play), 32 TDs, and 16 turnovers. Here are some tidbits for you Rodgers-haters so biased by your love of Brett Favre that any failure of this team will be attributed to Rodgers:

1. The only time Favre had that few turnovers was his rookie year, when he dropped back to pass just five times and still threw two picks.
   
2. Favre only had more touchdowns in five of his 18 seasons (1994-'97, 2001). He had a better TD:turnover ratio only in his three MVP seasons (1995-1997).
   
3. Favre's completion percentage was better than Rodgers only four times: 2003, 2004, and 2007 with the Packers, and 2008 with the Jets.
4. Rodgers yardage totals are better than all but four of Favre's 18 seasons: 1995 (4377!), 1998 (4122), 2007 (4074), and 2004 (4031); even Favre's yards per play were only better in three additional seasons (1997, 2001, and 2003).
   
5. Favre only had a better passer rating than Rodgers four times, in 1995 (99.5), 1996 (95.8), 2001 (94.1), and 2007 (95.7).

And it is not just about comparing the two. Rodgers was the only QB in the NFL to throw over 50 passes in the redzone without a pick, and was top 10 in the league in third down passing...in his first year starting.

Do not even bring the team's record into this. Statistically, his best quarter was the second and his second best was the fourth; moreover, his stats actually were better in the fourth quarter if the Packers were within seven points.

In eight of the Packers 10 losses, Rodgers led his team to a go-ahead score late in the third quarter or in the fourth quarter, only to see the defense surrender that lead. In two of the losses, he led the team to a potential game-winning field goal that was missed.

Matt Flynn: 2-5, six yards, 47.9 rating

Flynn did not get much playing time beyond kneel-downs at the end of games, but in his one stint against Tampa Bay, the offense was so inept that an injured and largely ineffective Rodgers was reinserted. He had four yards on four carries, meaning he accounted for a total of 10 yards on nine plays.

However, Flynn won the backup job in the preseason because he played well. He was 27-43 (.643) for 209 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He ran five times for 28 yards, but was sacked five times for 35 yards. Overall, in 53 plays he accounted for 202 yards (3.8/play), three touchdowns, and two turnovers. That is decent for a rookie quarterback, even in the preseason.

Brian Brohm: did not play in regular season

Brohm was widely considered one of the top three or four quarterbacks in the draft last year, and looked like a steal in the late second round. However, despite being handed the second-string quarterback job, he fumbled it away, literally to Matt Flynn. Only after looking bad in all four games was coach Mike McCarthy forced to turn that job over to Flynn.

Brohm's preseason statistics are absolutely atrocious: 19-43 (.452) for just 155 yards and no touchdowns to go with his one interception. He ran three times for one yard but was sacked six times for 33 yards and two fumbles. Thus, he accounted for just 122 yards on 50 plays (2.4/play), no scores and three turnovers.

Grade for 2008: B+

Aaron Rodgers earned an A- for his play, being the sixth best passer in the league in his first year starting and with a struggling offensive line and running game for half the year. Moreover, by following in the footsteps of a legend who was let go under less than amicable circumstances, many Packers fans were not even supportive of him. No quarterback ever had to face this kind of environment for their first year.

However, while Flynn did not play much, his ineffectiveness has to take the grade down a bit. Flynn and Brohm also combine for mediocre-at-best preseason numbers, and since that is all we really have to grade them on, that is just enough to take it out of the A range.

Outlook for the future: A+

It is more likely that Brohm will perform as most teams thought before the draft than the way he did in those 50 preseason plays we have seen so far from him. There is every reason to believe he can be a capable quarterback, and that Flynn can be at least a capable second or third string quarterback.

With Rodgers locked up for years to come and Brohm and Flynn being rookies, the Packers have the best future in the league at the position. No quarterback younger than Rodgers had a higher passer rating; the only one close was Matt Ryan, and he is backed up by Chris Redmon, who has no chance of being a suitable starter in this league, and D.J. Shockley, who may not even be quarterback material.