Green Bay Packers: Matt Flynn Continues to Build a Starting Quarterback Résumé

For Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn, a stroke of bad luck for his team was all he needed to put his name into the NFL spotlight. 

With the Packers fighting for a playoff spot in Detroit last December, the unthinkable happened to their franchise quarterback for the second time in three months.

Aaron Rodgers felt pressure and scrambled out of the pocket, then had his head slam off the Ford Field turf. A cobweb-stricken Rodgers stumbled to his feet, with it being visibly clear that all the lights weren't on upstairs. The diagnosis was Rodgers' second concussion of the 2010 season. 

The Packers were forced to turn to Flynn, a 2008 seventh-round pick who had thrown a grand total of 17 regular-season passes in two seasons with Green Bay.  

Flynn struggled during the second half in Detroit, and the Packers eventually lost, 10-3, but it set up the most important game of Flynn's young NFL career in New England the week after. 

With Rodgers missing his first game in three seasons as the Packers' starting quarterback, Green Bay came into the contest as big underdogs in a nationally-televised Sunday night contest. 

To the surprise of many, however, Flynn was as good as anyone could have expected against the then 11-2 Patriots. He threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, including two that gave the Packers the lead.

Flynn's 66-yard strike to James Jones on third down put the Packers up 10-7 on the first play of the second quarter, and a six-yard dump-off pass to John Kuhn gave the Packers a 24-21 lead with just more than five minutes left in the third.

Green Bay ended up losing, 31-27, after Flynn couldn't punch in a final touchdown in the waning seconds, but the first impression had already been made.

Once the Packers' offseason began in February—after a championship run that many think started with how well the Packers played in New England without Rodgers—the trade talk started.

Would Green Bay deal Flynn, a 2012 unrestricted free agent, to a quarterback-needy team? There was an abundance of teams that fit that bill leading into April's draft, including the Tennessee Titans, who reportedly had interest in Flynn.  

The labor strife interrupted things, as the lockout robbed most of the offseason of any transactions—but the trade talk continued. 

Once the lockout was lifted, the Packers wisely held on to Flynn. GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy understood that good football teams have two capable quarterbacks on the roster; with Flynn, the Packers have had just that.

Even with that understood, there is still talk of next season. As a coming free agent, Flynn is potentially auditioning right now for a chance to be a starter somewhere in 2012. 

He certainly didn't hurt his case Saturday night in Cleveland. 

After Rodgers took the first two series and scored a touchdown, Flynn took over the offense and looked the part of an NFL starter. 

He completed 11-of-18 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, giving him a 100.8 passer rating for the game. 

On his touchdown drive, Flynn and the Packers' offense took over and went to work in the two-minute drill. Faced with a third-and-10 early in the drive, Flynn calmly found Randall Cobb for 19 yards and a first down. 

Later in the drive, Flynn hooked up with Tori Gurley for 10 yards, Cobb again for 28, Brandon Saine for 13 and Diondre Borel for 16 before getting lucky on the touchdown.

Flynn wanted to hit Gurley in the end zone, but the ball ricocheted in the air and into the arms of a waiting Spencer Havner. Overall, Flynn completed 6-of-8 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown on the drive that left just 27 seconds remaining in the first half.

With the possibility of limited opportunities during the regular season, it's important for Flynn to have a good preseason. It might be the only audition period for him during the 2011 season.

Saturday night in Cleveland, Flynn certainly got his preseason off to a good start.