I’m feelin’ pretty good about the way the 2012 roster is shaping up. Hard to quibble with too much. But there is one spot that has me worried. Not keeping me up nights, but just a nagging concern. The departure of Matt Flynn has left the team with a back up to Aaron Rodgers with about as much NFL experience as I have.
For a Super Bowl favorite, it seems like you’re putting your team in a very dangerous spot, if Aaron Rodgers gets injured. The dude has proven to be extremely durable. He may take every snap in 2012 and it won’t matter whether Graham Harrell, BJ Coleman or Nick Hill is one hit away from being the starting quarterback. But do you feel good right now about any of those guys?
And it’s not like the team will turn to the running game if Rodgers goes down. That’s not the way this offense rolls. No, what Ted Thompson needs to do is find a veteran QB who is familiar with or whose skill set fits this offense. And the sooner the better. Maybe it’s Colt McCoy. For now, the Browns say they’re keeping him and McCoy believes he should have a chance to keep his job. But the team’s GM has already said he expects rookie Brandon Weeden (who’s older than Rodgers) to win the job.
The Browns would be wise to remove McCoy from the roster to keep him from being a distraction if he doesn’t handle the demotion well. He’d be a perfect backup for the Pack and maybe some time learning from McCarthy and Clements will do him some good. I can’t imagine he’d cost more than what the Seahawks paid for Kellen Winslow: a 7th rounder that could turn into a 6th.
McCoy isn’t the only option. A couple of guys could become available as training camps get started. I know what many of you are thinking: the Pack developed Matt Flynn. Why can’t they do the same for one of the young guys on the roster? They very well could. But it’s not automatic. And it’s doubtful any of them are prepared to lead this team this season. I’d rather see the #3 QB spot reserved for a developmental guy. Put another on the practice squad.
But let’s go get an experienced backup for Rodgers. For a team with Super Bowl expectations, a little proven insurance behind the MVP would allow the head cheese, if not Packer nation, to rest a bit easier.
Update: Within a couple hours of this blog being posted, the Packers announced they had released QB Nick Hill. Perhaps to make room for the acquision of a veteran? Never underestimate the pull of the Head Cheese! 
Hey Dave,
Thanks for posting something interesting, it has been awhile since your last post. I was checking every week to see if you had anything new. I am with you on this one. When Matt Flynn came out he was a surprisingly NFL ready 7th rounder. I don’t get that sense with Graham Harrell although I do think Harrell is getting better. I like the idea of bringing in Colt McCoy if he doesn’t cost too much. There is questions about his armstrength for the cold, windy games but I think Aaron Rodgers had those questions when he came out of college & look how he has developed. If the Packers don’t bring in a veteran I guess they trust the guys they have even if they have little to no experience. The Packers haven’t made too many mistakes recently so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Dave, I respectfully disagree with you on this one. Harrell has been in the system for a few years now, so if you think about it, he’s had more experience at this point in his career than Flynn has. A few seasons ago, the Pack went into the season with ONLY Rodgers and Flynn (no third string guy at all), and that worked out well. Now I’m not comparing apples to oranges here because each season and each roster presents their own issues, but unlike the rest of you guys, I’m OK with Harrell and Coleman. This could work out well in the long run. Harrell has had all the development he’s going to get – he just needs the experience. Coleman could land on the practice squad rather than the roster of 53, where he can get all the development he needs. I’m not anywhere close to having my finger on the panic button.
I don’t have a problem going into training camp with Harrell as the back up. If the Packers don’t like what they see in preseason games, they can make a move for a guy like McCoy. However, the Packers have a very good track record of developing QBs and they might be able to do something with Harrell.
The reality is, regardless of who the backup is, if Rodgers is hurt for an extended period of time, the team will struggle. Can Harrell get us through a 2 game stretch, sure, so could Flynn, but thinking that any kind of true SB aspiration is still there if Rodgers goes down is delusional. He is the designed centerpiece of this team. No team can afford to keep a backup QB that is as good as the starter, that’s why they are still a backup and not starting. When they show enough progress, they leave to start, ala Flynn. GoPack!
I too would feel better having a little more security/experience behind Rodgers (he did miss the game in 2010 on his 2nd concussion and we sure don’t want to be in the position to force him out there in a questionable situation because we don’t trust the #2) but also don’t want to hamper Graham’s growth. How does the new rule regarding the 3rd QB (active/deactive/emegency QB/etc.) affect the situation? Under the old rules, I’d like game day actives to be Rodgers as QB1 and Graham as QB2 so he can get snaps and experience, while having a veteran as the “emergency” QB3 in case Graham fails. Coleman can then be on practice squad for a year. But not sure how the new rules affect all of this???
Scheny, I think you summed it up as best as can be. Sure, it would be great to have an experienced guy as a backup (depending on your definition of “experienced”), but I agree with you. If Rodgers goes down for 3 games or more, whatever SB aspirations are out there would be greatly damaged for sure, but I don’t think there’s a team out there anywhere who can carry 2 QB’s capable of being “the guy”. This team is built around Rodgers, period. Anyone else would be holding court until his return. Harrell’s been around a while, so he knows this system. MM and TT know something about him the rest of us don’t; otherwise, why would they have kept him around this long? I’ll say it again – I’m good with Harrell and Coleman. Come training camp and preseason and we find out otherwise, so be it.
Scheny…I agree with you that if Rodgers goes down our SB aspirations are gone. However….that being said I believe a team with a roster like the Pack needs an experienced backup…we cannot assume Harrell will step in like Flynn did. Getting McCoy makes sense..we need an experienced guy who has taken real snaps…..we are a team for the now. McCoy would come with a good attitude….especially if the reins are changing in Cleveland. But…we have other main concerns…(1) shaping up the defense…(2) developing a running game. I believe we are close to getting back as a league to more emphasis on running as these D- Coordinators are developing more personnell and schemes to combat the passing game. I am concerned more about some type of a running game to complement Rodgers. Contrarion view but this is how new schemes start.
Wow…a lot of you guys sure want McCoy to come to town. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but the only way I see that happening is if he comes on the day after final roster cuts and comes for a bargain price (which isn’t likely). The Packers are a team that develops from within, and there’s no reason right now, or even during training camp, that they should stray from that philosophy. If Rodgers is lost for a few games, Harrell is more than capable of holding service. C’mon you guys…scrap heap QB’s are for teams like the Raiders and the Bears, not the Pack! Heck – even the Vikings finally figured that one out – wait a minute, they still have Rosenfels…scratch that. Now where was I…Oh yeah… My fellow Packer bretheren, keep the faith! PUT YOUR HAND ON THE CHEESE HEAD AND REPEAT AFTER ME…(sorry, I got carried away there. Now where was I? Oh yeah…) Capers has some youth to work with now, so The D will recover nicely. The running game has nowhere to go but up, but with that passing game, it doesn’t need to go up all that much. Go ahead – call me an optimist! My finger is so far away from the panic button, I’m thinking of auctioning it off! (the button, not my finger) Any takers? Got any Bears fans where you work?
No damaged QB’s, please!
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Bill….The Voice Of Reason….You are reasonable with excellent posts….however most of us are being reasonABLE on this Colt MCCoy want. This is not a Viking from the scrapepile….but a REASONABLE backup plan. Yes….Flynn came thru with little experience….but from what I’ve seen of Harrell….granted a small sample size….he is not Flynn. We are an experienced team that needs an experienced backup. Hopefully ….we only see whoever the backup is in mop up roles in the 4th quarter. Keep up your good posts !! GO PACK GO !!
OSSG, the respect is mutual, as well as our regular cast of characters that make up this fine family. This is the main reason this blog is so much fun. Here’s a thought on McCoy that I’ll just toss out there…he’s currently with the Browns, and there’s a guy in charge there who we all know, love and respect in Mike Holmgren, who knows a thing or two about coaching quarterbacks. Now granted he’s higher up on the ladder there and probably doesn’t have the day-to-day contact that the coaching staff does, but I would imagine he has a little bit of input on the matter. So if Holmgren is willing to give up on him, what does that tell us? Now in principle, you guys all make valid points on why the Packers should go after him, but at what cost? Do they bring him in and trade Harrell? I don’t know, but I don’t see a scenario where they’d keep both of them around (this is making the assumption that Coleman will go the the practice squad). Essentially they’d be starting from scratch with McCoy, and would render the investment in time and money of Harrell’s development a wash, and I’m not so sure TT and MM are willing to give up on him. So in the big picture, I’m seeing the chance of McCoy coming to the Pack at 10% or less. This is Harrell’s 3rd season coming up, so if there’s going to give up on him, now’s the time to cut him loose. I don’t think that’s going to happen. And one more thing to Head Cheese Dave – is there any way to filter out these spam comments? Thanks in advance.
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