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Mistakes are to be expected of any quarterback in his first NFL training camp, and Green Bay Packers rookies Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn are no exception.
But Packers coach Mike McCarthy says he’s confident in the progress both players have made. And so far, the Packers have passed on the chance to bring in a veteran backup for Aaron Rodgers.
“I am not disappointed at all with the path and the progress that these two young players have made,” McCarthy said. “It takes time, so if it’s not up to somebody else’s standards, I can’t control that. I am very happy with what I see. They’ll continue to get better, and that’s the most important thing. They need reps, they need to play in games, and that’s why we’ll try to get them as many opportunities as we possibly can this Thursday against Tennessee.”
For Brohm and Flynn, Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Titans will be their biggest test to date.
Brohm has shown flashes of his highly regarded ability in practice, but needs a good performance Thursday to make up for his struggles in the Packers’ first three preseason games.
“I feel like I’ve had some pretty good days in practice, some days where I felt like everything went well and everything came together and I felt really good about it,” Brohm said. “Obviously, the preseason games haven’t gone like I want them to, and hopefully we can finish it off this week with a good one.”
With the Packers starters likely to play only a series or two, both rookies will get more snaps. And they’ll likely be going against the Titans’ No. 1 defense.
In a break with conventional coaching wisdom, Titans coach Jeff Fisher typically plays his starters into the third quarter in his final preseason game.
“It’s a huge challenge,” Flynn said. “It’s going to be tough, because they’re obviously good. They’ve got some great players. It’s going to be a big challenge for us, but we’re going to have to go out there and it’s just going to make us execute that much better and be on point. Because if we’re not, we may not have that much success.”
Flynn, a seventh-round draft pick who led LSU to a victory in the BCS National Championship game last season, has been fairly sharp in the first three preseason games — leading to a closer-than-expected competition for the No. 2 quarterback spot with Brohm, a second-round pick from Louisville who was touted as a potential early first-rounder going into his senior year.
Flynn calls himself a perfectionist.
“I want to get out there and prove to myself that I’m going to be able to play in this league,” Flynn said. “I’m just looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m going to try to take what I’ve done in camp so far, practice and everything, and translate that to the game field.”
Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings said both players have made tremendous strides in camp, but Flynn might have an early edge in terms of his presence in the huddle.
“We’ve been giving them a hard time,” Jennings said. “I say Matt, he’s more comfortable, more laid-back, kind of nonchalant about everything. Brian’s the same way off the field, but once he gets on the field he’s kind of like, he presses a little bit. You’ve just got to let the game come to you, and do what you’ve been doing to get to this point. I think that if they do that, they’ll be fine.”
Jennings said Thursday’s game is a big chance for both.
“I think this game is going to give them a lot of opportunities to showcase what they have,” Jennings said. “We’re looking forward to it. We’re excited for both of them because we know they both have a bright upside.”
And if something were to happen to Rodgers this season?
“We’re confident,” Jennings said. “That’s why they formed this team, because it’s not based off of one player. So we’re extremely confident in whoever’s out there on the field.”
For Brohm, the fact that the Packers have gone this far into camp without signing or trading for a veteran quarterback amounts to a vote of confidence.
“I think it means they’re going to go with me and Matt as the backups — as of now, you never know what’s going to happen,” Brohm said. “But we both are out there working hard, and I’m just trying to get better as a player every single day no matter what happens.”
