On Sunday, David faced Goliath, in his own backyard, and walked him…until Goliath landed a lucky shot and dropped David for the count.
These were near-perfect circumstances to write a great David vs. Goliath story, and I was formatting it in my head as I watched Matt Flynn lead the Packers into the Patriots’ end zone for the game-winning touchdown…until he got fired. no time. to the left, and I would change the subject of the story he was formulating in my head.
Whose? Matt Flynn… Oh, that’s right… unless you’re an LSU or a huge college football fan, you probably wouldn’t recognize his name. He was, for some reason many NFL scouts now have to answer for, drafted as low as 209th in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Sunday was Flynn’s first NFL start. Entering as a backup to Aaron Rogers, who was out with a second concussion, he was the first backup quarterback to start a game for the Packers since … 1992. Yes … since Brett Favre. For almost 20 years, if you were on the Packers’ roster as a backup quarterback, you had to invest in bench cushions, good long books, and have your agent keep an eye out for a trade… ASAP… because otherwise, you weren’t going to get on the field any time soon. The NFL’s own “Iron Man” Favre missed his first start last week as a member of the Minnesota Vikings against the New York Giants, snapping a 297-game streak. Rogers replaced Favre when he left for the Jets three seasons ago before joining the Vikings after one season.
On the other side of the field from Matt Flynn was none other than Tom Brady. That’s right… The two-time Super Bowl MVP who even most non-athletic fans know for his movie star good looks and his supermodel wife, and is one of the few athletes to become the bait from the paparazzi. He also happens to be … as hard as it is for me to say this … one of the most successful quarterbacks, if not one of the best, in NFL history. Sounds like a pretty lopsided fight… doesn’t it?
Tom Brady has won the hearts of many rival football fans over the past ten years, starting with my Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He was the subject of the now infamous “Tuck Rule,” which saved the Patriots against the Raiders that season. He is NFL royalty…the “golden boy”…etc. No one was giving Flynn and the Packers much of a chance in this game, for obvious reasons. The Patriots were coming in with an 11-2 record and had won most of their games decisively. The 8-5 Packers boasted of having the No. 1 defense in the league to take on the Patriots’ No. 1 offense, but no matter how good your defense is, you’re thinking you’ve got to achieve at least three or four touchdowns to beat the Patriots. How is this 25-year-old, inexperienced 209th pick (ironically, Tom Brady himself was the 199th pick) going to do that?
Well, it started with a very risky onside kick after the Packers deferred the winning coin toss to the Patriots. They bounced back but were only able to pick up three points as a result. Not getting a touchdown on that first drive would prove to be his undoing. Regardless, the Packers hit the Patriots right in the mouth… hard. Flynn was unflappable, guiding the Packers to touchdown after touchdown like a seasoned veteran … and if it wasn’t for a little confusion from the entire offensive line about whether or not they had a timeout left, they might have won. one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.
With about twenty seconds remaining, they fell within a yard of a first down, taking away their chance to spike the ball and stop the clock in time to make at least two well-thought-out plays. This young quarterback’s chance to shock the world by beating the best team in the league at home came down to clock management…and they didn’t manage it right. Flynn was dismissed without time and they lost 27-31. But despite losing the game, Flynn didn’t back down an inch from the mighty Patriots. He threw for 251 yards on 24 of 37 passes, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception (a pass the receiver should have caught). Brady threw for 163 yards on 15/24 passes, 2 TDs and no interceptions. Big plays on defense and special teams helped make up for Brady’s relatively low numbers.
Flynn’s songwriting was amazing, considering the circumstances, almost as if he was simply playing catch with friends on his old playground at Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas. Even after being sacked at a crucial point in the second half, Flynn got up with a smile on his face as if to say, “Okay, whatever…” and quickly passed for a first down on third and length.
I seem to remember a guy in 1999 named Kurt Warner who had to step in with a similar level of experience and take control of a St. Louis Rams team that had high hopes for their new quarterback, Trent Green. No one was giving him much luck, either. Warner’s stats in his first start that season? 28 of 44 for 309 yards, three TDs and two INTs. Kurt’s passing percentage was a little lower than Matt’s and he threw one more interception, but he had 58 more yards and the win. Still, Matt came very close to the same numbers as the projected Hall of Famer on the first ballot, against a much stronger opponent. Warner won the Super Bowl at the end of that season and broke many passing and touchdown records, including many of Dan Marino’s records.
Warner kept the job because of Green’s knee injury, which skipped the season at the hands of Rodney Harrison, then on the Chargers. The Packers are still fighting for an NFC wild card spot, but Aaron Rogers will be back, probably next week, so the next time we see Matt Flynn likely won’t be for a while, barring another concussion or head injury. Rogers. . Flynn is in the midst of a four-year, $1.8 million deal, but now that he’s been “exposed” in such a way, his agent is no doubt already fielding calls from interested teams should the Packers decide to cash in on him. Flynn. value and exchange for help from veterans in other areas. Happens all the time.
The only way Flynn is likely to remain a Packer beyond next season is if he feels Rogers’ multiple concussions (with the attention concussion injuries are getting lately) may result in a shortened career. .or at least the need for an initial caliber backup. But if Flynn gets on the field and has more games, he’ll get a lot of good offers from various teams that need a QB when he’s out of contract, and the Packers will have to pay him a lot to keep him. They usually won’t pay two quarterbacks so much money.
So I have a new favorite quarterback (other than current Rams quarterback Sam Bradford) … and whichever team Matt Flynn lands on, I’ll root for him.
