Matt Flynn: 2011 Green Bay Packers Evaluation and Report Card

1) Introduction: Ever since his rookie season with the Packers, Matt Flynn has served as the No. 2 quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers. Now at the end of his four-year contract with the team, Flynn will probably be playing (and starting) for a different team in 2012. His first NFL start against the New England Patriots last year coupled with his record-breaking performance against the Detroit Lions on New Year’s Day have shown he is ready to take the next step up the depth chart.

2) Profile

Matthew Clayton Flynn

Position: QB
Height: 6-2
Weight: 225 lbs.
AGE: 26

Career Stats: http://www.packers.com/team/roster/Matt-Flynn/1b0661cc-7393-41ee-ad78-0132e47da2f0

 

3) Expectations coming into the season: With Aaron Rodgers’ concussions causing him to miss playing time last year, Matt Flynn needed to be ready and capable of guiding the offense at a moment’s notice. His three prior years in the system gave him the tools to do so, and both the coaches and fans seemed to be comfortable with his abilities under center.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Flynn’s biggest moment this season could go without saying. His starting role in the final regular season game against the Detroit Lions turned into an historic performance. Franchise records were broken as he completed 31 of 44 passes for 480 yards and six touchdowns, all good for a 136.4 passer rating. It gave the Packers their 15th and final win of the season, as well boosted the value of Flynn’s future contract. His lowest point of the season, however, came when he relieved Rodgers in the final quarter of a blowout game against the Denver Broncos. Flynn’s only throw resulted in an interception, giving the Broncos one more possession before the two-minute warning.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: It’s hard to contribute a lot to the team as a backup, especially when you never have to take over for injury reasons. While Matt Flynn did beat the Lions in a shoot-out, the game was ultimately meaningless to the Packers’ playoff seeding.

6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: Nothing. I’m sure he was ready to go if Aaron Rodgers had to take the bench, but he didn’t play a snap, so his grade here has to be left incomplete.

 

Season Report Card:

(B+) Level of expectations met during the season
(B-) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(N/A) Contributions to team during the playoffs

Overall Grade: B

——————

Chad Toporski, a Wisconsin native and current Pittsburgh resident, is a writer for AllGreenBayPackers.com. You can follow Chad on twitter at @ChadToporski

Follow @ChadToporski

——————