Tyler's Matt Flynn hoists the 2007 BCS National Championship trophy
Green Bay Packers’ backup quarterback, and Tyler’s own, Matt Flynn, doesn’t normally get surrounded by the press in the locker room on media day, but this day’s different seeing as he’s preparing for what might be the toughest task of his football career so far: the New England Patriots.
Although word hasn’t officially been released to the public yet, Flynn will start against the Patriots Sunday night.
“I’m excited, and I’m going to go through the week like I’m definitely going to be playing and hopefully Aaron (Rodgers) can get back, but I’m just going to get in there like I’m going to be playing and prepare like it,” Flynn told the media.
Rodgers went down in last week’s 7-3 loss to the Detroit Lions. In his debut, Flynn completed 15-of-26 passes for 177 yards and one interception. The more experience, the better, and Flynn said getting the snaps he got last week helped a lot.
“I go from getting a handful of plays during the week to getting most all of them. So it’s been good getting the timing with the receivers and just small things like working snap counts with the offensive line. If I get a chance to get in there, the timing will be a lot better than last week.”
The 8-5 Packers will take on the 11-2 Patriots on the road.
“It’s definitely a big game,” Flynn said. “ It’s a night game, it’ll be on TV, but I’ve played in games before, I know not at this level, but I’ve been on the big stage before so that’s not going to really bother me. It’s just about getting on the plane Saturday, getting completely prepared and having my mind at ease that I prepared myself as much as I can.”
Flynn knows and is grateful for having the respect of his teammates.
“I can’t speak for everyone, but I will speak for the receivers-we’ve got all the trust in the world in Matt,” Packers receiver Jordy Nelson told packers.com. “We said it last week when he came into the game against Detroit. He would take a couple throws back, but I thought he performed very well.
“I told him on the bus, ‘Right now, the receiving corps, we believe in you.’ We actually felt that from his rookie year when he came in and played well in the preseason and moved up and got second-string quarterback. We know what he can do. He won a national championship in college, and you have to be a good quarterback to do that.”
Before winning that national championship, Flynn quarterbacked the Robert E. Lee Red Raiders to a state championship during his junior year in 2001 where they fell short to Mesquite High School.
The following year, as a senior, he threw for 1,679 passing yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 305 yards and 12 touchdowns, and despite playing his last four games with a broken foot, he led his team to the state semifinals where the Red Raiders lost to Midland High School.
After high school, Flynn attended Louisiana State University.
For his first three years, he served as backup quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
As a fifth year senior, he finally got time under center as he led the Tigers to a BCS National Championship game where they beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 38-24. Flynn was named MVP of that game.
The Packers drafted Flynn in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft and signed a contract through the 2011 season.
Based on what Flynn tells the media, he seems ready to go, but’s he’s got a true test in front of him Sunday night.