GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When the Green Bay Packers decided to keep three quarterbacks on their active roster, there was still one important question: Who was No. 2 on the depth chart behind Aaron Rodgers? Well, the winner of the job isn't the one who had the better preseason performances.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said Sunday that Matt Flynn is going into the regular season ahead of Scott Tolzien.
Flynn has more NFL experience than Tolzien and has proven that he can win games in McCarthy's offense. Last season, Flynn led the Packers to a 2-2 record late in the year, keeping their playoff hopes alive before Rodgers' return. Tolzien didn't fare as well, with Green Bay losing both games that he either started or played the majority of. It was Flynn who replaced Tolzien midway through the Packers' Week 12 game.
However, as both quarterbacks returned for training camp in 2014, Tolzien was much improved. In preseason action, the former Wisconsin Badger completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 477 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 112.0. Flynn's statistics were not nearly as good, completing 47.4 percent of his passes for 232 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, resulting in an 82.3 passer rating.
Yet, it was McCarthy's comfort level with Flynn -- who he's coached for five years -- that likely played the largest role in naming him as Rodgers' top backup.
"I'm really just happy we're all three here," Flynn said. "We're both now backing up Aaron. It's something I have to be prepared for. I have a lot of experience backing up Aaron. It's a position I'm comfortable with, now we move forward."
Flynn was Rodgers' backup from 2008-2011 before signing with the Seattle Seahawks for a guaranteed $10 million and a chance to be a starter. After losing out to Russell Wilson, Flynn was traded to the Oakland Raiders. He started one game with Oakland before being released, then joined the Buffalo Bills for a couple weeks before he was cut and it seemed like his NFL career could be over. That's when Green Bay needed some help in Rodgers' absence and gave Flynn a call. The Packers then re-signed Flynn this offseason to a one-year, $1.07 million deal.
"Anytime you're comfortable (in an offense), you're going to play better," Flynn said. "You're going to have less on your mind, less stress on your mind. You're not thinking about what everyone's doing. You're thinking about what the other team is doing. I'm comfortable with the offense and I feel like I had a good camp."
Ultimately, though, Flynn knows it's his main responsibility now to make sure Rodgers is ready for the regular season.
"Our job is to give him any information that he needs throughout the week in preparation, whether that's me going back and watching technique of DBs, watching technique of defensive tackles, trying to get keys in," Flynn said. "It's about talking through plays with him, talking through the game plan with him, giving him different points of view on how things are going to play out, different points of view on how things are going to work and just trying to make sure he's comfortable with everything.
"During the game, it's about relaying to him on the sideline what exactly we're seeing. He sees a lot, but there's things he can't see, so it's about giving him and relaying that information to him."
If Rodgers stays healthy, it won't matter that Flynn is ahead of Tolzien. But if Green Bay happens to need seven starts out of its backups again like last year, Flynn will be on the field while Tolzien continues holding a clipboard.
"They both deserve to be on the roster, and it's good to have them both in the room," Rodgers said.
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