GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mike McCarthy confirmed Wednesday
what was becoming increasingly obvious as the week went on: Aaron Rodgers is
out and Matt Flynn will be the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback on
Thanksgiving in Detroit.
"Matt Flynn will be the starter tomorrow,"
McCarthy said. "He's taken all the starter reps this week and he's ready
to go."
With Rodgers still less than four weeks removed from
breaking his left collarbone, the Packers will turn to their fourth starting
quarterback in the past five games. Seneca Wallace was the team's original
backup, but a groin injury on his first series as the starter led to him being
placed on injured reserve. Practice-squad callup Scott Tolzien started the next
two games, but he was benched in the second half in favor of Flynn on Sunday
against Minnesota.
After Green Bay played to a tie with the Vikings in five
quarters of football and then had a very shortened week to plan for Thursday's
kickoff with the Lions at 11:30 a.m. CT, McCarthy chose Flynn over Tolzien once
Rodgers wasn't medically cleared.
"First, Monday we wanted to make sure Aaron had an
opportunity to get down on the field and work," McCarthy said. "Then
as a staff, as we went through the plan, Matt took the starter reps from Day 1.
It's like anything, you just wanted to make sure. I was more focused on getting
them both ready, as I stated on Monday."
The Packers haven't won a game since Rodgers' injury, going
0-3-1 thus far. That skid has dropped Green Bay from sitting atop the division
with a 5-2 record one month ago to 5-5-1 and getting dangerously close to
potentially missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Joining Rodgers on the sideline for this game will be
running back Johnathan Franklin (concussion/neck), inside linebacker Jamari
Lattimore (quadriceps) and defensive lineman C.J. Wilson (ankle), all of whom
have been ruled out. Tight end Brandon Bostick is questionable after suffering
a concussion Sunday.
The Packers should have cornerback Sam Shields, outside
linebacker Nick Perry, right tackle Don Barclay and defensive lineman Johnny
Jolly available, as those four are listed as probable after missing game action
in recent weeks.
"Really, the guys who have come back -- Nick Perry, Sam
Shields and Don Barclay, as far as the amount of work that we were able to get
down the past two days on the field, it has been in limited fashion as far as
the workload," McCarthy said. "I'm encouraged. I trust that they feel
good and they're ready to go. Hopefully nothing changes between now and
tomorrow."
