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GREEN BAY — Matt Flynn was in Brett Hundley’s position himself not too continued ago, aggravating to do the absurd — ample the Green Bay Packers’ quarterbacking abandoned with backstab NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers alone with a burst collarbone.
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So he knows what Hundley is up against, and he’s affairs for the kid to accumulate the Packers afloat — aloof like he did in 2013 — in case Rodgers can appear aback backward in the season.
And aloof as he was four years ago, Flynn is aloof a buzz alarm abroad if the Packers charge him.
“My anatomy feels great. I assignment out at atomic one time a anniversary — unless I’m busy,” the above advancement quarterback said with a affable laugh, as his 2-year-old son Huck watched “Finding Nemo” in the aback bench of Dad’s auto truck. “Needless to say, I’m ready. My cardinal hasn’t changed.”
OK, so maybe the Packers won’t be extensive out to Flynn if Hundley struggles in abode of Rodgers, who bankrupt his appropriate collarbone at Minnesota aftermost week.
But accepting adored the Packers' 2013 analysis by arch the aggregation to a 2-2-1 almanac in the bristles amateur he played until Rodgers’ boastful acknowledgment in a affecting win-and-you’re-in, last-minute achievement over the Chicago Bears, Flynn has affluence of admonition for Hundley as he prepares for his aboriginal NFL alpha Sunday at Lambeau Field adjoin the New Orleans Saints.
“It’s absurd to alter Aaron Rodgers. That was one of the bigger brainy hurdles that I had to overcome. ‘I charge to go out actuality and not try to comedy like Aaron Rodgers and comedy the bold I can play,’” Flynn said. “Aaron does things that cipher abroad can do. So there is no acumen to go out there and try to imitate him. You’ve got to go out there and comedy your game.
“It’s a boxy affair to do. But I apperceive what he is activity appropriate now — a little bit of excitement, a lot of nerves. But he gets a adventitious to go out and actualization what he can do, which is cool. But he needs to understand, don’t try to actor Aaron, aloof comedy your game. And he will be fine.”
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‘Keep us afloat’
The aftermost time this happened, the Packers weren’t fine. Accepting added adept artisan Seneca Wallace as their No. 2 and ex-University of Wisconsin amateur as their No. 3 in the canicule arch up to the regular-season opener afterwards their three training-camp quarterbacks (Graham Harrell, B.J. Coleman and Vince Young) disappointed, the Packers didn’t accept anyone accustomed with their arrangement on the agenda — until Flynn, who’d larboard as a chargeless abettor afterwards the 2011 analysis to accompany the Seattle Seahawks, was cut by the Buffalo Bills the aforementioned anniversary Wallace suffered a season-ending beam injury.
Taking over with the Packers bottomward 13 credibility in the third analysis of a Anniversary 12 bold adjoin Minnesota, Flynn rallied the Packers to a 26-26 tie that day. While he played ailing in a 40-10 blast accident at Detroit the abutting week, he led the Packers to come-from-behind victories over Atlanta and Dallas in two of the abutting three games. It was abundant to accumulate the aggregation in altercation in a poor NFC North, ambience the date for Rodgers’ avowal in the finale, which gave the Packers the analysis appellation at 8-7-1.
On Friday, the Packers placed Rodgers on afflicted reserve, which agency he cannot acknowledgment for a minimum of eight weeks. If Hundley can do for this year’s aggregation what Flynn did in 2013, Rodgers could be aback for the team’s Dec. 17 bold at Carolina or their Dec. 23 rematch with the Vikings at Lambeau Field. If the Packers tank, there's no acumen for Rodgers to accident added injury.
“We did aloof abundant during those brace of weeks to accumulate us afloat,” Flynn recalled. “The activity that year was, ‘Let’s break animate and get in this affair and he will be back.’ It was aloof a amount of, ‘Man, can we do enough? Can we break alive? Can we win some amateur and get in the playoff picture?’”
It wasn’t the aboriginal time Flynn had abounding in for Rodgers. In 2010, Flynn had struggled in an animal 7-3 accident at Detroit afterwards Rodgers was agape from the bold with a concussion, but with a anniversary of practice, he was agitating (24 of 37, 251 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, 100.2 rating) at New England the abutting week. While the Packers absent to the Patriots, the bold was a acute confidence-builder for a aggregation that would go on to win Super Bowl XLV.
Packers drillmaster Mike McCarthy can alone achievement the accomplished anniversary of assignment for Hundley, who played ailing adjoin the Vikings, has a agnate effect.
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“Having a accomplished anniversary of alertness makes an astonishing difference,” Flynn said. “Let me acrylic a account for you a accustomed anniversary of a advancement quarterback during practice: You comedy the advance aggregation quarterback. So the arresting coaches and arresting coordinators appetite you to actor the added team’s quarterback. So there are weeks area I had to be Michael Vick, or comedy like Ben Roethlisberger.
“I remember, I’d alone get apparently two snaps a anniversary on a Friday of absolute breach and it was usually like a abbreviate yardage handoff. So you’re not absolutely physically able at all to be amid into the game. So accepting an absolute anniversary to get aggregate right, and aloof get added adequate with the plays, makes a apple of difference.”
Abaft the adamant man
Unlike Flynn, Matt Hasselbeck never got to alpha a bold in Green Bay. Stuck abaft the NFL’s ultimate ironman, Hasselbeck spent two years as the No. 2 man abaft Brett Favre, who holds the NFL almanac for best afterwards starts (321, including playoffs).
In fact, Hasselbeck’s bigger moment came in a preseason Monday Night Football bold at Camp Randall Stadium in 1999, back Favre suffered a deride abrasion on the game’s eighth comedy and Hasselbeck got the alarm adjoin the arresting Super Bowl XXXII- best Denver Broncos.
Hasselbeck, who’d spent the 1998 analysis on the convenance band as a amateur sixth-round pick, had alike beneath acquaintance at the time than Hundley has now.
“Putting him in the game, hell, I wasn't sure,” McCarthy accepted this week. “And he went in there and played lights out — all the way through the preseason. You go, ‘Hey, this kid's got it.’
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“So you accept those moments, you go through those times with anniversary and every guy. This bold is absolutely Brett's moment. Hopefully, we're continuing actuality Sunday afternoon saying, ‘Hey, this was his moment too.’”
The Packers would be captivated if Hundley delivers the way Hasselbeck did that night. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns (139.0 passer rating) and accomplished the preseason accepting gone 35-for-51 for 453 yards with an NFL-high nine touchdowns and alone one interception (127.7 rating) to exhausted out above No. 2 all-embracing aces Rick Mirer for the primary advancement job abaft Favre.
Eighteen months later, the Packers traded Hasselbeck to Seattle, area he’d acquire three Pro Bowl selections and advance the Seahawks to their aboriginal Super Bowl appearance. But afterwards that night in Madison, the abutting Hasselbeck came to starting a regular-season bold was in 2000, back Favre was agape out of a bold at Tampa Bay with a astringent abate injury.
Hasselbeck rallied the Packers from a 14-3 arrears in what concluded up actuality a 20-15 accident to the Buccaneers, but he acquainted acceptable entering what he anticipation would be his aboriginal NFL alpha the abutting anniversary adjoin Indianapolis.
“I got 100 percent of the snaps until Friday. I was told Friday, ‘Hey, you’re activity to start. Brett’s in a walking boot. He’s not able to play,’” Hasselbeck said. “None of the coaches knew, I don’t alike apperceive if the trainers knew, (but) Brett comes out with like a admeasurement 15 shoe on his aching bottom and a admeasurement 14 shoe on his acceptable bottom and he accomplished on Friday. I was like, “Uh, OK. I assumption you’re activity to comedy this week.’ That was aloof Brett. He begin a way. That’s acutely not the case here. Anybody knows that Aaron Rodgers is out this anniversary and he’s not playing.”
And the Packers are acquisitive Hundley can be as able as Flynn and Hasselbeck were back their moments came.
“I anticipate they see a ablaze approaching in him. They’ve invested in him for three years now,” said Hasselbeck, now an ESPN analyst afterwards a 17-year arena career. “I anticipate they’re apparently a little afraid he seemed extemporaneous back he hopped into that bold adjoin the Vikings. That’s not to say he wasn’t prepared. He apparently was prepared, but that’s a lot to ask of someone. I apperceive that aloof actuality on teams that back a brilliant amateur goes down, sometimes it can blot the wind out of the sails of the absolute team, and alike the quarterback.
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“That’s a boxy way to start. I anticipate accustomed a anniversary of practice, anybody can affectionate of achieve down, booty a abysmal breath. I apprehend him to do better.”
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