September 2nd, 2009

Tomorrow Night Is Brohm\’s Career

Aaron Nagler in Brian Brohm

That’s all.

The good news for Brian Brohm is that Jeff Fisher, in a break from tradition due to the fact the Titans will have played 5 preseason games, is only planning on playing most of his starters the first few series for the final preseason contest against the Packers tomorrow night. This means Brohm may actually have a fighting chance rather than the hopeless night of futility that would have been, watching guys like Jamon Meredith try to block the likes of Kyle Vanden Bosch.

The bad news for Brian Brohm is that you can not move for reports that the Packers are looking at bringing in a quarterback somewhere down the line. Both Adam Schefter and Michael Lombardi have indicated the Packers talked about putting in a claim on Patriots castoff Kevin O’Connell, who looked even worse than Brohm this preseason. Not only that, but Lombardi seems to feel that the Packers will be spending the next few weeks shopping around for a veteran signal caller.

Now, Brohm did look better Friday night against the Cardinals. Of course, he really had nowhere to go but up. Tomorrow night will practically be a showcase for the guy and you’ve got to wonder if the Packers aren’t almost secretly hoping Brohm lights it up so they can possibly trade him before picking up a veteran.

I think this would be a mistake. They’ve spent this much time on him – it doesn’t make sense to get rid of the guy just as he seems to be ‘getting it’. Yes, he’s been a horrible disappointment thus far, but the league’s history is riddled with QBs that looked awful their first few years before getting cut by their teams and having success elsewhere down the road in their careers. Better to keep Brohm for at least one more year and see if he can continue to develop.

32 Responses to “Tomorrow Night Is Brohm\’s Career”

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I totally agree. Look how awful Favre appeared his first 2 years. It’s not like we’re counting on Brohm for the franchise future here. Let him stay on at #3, get a guy that knows the system behind Rodgers, and give Brian time to cure. The guy comes from a football family so he just needs time, I think. Look how long it’s taking Leinart and VY to “get it” and one of them’s STILL looking bad. It’s not like he’s hurt a lot, just needs to learn the NFL game and get some pressure off him. People seem to be giving him more scrutiny than Harrell, who deserves the drumming FAR more.

brewers_rule said in September 2nd, 2009 at 12:20 pm

The good news Aaron is, Jeff Fisher will not use his starters for 3 Qtrs as is his usual final pre-season tactic. Since this is their fifth game he is going to use them sparingly. That should help Brohm out a bit. Flynn will be the holder. but not play QB.
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And, it’s now time for Crosby to step up and do his job.
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What we will be seeing are the guys who may be cut Saturday scratching for a job. It should be interesting, but totally irrelevant.

Ron La Canne said in September 2nd, 2009 at 12:23 pm

I agree that patience is advisable here.

I remember watching Aaron Rodgers’ first few outings in pre-season games with the Packers and wondering what had happened to the accurate, decisive quarterback that I’d watched for years at Cal. (Yes, like Michael Silver I was a fan of A-Rod when he was at Cal, but I had nowhere near the man-crush on him that Silver does ;-0) Whether or it was a matter of confidence or preparedness or matching with the speed of the NFL game, Rodgers didn’t have it during his first two pre-seasons. And look at him now; maybe not an elite-level QB yet but the potential is certainly there.

Brohm may need more time as well; why give up on him now unless he’s on someone else’s radar and there’s good trade value available?

manolito said in September 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm

That’s what I’ve been trying to say, and people (Jersey Al) call me his agent…

PackersRS said in September 2nd, 2009 at 12:25 pm

the nfl needs a minor league for quarterbacks. maybe just a horror theme-park full of bloody-toothed, jim johnson schemed linebackers.

until then, we have 3rd string qb.

joshywoshybigfatposhy said in September 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 pm

LOL @ joshy – throw in a few voodoo spell-throwing Jessica Simpson cutouts and you may be onto something

manolito said in September 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm

I don’t think the Favre comparison is valid. Favre had a rifle-arm. It was always clear that he had the necessary physical tools. That’s not the case with Brohm.

Mr. Optimistic said in September 2nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm

What again is the upside of keeping guy? Are we seriously using up a roster spot on a guy who is just not working out. He has no immediate value to the team, he definately won’t help you on the field. so we are hoping, against all evidence to the contrary, that he may some day turn into a player that we can use to scam a late round pick from some team.
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Cut your losses get the Vet we need
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Rainman said in September 2nd, 2009 at 1:48 pm

“against all evidence to the contrary”
That’s my point. 2 preseasons? That’s the evidence? We should’ve cuttted Rodgers, then. There’s plenty of college evidence that this kid could be a starter in this league. We have 2 great Qb coaches. We have a very good talent evaluator. Come on!

PackersRS said in September 2nd, 2009 at 2:05 pm

Right now the Packers are developing two young QB’s. Rodgers is with the Packers for six years. Both Flynn and Brohm will be FA’s at the same time. One or both of them will go at that time. Hence, GB has developed a QB(s) for someone else. So, the best possible outcome for GB would be to try and trade one of the QB’s before FA is on the agenda and hold the other by paying market value or above at that time. Only then will you be able to evaluate the wisdom in the two young QB strategy.

In the mean timne, we all better be praying that Rodgers is the bionic man, so to speak.

Ron La Canne said in September 2nd, 2009 at 2:34 pm

“Tomorrow Night Is Brohm’s Career”

I have a hard time believing a second round pick’s career is going to be decided tomorrow night. What does it matter if Flynn is good to play in the regular season?

Asshalo said in September 2nd, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Brohm’s turning the corner. Remember, he was getting crushed on that first outing. Those INTs weren’t on him, imo. This last game I thought he looked pretty decent. He was getting crushed again, but ended up having one good drive.
He’s gonna play surprisingly well tomorrow. Let him play with some people who actually have a shot at making the team, and see what happens. People will be pleasantly surprised.
AR12 wasn’t much his second season either.

nerdmann said in September 2nd, 2009 at 4:06 pm

Wow, Jeff Fisher is getting soft. I agree that Brohm isn’t going anywhere, regardless of his performance tomorrow night. Cutting Brohm just isn’t Thompson’s style.

Ruppert said in September 2nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm

Correction: Flynn is not being developed. The dude has career backup written all over him. While Brohm has been miserable, he has shown that he is a pretty darn talented guy. I would vote to keep Brohm around. You can dig up any vet should Rodgers go down. Focus on developing QBs. Who is the Patriots Seasoned Vet?

Keith said in September 2nd, 2009 at 6:11 pm

I still keep and will keep saying saying this…brohm has not made a bad decision so far this preseason!…he’s made more than a few bad throws and caught a couple bad breaks but if any of you who are saying he is terrible and needs to be cut can point out a single bad read he has made so far this preseason i’ll join the “anti-brohm” crowd joyfully

wgbeethree said in September 2nd, 2009 at 6:38 pm

Keith,

“Flynn is not being developed. The dude has career backup written all over him”…

Alot of scouting reports had Flynn’s assessment reading something like this:
This kid does everything really well, he has all the intangibles, he’s smart, accurate, savvy, playmaker.. moves in the pocket well knows how to play the position.. . But his lack of elite arm strength will be an obstacle in his being a starting QB. He should be an elite back-up QB for a franchise.
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Flynn has shown he’s got some juice in the arm, and you can build strength in the weight room and coaching can improve your mechanics to gain distance and zip on the throws. The way you are discounting Flynn as a waste of QB coaching, insinuating there’s nothing to develop, suggests to me that you’re only concerned with the slot he was drafted at in comparison to Brohm. I don’t think we should throw in the towel on Brohm, but at this point? Flynn clearly looks to have more raw talent than Brohm based purely on what they’ve shown in camp and preseason. Brohm has a bigger arm, and that’s the ONLY thing that makes him look like a better potential option as a project than Flynn at this point.

Oppy said in September 2nd, 2009 at 7:04 pm

Oppy, I must say I am impressed. Not sure how you fit those words in my mouth, because I didn’t realize it was open.

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I did not insinuate that developing Flynn would be a waste. Obviously they are “developing” him, it’s not like the coaches will just ignore Flynn and not try to help him improve. I am just being realistic given Flynn’s skillset and imo he is probably not going to get much better. Could he develop into a serviceable starter? Sure. It is likely? Probably not. It has nothing to do with draft slot. My statement is based on skillset and what each player did in college. Brohm would have been a first rounder had he come out a year earlier and if you listen/read stories about Brohm, the implication is that his struggles are mostly in his head. I’m not going to just forget what Brohm did in college and all of his skills because he struggled in his first year in the NFL in a complex offense.

Keith said in September 2nd, 2009 at 7:53 pm

Keith,
Perhaps I was a bit strong-worded; however, I don’t see how you’re not insinuating that developing Flynn would be a waste- in your own words- “I am just being realistic given Flynn’s skillset and imo he is probably not going to get much better”- certainly sounds like you’re saying that attempting to develop Flynn will result in no appreciable gain.. Hence, a waste of the coach’s time.
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As far as Brohm is concerned- and let me restate that I do think he is worth keeping and continuing to work on- there have been hundreds of players who looked to have the skill set and did amazing things at the college level who have failed at the NFL level.
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IMO, it’s never really about which player was more advanced at the college level- it’s which player has the higher talent ceiling. Unfortunately, there’s no way to measure that quantity except to weigh the results on the field.
At this point, Flynn has responded better than Brohm to the pro game. I understand it’s a marathon and not a sprint, who eventually advances further in terms of developement is anyone’s guess- but what a pro player has accomplished in college is moot at this point to some extent.

Oppy said in September 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 pm

Where Brohm was drafted or wuddacuddaben drafted doesn’t mean a whole lot. Joey Harrington? Cade McNown? Alex Smith? Ryan Leaf? Rich Campbell? Rex Grossman? All first round picks, and Grossman is the best of that lot — and probably the lowest pick.
* * *
From what i’ve seen of him, Brohm looks like a poor man’s Rex Grossman. All the poise and finesse of Rex, but without the arm.

Mr. Optimistic said in September 2nd, 2009 at 11:37 pm

Oppy, I don’t know why you keep responding to me when you agree with my essential point: do not cut ties to Brohm.

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Mr. Optimistic, while I appreciate your input, your reading comp skills leave little to be desired. No one was citing Brohm’s draft slot as the sole reason to keep him around. I still don’t think you cut ties with a 2nd round pick after one season, that’s just ridiculous. Everyone develops at a different rate. If we show the same patience with him that we exercised with Rodgers I think we’ll all end up happy.

Keith said in September 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 am

Keith, you are both rude and wrong. If there’s a substantive argument from you that rests on anything more than his general success in college and his draft position, it’s not in this thread. Yes, you mention his “skillset” & “talents”, and it’s possible to infer from your attatchment to the guy that you think they are valuable, but there’s no explicit argument from you about what those skills or talents are. What are they exactly?

Mr. Optimistic said in September 3rd, 2009 at 10:42 am

I still do not understand what the upside of keeping Brohm is.
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The argument that you need to give him more time because he was a second round pick and you do not give up on second round pick that quick, is not an example of upside it’s an example of stubborness.
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Neither of them is going to challenge Rogers for starting QB and Flynn is the better choice for backup. Why keep this guy for another year just to turf him then.
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As for the argument that “we didn’t cut Rogers and that panned out “, We had Nall to hold the clipboard while he sorted things out.
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Get the Vet we need it should have been done months ago. The risk is too high not to have one.

Rainman said in September 3rd, 2009 at 11:14 am

“The risk is too high not to have one.” – that’s silly. What risk is averted by having a vet as a backup, no matter when he was brought in? Rodgers getting hurt is Rodgers getting hurt. I’d much rather have one of the guys on the roster get playing time and hopefully develop than have some retread tread water.

Aaron Nagler said in September 3rd, 2009 at 11:34 am

That wasn’t your position before, Aaron, if I recall correctly… But that, again, is exactly my point. Short of a trade for Kitna or Garcia, if Rodgers goes down, so goes the Packers…

PackersRS said in September 3rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm

Huh? That has ALWAYS been my position. You must have me confused with some other ‘hater’. ;)

Aaron Nagler said in September 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm

That retread may win you the 2 games you need while rogers is out with a bruised hand or a sprained ankle. See steelers Batch 2006 superbowl season (2005).
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Brohm’s upside is getting less and less. the risk vs reward is no longer favourable.
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I never understand why people always want depth at every position except the most important one.

Rainman said in September 3rd, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Okay, number one, I recalled wrongly…
Sorry Rainman, it’s not a capable comparison. Not only the Steelers had a dominating defense, but they were a run-first team. Not the same situation going on in GB. As great as I fathom this D, it won’t be dominating enough to overcome poor qb play.

PackersRS said in September 3rd, 2009 at 3:40 pm

Rainman – how do you know Flynn can’t win those two games? From the 4 snaps he took last year? Give the guy a week to take all the reps, to have McCarthy gameplan knowing Flynn is his starter and I like the Packers’ chances…

Aaron Nagler said in September 3rd, 2009 at 3:51 pm

Aaron-I’m not saying Flynn can’t win those games… I’m saying Brohm can’t. If he is not an asset that can help us win games either by pushing Flynn to be better or by beating him outright, then he’s a liability. And we are not looking for a QB of the future.
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Bring in a vet that can challenge Flynn for that spot and push him to be better. Someone Flynn can learn from.
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PackerRS- Few teams can overcome poor QB Play which is why its important to get a capable backup incase you starter goes down for 2 games.

Rainman said in September 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 pm

Rainman, you’re absolutely correct. And there are NONE out there. NONE. Kitna can. Garcia can. Those available out there, INCLUDING McCown, cannot. They may be a little better than Flynn, but not enough to actually make a difference…

PackersRS said in September 4th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

From the rumbling out there today, Garcia could be cut.
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Rainman – We’ll have to agree to disagree here. The Packers aren’t looking for a QB of the future? What if Rodgers has a career ending injury next year and at that point, in his third year, the light goes on for Brohm, much as it did for Rodgers? I’m not ready to give up on Brohm – but if he fails to make more progress next year, then I say pull the plug.

Aaron Nagler said in September 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

Aaron-Just because I sometimes disagree doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the blog and podcasts greatly. Keep up the great work.

Rainman said in September 4th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

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