Backup QB Competition: UDFA Tim Boyle Should Challenge Hundley And Kizer

[Poppa San]

Good read on Boyle in today's paper.

General manager Brian Gutekunst signed Boyle not because of his statistics but because the rookie can drive the ball down the field and into tight spots with great accuracy. He signed him because the Packers haven't had a first-year quarterback with these kind of mechanics and athletic ability since selecting Rodgers with the 24th pick in the 2005 draft.

 

[PackerDNA]

No doubt. Since Rodgers has been drafted there have been maybe 3 QB's drafted that may have had his potential and to this point zero in 10 years have come close to or sustained what he has. yeah, yeah i know He hasn't finished as the #1 passer in the league every year and if that's your metric, enjoy it. meanwhile us and the rest of the NFL will realize it's been Brady and Rodgers as the best 2 QB's in this league for a while now. Meanwhile lots of other qb's come and go and people think we're going to go find another one while he have a pretty rare one in our laps right now.

I don't think the team gets serious about a replacement for Rodgers for a while yet. Then, an all out move to trade up if a highly regarded rookie is there, or a trade for a vet.
But this team as been blessed at the QB position for over a quarter of a century and counting. I'm gonna enjoy Rodgers, because the odds of getting a 3rd straight HOF QB have got to be astronomical.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Then, an all out move to trade up if a highly regarded rookie is there, or a trade for a vet.

I prefer them to wait until the next future HOFer drops into their laps in the first round

 

[swhitset]

I prefer them to wait until the next future HOFer drops into their laps in the first round

Unfortunately I think there are s lot of (most likely younger) posters in here that see that as a possibility.

 

[sschind]

Hi Janis. You’ve nailed it w Hundley. He couldn’t slow down the game in his mind. If his first option was covered, he lowered his eyes and scrambled resulting in a lot of sacks (he holds the ball too long, same as at UCLA) or he threw a pic or an incompletion. Sorry, but after three years these things can’t be fixed. Let Boyle and Kizer compete, and cut Hundley, now.

And we all know nobody ever succeeds in the NFL when they hold the ball too long.

Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm not saying you are wrong and I'm not making any comparisons I just thought it was funny that you should bring that up when so many people say the same thing about Rodgers.

 

[sschind]

I prefer them to wait until the next future HOFer drops into their laps in the first round

Maybe with that #1 overall pick we are getting from the Saints next year

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Maybe with that #1 overall pick we are getting from the Saints next year

I prefer the Packers to spend that pick on a player helping them to win another championship with Rodgers.

 

[Heyjoe4]

There's absolutely no benefit of releasing Hundley at this point.

Maybe not now. He’ll provide competition for Kizer and Boyle. I just don’t see him on the roster or practice squad once the season begins in September. It will be interesting to see how he fares versus Kizer in the pre-season. Boyle is probably a project destined for the practice squad. Then again, there’s a lot of things that can happen between now and the start of the season. That was a long way of saying I agree with you!

 

[Heyjoe4]

Maybe with that #1 overall pick we are getting from the Saints next year

Rodgers being available in the draft at #23 was a combination of hard facts and luck. I admit I didn’t much care for his delivery when he played at Cal and held the ball high against his helmet. Good thing I’m not a GM.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

There's absolutely no benefit of releasing Hundley at this point.

Sure there is, it's called sending a message to the rest of the team that garbage play isn't tolerated here.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

Good read on Boyle in today's paper.

And that's why I think the Packers should give him preseason action and let him drive Hundley off this team cuz garbage 7 has never ever done that.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Sure there is, it's called sending a message to the rest of the team that garbage play isn't tolerated here.

I had originally said that the Packers could get rid of Hundley. It’s a question of timing. He could create some valuable competition for Kizer and Boyle. But there is no room for him, IMHO, on the roster or the PS come the start of the season. Hundley practiced great and performed well in the pre-season - but other than set the stage for competition, those are all relatively meaningless reps. I didn’t expect Hundley to replace ARod last year, no one could or would. But after three years, I think we all expected a lot more. I still think he has the athleticism and knowledge of the position to be a good QB, but when the lights came on and it was money time, he simply froze. What I saw was that if his first option was covered, which happens frequently, he’d drop his eyes and look for a way out of the pocket. But he wasn’t able to regroup under pressure and find anyone. He held the ball waaaaaay too long, a leftover from his days at UCLA, and he took a lot of sacks. What irritates me is how glowingly MM spoke of him during his 3 years. Maybe there was no way to know, short of playing in real games. Well we all know how that turned out. I really don’t believe he has a place in the NFL. Maybe Kizer will be better. Playing in Cleveland was NOT a good test. The only good that came from it is the grim reality of our over-reliance on #12. We need an impact player on D, and the D as a unit must play better together. But I’ll be furious if Hundley is still in GB in September. MM has to admit that he and TT made a mistake. Not a big deal, but MM is one stubborn dude. We’ll see.

 

[Heyjoe4]

And that's why I think the Packers should give him preseason action and let him drive Hundley off this team cuz garbage 7 has never ever done that.

I don’t know much about Boyle, but some commenters here do. What have people seen in Boyle to even hint that he can develop into a backup and earn a #3 spot (or #2)? Any input from my fellow Packer fans would be appreciated! Joe

 

[Heyjoe4]

I prefer the Packers to spend that pick on a player helping them to win another championship with Rodgers.

Assuming the Saints win 10 to 13 games this year, it’s gonna be a late pick, which I hope the Packers also have. With the depth of Edge players next year, maybe they can use one of those picks to move up and grab an impact player, like a Chubb or Myles Garrett. I give Gute credit for thinking a little bit ahead. (I also don’t know why the Saints would give up sooooo much for Davenport, but I’ve been wrong before). No, I think Glute leveraged the glut of good corners, a little but of luck in getting Jackson at #45. But I also believe that a D can thrive with an average secondary if they have a strong D-line and multiple people who can rush. Maybe Gute knows something we don’t, and Biegel and Gilbert will be those guys. Short of a trade, our ability to put pressure on the QB from the outside is one big question mark. And finally, we need either a stud at RT (which we don’t have), or depth at the position, which we don’t have. Spriggs was a bust and he needs to move on. I do feel confident that Glute can fix the OL problem. As for Edge, Biegel and Gilbert need to produce, and hey, maybe they will!

 

[gbgary]

There's absolutely no benefit of releasing Hundley at this point.

sure there is. gives him a better shot at getting picked up by someone else. he lost the backup job the day they got kizer. let boyle be the 3rd. the june 1st thing might come into play here, idk, but whatever.

 

[gbgary]

Assuming the Saints win 10 to 13 games this year, it’s gonna be a late pick, which I hope the Packers also have. With the depth of Edge players next year, maybe they can use one of those picks to move up and grab an impact player, like a Chubb or Myles Garrett. I give Gute credit for thinking a little bit ahead. (I also don’t know why the Saints would give up sooooo much for Davenport, but I’ve been wrong before). No, I think Glute leveraged the glut of good corners, a little but of luck in getting Jackson at #45. But I also believe that a D can thrive with an average secondary if they have a strong D-line and multiple people who can rush. Maybe Gute knows something we don’t, and Biegel and Gilbert will be those guys. Short of a trade, our ability to put pressure on the QB from the outside is one big question mark. And finally, we need either a stud at RT (which we don’t have), or depth at the position, which we don’t have. Spriggs was a bust and he needs to move on. I do feel confident that Glute can fix the OL problem. As for Edge, Biegel and Gilbert need to produce, and hey, maybe they will!

use them both to get into the 5.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

use them both to get into the 5.

Takes a lot of draft capital to trade into the #5 spot. Two first rounds 18 and worse probably wouldn't do it. It's ok though, Saints are going down...

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

What have people seen in Boyle to even hint that he can develop into a backup and earn a #3 spot (or #2)?

Poppa Sans link at the top was what I was referring to.

But beyond that, I don't think it's so much that we all the sudden expect Boyle to just come in and play like Kurt Warner in his prime, but think of this. We already know what we got in Hundley and I'm almost certain he would not even make most other teams rosters even as a 3rd string guy. The article explained that Boyle's numbers were bad but our GM likes his mechanics. I'm just saying we might as well take a risk on him rather than just staying with the horse we know is a no go.

I'm ok with keeping Boyle on the practice squad if Kizer is capable of grasping MM's playbook and actually shows any bit of accuracy. But if Kizer proves himself to be a Hundley twin, then I'd give Boyle a shot to backup Rodgers.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

However I really don't understand some fans desire to start trying to do that at this stage in #12's career.

IMO, you are wasting draft picks on finding a backup that you hope will see no meaningful snaps for the remainder of Rodgers career. Meanwhile, you have used a pick that could be better spent on a position of more urgent need.

However, the odds say that you are probably going to end up with a guy like Hundley

1. We've already explained this before. We are not looking for that. It is not too much to ask to get a competent backup when we've done it before with guys like Ty Detmer, Doug Pedersen, Matt Hasselback, and of course the name I always mention .... Matt Flynn. What do they all have in common? They're all better than Hundley.

2. If we're only supposed to spend draft picks on urgent needs, someone should tell Brian G not to spend two of them on long snappers and punters considering those are way less urgent than backup QBs. At least I say so.

3. The round a QB is picked in is meaningless. Tom Brady and Kurt Warner have both proven it. You can get a good QB in the late rounds if your scouts are worth a damn which right now I'm starting to think ours aren't.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

1. We've already explained this before. We are not looking for that. It is not too much to ask to get a competent backup when we've done it before with guys like Ty Detmer, Doug Pedersen, Matt Hasselback, and of course the name I always mention .... Matt Flynn. What do they all have in common? They're all better than Hundley.

2. If we're only supposed to spend draft picks on urgent needs, someone should tell Brian G not to spend two of them on long snappers and punters considering those are way less urgent than backup QBs. At least I say so.

3. The round a QB is picked in is meaningless. Tom Brady and Kurt Warner have both proven it. You can get a good QB in the late rounds if your scouts are worth a damn which right now I'm starting to think ours aren't.

First, some ARE posters who seem to be wanting the Packers to draft AR's eventual replacement, I contend that it is too early to try and do that. Second, if you expect to draft a QB to be a capable backup for the Packer offense, when will said QB be ready? Have you looked around the league at how many QB's are drafted each year and what they have done since? Not every QB turns out to be Tom Brady. Kurt Warner? Have you looked at the path he took before he was ready? Saying that using a draft pick on a punter or a long snapper is a waste or not an urgent need? Who will see more meaningful snaps this year and probably for the next 2-4, Scott and Bradley or some QB they draft in Round 5? You are right, the Packers could possibly find a capable backup QB in the draft, but aren't the odds higher of finding one that is more capable of stepping right in via Free Agency?

BTW, Ty Detmer had 11 regular season completions as a Packer in 4 years. Doug Pederson 46 completions in 7 years. Matt Flynn had 2 starts in 4 years, while he had decent outings, it was mostly due to a solid offence. Hasselbeck had 13 completions while in GB. These 4 are hardly draft success stories for the Packers IMO.

 

[thequick12]

I prefer the Packers to spend that pick on a player helping them to win another championship with Rodgers.

Me too but I hate to think they might package the two firsts move up and draft a QB seeing it as their best and likely only chance to get a top 10 QB prospect to groom to replace Rodgers and continue the future hofer streak.

Unfortunately I think there are s lot of (most likely younger) posters in here that see that as a possibility.

The one person I'm sure believes that 100% is gute

 

[Mondio]

Any report I heard from the rookie camp was Boyle has a long, long, long road ahead of him. When asked about how the receivers looked they kind of chuckled and basically said they were tall. Other than that they said they can't tell anything until someone resembling an NFL Qb started throwing them ball.

I'm sure Boyle has tools to work with, but let's not start acting like he's even likely to make the team, let alone supplant the guys ahead of him.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Maybe not now. He’ll provide competition for Kizer and Boyle. I just don’t see him on the roster or practice squad once the season begins in September.

With the Packers having traded for Kizer it's pretty obvious Hundley is a long shot to be the backup next season. That doesn't mean he shouldn't get a chance to compete for it.

Sure there is, it's called sending a message to the rest of the team that garbage play isn't tolerated here.

Once again, it doesn't make any sense before the coaching staff is absolutely convinced Kizer is an upgrade over Hundley.

Assuming the Saints win 10 to 13 games this year, it’s gonna be a late pick, which I hope the Packers also have. With the depth of Edge players next year, maybe they can use one of those picks to move up and grab an impact player, like a Chubb or Myles Garrett. I give Gute credit for thinking a little bit ahead. And finally, we need either a stud at RT (which we don’t have), or depth at the position, which we don’t have. Spriggs was a bust and he needs to move on. I do feel confident that Glute can fix the OL problem.

Gutekunst might be able to package next year's first round picks to move into the top 10 if he deems it to be necessary. I agree the Packers need quality depth at edge rusher and right tackle but it's definitely too early to move on from Spriggs, especially as he showed some improvement late last season.

sure there is. gives him a better shot at getting picked up by someone else.

I highly doubt any other team would be interested in Hundley.

use them both to get into the 5.

Both the Packers and Saints would most likely have to miss the playoffs for that to happen. Moving into the top 10 might be more realistic.

But if Kizer proves himself to be a Hundley twin, then I'd give Boyle a shot to backup Rodgers.

I would be furious if the Packers decide to have Boyle backing up Rodgers this season.

The round a QB is picked in is meaningless. Tom Brady and Kurt Warner have both proven it. You can get a good QB in the late rounds if your scouts are worth a damn which right now I'm starting to think ours aren't.

There's no reason to criticize our scouts because of it as most quarterbacks either being drafted in the sixth round or not at all didn't even play in an NFL game. Brady and Warner are rare exceptions.

BTW, Ty Detmer had 11 regular season completions as a Packer in 4 years. Doug Pederson 46 completions in 7 years. Matt Flynn had 2 starts in 4 years, while he had decent outings, it was mostly due to a solid offence. Hasselbeck had 13 completions while in GB. These 4 are hardly draft success stories for the Packers IMO.

It seems all of them were way more talented than Hundley though. The only reason they struggled to get on the field in Green Bay was Favre being an iron man.

Me too but I hate to think they might package the two firsts move up and draft a QB seeing it as their best and likely only chance to get a top 10 QB prospect to groom to replace Rodgers and continue the future hofer streak.

With Rodgers having repeatedly mentioned that he wants to play into his 40s I would be extremely disappointed if the Packers made a move like that in next year's draft.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

There is a simple solution to this Rodgers backup situation that will settle this QB competition.

During preseason, call plays that require all three QBs to throw passes hitting WRs in tight windows 20 yards or more down the field. If you're going to play in the NFL, you should be able to do that even if you're a backup QB.

I know one thing that Hundley will NEVER EVER be able to do that. I'll take the money to the bank on that.

Can Kizer do it? If he's as good as he's supposed to be, he should be able to.

Can Boyle do it? I'm more than willing to see if he can.

 

[sschind]

1. We've already explained this before. We are not looking for that. It is not too much to ask to get a competent backup when we've done it before with guys like Ty Detmer, Doug Pedersen, Matt Hasselback, and of course the name I always mention .... Matt Flynn. What do they all have in common? They're all better than Hundley.

2. If we're only supposed to spend draft picks on urgent needs, someone should tell Brian G not to spend two of them on long snappers and punters considering those are way less urgent than backup QBs. At least I say so.

3. The round a QB is picked in is meaningless. Tom Brady and Kurt Warner have both proven it. You can get a good QB in the late rounds if your scouts are worth a damn which right now I'm starting to think ours aren't.

So instead of trading both our first round picks to move up next year we should trade them both and might as well trade our 2nd and 3rd rounders too, to get lots and lots of day three picks since you can get good players at every position in the late rounds.

For every Tom Brady and Kurt Warner you have dozens and dozens of QBs chosen late who do not amount to a hill of beans.

I would bet that had Gute not gotten Kizer in the trade from Cleveland he would have taken a QB sometime on day 3. With Kizer he has a guy that he thinks can be a capable backup so the need was not there. Time will tell if he develops into one or not.