Backup quarterbacks are usually backups for a reason, and unless he’s the “quarterback of the future,” no one should expect them to come in and perform as well as the starter, especially if that starter is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Still, nfl.com is reporting that Packers general manager Ted Thompson is taking all the blame for any problems with the teams current backup quarterback situation.
Thompson had this to say in an interview with USA Today‘s Tom Pelissero yesterday:
"If something went wrong at the backup quarterback position, it’s my fault. It’s not somebody else’s fault. It’s not even one of those quarterbacks’ fault. I just didn’t get it worked out right."
Thompson also explained why he was comfortable with quarterback Seneca Wallace as Rodger’s backup, even though he was not with the team in training camp:
"I had a pretty good comfort level with him. I was in Seattle when we drafted him out there. I know the kind of person and I know his football intelligence. I know he’s got good mobility, has confidence as a player."
With Rodgers out for an ambiguous amount of time with a broken clavicle, Wallace will certainly be the starter for at least Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately for the Packers, Wallace is only 6-15 as a career starter.
However, Thompson says he is not worried:
I think it’s important to be a winner, but you’d have to examine each set of circumstances, and sometimes the odds are stacked against you pretty good.
This preseason, the Packers had a three-way battle for the backup spot between Vince Young, Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman. Ultimately, all three were cut. The Packers then brought in Wallace after he was cut by New Orleans
Wallace, who has spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns, was 11-of-19 for 114 yards and an interception after replacing Rodgers last Monday night against the Chicago Bears. The Packers lost 27-20.
If Wallace continues to struggle this week, the Packers may have to look outside the organization for another quarterback, especially if Rodgers is going to miss an extended amount of time. Currently, Scott Tolzien, who was previously on their practice squad, is serving as Wallace’s backup, but is unlikely to start for the Packers at any point.
It has been reported that the Packers are planning to work out Matt Flynn who, despite his failed attempts as a starter in Seattle and Oakland, played his best professional football as a backup with the Packers.