Cory's Corner: Backup Quarterback Job Could Be Interesting
Do the Packers want a pocket passer or a versatile athlete?
There are plenty of battles as camp opens July 22.
Who will be the five best offensive linemen? Does Eric Stokes or Carrington Valentine win the starting cornerback job?
Those are solid battles but the one that intrigues me is at backup quarterback. I know you’re thinking I’m nuts. Because the general theory is that if Jordan Love gets injured for a sustained amount of time, the Packers season for all intents and purposes is over.
And that’s 100 percent true. Love has his heartbeat on this group of wide receivers like no other person I’ve ever seen. His first year as a starting quarterback was filled with poise and patience — overseeing a group of receivers that really were learning the pro game themselves.
But what if Love only misses a couple games?
That’s where things get tricky. There were plenty of people that had their jaws wide open when Sean Clifford played in preseason. Heck, there were plenty of people that wanted the fifth round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft to be given the starting reins when Love was going through growing pains in October.
Clifford is an OK pocket passer, but he’s light years away from Love’s arm angles, improvisation and running ability. Which is funny, because the guy that actually resembles those qualities is Michael Pratt. The seventh round pick was a four-year starter at Tulane. The Green Wave went 21-3 over the last two seasons with Pratt at quarterback.
“He really turned that program around,” said Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst in April. “Started a lot of games for them. He's a good athlete. He's got a pretty live arm. Very accurate.”
So that’s where we are. A quarterback in Clifford that isn’t afraid to stand tall in the pocket until he unloads a strike. And another in Pratt that is willing to run circles around anyone and everyone.
Clifford surprised a lot of people last summer when he made a lot of plays and showed plenty of toughness — something the Packers absolutely love.
“Pratt clearly showed a subtle, refined sense of timing and anticipation with good eyes and vision regarding safety structure and rotation,” said Greg Cosell after the draft. “That trait raises the level of quarterback play in the NFL “
There are a lot of things that both quarterbacks cannot do. It’s how each one navigates those challenges is how Packers head coach Matt LaFleur will decide.
The backup quarterback job in Green Bay seems meaningless right now. In a 17-game season, having depth at the most important position is never a bad thing.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (22)
PeteK
July 20, 2024 at 06:30 am
Yes, a very underrated position battle. I think Clifford has the advantage having one season of experience under his belt.
WestCoastPackerBacker
July 20, 2024 at 11:18 am
I wonder though. If they think I the younger guy has the higher ceiling even if not as familiar with the offense, I think they go with Pratt. Either way, they keep a QB on the practice squad in case injuries take them from bad to worse.
Starrbrite
July 21, 2024 at 12:19 am
I agree—they’ll give Pratt the position.
Naples Blvd
July 20, 2024 at 06:44 am
If Clifford plays average or worse in the preseason, he can get cut and nobody will pick him up.
mohdaquib
July 20, 2024 at 06:50 am
In Cory's Corner, the backup quarterback job for the Packers is shaping up to be intriguing. The team faces a crucial decision: should they opt for a pocket passer or a versatile athlete? A pocket passer brings precision and control, ideal for a traditional offensive strategy. On the other hand, a versatile athlete offers adaptability and the potential for dynamic playmaking. This choice could significantly impact the team's performance in unexpected situations. If you're delving into sports management or athletic performance for your studies, seeking Assignment Help can provide valuable insights into analyzing such strategic decisions effectively.
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Oppy
July 20, 2024 at 08:23 am
Not mutually exclusive traits.
Every team wants a QB who can operate from a clean pocket, that's a prerequisite. Athleticism is icing on the cake.
At the end of the day, the Packers will want a backup QB who could step in and execute the offense as designed and called for the starter (within reason) without having to change or omit play calls that would normally be implemented.
LeotisHarris
July 20, 2024 at 08:28 am
Who will grind the wheat? On the other hand, she had a wart. "I see," said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw. It's a long season, that's for sure. The end.
Bitternotsour
July 20, 2024 at 09:12 am
technically, it's a long off-season. sometimes i fear there might not be enough alcohol to see me through.
Oppy
July 20, 2024 at 08:42 pm
I've said "I see, said the blind man" for decades, but I've never heard the "as he picked up his hammer and saw" part. That's golden, and getting added it to my repertoire'.
LLCHESTY
July 20, 2024 at 10:25 pm
Wheat beer makes me stuffy.
dobber
July 20, 2024 at 08:46 am
If you've got your #1 and you're really just looking for that guy who isn't your heir apparent, I think you're looking for a guy who can confidently create with his feet and is still competent throwing the ball. He's not going to get a lot of reps with the 1s in practice, and he's not likely to be so in sync with his receivers as your starter. He needs to have that opportunity to be a guy who isn't relying solely on dropping back, reading the field, and gunning.
Bitternotsour
July 20, 2024 at 09:20 am
If you lose your number one your season is over. I guess I can see keeping someone who conceivably could lead you to victory over lesser opponents, like say the Bears and Vikings. Ultimately, if Love goes down we'd be playing for a nice draft slot.
PackEyedOptimist
July 20, 2024 at 09:23 am
I'm not that pessimistic.
We have a very strong all-around roster, with very good RBs and TEs.
A good game manager QB can definitely win with this roster.
Bitternotsour
July 20, 2024 at 09:58 am
Playing to be 8-9 as opposed to 4-13. Yes, it's a pessimistic world view, and admittedly the Bears and Vikings are going to suck ass, but still. No Love, no glory.
barutanseijin
July 21, 2024 at 10:15 am
People said that during the Rodgers years and it wasn’t true. That block by Kuhn and TD pass to Cobb would never have mattered if Matt Flynn hadn’t been able to win a couple games.
PackEyedOptimist
July 20, 2024 at 09:21 am
In my opinion, which isn't worth much, the only things Clifford has going for him are his one year of NFL/Packer experience, and his decent 2023 preseason play.
But one year's experience is a pretty weak advantage, and preseason is preseason--vanilla defenses, backup players, etc.
I'll honestly be surprised if Pratt doesn't make the 53; their stats are similar, but the eye test says Pratt is much more dynamic and he's 3 years younger.
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
July 21, 2024 at 08:49 am
The easy thing to forget, having not seen Clifford play since last preseason, is that the kid is an absolute gamer. Unless he or Pratt completely embarrass themselves this preseason, I fully expect Packers to keep them both. My best guess would be that having 3 qb's on the 53 man roster is back indefinitely.
13TimeChamps
July 20, 2024 at 10:50 am
A poster above opined "If you lose your number one your season is over."
Not necessarily true. Just in recent memory:
In 2022, the backup to the backup helped SF make it to the NFCCG, until he also was hurt. (Purdy)
In 2017, Philly's backup QB helped them win the Super Bowl. (Foles)
While these are definitely outliers, it demonstrates the need to have a competent QB to take over when QB1 goes down. And while not all backup QB's take their teams to SB's or NFCCG's, there are certainly examples where the backup helped keep the team afloat until QB1 made it back.
I don't care if it's Clifford or Pratt. I just hope one of them develops into a competent backup that GB can count on to help keep GB relevant during QB1's absence.
WestCoastPackerBacker
July 20, 2024 at 11:26 am
And didn’t old man Flacco come in and lead the Browns to the playoffs last season? Before crapping out and throwing too many picks in the wild card round?
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
July 21, 2024 at 08:50 am
There's exceptions but they dont disprove the general rule. Very few teams stay competetive without their top qb.
Leatherhead
July 20, 2024 at 03:16 pm
We've had two seasons in the last 30 years or so where the play of our backup impacted the season.
In 2013, Rodgers missed 7 starts, but Flynn played well enough to keep us in contention. In 2017, Rodgers also missed a number of starts but Hundley could not keep us in contention. I remember when we had Zeke, and you always felt confident that if he had to come into the game, he'd do a solid job. I never felt that way about Hundley.
It's a 17 game season.....it'd be nice to think we could go 2-3 over a stretch with our backup.
GregC
July 20, 2024 at 09:45 pm
I'm not buying Cory's claim that Clifford and Pratt have different styles. I think they are actually quite similar. And I think there's a good chance that they both make the team.