The Green Bay Packers are set to get their 2015 season underway, and there is a lot of excitement surrounding them this year. Quite a few analysts have picked them as the favorite to win Super Bowl 50, while others think that they’ll get back to the NFC Championship game without question. Aaron Rodgers being under center helps both of those cases, and he appears to have a very good backup quarterback this year as well just in case.
Scott Tolzien came in and played a few games during the 2013 season when Rodgers broke his collarbone, and didn’t play all that well. He didn’t play at all last year due to the presence of Matt Flynn, and the Packers decided to move on from Flynn this offseason. It sounds like Tolzien has taken a big leap forward this year, and is ready to play if needed.
“It should look the same as Aaron,” Packers QB coach Alex Van Pelt said. “That’s where he is now in the system. He’s seen this operation. Just probably his control of the offense, being comfortable running the system. I think they will see that, and I expect to see that. Him going out and running it.”
Obviously this would be huge for the Packers, especially if Rodgers goes down with another injury. Even at times last year the Packers needed a better option than Flynn when Rodgers was dealing with the calf strain.
There is no denying that Tolzien showed some flashes of brilliance when he was forced to play some during the 2013 season. He showed excellent arm strength, and his accuracy wasn’t terrible for a rookie. Now that he has more experience under his best, he should be just fine if he’s asked to play the quarterback position at all this season.
At 27 years old, Tolzien has quite a bit of football left in him. He is without question physically capable of becoming something special, and learning behind Rodgers is without question a major plus for him.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see how he looks during preseason action. Green Bay opens their preseason up with a game against the New England Patriots tomorrow night, and Tolzien will get quite a bit of playing time. He doesn’t have a lot of competition for the backup spot, and simply needs to play solid football to win it.
