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09/01/2010 -
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Aaron Rodgers knows from experience that it isn't easy to live life as an understudy in the NFL.
Now that Rodgers finally has broken free from Brett Favre's shadow to become an elite starting quarterback, he sees a little bit of his former self in Green Bay Packers backup Matt Flynn: a guy willing to do what it takes to prepare as if he's the starter every week, knowing that he might never play.
``I was telling a friend this summer, I couldn't think of a better backup, because it's tough to be a backup,'' Rodgers said. ``You have to have the right personality, the right attitude and find ways to be a leader but also be very supportive. He's one of my best friends on this team, and he's improved and done a great job.''
If everything goes according to plan for the Packers, Thursday night's preseason finale in Kansas City will be the last time anybody sees Flynn at quarterback for a while.
Still, Flynn must be ready to step in if called upon, so he and the rest of the Packers' No. 2 offense see the game as a significant chance to sharpen their skills.
``It's definitely a big week and a week that I think all of the 'twos' look forward to,'' Flynn said. ``We're going to get more reps than we have all camp and any of the games, so it's something to look forward to. We're going to have a lot of fun and hopefully go out there and execute and put up some points.''
Meanwhile, No. 3 quarterback Graham Harrell has shown steady improvement during training camp and could use Thursday's game to solidify his spot on the team - even if it's just on the practice squad.
Harrell was a record-setting quarterback at Texas Tech, but couldn't get an extended, serious look in the NFL until now.
``I've always thought I was able to play at this level, and I just thought sooner or later I'll get a shot to do it,'' Harrell said. ``The more success I have here and the more comfortable I get in this offense and on this team, the more confidence I get and the more drive or reassurance I have that yeah, I can play on this level. I am good enough, and quarterbacks from spread systems can succeed in the NFL, and it's been a very positive experience so far, and I hope to continue to improve and do whatever it is that they ask me to do.''
In Harrell's case, that could be a stint on the practice squad.
The Packers only kept two quarterbacks, Flynn and Rodgers, on their roster last season.
Given Rodgers' durability and a logjam at other positions, including fullback and tight end, it stands to reason that the team will keep only two quarterbacks again.
``If they put me on the 53-man roster, obviously I'd be really happy about that,'' Harrell said. ``If they kept me on the practice squad, that's still a great opportunity to learn and continue to improve my game and learn a prostyle offense and get more comfortable in that.''
Flynn said he didn't have a sense of which way the team was leaning, but he has been impressed by Harrell.
``He's picked it up very fast and the guy can play football,'' Flynn said. ``He's been good, he's a fun guy to hang out with and be around having him in the locker room. He's done a really good job.''
Already known for his poise, Flynn spent the offseason working on his footwork and arm strength. But he said his biggest strides came in his overall knowledge of the offense.
``I think that really has the most to do with it, just being more comfortable with the offense, knowing what plays to check to against certain defenses and getting everyone in the right play,'' Flynn said. ``I feel like in the games and in practice too, we've done a real good job of it.''
It showed in last week's preseason romp over Indianapolis, as Flynn threw two touchdown passes. And after getting an extended look during Thursday's game, Flynn will once again become a backup.
He'll run the scout team, just like Rodgers did, and Rodgers will be counting on him for help in the film room.
``The toughest thing is trying to find a way to still be relevant on a team where you're not having any playing time,'' Rodgers said. ``But I think Matt's going to do a great job of that.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Howard, Schneider power Phils past Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard and Brian Schneider each hit a
three-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the Los Angeles
Dodgers, 8-4, in the second of three games.
Carlos Ruiz added a two-run single f
<< Red Sox release Hermida from minor league assignment
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox released outfielder Jeremy
Hermida from his minor league assignment after it became apparent he would not
be recalled to the major league club when rosters expand on September 1.
Hermida h
<< Wozniacki cruises into second round at U.S. Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki had
no trouble advancing through to the second round at the 2010 U.S. Open, while
former world No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova were also among
Tuesday
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Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez combined with three other
pitchers in a three-hit shutout as the Houston Astros blanked the reeling St.
Louis Cardinals, 3-0, in the second of three games.
Rodriguez (11-12) gave up two
Boiman getting crash course in Lions defense >>
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - Rocky Boiman isn't going to get a chance to ease his way into the Detroit Lions' defense.It's going to be more like cramming for final exams in his days at Notre Dame.The veteran linebacker signed with the Detroit Lions earl
Long-time Stamps physician Murphy passes away >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary Stampeders physician Dr. Vince Murphy
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Tickets go on sale for NBA games in London >>
LONDON (AP) -Tickets have gone on sale for the first regular-season NBA games in Europe.The New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will play a pair of games at the O2 Arena in London on March 4-5. The NBA is planning a week of activities across Britain
2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 1st >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Group C: China vs. Russia, 9 a.m. (Ankara)
Group A: Serbia vs. Australia, 9:30 a.m. (Kayseri)
Group B: Croatia vs. Tunisia, 9:30 a.m. (Istanbul)
Group C: Ivory Coast vs. Greece, 11:30 a.m. (Ankara)
Group D: Leban
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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