Matt Flynn Hopes His NFL Travels End In Oakland
Name: Matt Flynn – QB – #15
Height: 6'2″
Weight: 230 lbs.
Age: 28
Hometown:Tyler, TX
College: LSU
Experience: 6 years
Matt Flynn just seemed destined to be successful at football, and it started out with his high school career at Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas. Everyone knows that Texas is the glory ground for high school football, and he showed that he was right where he was meant to be…under center.
Flynn led his high school to consecutive playoff appearances, and showed that his physical toughness was just as strong as his mental toughness. The last four games of his career, Flynn played with a broken foot, but never showed any weakness.
After high school, he headed to LSU and redshirted the 2003 season.
2004, he realized that his climb to the top would be a hard one because he was a third-string quarterback behind starter Marcus Randall and back-up JaMarcus Russell. He played in all 12 games that season for LSU, but only three as a quarterback. You see, he was also the holder for place-kicks.
One solid note is that his first completion in college went to Xavier Carter, and it happened to be a 67-yeard touchdown pass.
2005 came, Randall departed LSU.. Russell ended up beating out Flynn for the starting job, and Flynn was left behind as a back-up. But, he was one step closer and being the back-up ended up paying off.
During the 2005 SEC Championship Game, Russell got injured and Flynn had to come in to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Even though LSU went on to lose that game, Flynn was given the start in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl where he helped LSU destroy Miami 40-3.
2006 was another back-up year for Flynn, but 2007 was his season to shine. Russell went on to the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, and Flynn moved into the starting spot. With his chance, Flynn led LSU to an SEC Championship and then a BCS National Championship over Ohio State.
The Green Bay Packers took a chance on Flynn and drafted him in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Everyone knew that Flynn would never play a lot as the back-up to Aaron Rodgers, and that ended up being true.
In December of 2010, Flynn made his first career start since Rodgers was not medically cleared to start. He played impressively, but not enough to win. It would be his next start on Jan. 1, 2012, that would have teams clamoring for him.
Flynn started for the Packers and threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns in a victory over the Detroit Lions. This was when Matt Flynn became a "wanted" man, and it would be the Seattle Seahawks that landed him.
Matt Flynn got a three-year deal to lead Seattle into the next generation, but rookie Russell Wilson played better in training camp and won the starting job. Flynn was put into the back-up position and considered expendable.
Finally, the Seahawks traded Flynn to the Oakland Raiders and it is expected that the veteran will finally have an NFL team to start for and lead. The only thing is that the job of starting quarterback for the Raiders isn't guaranteed.
Flynn has to battle rookie Tyler Wilson and third-year quarterback Terrelle Pryor for the right to lead the Raiders. Matt Flynn has the talent, skill, and maturity to lead any team in the NFL, but he always seem to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Perhaps it is Oakland that provides Flynn with where he was always meant to be.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
