The Oakland Raiders made cost-cutting moves this offseason, shedding themselves of veteran Carson Palmer and looking to move forward with Matt Flynn, who was acquired from the Seattle Seahawks. The 28-year-old Flynn was once seen as a potential franchise QB waiting in the wings, but Ron Jaworski isn't sold on his ability.
Matt Flynn doesn’t impress Ron Jaworski
The ESPN analyst and former QB isn’t sold on the Raiders quarterback, rating him last among NFL starters.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
During his process of ranking the league's signal callers, Jaworski was least impressed with the Raiders QB. In many ways Flynn's situation is similar to Matt Cassel, whose limited arm strength let him down when the Kansas City Chiefs were convinced he could be their franchise player.
“The more throws I watched, the more his arm strength limitations were evident,” Jaworski said. “... In fact, I was concerned that his few deep balls lost energy at the back end. They had a tendency to die.”
The Seattle Seahawks believed in Flynn as Oakland does now, but were let down in the 2012 preseason. Flynn showed glaring inconsistencies, finishing the preseason with 204 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Seahawks were bailed out last year by Russell Wilson, and there's a chance the Raiders could have luck with a Wilson of their own: they selected Tyler Wilson out of Arkansas with their fourth-round pick.
It’s expected that Flynn and Wilson will compete for the job, but a lack of arm strength could decide the job quickly.
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