I noted last week that there are concerns in Green Bay about whether backup quarterback Graham Harrell is competent to step in and lead the Packers if Aaron Rodgers gets hurt. Harrell is aware of those concerns, and he insists he’s up to the task.
Harrell has never played in an NFL regular-season game and has never looked the part of an NFL starter, either during his college career at Texas Tech or during his brief stint in the Canadian Football League. But he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he believes in himself and believes that the Packers will be OK if Rodgers goes down.
“As a quarterback, you better be confident in yourself and believe in yourself,” Harrell said. “I believe in myself. We have a great support staff and a great group of people in Green Bay. They get quarterbacks ready to play and train quarterbacks. I’ve learned from some of the best in the business.”
Rodgers is the reigning NFL MVP, and no team can lose an MVP and not take a hit. But in the last two years, Packers backup Matt Flynn has done an excellent job of filling in for Rodgers when called upon. Whether Harrell can do the same is a big question facing the Packers.
But there’s no question in Harrell’s mind that he’s up to the task.