NAPA, Calif. -- When I approached a scout at Oakland's practice, I asked him what he thought of the Raiders' new quarterback, Matt Flynn. He said he was smart and wouldn't take unnecessary risks, both of which he liked. But then he started to dissect Flynn's physical skills, and the conversation went south.
He said he plays it too safe, won't throw outside the numbers, checks down too much and has only adequate arm strength.
"Is he," I interrupted, "anything more than a bridge to the next quarterback?"
"No," he answered.
Uh-oh.
If the Raiders are going to succeed, sooner or later they must settle on a quarterback. They've had 15 starters the past 10 seasons, with none lasting more than two consecutive years.
Flynn is the latest to give it a whirl, taking over for Carson Palmer, and most observers -- including our scout -- minimize his chances for success. Part of that is because they're not high on Flynn, and part is that they're not high on the Raiders -- believing they could be one of the worst teams in the NFL.
That doesn't exactly come as news to Flynn. He's heard it before, and he couldn't care less.
"I don't like to look at what's happened in the past," he said, "especially anything negative. I'm a very positive thinker. I like to think positive. I like to speak positively. And I believe that I can be a franchise quarterback.
"That's just me. It's inner confidence, believing what you can do. Other people may not think that, but there's no one that's going to tell me otherwise."
The Raiders support him, though let's be honest: They have no choice. Flynn's backup is Terrelle Pryor, and he's more a threat as a runner than a passer. Then there's fourth-round pick Tyler Wilson, and while he's raw there's a feeling he could emerge as the long-term hope.
So that leaves Flynn ... at least for now. There is no quarterback competition. Matt Flynn is the starter. But he's the starter because the Raiders couldn't work out a contractual settlement with Palmer, forcing them to look elsewhere. What they found was Flynn, and they have their fingers crossed.
"Carson is one of those guys who could throw the ball around," said GM Reggie McKenzie, "but in this offense, I think Matt Flynn will function probably a little better with what we're trying to do -- as far as moving.
"Carson is the prototype pocket passer who can see down the field. Flynn is a little more active with his feet, a guy who hasn't proven yet to be the thrower [Palmer is]. But we're going to see what he can do."
What the quarterbacks here have done isn't much. There are four in camp with three combined NFL starts -- two by Flynn. That's one reason the Raiders are picked for last again in the AFC West. Another is that when you look down the roster, there aren't a lot of familiar names ... or, let's say, names you can trust.
Safety Charles Woodson is the exception. He's a seven-time All-Pro and former Defensive Player of the Year who returned after seven seasons in Green Bay where, it just so happens, he once was teamed with Matt Flynn. He knows what Flynn can do because he was there when Flynn carved up New England (a loss) and Detroit (a win), so he won't undersell the guy.
But when I asked about Flynn as a "franchise quarterback," Woodson tiptoed around the subject.
"I'm not going to take anything away from his confidence," he said. "That's what he's supposed to have. But what I know about Matt Flynn is that he's a poised quarterback. He's not going to get too rattled. That's the main thing you have to have as a quarterback, and he does.
"When you're 'the guy,' there's a different pressure. You have to have someone with strong nerves, and I believe he has that. He'll have some ups and downs this season, but I believe he'll be a guy who will be able to pull through it. ... and it will only make him better."
The question, of course, is: Will Matt Flynn make the Raiders better? They're thin at wide receiver. Their best tight end is a converted wide receiver. Running back Darren McFadden is special, but he's an injury waiting to happen. Their offensive line is little more than OK. And they're working on their third offensive coordinator in three years.
I think you get the picture: It's not an ideal situation for a young quarterback trying to lock down a future.
"Your general manager, Reggie McKenzie, said he likes being the underdog," I said. "How about you?"
"Yeah, absolutely," Flynn said. "People have doubted me on the football field my entire life. So I have plenty of chips on my shoulder. I look around at this team, and my feeling is you don't want to put too many chips on this team's shoulders ... because we have a lot of talent."
I don't know about that. What I do know is that Flynn and the Raiders believe they can and will surprise skeptics, with coach Dennis Allen vowing to "get this thing turned around." But this is a franchise that hasn't had a winning season since 2002 and now stakes its hopes on a quarterback with two career starts.
It's a gamble. But it's the Raiders.
"We have confidence in Matt Flynn," Allen said. "He understands how to play the game. He won a championship when he was in college. He's been a part of a championship team with the Green Bay Packers. The guy's won everywhere he's been.
"He's always had to come up and meet the challenge, and nobody's ever given him a chance. The chips have always been stacked against him, but somehow, some way he continues to beat the odds."
Somehow, some way, he'll have to do it again. Only this time, the odds against him just went up.
"When I look around this team," Flynn said, "and see these guys work on the field, in the classroom, in the weight room, it gets me excited. Because there are a lot of guys on this team that probably most people have never heard of before. But they will.
"This is a great opportunity, and I have to make the most of it. I've got to keep playing better -- play better every day -- and be 'that guy.' Because if I'm not the best quarterback on this team I won't be 'that guy' anymore."
