Boyle isn’t ready to play third fiddle
He’s at ease in backup QB battle
GREEN BAY – Tim Boyle, unlike his MVP teammate, didn’t pour a glass of tequila when he saw the news this spring. It might’ve helped if he did. There are unforgettable moments in a young football player’s career. Mostly, you hope, those moments bring a smile.
Boyle, the Green Bay Packers’ thirdyear quarterback, never will forget where he was during the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
He sure wasn’t smiling.
“I can still remember it,” he said.
“Honestly, it’s probably a feeling I’ll never forget. Just, obviously, seeing the name ‘Jordan Love’ pop up, and my heart drops a little bit.”
He regrouped.
“At that point,” Boyle said, “it’s out of your control, and it’s time to go back to work.”
For all the talk about Love’s arrival this offseason, for all the questions it caused about Aaron Rodgers’ future, Boyle’s job is most immediately threatened. Boyle has been Rodgers’ backup the past two seasons. He weathered competition a year ago from DeShone Kizer, who was not only drafted in the second round, but was acquired when the Green Bay Packers traded former first-round pick Damarious Randall to Cleveland.
No matter Kizer’s difficulties throwing accurately with the Packers, it was an impressive competition for an undrafted quarterback to win.
Now Boyle must contend with another high draft pick. He didn’t have much time to pick his heart back up this offseason. His career is on the line.
So excuse Boyle’s smile as he discusses how camp opened Saturday, connecting with receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a bomb some 40plus yards down the middle of the field.
“Yeah,” he said, “it was obviously nice to start off my camp with a nice, long shot to ’Quez.”
The arm was impressive, but so was Boyle’s play diagnosis. There was an option on MVS’s route, whether to sit underneath or go deep. Before the snap, quarterback and receiver locked minds.
They decided to go deep.
Boyle’s pass couldn’t have been better placed.
“It’s nice,” Boyle said, “to set the tone not only for me, but the team. That was the first long ball of training camp. I think year two (of coach Matt LaFleur’s offense) and the comfort level allows me to see things, and allows me to progress into the finer details that I saw presnap, and ’Quez saw presnap. So I was able to come up, see it, and I threw it downfield. There’s not as much hesitation, I’d say.”
No, Boyle has looked anything but hesitant in the camp’s first two days. He followed his strong start on Monday, hitting receiver Darrius Shepherd in stride down the left seam. He dropped a pass in front of a safety to running back A.J. Dillon.
Boyle always has had a strong arm, and he’s often been accurate. Early in this camp, he’s showing command of the offense, more confidence. And there’s good reason.
It’s only the second time since Boyle was in high school he’s had the same playbook for consecutive seasons.
“It’s completely different for me,” Boyle said.
Tracking all the playbooks, Boyle started his college career at Connecticut in 2013. That was different, learning the college game after leading Xavier High in Middletown, Conn., to a state championship in 2012. UConn replaced head coach Paul Pasqualoni with Bob Diaco before the 2014 season, bringing another offensive system. He played two seasons under Diaco, but transferred to Eastern Kentucky after 2015.
Boyle sat out as a transfer in 2016 before starting all 11 games under head coach Mark Elder in 2017. He then signed with the Packers before the 2018 season, playing under coach Mike McCarthy as a rookie before Matt LaFleur replaced him a year ago.
In all, LaFleur’s playbook was the sixth Boyle has had to learn in eight seasons.
Naturally, he’s pleased to still be with LaFleur in 2020.
“It’s definitely helpful,” he said. “I felt comfortable. The terminology is coming to me. I’m definitely seeing the defense a lot smoother. Year two in this system, year three overall, obviously being behind ‘12’ has helped me out a bunch, too.
“I definitely feel comfortable, confident and in control.”
Publicly, the Packers say they aren’t surprised with Boyle’s progression. General manager Brian Gutekunst has called Boyle’s future bright. The team, content with having three quarterbacks, cleared more reps for Boyle — and also Love — when they released Jalen Morton this month.
That doesn’t mean the Packers will keep him as their top backup — they could very well try to slide him through to the practice squad — but there’s value with Boyle on their 53-man roster. Boyle understands not only the position, but his role as backup quarterback. The Packers have apparent confidence in him. There’s a reason they kept only two quarterbacks throughout last season.
“He became a veteran,” quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy said earlier this offseason. “He became a pro last year. I thought when the competition for the backup role ended, he opened up tremendously and grew so much.”
Boyle was a long shot to get this far. He tossed 13 interceptions and one touchdown at UConn before transferring to Eastern Kentucky, where he tossed 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in one season. Those are not the stats of NFL quarterbacks, but he’s only improved since then.
This doesn’t end with Boyle as the Packers starting quarterback, not in the team’s ideal scenario. If he starts full time in the NFL, it will be elsewhere. Boyle certainly doesn’t sound like a quarterback harboring bitterness for how the offseason unfolded.
“I’m here to compete,” he said, “and have a good time doing it and bring some smiles to the party and be the best quarterback I can be. By no means is it Jordan’s fault or anyone’s fault. Jordan’s a great guy, and we’re obviously very lucky to have him.
“I think at first, it was little shocking just from an, ‘Oh, man, we got a firstround quarterback,’ and all those thoughts rush into your head. But then you settle down and go back to work.”