Author: Rob Staton (Page 352 of 423)

Whatever your feelings about Tarvaris Jackson, he leaves Seattle with a lot more respect than when he arrived. At times last year he was a frustrating watch, but he was out there every week fighting to help his team with a torn pec. He did a job for the Seahawks when they needed a quarterback post-lockout. The guy deserves some credit as he moves on to Buffalo.

Of course, it was difficult to acknowledge this at the time. When the coaches in Seattle were talking up Jackson as much as possible, there was understandable concern. Do they really believe in this guy? Long before Matt Flynn was signed or Russell Wilson drafted, the suggestion seemed to be Jackson could be the future. Fans probably would’ve been a little easier on Jackson if only they knew what the future had in store.

So despite his new-found respect, there’s no getting away from the fact the Seahawks lost games last year because the quarterback play just wasn’t good enough.

Week 4 vs Atlanta – Jackson actually dragged the Seahawks back into this one with the score 24-7 at half-time. But he still turned the ball over twice and when he had the chance to lead a game winning drive, he came up short. The contest ended with an ambitious missed field goal and a 30-28 scoreline in favor of the Falcons.

Week 7 vs Cleveland – This was on Charlie Whitehurst, who started instead of the injured Jackson. Whitehurst threw 12-30 for 97 yards and a pick. He also lost a fumble. Marshawn Lynch also missed this game and the Seahawks slumping offense managed only a field goal in a 6-3 defeat.

Week 8 vs Cincinnati – Despite the 34-12 scoreline, this was a close game. The Bengals were far from perfect but Seattle’s ineptitude on offense made life easy for Cincy. Both Seattle quarterbacks played and both struggled. The game ended with a pick-six from Jackson. Ho-hum.

Week 12 vs Washington – For the most part this one appeared to be in the bag. The Seahawks led 17-7 after a Golden Tate touchdown in the fourth quarter. Job done? Maybe not… Washington responded with a couple of scores and Seattle’s offense fell asleep. This was a typical Tarvaris Jackson performance for me. His stat line wasn’t awful, he made some good plays. But in the fourth quarter when just one decent drive was required to wrestle back some momentum, he couldn’t get it done. Seahawks lose 23-17 to a lousy Washington outfit.

Week 16 vs San Francisco – The margin of defeat on Christmas Eve was two points. Jackson had the ball twice driving for a game-winning field goal. He failed twice. The final nail in the coffin came when he threw out of bounds on fourth down. Good grief.

Week 17 vs Arizona – Another game that seemed to be in Seattle’s control, but when the Cardinals rallied the Seahawks needed something, anything, on offense. They couldn’t drive for the game winning score in normal or overtime. This was eerily similar to the San Francisco defeat and Jackson’s final act as the starting quarterback was a lingering disappointment.

I’m not trying to argue Seattle should’ve won all of these games. You can’t expect your quarterback to pull it out of the bag every time. It’s also worth stressing that the defeats listed above weren’t solely down to the quarterback(s), but certainly he/they played a significant part. Had the Seahawks won 50% of the games above they would’ve had a 10-6 record. Even just a couple of victories gives the team a winning record. They couldn’t get it done.

Without wishing to tempt fate, I do think Russell Wilson will give the Seahawks the missing piece of the puzzle. He’ll no doubt have a few off-weeks as a rookie, but that’s OK. The Seahawks boast a strong defense that could be a top-five unit this year. They have a productive run game. They just need the guy pulling the strings who can lead the game-winning drive and be a little more consistent behind center.

In the last two seasons I don’t think it’s a coincidence Matt Hasselbeck and Tarvaris Jackson combined for a 26:30 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the regular season and the Seahawks had a losing record each time. Hasselbeck was -5 in 2010, scoring just 12 touchdowns. Jackson was +1 but only managed two extra scores. Hasselbeck was 28th in 2010, above only Brett Favre, Derek Anderson and Jimmy Clausen. Jackson ranked 22nd for touchdown passes last year, level with Colt McCoy and below both Rex Grossman and Matt Moore.

Basically, it’s not hard to identify one area where the Seahawks are due a major improvement.

Wilson may not take it from one extreme to the other (three quarterbacks scored 40+ touchdowns in 2011), but if he can score a modest 1-1.5 touchdowns per game this year, he’ll reach between 16-24 in total. He avoided turnovers like the plague in college, but even a pick every game will give him a healthy ratio. He could easily record an improvement on the 20:13 Andy Dalton managed as a rookie in Cincinnati – and he made the playoffs.

Still not convinced? How about four recent similar comparisons. Matt Ryan in Atlanta went 16:11 and helped the Falcons go from 4-12 to the playoffs as a rookie. They’ve remained competitive since, with a solid ground game and decent defense. Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed a 15-1 record as a rookie surrounded by an elite defense and run-attack. He was 17:11 for touchdowns-to-interceptions in his first year. Joe Flacco in Baltimore? 14:12 as a rookie and the Ravens, like Atlanta, had a major turnaround. Mark Sanchez struggled but didn’t hamper his team too much to stop them making the playoffs and then, the AFC Championship game in his first year.

Starting a rookie is never ideal, but it’s becoming more and more common. Being a rookie quarterback alone isn’t really the biggest issue – it’s the supporting cast. If you start a rookie in week one with a bad defense and no playmakers, don’t expect success. A lot of teams picking early in the draft who take quarterbacks are in that position. Cam Newton is the rare exception of a player who excelled in such circumstances. Put a good defense on the field, run the ball well and a rookie can prosper.

The passing game is the one area Seattle can dramatically improve this year with relative ease, even with a rookie starting. If such an improvement warrants two more victories, they’ll earn a winning record in 2012. I suspect they can surpass 9-7. They have the defense. They have the running game. All that’s missing so far is the quarterback. Maybe they found the answer, at last?

These are exciting times for the Seattle Seahawks.

For years the team has been crying out for an injection of youth and quality at the quarterback position. Matt Hasselbeck carried an injury-hit offense to the playoffs in 2007, but was never quite the same after that. Charlie Whitehurst never seriously challenged to be the long term successor and Tarvaris Jackson was a convenient stop-gap. Matt Flynn arrived with some degree of expectation but may not get his chance in Seattle. It’ll be 20 years next April since the team last invested a first round pick at quarterback – an abnormally long time for a NFL franchise. After announcing Russell Wilson as the starter today, Pete Carroll will be hoping to extend that run to 30 years.

Naturally some perspective is required because Wilson remains an unproven commodity. The decision today isn’t so much exciting because it guarantees success. Far from it. Wilson will have to tackle some tough opponents this year, learn to deal with adversity, master the speed of the pro-game and cope with teams game-planning him specifically. Weeks 3-8 in Seattle’s schedule look particularly difficult, including games against Green Bay (H), Carolina (A), New England (H), San Francisco (A) and Detroit (A). The Seahawks need to start fast against Arizona (A) and Dallas (H) and there won’t be any time for rookie mistakes.

What’s more, Matt Flynn isn’t going to go away. If Wilson doesn’t start particularly well, I don’t think Carroll will hesitate to review today’s decision. Despite winning a fiercely contested competition this off-season, really the hard work starts now.

Despite all of this it is still an exciting time. Wilson hasn’t just looked like a potential starter in pre-season, at times he’s looked like a seasoned veteran. While other rookies like Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden have struggled, Wilson has excelled. And he isn’t going into this thing alone – Seattle ended last season with a productive running game and top-end defense. As long as Wilson doesn’t turn the ball over, he should get enough support to at least feel comfortable.

Since the Kansas City game I’ve read multiple articles talking about the struggles of rookie starters in the NFL. That’s great – you can always find a statistic somewhere to back up whatever argument you want to make. The fact is Russell Wilson’s fate is yet to be determined and whatever has happened in the past will have little influence. If no rookie starter had ever been successful in the NFL, it still wouldn’t stop Wilson having a shot to be the first. If Wilson fails, it won’t be down to conventional wisdom. All we can go off for now is the pre-season tape, and Wilson has shown veteran qualities in the three games so far. He’s earned this chance.

More importantly, he’s shown playmaking qualities. And that is what the Seahawks are crying out for at quarterback. You get the feeling Wilson is capable of making things happen, that he’ll be an asset to this offense rather than just the guy pulling the strings. Teams will be working out ways to stop him, rather than working out ways to stop the guy he hands the ball off to. Wilson brings a dynamism to the quarterback position not often seen in Seattle’s history over the years.

And who knows… maybe he won’t be a flash in the pan. Maybe – just maybe – this is Seattle’s next franchise quarterback? Perhaps this is the beginning of an era, the moment we’ll look back on in a decade and recall the day Russell Wilson was given the starting job. Instead of looking at a variety of different college quarterbacks this year in a vain search to find that elusive starter, maybe we’ll be looking for a complimentary receiver, tight end or offensive lineman? Instead of debating that big move up the board ‘because we have to’, Seahawks fans will be debating who is the best player available?

The 2012 season may be a year early for this team to fully deliver on its promise. Even so, nobody can deny that Carroll and Schneider have injected so much energy into this franchise. People are talking about the Seahawks, not just in Seattle, but nationally too. The players appear hungry for success, they have the kind of swagger usually associated with Ray Lewis’ Baltimore or Tom Brady’s New England. And maybe, just maybe, the most important question mark remaining on the team was answered today. Whether you think Russell Wilson is the long-term answer or not, it’s going to be exciting finding out what happens next.

Russell Wilson appears to be days away from winning the starting QB job

I’m happy to admit when I get something wrong. I think people who write draft blogs should be prepared to do that. Not with every bad judgement, but certainly with some. Just to balance it out. There’s a lot of self-appreciation from people who pontificate on the draft but not enough humbling honesty sometimes.

I ignored Russell Wilson because of his height. That was a big mistake.

Regulars will know I didn’t give Wilson enough respect on this blog. Overall we looked at a great number of quarterbacks, including those expected to go in the later rounds. We spent a great deal of time looking at guys like Kirk Cousins and Chandler Harnish. We looked in detail at Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill. We dissected two quarterbacks who didn’t even declare in Matt Barkley and Landry Jones.

But we didn’t spend enough time looking at Russell Wilson. Or at least I didn’t – Kip was right on the mark on this one. A lot of people claim – with hindsight – that they always liked a certain guy. Kip genuinely did feel that way and often spoke of not only his talent, but his fit in Seattle’s offense. I think I recall him saying he was virtually the ideal quarterback fit for the Seahawks. He looks pretty smart today.

In April he called the pick of Wilson in round three his favorite of any draft. “There was no pick I ever enjoyed hearing in the moment more than this one. I’ve followed the draft as a Seahawks fan for about 20 years, and this was only the second time that a pick made me leap off the couch and scream in celebration. The other time was in 2007 when Brandon Mebane somehow reached our third round pick and the Seahawks didn’t repeat their mistake of passing on him in the previous round.”

Prior to the draft he ranked Wilson as the #3 quarterback in the draft, behind only Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. “His line at Wisconsin was one of the tallest in the country and taller than many NFL lines, and yet he had almost zero height related problems because the scheme and his own talent allowed him to find throwing lanes to look through. I honestly worry more about Wilson’s stats being inflated by Wisconsin’s high completion rate offense more than I worry about his height. If Wilson goes to the right kind of offense, namely an offense just like Seattle’s, I believe that at a minimum he’ll be one of the league’s best backups, with a chance to be a good starter.”

Yet as good as Kip looks because of his sound judgement, I’m not afraid to admit I didn’t do a good enough job looking at Wilson. We published some tape, broke it down and I answered the occasional question, but he clearly warranted more than that. We’ve seen that in pre-season and in two weeks time he could be a starting NFL quarterback. It’s not so much missing on a player because you can’t expect to get them all right, but having dedicated so much time to the quarterback position in general… Wilson deserved more time.

A few people have accused me of being one-sided in favor of Wilson from day one. I’m happy to say I thought Wilson should start this year pretty much as soon as he was drafted. But that wasn’t based on some ridiculous crush based on college tape. I was pretty lukewarm on Wilson in college. My argument for him starting had nothing to do with preference to Wilson or Matt Flynn. On May 1st, shortly after Wilson was drafted, I wrote the following:

I think Russell Wilson has every chance to become the rookie starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.

I see his (Flynn’s) signing as opportunistic on Seattle’s behalf, taking another chance on a guy who was available at the right price due to a weak market. But if one of the other quarterbacks performs better in camp, I have absolutely no doubt at all that Flynn will be the backup. Seattle has carried an expensive backup quarterback for the last two years. They’re prepared to go with the right man, not the man who cost the most money.

There’s been no reference to patience with Wilson, just a lot of talk about how he’s beaten the odds. I get the feeling they truly believe Russell Wilson could be the quarterback not just for the future, but maybe even for now. After all, hasn’t Carroll talked about young quarterbacks starting early in the modern NFL? Has he not discussed his willingness to play young players, even at the most important position? Has he not backed that up by thrusting rookies into starting roles with some impressive results?

It could be argued that Wilson even has a slight edge, given the investment of a valuable third round pick in his services. That to me is more of a commitment than the salaries due to both Tarvaris Jackson and Matt Flynn in 2012.

If the Seahawks are as excited about Wilson as they suggest, I think they might as well start the guy. Hey, they’ve talked the pick up to the extreme so let’s see what he has. Rookies start early in this league, and had the Seahawks drafted Wilson in round one a lot of people would expect him to be the quarterback in 2012. I get the impression that Schneider and Carroll see Wilson as a round one talent who fell due to height anyway.

But more than anything I just think the Seahawks need to know what they’ve got. Whether it’s Flynn, Wilson or Jackson starting next season, if the performance is still inadequate there’s going to be increasing pressure on the team to draft a quarterback in round one, even if it requires a Robert Griffin III style trade. If the Seahawks go 7-9 again next year with the quarterback again throwing more picks than touchdowns, it’ll be difficult to justify why the guy who couldn’t beat out the struggling 2012 starter is now the right man to lead the team. Fans and media will grow impatient as the next free agent or mid-round pick is trotted out as the starter.

And quite frankly it’s about time Seattle had some direction at the position beyond a year or two. If they need to go big for a Matt Barkley or Logan Thomas next year, then let’s find out if that’s the case.

The run game and defense will help Seattle win another 7-8 games. The difference between sticking in that range and progressing to 9-12 wins will be improved quarterback play. So let’s see if Wilson is up to the job. The Seahawks need some long term planning at the position. They can’t change the quarterback every year. First Hasselbeck, then Whitehurst, then Jackson. Will it be Flynn this year and if he fails, Wilson next year? Having a revolving door at quarterback will hold this team back. Eventually, they need to commit.

Next years class could have the answer. Barkley, Thomas, Wilson. It still stands to reason that eventually Seattle might have to go big on a quarterback. If Flynn produces a performance comparable to Jackson, and Wilson doesn’t start as a rookie, there’s going to be some pressure to be proactive again but this time in round one… to get a quarterback that can give this regime a chance to deliver a consistent playoff challenger. It’s another reason why Seattle has to be prepared next year. They need to know if the big move is necessary or if they’ve already found the answer. They’ll only find out that answer by starting Russell Wilson. So why not?

That was my argument for Wilson starting. I think there’s at least some logic involved there, rather than, “OMG Russell Wilson is a great quarterback and must start!!!”

Perhaps I would’ve been saying such a silly remark had I actually seen past the height and concentrated on the football? It still bugs me that I was so short sighted there. I actually thought Wilson would last deep into the draft – purely because teams would’ve graded him as another Seneca Wallace with maximum value as a solid backup. I got it wrong. It’s probably one of many reasons why I write a blog rather than work in Seattle’s front office. But the likelihood is my line of thinking was shared in many front offices around the NFL. And that’s to their detriment it seems.

I do have an excuse and so do they. It was due to the famous ‘conventional wisdom’ that we’ve heard so much about this off-season. I saw a 5-10 quarterback and didn’t expect he’d translate. And here he is, churning out the yards and scoring drives on a NFL roster.

I like to see each draft as an opportunity to learn. That doesn’t just mean the negatives, it’s the positives too. For every bad projection there’s usually a good one. Usually. Tim Ruskell was pretty easy to understand during his time as Seahawks GM and a lot of media pundits could read his mind relatively easily when it came to the draft. Pete Carroll and John Schneider are almost impossible to work out, but there are little trends emerging.

If I could go back now – and it’s always easy to say that – I’d highlight the fact that Wilson isn’t quite like any quarterback we’ve seen before. Carroll clearly likes that, but not in the way some have suggested (eg – simply being determined to be different). He’s short yet has very few passes tipped. Ryan Tannehill is 6-4 and had plenty of tipped passes at Texas A&M last year and the same is happening in pre-season with Miami. His throwing motion is slingy and at times costly. Wilson, despite being much shorter, has a technically sound over-the-top release that has allowed him to avoid similar problems. Getting out of the pocket helps, but when he did stay in there last season he still completed clean passes.

His production at NC State and Wisconsin was impressive, so was his ability to avoid turnovers. Carroll preaches winning the turnover battle almost as much as competition – and here was a QB who barely ever turned it over in college. He had character and purpose, a determination seemingly brought about by ambition, competitive spirit and family tragedy after his father sadly passed away. When he visited Jon Gruden for the quarterback camp series this year, Gruden commented, “if you give Russell Wilson a chance to win a job, he’ll win it.” How true that statement is right now.

There were enough positives out there for a guy like Carroll to see beyond the height thing. My mistake was in failing to notice that. And given how enamoured the front office appeared to be when they made that third round pick, really this is a lesson to be learned. I don’t think we’ll ever work Carroll the way people worked out Ruskell’s philosophy, but we can still be smarter.

Nothing is conventional about this team. We should remember that as we move forward and begin to analyse the 2013 draft class. Increasingly, it looks like we might be able to concentrate on positions other than quarterback. And what a refreshing change that would be.

I’m about to watch the game in full for the first time, so expect a few thoughts tomorrow.

No nerves, just production. Russell Wilson deserves his chance tonight.

Russell Wilson has a quote: “I’m never afraid to excel”

It perfectly sums up the 23-year-old’s rise to prominence. He could, theoretically, be a starting NFL quarterback in a couple of weeks. This despite being 5-10 in height. This despite having to change schools in college. This despite seemingly being destined for a career in baseball.

It’s just a shame the Seahawks fans don’t have the same attitude.

I don’t want to be too critical because there’s a reason for the ’12th man’ moniker. Nobody can match the noise inside Century Link field and truly this is a fan base that deserves more than one bitterly disappointing visit to the Super Bowl. But I do question whether they’re prepared to accept a bit of risk taking to get back to the big game.

I keep hearing the same comments over and over again this summer, and they sound like this: “Well, I really like Russell Wilson. But the conservative side of me says start Matt Flynn.”

I’ve listened to media pundits and fans alike question whether Wilson should even be in the running to start. Some assumed it was Flynn’s job all along, despite repeated statements from the team that this was a competition. Some have even blown a fuse that Flynn isn’t the zoned-in focus going into week three of the pre-season. A lot of people want to play it safe. Whatever that means.

Personally I’m more than prepared for either quarterback to start. I feel like this coaching staff has earned our trust and while we are right to question certain aspects, I think we also owe it to Pete Carroll and co. not to go over the top. People questioned the trade that brought Chris Clemons to Seattle. People questioned the move to put Red Bryant at defensive end. People questioned the trade for Marshawn Lynch. These are just a few examples. If Flynn is the starter in week one against Arizona, we can all assume Wilson just isn’t ready yet. Fair enough. Let’s see how Flynn rolls against the Cardinals.

But if Wilson gets the job, people should be equally – if not more – excited. Don’t question it because it means they’ve decided Wilson is simply the better quarterback. Most people assume he has the higher upside because he almost certainly does. If he’s ready, why hold him back? To play it safe? What does that get you? Sure we can talk about Aaron Rodgers sitting in Green Bay, but that’s perfectly plausible when you have a first-ballot Hall of Famer as your quarterback. What’s more, Brett Favre never missed a game. Seattle doesn’t have that luxury.

It makes so much sense to see what they have tonight against the Chiefs rather than simply assume the ‘safe’ position of just going with Flynn because, you know, he’s been around a little longer. If Wilson struggles against Kansas City, they will almost certainly go with Flynn against the Cardinals. But what if Wilson succeeds? What if he’s flat out better? It’s not improbable. What a wasted opportunity it would’ve been to simply go with Flynn as the conservative option if all along you had this superior quarterback on the roster. Yet some people believe that’s the way to go. And I don’t get that.

Russell Wilson will be 24 in November. So while he’s a relative novice in the NFL sense, he’s actually played a ton of games at NC State and Wisconsin. Matt Flynn has attempted 569 passes in his entire career at LSU and Green Bay. Wilson threw 527 passes in one season for NC State in 2010. I appreciate that Flynn has valuable experience in the league as a backup and that does come with some value. We can’t ignore that. But while he’s been riding the bench at LSU and Green Bay, Wilson has been playing football games. And winning football games. And putting up big numbers in football games. So let’s not ignore that completely either.

This is a different level for Wilson now, but does he look like a guy who needs to sit and watch for a year or two? Does he look out of his depth in the NFL? He’s drawing Denver off-side, he’s pointing at linebackers to distract them on the run, he’s shown tangible improvement to his play action fake in the space of one week’s work. He’s led five touchdown drives. The guy appears to know the offense and how to conduct himself as the central focus of it. He looks like a NFL quarterback.

Maybe I’m tempting fate before tonight’s game. Maybe I’ll look pretty dumb if he struggles against the Chiefs. But even then, at least we’ll know he’s not ready. Those who are calling the decision to start him tonight ‘crazy’ were not speaking from a position of authority – they were just being overly cautious. If Wilson has issues and they say ‘I told you so’, they should be ashamed.

Had Russell Wilson played it safe he’d probably be a baseball player now at whatever level. He didn’t. He wanted to be a NFL quarterback. It’s time Seahawks fans craved dynamism rather than conservatism. Craved elite rather than average. Took a chance or too to be great. And more than anything, don’t be afraid to excel.

For anyone wondering how Russell Wilson’s game tape compares to the already named rookie starters, why not see for yourself…

You could argue he had little choice, but Pete Carroll is absolutely correct to name Russell Wilson as the starter against Kansas City. Having talked about an open competition at quarterback all summer, it would’ve been a major contradiction to keep starting Matt Flynn in pre-season. Without doubt, Wilson has earned the opportunity to start.

A few people have reacted badly to this news. There’s been a fair amount of fist clenching and moaning, simply because this is the sacred ‘game three’ of pre-season. You know, because it’s written in stone that game three is the most important game in the NFL this time of year. Please. Carroll and John Schneider have been anything but conventional since arriving in Seattle, yet people still act surprised at the latest example of this?

I understand the thought process that argues if Matt Flynn is expected to start against Arizona, it makes sense to give him as many first team reps as possible. That is a water-tight argument. But at what stage was Flynn named the starter? Did I miss that press conference? Some members of the media – local and national – have assumed Flynn will get the nod, but that doesn’t make it true. The guy who makes the decision – the head coach – has preached competition from day one. So when one quarterback (who starts) plays okay-ish and the other (who doesn’t start) lights it up, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the competition remains open.

Carroll spoke to the media after practise today and admitted he was searching for more information. He’s absolutely 100% correct to do that. Why on earth would the Seahawks choose not to look at Wilson against a first-team defense? It’d be like your future wife-to-be taking the first wedding dress she tried on, after a shrug and muttering ‘this’ll do, I guess‘. As idealistic as that sounds, why wouldn’t you consider a potentially better offer? What if Russell Wilson is a better quarterback? Don’t you want to start the better quarterback? Wouldn’t it give Seattle the best chance to win games if they start the best quarterback on their roster?

And the only way to find out if Wilson is superior to Matt Flynn is to start him in a pre-season game. Simple as that.

Today’s announcement doesn’t mean Wilson is guaranteed the job full time. Hey – he could struggle and Flynn could look the part in the second half. It could be a role-reversal this weekend. But at least then you know. You’re not left wondering if Wilson is better. The fans won’t be calling for Wilson every time Flynn throws a pick, because they too will know Wilson needs a bit more time. On every single level, starting Wilson in this game makes absolute sense and is more important than giving Flynn more first team snaps. And the only person who would disagree with that is the person that invested too much in Flynn having this in the bag before any decision was made.

I have no idea whether Wilson will rise to the challenge and keep scoring touchdowns. That’s another reason why I’m so fascinated with this next game in Kansas City, to see how he performs in a tougher environment with a better supporting cast. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes the game to the Chiefs and carried on where he left off against Denver. He’s that type of guy. Even his catchphrase, “never afraid to excel” is ideally suited to his personality and play. It reeks of class.

If Wilson performs well against Kansas City, he should be the starter in the final game against Oakland. Who knows what will happen, but we should at least prepare for the rookie to win this job. Why not? What has Flynn honestly shown you so far that makes you feel like you have to start the guy even if Wilson continues to impress? Sure, Wilson might be a bit more inexperienced (but not a lot). Does he look like the kind of first year starter who will be fazed with leading this team? Or does he look more like Cam Newton? A quarterback who actually thrived in the starting role and benefited from real experience on a football field, not watching from the sidelines.

One misconception that has been repeated time and time again is that Seattle are paying Flynn so much money, he pretty much has to start. That’s not true. Here is the breakdown, courtesy of NFL.com’s Albert Breer:

Year one: $6m signing bonus, $2m base salary, $200,000 Pro-Bowl bonus, $200,000 NFL MVP bonus

Year two: $5.25m base salary of which $2m is guaranteed, $200,000 Pro-Bowl bonus, $200,000 NFL MVP bonus

Year three: $6.25m base salary with no guarantees, $200,000 Pro-Bowl bonus, $200,000 NFL MVP bonus

Now clearly, that’s a lot of money in year one. But the Seahawks pay $8m of the $10m guaranteed to Flynn in the first year of the contract. When you consider Seattle paid TJ Houshmandzadeh around $7m to play in Baltimore, is a lump sum to try and find the team’s future starting quarterback a handcuff deal? More from Breer:

Though Flynn was a big name on the market, Seattle’s financial commitment to its first two quarterbacks isn’t much different now from where it was last fall. In 2011, Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst pulled in about $8 million, while the club will sink between $9 million and $10 million on Jackson and Flynn this year. Flynn was initially looking for a deal in the neighborhood of what Matt Cassel got in Kansas City, but the Seahawks’ message is clear through the finances: A starting job isn’t promised.

Jackson is expected to be traded sooner rather than later, again easing the financial commitment to the position with Wilson and Josh Portis joining Flynn on the final roster. If Flynn wins the job, it’s a modest salary for a starting NFL quarterback. If Wilson wins the job, Flynn becomes an expensive back-up for one year but it’s hardly earth shattering particularly if Wilson wins football games. Nobody will be talking about Flynn’s salary or Pete Carroll’s judgement if Wilson can get the team into the playoffs and look good doing so. If you truly believe Carroll will let finances play any part in this process, you don’t know Seattle’s head coach well enough.

People should roll with the punches on this one. For the first time in years Seattle appears to have a young, talented quarterback and the fact he will start the next pre-season game should be celebrated and not criticised. Matt Flynn had two games to nail this job, and he didn’t. Russell Wilson took his chances against weaker opponents and it’s now his turn to try and win the starting gig. Let’s see if he can do it.

Veteran moves like this during a QB keeper should reassure fans concerned about a lack of experience

Pete Carroll says this is an open competition at quarterback. Time to prove it by starting Russell Wilson against Kansas City next weekend.

Wilson may well be competing against second stringers in pre-season so far, but he’s gone beyond what we could reasonably expect from his two performances against the Titans and Broncos. Against Denver he lit up the second half, leading sustained scoring drives equating to three touchdowns. He’s earned his chance to show what he can do when guys like Von Miller and Champ Bailey are on the field.

Now don’t get me wrong, Matt Flynn hasn’t necessarily done anything wrong yet. He’s been OK, pleasantly average and certainly not bad. The plan may well be to give him as many first team snaps as possible so he can settle into a rhythm. I get that. I could even accept it if we hadn’t been told time and time again that this was an open competition. If it wasn’t an open competition and the plan was to prepare Flynn to start all along, they shouldn’t have bothered with the charade of giving Tarvaris Jackson any first team snaps during training camp. They should’ve pumped  maximum energy into getting Flynn prepared for the new season. But they didn’t, they shared the snaps and talked about competition all the time.

I would argue Wilson has shown enough to warrant a chance with the #1 offense facing a #1 defense. And hey – why not see if Flynn can light it up in the same way in the second half?

Most reports this weekend seem to suggest Flynn is still in the driving seat in this race, but why? Simply because he’s started both games? Because he has a bit more experience, but only a bit? This weekend he flashed a very nice deep ball that should’ve been caught by Terrell Owens – and it’ll ease concerns about his arm strength. But apart from that I’m struggling to find many more stand out positives. He just about avoided two pick-sixes, risking throws that the defensive back on each occasion almost undercut. He was inaccurate on a couple of easy throws. He still looked a little hesitant at times. He should’ve had his first touchdown scoring drive but for T.O.’s gaffe, but the stat line reads two games, zero touchdown drives. Wilson has five touchdown drives.

I’m sure Flynn can be a solid game manager and I sense a lot of fans and media are prepared to roll with that. I don’t think Flynn winning this job would be a disaster. What I do think would be a disaster is not giving Wilson the maximum opportunity to prove he’s a better quarterback. I think he probably is. In fact I think he offers a lot of the positives Flynn brings to the table, but adds an X-factor that the former Green Bay QB cannot match. While Flynn is neat and tidy, Wilson makes things happen. When a play doesn’t go perfectly, Wilson will get three yards on a scramble where Flynn maybe gets sacked and loses six or eight.

People talk about experience, but am I the only one who saw a hard count drawing the offside from Wilson? Or the way he pointed at a defender mid-scramble as a way of distraction to buy an extra yard or two? Classic veteran moves. We don’t need to wait a year or for Flynn to fail to play a quarterback with bigger upside. A lot of teams start rookies these days and prosper – just ask Cincinnati or Carolina from last year.

Wilson was in the game for 11 minutes against Denver before I saw a play I didn’t like – a hesitant play action where he took an unnecessary sack. But Flynn has those too, in fact he’s had several more than Wilson in the first two games. 3rd and 17? Wilson makes it. His ability to run is good enough to be more than an play-extending measure – he can effectively break off runs and be a threat on the ground. He did a much better job in week two selling play action and looked a lot more comfortable overall.

This isn’t me saying start the guy against Arizona when it matters. Not yet anyway. But all summer we’ve gone on about a competition and Russell Wilson is winning. So it’s time to give him the chance to win this job for keeps by starting him next weekend. What have we got to lose? Remove the shackles of conservatism Seattle. Stop worrying about experience – more and more rookies thrive on it, and Wilson appears a lot more mature than the average young quarterback. Matt Flynn’s two starts for Green Bay really shouldn’t be a difference maker here and nor should his time watching Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. How many quarterbacks watched Peyton Manning in Indianapolis and never amounted to much?

Let’s not be afraid to give the rookie a shot if he’s the best performer in pre-season. Let’s see what he can do on the road against the Chiefs starting defense next weekend.