Written by Kip Earlywine
Last week Rob reported that Seattle had a quarterback deal in place with a mystery Manning suitor. We honestly have no idea which team that is, but after talking this over with Rob, I figured now would be a good time to discuss some possibilities as Manning’s search for a team draws near a close. Please do not confuse this for breaking news or further insider info. It isn’t. It is purely speculation.
Don’t confuse it for an endorsement either.
The Denver Post let it be known today that Manning will not make a visit the to the Pacific Northwest, which is kind of like when a hot chick rejects your brave advances with an obvious made up excuse. She’s saying “no” without saying no, and you have to at least give her credit for being nice and indirect about it. For all intents and purposes, our dreams of seeing Manning in a Seahawks uniform next season died today. Of course, the Seahawks are once again acting the part of the socially inept nerdy kid- doubling down on their overtures to Manning rather than take a hint. The Seahawks insist that Manning hasn’t ruled them out. Of course, (per Adam Schefter) Manning’s camp “isn’t interested at this point.” Hey Seahawks, did you ever think she’s just not that into you?
Whether you want to hold out hope for Manning or not is up to you. For now, I think we should revisit the potential trade Rob previously talked about. Its been said that 12 NFL teams contacted Manning this week, including a few that already had good starting quarterbacks and wanted their interest to remain anonymous. Its very possible that the deal struck by Seattle was with one of those teams. It certainly is fun to think about scenarios like Matt Schaub, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler and Josh Freeman.
But what if it wasn’t one of those anonymous teams? What if that deal was with the Broncos: the current “front-runners” in the Manning sweepstakes? It would be consistent with what we were told: that the deal was not with a team that had been linked to Manning at the time (we were first told of the trade over a month ago). If Denver gets Manning, it would give John Elway a nice exit strategy from the Tim Tebow drama he inherited. While a case could be made that Tebow could develop for a few years behind Manning as the starter, its equally possible that Elway is just looking for a golden opportunity to escape his “Tebow problem” without looking like a villain in the process. Acquiring Manning would certainly allow him to do that.
The other major player for Manning is thought to be Arizona. If the thought of Peyton Manning throwing passes to Larry Fitzgerald for the next three or four years doesn’t make you shudder, then you probably have an unhealthy desire for Seattle to draft high for a franchise quarterback.
In the event that Manning does choose Arizona, the Cardinals will have to make a decision with current “starter” Kevin Kolb. The Cardinals are $16.4 million over the cap at the moment, which means they could hardly afford to sign Manning, bring in Reggie Wayne, and keep Kolb and his large contract. Kolb is due a $7 million roster bonus on the 17th. If the Cardinals land Manning, they would need to trade Kolb or release him by that date. While I wouldn’t expect Arizona to trade Kolb in the division, they could be desperate to unload him. Seattle expressed a degree of interest in Kolb last year, though its not clear to what extent. And obviously, if Kolb is outright released, it would be surprising if Seattle didn’t pursue him.
While my opinion of Kolb isn’t nearly as high as it was a year ago, I think I’d personally rather have Kevin Kolb than Kirk Cousins, and Kolb potentially wouldn’t cost us the draft pick. Both Kolb and Cousins seem to be allergic to throwing deep, but at least Kolb has experience and some scheme friendliness (Andy Reid quarterback) on his side. Depending on the cost involved, Kolb to Seattle could make some sense.
What if Denver signs Manning? That’s where things get interesting. Seattle twice passed on Tebow in 2010, but that’s hardly much evidence of rebuke given the difference between Tebow’s draft stock and Seattle’s lofty draft position. Would Seattle entertain the idea of bringing Tebow in? Tebow is an incredibly flawed quarterback, but its almost scary how well he fits John Schneider’s quarterback criteria. Is he a tough “football player” at quarterback? Check. Is he big and mobile? Check. Does he “tilt the field his way” and fuel the team with his leadership? Uh, yeah. Tebow is a punchline, but his leadership ability is legendary. Check.
I’m not sure how I’d react to a Tebow acquisition. I think I’d be in favor of it, since I’d be assuming the deal was dirt cheap and would have zero impact on the team’s search for a long term franchise quarterback. Tebow isn’t good, but there’s no denying he’s fun. Kind of like the Pete Carroll Seahawks, come to think of it.
Finally, its been brought up elsewhere as a bit of an “out there” possibility, but what if the Jacksonville Jaguars became suitors for Tebow in a Manning-Denver scenario? Tebow is a Jacksonville native who went on to be a legend at Florida. He’s the ultimate hometown hero in a city with a professional football franchise struggling to sell tickets. Two years ago, Rob regularly mocked Tebow to the Jaguars early in the first round for this exact reason. Instead of shocking the NFL with a titanic Tim Tebow reach, the Jags opted to shock the NFL with a titanic Tyson Alualu reach instead. Its funny the way things work out sometimes.
New Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shao Khan Shad Khan is an ambitious and charismatic person that seems willing to do almost anything to get butts in the seats in Jacksonville. Tim Tebow may not be a stellar quarterback, but he wins games and brings excitement. Blaine Gabbert is more talented and more invested, but after an NFL worst -825 DYAR rookie season, it wouldn’t be beyond imagining that Jacksonville could consider Tebow. To put that number in perspective, infamous flameout Jimmy Clausen posted a -609 DYAR in 2010.
If Jacksonville acquired Tebow, they’d need to concoct an exit strategy for Gabbert. According to our inside source which revealed Seattle’s quarterback draft board last year, Blaine Gabbert was Seattle’s #1 quarterback in the 2011 draft. That three team wheel of interest could easily lead to a multi-team team trade with Tebow heading to Jacksonville, Gabbert heading to Seattle, and draft picks heading to Denver and Jacksonville. Of course, Gabbert’s wretched 2011 performance could have changed minds. But if the Seahawks believe that Gabbert could succeed within their offense, a trade could make a great deal of sense. At least from their perspective.
Whether you like these quarterback possibilities or find the mere thought of any of them in a Seahawk uniform sends you into frantic, screaming sprint into the mountains, the next couple days certainly won’t lack for intrigue. Regardless of what happens, I’d really like to see Manning in Denver. For a lot of reasons. The potential Tebow media madness would be fun, and anything that keeps Manning out of Arizona would be welcome as well.
Rob,
Completely off-topic but I wanted to get this in the most read thread because I think people would be interested.
Here’s mcshay’s latest insider mock draft:
IND: Luck
WAS: RG3
MIN: Kalil
CLE: Trent Richardson
TB: Claiborne
St.L: Blackmon
Jags: Ingram
Mia: Tannehill
Car: Coples
Buf: Upshaw
KC: Riley Reiff
Basically, every option that has been thrown around on this site is gone and the hawks are left scratching their heads. Mcshay has the Hawks drafting Luke Kuechly but I feel like it’s too high to draft a MLB here, since the positional value is so low. If this scenario played out who do you thin the Hawks would pick? Anyone else care to weigh in? I honestly don’t know who I’d want….. Decastro?
Ugh. Ugh. And Ugh. No thanks to all 3 scenarios, though Kolb would be the only one I’d have any remote interest in. He would likely come at a relative discount in comparison to the contract he signed last year, though.
There are 3 quarterbacks that are still an option that I do have some interest in, though.
1. Matt Flynn: Supposedly the Hawks aren’t interested. We’ve heard that before–about Peyton Manning. Something tells me the Hawks might make a move for Flynn.
2. Alex Smith: This is a long shot, and not a great option, but I think he would nicely given what we want in a QB. The 49ers seem to be stalling to see what Peyton does, but a deal will likely get done soon.
3. Matt Moore: Let me be clear–I don’t think he’s great. However, if this isn’t the year for the QBOTF, I like him as a guy to compete with Tavaris and maybe even win the job. Acquiring Moore wouldn’t prevent a move to draft a QB, either.
Count me as one who would be screaming and running into the mountains if the seahawks got Gabbert or Tebow, and running off a cliff if we had to give up any draft picks to do it!
Forget the easy, quick, get rich schemes of turning someones elses backups into gold. It just doesn’t happen. I know only two successes, Hasselbeck and Brees, out of many who have failed.
Just draft Tennehill, or Cousins and start fresh and train them right in the Seahawk system. That is what I would like to see.
I’d be right behind Don, running screaming into the mountains, if Gabbert or Tebow was headed our way. Life couldn’t be that cruel, could it?
Why would we bail out the Cards by trading something for Kolb. They will have to get rid of him to get Manning so if they want Kolb just wait till they cut him on Thursday.
Kolb is competition for T-Jack, neither makes us competitive in the division – ever. I would rather go get Matt Moore, Josh Johnson, or even Jimmy Clausen to compete with T-Jack if this is the route PC goes.
Tebow is fun, but he isn’t a very good QB. That said, I’d enjoy the “Tebow era” if we went that way and hold out hope to be surprised.
Gabbert I would view as a draft pick (and better use of a draft pick than Tannehill or Cousins). Have him compete with T-Jack and Portis for the depth chart order. Hopefully one of the two youngsters steps into our QBoTF role or at least a long term competent backup so we can end the T-Jack era.
Interesting scenario from McShay Eli; I’d go Poe,Cox or Branch before a middle linebacker in rd1 myself
I don’t mind Tebow as long as it costs just a late round draft pick. He has a cap-friendly rookie contract which is up in 2 years. So if he doesn’t work out, the Seahawks can just cut him or not re-sign him.
I definitely wouldn’t trade for Kolb but wait for the Cardinals to cut him, and then bring him in only if he agrees to a relatively cheap contract.
Gabbert: No.
BTW, Kip, I am interested in your opinion on the Manning pursuit. Do you think that the Seahawks were seriously interested in him, but were rejected by Manning because he didn’t like the situation in Seattle? Or is it as Rob suggested (if I understood him correctly), that the Hawks have no serious interests, were in just to undercut the Cardinals, and the Manning camp sniffed that out and rejected the Seahawks overture as the result? I am curious which scenario you think was likely to have happened.
If this team traded for Tebow, I’d sell my season tix, move to oklahoma city, and buy me some Zombie Sonic seats.
I wouldn’t say no to Tebow if all I had to give up was a 6th or a 7th round pick. Anything more than that and I would scoff.
QBOTP–for the next 3 or 4 weeks it’s QBOTPresent and who will that be. Some don’t want to see Kolb, some don’t want to see Tebow or Manning as the QBOTP. There will have to be a veteran thrown into the mix. But if it can’t be a quality vet then let it be rookies as far as I’m concerned. I want to see a competition for the leadership of this team. Someone who steps up and takes it!
Tim Tebow to the Hawks: I think Johnny Peel just had an aneurysm.
I wouldn’t mind Tebow or Blaine Gabbert coming to the Seahawks for a late round pick. Kevin Kolb for free, once he’s released, would also work. But I don’t see the Hawks stopping there. At least one more qb will be acquired, whether it be through free agency or the draft, I don’t know, but I’m sure we’ll see two qbs added this off-season.
Eli – I think it’s an unlikely scenario, but in that situation I think you have to start looking at the next group of DE’s and also outside linebackers. I wouldn’t rule out Zach Brown, even if people are down on him right now. I doubt they’d make another offensive line pick – they might even look at a guy such as Dontari Poe in that situation and go for value/potential.
Kip, you might add another one since Bud Adams has thrown in a come on home flyer in addition to saying he’d move on to the FO in Tenn..
I knew that the FO thingy was out there somewhere and Peyton is not only OC/Assistant Head Coach material but likely Elways FO superior.
So what does Bud do with Hass and Locker then?
(btw-with the mess in NO and Brees FT do not forget the drive a son has to right a fathers dreams never fullfilled)
Blaine Gabbert would be OK if he could be had for cheap enough. To me, he is the PERFECT example of a QB with a high ceiling who should spend at least his rookie season, and maybe more, on the bench learning the NFL game. In that way, I think that he is the same type of prospect as Tannehill and Osweiler. Any one of those QBs would be OK here in Seattle as long as they are given a clipboard and aren’t allowed to see the field at least until the 2013 season.
If the rumor’s true, it’s Tebow time, baby. Might as well buckle in and enjoy the ride – like you say Kip, at least it’ll be fun.
No way it’ll be for just a late-rounder, though. I think Charlie-type compensation may be right, or a bit more. Denver must have a deal in place that they know Seattle won’t back out on at the last moment, so clearly we won’t be paying a premium price. But it will be closer to par value. Denver drafted Tebow at #25 two years ago. That’s 720 points on the Draft Value Chart. Something like 550-650 points should do it.
On Gabbert, I’ll believe a three-way trade when I see it. Those don’t happen too often…. Plus, I don’t think the Broncos want Tebow to go to JAX and stay in the AFC. They want him gone gone, like disappeared. They’d send him to the CFL if they could, Seattle’s the second best option. 🙂
If Kolb’s released I’d guess he’ll probably end up in Cleveland.
I hear the geriatric owner of the Titans is overruling his management by expressing interest in Manning. So the odd man out – Hasselbeck!! That would be too funny.
On a serious note, next year is T-Jack again I think. We’ll draft a QB but let whoever it is sit for a year or two.
No not Tebow…I don’t want some latent minority of Hawk nation to go all crazy for Tebow and, with the help of a 24hr sports media industry craving story lines, create Tebow mania and basically turn our QB situation into a circus. No thank you, I’ll pass.
Tebow is young, willing to learn with a lot of intangibles. Works with Petes offensive strategy too (pound the ball and play action
But he can’t throw a football which is the most important aspect of the position
As much as I am loathe to say this, Tebow could be okay. The day people stop talking about his mechanics and just let him play is the day he will become good(great?) Here in Colorado, all anyone talks about is his mechanics this, his mechanics that….But everyone could see when he was putting on a college QB clinic that he had terrible mechanics, If he hasn’t worked them out by now then well he never will.
But the guy can oddly throw deep pretty well, and Denver has nothing in the way of TE’s so he never really had a safety net in that way….I don’t know it might work.
As for Kolb, ughh. I think he has proven that well he hasn’t proven anything. Not that it would happen but I would rather Skelton in Seattle then him.
And Gabbert, it’s hard to say if his rookie season was Floor or the Ceiling. The guy has zero pocket presence and last year I wondered if he was climbing up draft boards simply because every year one or more players make to me an inexplicable rise. Like Tannehill this year, mininal game tape, not a very good record, some big wins, and some dumb losses. Athletic to be sure, but then what? Somehow a guy who’s completion percentage goes down not up in his second year though there is a larger sample size and his TD vs. Int ratio stays nearly identical, to me he is this years Gabbert.
@ELI- I can actually see that mock happening on draft day, and there is not too many mocks that I totally buy into. The only pick I would question is the Miami. Speaking of Miami, the Manning scenerio and Miami has been….quite. Perhaps because he is serious about Miami? I am happy Manning going to any team but AZ. Manning to Arizona is just sucky. Denver would be cool and Tebow on another team is fun. In a Hawks uniform is intriguing for sure, but we aren’t winning Superbowls with Tebow time.
Any buzz on Flynn? He has been lost in all the Manning hype and rightfully so, but maybe teams realized he started two NFL games and there are alot of questions on what the team will be getting? Again, Seahawks with just Tarvaris and Portis I am almost open to seeing the Hawks snag any QB with some upside.
There is not much out there for QB’s- In free agency the only other names that are even kind of interesting include: Jason Campbell, Shaun Hill, Vince Young, and Brady Quinn. I think I would be ok with Jason Campbell to compete.
Also, Kolb in Cleveland, I can believe it. I wonder what team Orton goes to? Cleveland/Miami?
I would be happy with any of them!
Jason Campbell to compete in earnest would make some sense. Vince Young I think took himself out of the trades and aquisition market with that abyssmal game against us.
Shaun hill is Kyle Orton to me, neither good for a win, or bad for a loss. I wouldn’t want to see Orton in Seattle, but I always sort of speculated that he didn’t play that well in Denver because, and this is not professional in any way, but I think he sort of hated the Bull-sh*t in Denver.
This is anectdotal to nothing, but I was listening to sports Radio out here, which features Denver’s very own Mark Schlaereth ( or whatever) and he was ragging on Kyle Orton during training camp for a whole segment, so about 10 minutes about him driving a hybrid car to practice….I just couldn’t help think what an f-ing ass…And good for Kyle Orton to get cut and to still get paid from Denver.
All 3 would be a real bummer…I do love Tebow jokes though. Lets just sign Big red stay put with the 12th and draft a QB in the 3rd or 4th.
Brady Quinn is interesting…Rob what is your take on his abilties or lack there of?
I wouldn’t be happy with any of the QBs you have named. They all have serious flaws which have kept them from being starters, except for Tim Tebow who just has serious flaws. I like Tim T but really he can’t throw the ball to save his life. He is exciting because he does nothing for 3 quarters and then miracuously wins a close game in the 4th or overtime. Alex Smith is a step above him – but I doubt that San Francisco will let him go when they almost made the superbowl. Kolb is a disaster. I don’t know anything about Gabbert but the stats speak for him.
I would like to give Flynn a try, but it’s a giant risk at todays QB salaries. That leaves us with drafting someone. Maybe the RG 3 deal wasn’t overpaying considering the 40-50 million you would put into an experienced QB.
As to the question on who you would draft if the top four are gone: Dontari Poe, Andre Branch, or Nick Perry, and I would play Poe unconventionally off the edge like Red. A WR or RB that can catch if you want to go offense.
Also I watched Jason Campbell for many years, he can pass a little better than Tevaris, but I don’t see him as a significant upgrade.
Given the hawks offensive line playing without injury, and picking up a few more wide receivers that can get open, Tevaris could easily lead us into the playoffs. Lets hope San Francisco can’t sustain their defense next year.
PatrickH, I suspect Seattle is legitimately interested, although I do think that Arizona’s involvement is a huge factor as well. This FO is all about “opportunities”, and Manning is one of the biggest opportunities ever in free agency.
Can’t believe you haven’t gotten any props on the Mortal Kombat reference.
I also can’t believe how quickly people reject Gabbert. Did he have a terrible rookie year? Yeah, he was behind a shaky line throwing to nobodies at WR. He was thrown into the fire and that awful organization did not give him any weapons to help him along besides MJD. If we can bring him in for fairly cheap future pick wise, I don’t see how we pass.
RJD – I’m not a big fan of Quinn, or quarterbacks bred from the Charlie Weis offense in general. I think in college he benefited from the ultra simplified offense (the same way Clausen did), he fell because of it (the same way Clausen did) and he’s struggled in the NFL (the same way Clausen did). I’m not sure it’ll ever work out for Brady Quinn.
Please, please, please no Tim Tebow. I’m not sure what I would do with myself. I loath this idea on so many levels that it makes me throw up in my mouth just a little bit just thinking of this guy in a Hawks uniform. Just punch me in the throat right now.
I am 1 that is hoping tennesee makes the move dumps hass and we get him on a 2 year cheap deal and he retires a hawk and helps groom our young guy. He would be a much better teacher and leader for our team then tj! Serious ? Rob. Would the hawks look @ bringing hass back if that happened? Our line is way better now, our run game is way better maybe they feel more comfortable with him for a year or 2 and have him work with the rook?
MLT – That ship has sailed. Having endured what amounted to an eight-month saga regarding Hasselbeck’s future – and having sat through even more in-fighting during a very disappointing 2010 performance – I really hope we don’t go back there. It’s time to move on from the past.
There’s no doubt that the medias hype of Tebow is ridiculous. But the bashing of Tebow by so many fans is also ridiculous. He can play quarterback just fine, and more than well enough to win games and take a team to the playoffs. He proved that this year. And his throw to Thomas in overtime looked just fine to me. During the Bronco’s, Pats playoff game, CBS showed a shot of Tebow and Brady’s deliveries side by side and they were almost identical. I would welcome Tebow as a seahawk and if Manning isn’t coming here, and RGIII isn’t coming here, then Tebow would be my preferred choice among active NFL QB’s (I would still like Cousins or Oswiler in the draft though) to “compete” with Tjack.
Tebow’s completion percentage in 2011: 46%
Tebow’s completion percentage in 2010: 50%
Brady’s completion percentage in 2011: 66%
Brady’s completion percentage in his first year as a starter: 64%
TJack’s completion percentage in 2011: 60%
I’m sorry, I just don’t see how you can survive in the NFL long-term with a completion percentage of <50%. I don't see that getting fixed. And that was in a simplified Bronco offense that ran the ball constantly. He's a great leader, but he can't throw the ball well. Everyone knows they won last year on the back of their running game and defense. We saw in the Patriot game how ineffectual he was in bringing them back from behind when they needed to put the game on his shoulders.
With all of the drama he brings into town, I think I'd say no to Tebow at basically any price. I'd prefer Cousins/Harnish/Davis in the middle of the draft.
Kip, all this qb chaos is great! Tebow, Gabbert or Kolb could all be traded in the next few days. Manning’s choice might influence Flynn. Tannehill could go anywhere from Miami at #8 to middle of second round.
Scenario 1
– Manning to Denver
– Flynn to Miami
– Tebow to Jacksonville
– Tannehill to Cleveland for the second pick in round one
– Gabbert to Seattle for a 2nd rounder? Or would they rather use that pick on Osweiler or Cousins?
Scenario 2
– Manning to Phoenix
– Kolb to Cleveland
– Flynn to Miami
– Tannehill could fall to Seattle in round 2?
Scenario 3
– Manning to Miami
– Flynn to Seattle or Cleveland, loser of Flynn takes Tannehill
Scenario 4
– Seattle doesn’t panic about any scenario above, and just waits for round 2 to pick the qb highest on their board (my prediction: Osweiler, because he fits Pete’s preference for off-the-charts size/athletic ability, and because a 6’7″ qb would tilt the field for John)
Scenario 1 above… would be Tannehill to Cleveland at their second pick in round one (#22)
@ James
No way we give up a 2nd rounder for Gabbert in scenario 1. If we give up anything lower than a 4th rounder for any of these QB’s I think our front office severely dropped the ball. Also I don’t believe we will draft Osweiler or Cousins in round 2 not sure about Tannehill.
Michael Floyd.
Also, Tebow to Seattle and I’m pretty sure I’d have to buy a gun. To use on myself.
Gabbert won’t happen, but I’d be fine with it. I still like him a lot as a prospect. He wasn’t ready to play last year and had MJD and nothing else, really. I think he still has a chance to be very good.
I’m not enamored with Flynn or Moore or Kolb. I can’t think of a guy I’m enamored with outside of Luck, Manning, RGIII, that’s technically ‘available’.
I forgot to mention: If somehow Peyton were to land in TEN and Locker became available: IN. Sign him up.
I realize we weren’t that high on him in the draft last year, but maybe, just maybe that’s changed? I would LOVE Locker in Seattle to start at QB for our beloved Seattle Seahawks!
I’d be interested in any of the three of them. I exercised my own speculation after reading Rob’s scoop, and those were the three most likely that I came up with as well.
I imagined Gabbert was most likely, but given the lack of reported pursuit for Manning, vs. the established interest of the other two, I imagine Denver must be the more likely of the two, both in being the team Seattle spoke with, and in the possibility of them landing Manning to trigger this kind of trade.
I don’t think Kolb is as much of a fit for what it seems Seattle wants to do on offense, simply by virtue of the loosely-connected WCO system, but they apparently had some kind of interest there. Either way I suspect he’d be the least likely of the three to develop into an effective starter. I dunno who else might agree with that.
I’d be shocked if the deal was with Tennessee. Why would Seattle trade for Matt after letting him walk in free agency? Why would they trade for Locker after rating him very poorly in the 2011 draft and literally celebrating his selection to Tennessee in their war room? Why would Tennessee feel the need to make a QB trade deal with Seattle way back in January so that they could go after Manning?
James,
Did you mean John’s prefference for athletics?
I’ve always seen Pete Carrol as being able to adapt to nearly any physical type, Leinart, Sanchez, John david Booty, Cassel, some were tall, some were short, some were fast, though none wer that athletic and his most athletic physical QB he didn’t even recruit which to my way of thinking was Carson Palmer in his day.
If Pete has the say…I think it will be Cousins, if Johnhas the say I think it will be Osweiler, in th eevent of a tie, do rock paper scissor, draft wilson in the 5th and wait for Keith Price to add 20 pounds next year or Barkeley to fall to the 9th pick overall…
If Tenn. were to get Manning at Qb/OC they would keep Locker and trade or cut Hass.
Im not all that big on Flynn (think he could be the next Kolb) and Kolb, BUSTS. I don’t see us taking Tebow, but would enjoy seeing Gabbert in a hawks uniform. Preference 1: Take Tannehill or Osweiler in the second round (I would probably orgasm if this happens). Preference 2: Trade a 5th round or higher for Gabbert. Preference 3: Trade a John Carlson and a 2nd rounder to the Colts for there 2013 1st Round pick, then ride T-Jax for one more year, then snag Barkley #1 overall.
So Manning’s out, Flynn looks to be headed to Miami. That doesn’t leave much. Not sure I can take another year of TJ. Until Pete and the boys get a QB, we are all just spinning our wheels (IMO).
Regarding the possiblity of Tebow: I remember watching his Draft Documentary and there was a scene just before the draft where he and his agent had placed asterisks next to teams and slots where they felt they could be drafted. Denver was one at 25 or w/e, NE was one at 22 I think, and Seattle had one at 14. There were a few others, but those were 3 I remember because Denver traded one spot ahead of NE to pick Tebow, and I am a fan of the 3rd team (Seattle). I wouldn’t like it, but it seems like a plausible outcome.
Thanks, Mom.
Oh and Eli J. – T.M.I.!
Manning – Houston
Kolb – Cleveland
Flynn – Miami
Schaub – Arizona
That would leave Seattle still needing a long term qb solution. I hope we get either Cousins/Osweiler in the 3rd and then plan on trading up for Barkley next year if the rookie and TJack fail. Most teams will have their qb’s (if my fa are correctKC/Jack will have qb issues as well and Den even if they make it to the playoffs becasue elway hates Tebow)
Is there a chance now that Lienart is being cut by Houston that Pete might give him another chance. They had a deal in place last year until Pete anounced Tjax as the starter without any competition.
JR – It’s very possible on a ‘kick the tire’s’ basis.
I imagine that most of these moves are about value, and how cheaply the QB can be acquired to compete with TJack and what level of play that person might reach… An if that truly is the case, I can’t help but think that any of these scenario’s would be good *if* the value vs potential case can still be made.
That being said, I still want a QBOTF, not someone who can compete with TJack for mediocrity. If one of the scenario’s above happened, I would still want to see them pick up a QB in the draft to throw in the mix.
Gabbert is the one that really intrigues me. I have no idea whether Jacksonville would have interest in Tebow, but if you could get a top-10 pick 12 months ago for less than a first rounder at such a vital position, that’s a bargain.
I realize Gabbert had zero in the way of weapons last year, and was tossed before he should have been, but the 3 games I watched I did not find him the least bit intriguing. If he made the roster for anything more than a 3/4th I would be bummed. I would love to see some Matt Schaub in Seattle if Manning goes to Texans. He is a most definately a grade above TJack. He may fit a couple other systems a bit better than Seattle, but much better than Flynn.
@AlaskaHawk and Peter– Yes, I agree on your opinions on the QB’s mentioned in free agency. I like Kyle Orton, but not as a Hawk. I do feel he should be a starter on a team, and the situation in Denver was just egregious.
The other QB’s listed in free agency are not great at all, but Jason Campbell is maybe the most intriguing out of that FA list. Brady Quinn, might be interesting. I am now stuck on Manning heading to the texans and Schaub to Seattle! Sign Mario Williams and Vincent Jackson (I know…I know…love Vincent Jackson and if he is not a Charger than he should be a Hawk hehe). The 49’ers signing Moss leaves me concerned and worried about Browner getting burned in the two niner games this year…. 🙁
I thought I read that Jax GM did not want TBone. I could see Miami go after him in a Bronco/ Manning deal. Elway has to be ready to let him go somehow now. Fanbase will be po’d if it is w/o PM but the relationship is on life support at this point..
How about…..CLIPBOARD JESUS!!!! Love all this speculation. Although all mediocre band-aid options, none of these choices will be amazing. I say with a harder schedule this upcoming season we pull a Colts and begin the “Blow for Barkely” in place of the “Suck For Luck” campaign. With all the hype this year on QB’s, and upcoming injuries aside, who will need them next season? If the Colts and Rams can pull this off, I can’t see it hurting us to do the same thing and end up with Barkely. Come on I know many of you have fantasized…
Gabbert’s lack of poise and pocket presence, at least in the games I saw, were awful. I know his OL might not have been very good there, but I’m afraid that much of that couldn’t be unlearned. And not all QBs thrown to the wolves their first season look that bad. That was special bad. I’d be in, but only for much less than a first rounder.
It can’t be a three-way trade for Gabbert. If you’re Denver, you need to have your Tebow Ejection Hatch locked and loaded before you even approach Peyton Manning in earnest. It must be a simple apparatus: one team, on terms relatively favorable to the team accepting TT so there would be no reneging at the last minute. It can’t be a Rube Goldsberg-style contraption with multiple failure points. Could you imagine being at the 11th hour hammering out final details of the Peyton contract when suddenly the third team backs out on acquiring Gabbert? Three-way trades hardly ever happen and you can’t make the biggest signing of your organization contingent on pulling one off.
As hard as Denver’s come after Peyton, they must have had a solution for Tebow in place. If it’s not with the Seahawks, then who? It would have to be a team with an opening at QB. Tebow and Manning are repped by the same agency, so before steering Peyton to the Broncos they’ll want a destination for Tebow where he would be the presumptive starter. And it has to be a place willing to build an unconventional offense, maybe something like the old Bill Cowher Steelers who ran a 60/40 run-pass ratio to a 15-1 record in 2004. Seriously, what’s Denver’s plan? It can’t be to send him to the Browns – I can’t imagine Holmgren taking on Tebow. Miami? Cardinals? I’m not seeing a logical fit with any team but the Seahawks.
It’s certainly a very compelling argument you make there Steve. Maybe Tebow will end up in Seattle..?
Let’s look at Gabbert a little more closely. He had the most effective RB in football last year and couldn’t do a thing. His pocket presence is the equal or worse than T-jax. This is not a good idea.
Leinart is out there, Kolb will probably be available as a FA even if arizona doesn’t sign Manning.
There are real options available without breaking the bank: Campbell, Orton, … and a number of other cap casualties.
DO NOT TRADE ANYTHING FOR A QB, SEAHAWKS!
please…
I think it’s also only fair to say Vector that he played with no receivers, a bad offensive line, didn’t have anything like a proper off-season programme, started way too early and then endured coaching changes during the season. Sure, Jones-Drew was a big playmaker as always… but the bigger picture is that Jacksonville were a shambles last year and a toxic environment for a rookie.
I think I saw every televised game Gabbert played (I’m a Mizzou alum), and a big part of his pocket issues stem from how Mizzou asked their QBs to manage pressure. At the time, QBs were told unequivocally to escape the pocket at the first sign of pressure in order to avoid sacks. (If you go watch film of NO backup Chase Daniel at Mizzou you’ll see he either rolls out or fades back. I understand he struggled initially in NO before getting more comfortable in the offense.)
As much as I love Gabbert, I’d have told anyone that you could do nothing but damage by starting him as a rookie. Aside from the specifics of Mizzou’s offense, the kid just hasn’t played much football. He missed most of his senior high school season with a broken collarbone. After backing up Chase Daniel as a freshman he started two seasons.
I’d say that if Seattle acquires Gabbert, they’d have to treat him like an additional draft pick. I’m as big a Gabbert fan as you’ll find and even I can’t believe he’d beat out TJax in anything resembling an open competition. So TJax is still the probable starter for this upcoming season, and you may need to extend him a year.
The Seahawks are most likely going to leave Jackson in there for another year. If they go the FA route, I see them signing Leinart.
I see a trade back in the first round, unless the DE they are targeting is on the board with their first pick.
>>>There’s no doubt that the medias hype of Tebow is ridiculous. But the bashing of Tebow by so many fans is also ridiculous.
I agree.
The level of bashing is unwarranted and smacks of religious and political bigotry.
His passing at the end of last year was decent to good. He was making so tough passes.
Tebow is a winner and would be a lot of fun — definitely an upgrade from Jackson.
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If we could get Flynn for 25% more salary per year, a year longer on the contract, and 25% more guaranteed money than Tavaris Jackson, I think we should do it.
Except for the very top QBs like Luck and maybe Griffin, *all quarterbacks are a big risk.
As little data as their is on Flynn, he does come off better than all the other free agent QBs and is probably less of a risk than Tannehill. He has received great training behind Rogers and like Hasselbeck and Steve Young, he has an upside.
Flynn is a risk, but a better risk than the other free agent QBs out there — including and especially Peyton Manning, who I don’t think the Seahawks were ever really interested in — and a more solid bet than the college QBs after Luck and Giffin.
The Seahawks should take the risk on Flynn, but not too big a risk. At the very worst he would be a slightly over-paid, but much better than average back-up QB for three years.
He is considered slow but short, with a weak arm, but I would in addition to Flynn, roll the dice on Kellen Moore in round 3 as an insurance bet. He is short, but has great vision. He is on the slow side but he has great pocket presence, feet, maneuverability and instincts; plus a lot of great older QBs lose their speed and still do well. They said Brady had a weak arm coming out of college, but he strengthened it over time.
I like our odds and upside if we get both of these guys aboard.
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