As they head into the offseason and the upcoming 2012 NFL draft, the overwhelming priority for the Seattle Seahawks is the need to address the quarterback position.
Head coach Pete Carroll has said all the right things about current starter Tarvaris Jackson, but the simple fact remains that the primary reason the Seahawks are watching the playoffs instead of playing in them is Jackson.
To paraphrase Dennis Green, Tarvaris Jackson is who we thought he was. His numbers were consistent with the below average, back-up talent-at- best player that he is. Not only did he have a poor completion percentage, underwhelming yardage and more turnovers than touchdowns, he finished 27th in the NFL with a far-below-average 37.4 QBR score. Jackson had at least six chances (against the 49’ers [twice], Atlanta, Washington, Cincinnatti and Arizona) to lead his team to victory in the 4th quarter (or overtime) of close games this year and he failed to do so even once. In fact, he’s oh-for his-career in that category, as far as I can tell. This is indicative that the pre-season assessments of Jackson by critics and the fans were accurate. Jackson doesn’t see the field well, holds the ball too long and is often inaccurate or even wild-high when he finally does pull the trigger. He lacks the intangibles to be a leader, tends to throw the ball mostly to the sidelines and rarely over the middle, and looks to his right so habitually that he often misses wide open receivers on the left hand side of the field. He is below average in every respect, and had the Seahawks had even an average player at the position (think Alex Smith or Matt Hasselbeck) they would have had 10-11 wins and an almost certain wild card playoff spot.
Instead, the Seahawks face an offseason of uncertainty at the most crucial position in football. How they address that will go a long way to defining Pete Carroll’s legacy as an NFL head coach. Fortunately, the team has numerous options in pursuit of an upgrade at the position.
Back-up QB Charlie Whitehurst is not among them. He is all but gone after 2 seasons of less than scintillating play. The coaching staff seemed to give up on him even before training camp and Carroll pulled him (somewhat unfairly, I thought) after just 7 pass attempts in the Cincinnati game in week 7. Third stringer Josh Portis is talented but raw, and will probably take at least 2 more years to round into form and compete for a starting job.
That leaves the draft, free agency and a trade as possibilities for an upgrade at the position. Of the three, free agency looks to be the best option, as there are a couple of potential QB’s who could help the Seahawks for the short term while they wait for Portis or a rookie draft pick to develop. In the next few articles, we’ll look at these options in greater depth.