I've been around long enough to witness Seahawks QB controversies from Zorn v Krieg all the way through Jackson v Whitehurst, and frankly they are as much a part of Seahawks history as 9-7 seasons and enemy false starts at our home games.With that sort of perspective it doesn't surprise me that a vocal subset of Twelves are clamoring for Russell Wilson to supplant Matt Flynn- But it does make the bile rise in my gullet. Really, guys? Already??
Before I really get a rant going, I'd like to point out the almost blinding bright side to this: Our QB play is almost certainly going to be vastly improved in 2012, and it's a decent bet that EITHER Flynn or Wilson will emerge as that mythical, Ogopogo-esque beast: The Quarterback of the Future. That's fucking awesome, my friends.
Even though it's not official, Matt Flynn is clearly being prepped to start at Glendale on Kickoff Weekend. He's performed well enough in camp and our first preseason game to have earned that job. Beyond that, Tarvaris Jackson has maxed out his skill set and Russell Wilson is a rookie 3rd round pick who is not ready to lead a playoff-caliber team. Matt Flynn is just the right mix of demonstrated ability and untapped potential, and he's flashed enough in Renton so far to make him the ONLY choice for QB1 right now.
Weirdly enough, this might not be the majority opinion among Seahawks fans- I've seen legions of them pointing at Russell Wilson and screaming "NOW! NOW! NOW!" like they were Veruca Fucking Salt and RW was a Oompa-Loopa. Why? Because he went all Madden Rookie Mode on a bunch of Titans defenders destined for jobs in the CFL or various Arena Leagues? Because he's a better "story" than Flynn? Because (holy shit I've actually seen people say this) he reminds you of Tim Tebow somehow? BARF. Stop it. For the love of fuck, STOP IT.
I'm very excited by Russell Wilson's potential, and I think he's got a VERY good chance at being an excellent NFL QB someday... and if the Seahawks were rebuilding and not shooting for a playoff run right now, maybe I'd be more open to the idea of throwing Wilson out there week 1 and seeing how he responds. Seattle isn't shooting for 6-10, though- They are shooting for (wait for it) #10winsandaplayoffspot. Tossing Wilson out there now could fuck up our season AND RW's career over the long-term.
Here's how Wilson would get out on field this season: A) Matt Flynn sucks. B) Matt Flynn is injured. C) The Seahawks are hopelessly out of playoff contention. Fuck ALL that. All those options all sound like utter shit. Let's remember why we signed Matt Flynn in the first place: If everything clicks into place for the dude, he could be Hasselbeck 2.0. If that's the QB that Flynn grows into, we'll be a Super Bowl contender for a nice, healthy stretch of time with him under center and all us Twelves will be wearing #15 jerseys. We should ALL want that, even if it means Wilson never gets to start and we ship him out of town for a draft pick in a couple of years. If you are rooting for Flynn to falter in Denver so Wilson has a better chance to start (and I know you fuckers are out there- I've seen that crap play out before in this fan base), kindly piss off.
What do you think, sirs? Care to try to convince me that Wilson should start? Don't give me that "he deserves a shot" bullshit either- I got enough of that from Charlie Whitehurst's disciples last year.
5 comments:
Awesome blog! Awesome Story! Thank God Someone has the fucking nerve to say it. The best side is, this is win-win for now. But a quarterback beating up on the titans "C" team doesnt mean he should start. Let him sit, play it safe with Flynn, let the ROOKIE learn the system. Heaven forbid a rookie sit on the bench for a year. Since Rodgers and Rivers started their first year, oh wait, no they didnt. They sat behind some pretty awesome dudes and learned the fucking system!! Done here!
Preach on brother! Love your blog man, and i agree completely. Keep up the good work and go hawks!!
What's been really weird this week is that a lot of guys that cover, and KNOW, the Seahawks are calling for restraint in rookie love.
I like Russell Wilson, and think that he should start. Just not now. I don't know Wilson's learning curve, but I don't want him to get pushed too fast, and lose the "je ne sais quoi" that every qb needs. From an outsider's point of view, I don't think he could, but I'd rather not take that chance. Too many qbs have been pushed too fast, and that caused irreparable damage. I am so against doing that to Wilson, that I think Tavaris Jackson should be the Hawks back up.
If Flynn were to get hurt, I'd prefer to see Jackson play versus Wilson. Jackson has one huge... No, HUGE knock against him; he is unable to lead a comeback. But Jackson can win games if he's able to play from ahead. Wilson might be able to engineer a comeback, but he could also lose a game, whereas Jackson won't. Tavaris Jackson has basically played as well as he is going to, but right now, a healthy Jackson is better than an untested rookie in Wilson.
Wilson will be the starter within two years, unless Flynn becomes all-pro. If Wilson doesn't get the chance because of Flynn taking us to Super Bowl wins, then I'm happy. Actually I'm a NAMBLA member working as a security guard at an elementary school happy. I guess when the Seahawks win the Super Bowl I'll be euphoric, and unless the qb leading the Hawks to that win is a criminal, I'll be ecstatic whomever it is.
I have another perspective. From this view, the QB play might very well not improve much. From this view the QB relies on the rest of his offense to succeed because football is a team game. If you don't have much time to pass or open targets to throw to you'd better have HOF talent or you're going to look bad. This is why Jackson looked bad. This is why Flynn hasn't looked so good. This is why Wilson is going to have a tough time looking good when he plays with teamates who are overmatched against opponents' starters.
Love your stuff DKSB, but you really are begging the question on this one.
Flynn has been "groomed" to start insofar as he's been given the inside lane to the starting job. But, he was never declared the starter. So it's not exactly fair to frame him as an incumbent who is being unseated. He has he been unable to run away and hide from Wilson (TO drops notwithstanding) despite a TON of pre-season snaps.
That's really not a knock on Flynn as much as it is a feather in Wilson's cap.
I'd argue that if you really think Flynn should be the guy, this Wilson start is what you want. If Wilson doesn't wrest the starting job from Flynn now then the QB "controversy" is over (as far as the team is concerned). Naming Flynn starter without Wilson having received any snaps with the starters does nothing but embolden the "Wilson or bust" crowd.
I think Carroll and Bevell will be looking for some specific things in Wilson's start. They already know he can dazzle when the play breaks down. What they need to know is whether Wilson can consistently stand tall in the pocket, step up into the right throwing lanes, and deliver the ball on time? I have some doubts whether he can, and I bet the staff does too.
This way, the staff knows what he can and cannot do (right now) BEFORE the games start to count. I don't see a downside here.
Post a Comment