Coach Pete Carroll has said that quarterback Tavaris Jackson will be the starter on opening day, citing his familiarity with the offensive scheme as the reason. Carroll has also said, though, that at some point in the season there could be competition between Jackson and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst for the starting job.
That day may not be too far off. Jackson didn't perform quite as well as he would've liked in Saturday's 20-7 loss to his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. He played the game's first half, completing 11 of 21 passes for 75 yards, but also threw a pick-six that Marcus Sherels took 64 yards for the touchdown.
Whitehurst, meanwhile, looked impressive as he took the quarterback snaps in the second half. Whitehurst connected on 14 of 19 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown. He completed his first seven passes of the game, leading the Seahawks to a touchdown on his first drive after starting on their own 11-yard line.
Whitehurst is certainly getting better with the offense very quickly, and Jackson's advantage of knowing the offensive scheme may not hold out for too much longer. Put those two facts together and the anticipated Jackson-Whitehurst battle for the starting job could be closer than we think.