The Seattle Seahawks signed Matt Flynn this offseason with hopes of him leading their franchise back to the playoffs (and eventually a Super Bowl). While Flynn impressed just about everyone while playing sparingly with the Packers last season, a little insurance at the quarterback position is never a bad thing. The Seahawks plan to start Flynn from day one, but what about his backup? If he were to go down to injury during the playoff stretch, who would step in to lead the team?
The battle for the No. 2 quarterback job in Seattle will be between Tarvaris Jackson and rookie Russell Wilson. Here is Sports Illustrated on the situation and how they think it may work out.
My way of thinking, if the Seahawks were happy with what they got out Jackson as their starter for 14 games last season, they wouldn't have signed Matt Flynn in free agency or drafted Wilson in the third round. So I'm not buying it's a three-man quarterback competition in Seattle. It's last year's starter against this year's rookie to see who earns the No. 2 job, behind Flynn.
Jackson has seen this movie before, in Minnesota, and he knows the advantage always goes with the new option, because there's no taint or stain of defeat on the quarterback who just walked through the door. The sense is that Pete Carroll and Co. are intrigued with Wilson's skill set and will find ways to get him on the field, perhaps even using him in a Wildcat role. Jackson clearly enters with the edge in experience, and his knowledge of the offense should give him a healthy advantage. But if Wilson proves himself a quick study, don't be surprised if he's only relegated to the team's No. 3 quarterback role for a little while this season.
It will be interesting to see how things play themselves out in the coming months at training camp. Wilson has a lot of versatility and may see some immediate playing time in a hybrid role as SI suggests, but Jackson is probably the safer bet should Seattle need a starter other than Flynn. Wilson provides upside, though, and that's the risk the Seahawks' coaching staff is going to have to weigh moving forward.
For more on the Hawks, check out Field Gulls.