I’m not going to let Mike Salk of the local ESPN radio affiliate make me depressed, just because he has been acting like a big baby ever since he heard the news that Matt Flynn was signed by the Seattle Seahawks; somebody please give him a pacifier. John Clayton was probably referring to people like him on Monday when he said that some fans needed to get a grip on reality. Salk was never able to understand that Robert Griffin III—who, frankly, was a virtual unknown until midway through the 2011 season—could only be had for far more than what the Redskins eventually “paid” for him, given the Seahawks’ inferior draft position. Because RG3 has not started an NFL game, it was more than a reach for the Seahawks to trade away countless draft picks based merely on expectations and hope; that is what you are getting with Flynn for much less.
And that was before Salk became inexplicably enamored with Russell Wilson. I’m a Badgers fan, so I have nothing against Wilson, although the hype didn’t quite translate into that unbeaten season that many Wisconsin fans (and even some “experts”) thought was sure to happen; I hope he finds a home in the NFL and does well, but I don’t see him as anything but a solid career back-up who might be fortunate to start for a bad team with nothing to lose. But Salk quickly forgot about Wilson when Peyton Manning became available; Salk wasn’t as dewy-eyed as Brock Huard on Peyton Manning, but he was equally gulled into the fantasy that Manning could actually find Seattle on a map, let alone be bothered to travel here.
Although at one point Salk granted that he would accept John Schneider’s judgment that Flynn was a viable candidate for the Seahawks future quarterbacking needs, merely the possibility of it seems to make him physically ill. This malady is the cause his latest obsession: Alex Smith, who at this writing remains unsigned. Smith is not even as good as David Garrard, who the Miami Dolphins just signed (I’m sure Miami sports writers who made excuses for why the Dolphins whiffed on Flynn are doing cartwheels over that acquisition). Smith’s only significant improvement last season over his previous years was his reduction in interceptions; if he had the number that was more typical of past history—14 instead of 5—last year would have not have been noticeably better than his previous years. The 49ers are also not likely to repeat their success in 2012 if Smith returns; the 2011 season was clearly an anomaly. The 49ers were 11th in points scored but 26th in total offense, with the 29th-ranked passing game. However, the 49ers were 2nd in points allowed and 4th in yards allowed. The total offense and defense numbers would suggest an 8-8 team, but the 49ers had five fourth quarter comebacks during the regular season, which accounts for their 13-3 record. In these five games, Smith threw only 4 TD passes, with a rating of 84.3, less than his 90.7 for the season. The difference was that the 49ers led the NFL in takeaway/giveaway ratio, at plus-28. The 49ers victory over the Saints in the playoffs came largely from this factor; the Saints nearly won the game despite committing five turnovers.
The new reality that Salk and others like him (who increasingly seem to be motivated by petty personal considerations) must get a grip on is that Matt Flynn is the quarterback that Schneider believes has greater potential than the options that the team had a realistic opportunity to pursue. We have seen what his potential could be, and it is extraordinarily high; we just have to see a reasonable facsimile of it over the course of an entire season. We already know what Tarvaris Jackson’s ceiling is—you can hit your head on it—and the rest of the free-agent crop have already reached their “potential,” none of whom promises to advance the Seahawks’ cause. Schneider did imply that Pete Carroll, still soft on Jackson, needed convincing; Flynn was persuaded to engage in a private workout to satisfy his “questions” about him before committing to a contract. And even then Carroll felt such loyalty to Jackson (and no doubt to his offensive coordinator’s judgment, which stands to take a hit) that during his conference call session could not refrain from leaving many fans who heard him with a frustrated feeling, insisting that T-Jack is “well ahead” of Flynn, although he expects that Flynn to “try” to take “his” job.
My feeling is that Jackson had more than his share of opportunities, and he didn’t perform appreciably better than in previous years despite knowing Darrell Bevell’s system, and essentially being coddled all season by Carroll. In order for Jackson to improve means that his decision making and judgment must improve—and that’s not something that can be taught; it has to come both from experience and instinct, and he has not demonstrated that experience has improved his play. But putting away these issues aside for a moment, the show of due diligence by the coaching staff in feeling out Flynn’s football acumen in person—and given the modest price involved—should be enough to calm the doubters. Danny O’Neil and Hugh Millen seem to at least have modified their prior opinions about Flynn. Some other people might also give Flynn such a benefit.
As an aside, I found a conversation with Flynn’s former offensive coordinator at LSU, Dave Crowton, on KJR informative. It was Crowton’s opinion that because of injuries to his ankle and shoulder, his game film did not show Flynn in the best possible light— in part accounting for his drop in the draft. Crowton also dismissed criticisms of Flynn’s physical attributes that are used to suggest limitations in the plays he is capable of making. Doing some research, I discovered that Flynn, after three years studying the offensive scheme that produced JaMarcus Russell, had to learn a new one when the former BYU coach was hired by LSU as OC his senior year. Although Crowton’s system came under criticism in subsequent years, with Flynn at quarterback LSU averaged nearly 40 points per game on the way to a national championship; in subsequent years there was a notable drop-off in offensive production until Crowton was “released” by LSU in 2010.
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