I understand why some local sports commentators like Mike Salk are so caught-up in their fantasy of the Seattle Seahawks drafting that 15-year, 4,000 yards-a-season “franchise” quarterback. I've felt the same way, and my fantasy came true; Green Bay Packers fans should be mindful that a “franchise” quarterback like Brett Favre falls into their lap so rarely that they should think twice before abusing his memory. Favre saved this franchise from perpetual mediocrity, and now winning is almost taken for granted thanks to the foundation of success that rested on Favre's cannon arm (Favre had only one losing season in 16 years). It seems, however, that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll does not necessarily share Salk’s fantasy; in fact, during his end-of-the-season press conference, he suggested that it was easy to find a quarterback capable of starting in the NFL, and for his “system,” that quarterback didn’t need to be an “elite” quarterback. In fact, he didn’t want a quarterback who was the focus of the offense, let alone the team; the foundation of his team would be the defense (Carroll was a defensive coordinator in a previous life) and the running game. His quarterback needs to have sound judgment, and when called upon, be able to run a two-minute offense under pressure. He didn’t need an Andrew Luck, or even a Robert Griffin III; a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco would do just fine, even if neither of those two quarterbacks have been impressive in their playoff appearances. One suspects that the reason for this is that Carroll wants a quarterback without his own notions about how to best employ his abilities, but a young guy who he can mold to fit into his “system.”
In the meantime, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the suggestion that Matt Flynn was only a “marginal” improvement over Tarvaris Jackson, which I found absurd. But on the other side of the dial, Kevin Harlan from Westwood One Radio was confirming for Dave “Softy” Mahler that Matt Flynn can start and be a star now; in fact he thinks only Andrew Luck is the better option at quarterback this off-season. Harlan thinks it is a “no-brainer” for the Seahawks to go hard for Flynn, considering his relationship with John Schneider. He laughed out loud at comparisons to Kevin Kolb; Kolb isn’t even in the same conversation with Flynn, he said. He was been exposed to, absorbed and excelled in the best offensive “system” in the NFL—and against one great team and another that forced him to match the opponent throw for throw right down to the end. Harlan also seems to think that he can excel in Darrell Bevell’s “system.” Bucky Brooks over at NFL.com also seemed fascinated by Flynn; he wrote a post expressing his impression from the Lions game, that it demonstrated that Flynn has the aptitude, arm, pocket presence, athleticism and clutch factor to potentially be a franchise-caliber quarterback.
What does the professor think now? John Clayton gave Flynn the Week 17 game ball for best offensive performance, and intimated on another radio show that Flynn was not just a possibility for the Seahawks, but in fact suggested that the Seahawks decision on the future of the quarterback position could come down to Flynn or Oklahoma State’s Brandon Wheedon. Carroll himself was coy about Flynn on the Brock and Salk show; he had, after all, painted himself into a corner by inflating Jackson. As Clayton pointed out, signing Flynn would bring the expectation that he would be the starting quarterback.
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