It’s time to start up our NFL draft coverage at SeaTown Sports. Now, some of you may be wondering why we’re even talking about the draft with it being months away, and I’ve asked myself the same question. But there’s one topic I can’t stop thinking about: The Seahawks’ quarterback position.

While I respect Tarvaris Jackson, he’s not a franchise quarterback. He’s just not. If you want to argue otherwise, go for it in the comments section. Let’s assume that general manager John Schneider and Pete Carroll have a commitment to take a QB in the upcoming draft and don’t believe T-Jack is their long-term guy.

So, the big question is who would the Seahawks want to select as their franchise quarterback? Well, that’s a pretty easy answer: Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III. Unfortunately, unless some seriously lucky trade scenarios work out, there’s little to no chance either of those two prized prospects will fall to the Seahawks’ No. 12 overall pick.

So who could the Seahawks draft instead of those two guys?

Check out some profiles on a couple QB’s Pete Carroll might have his eye on after the jump!

The Seattle Seahawks finished the second year of the Pete Carroll era at 7-9, however, this year that record wasn’t nearly enough to send Seattle to the postseason. The future of the team is finally looking bright again. Obviously there are still issues with personnel and needs at certain positions on the roster, especially at quarterback.

Before making decisions on who to bring in, who to let go, and who to draft it is important to look at the shortcomings of this year and how they can be corrected. 

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

MVP: Marshawn Lynch

Not only did Marshawn rush for 1,204 yards and become the first Seahawk to score a touchdown in 10 consecutive games, “Beast Mode” became a national sensation with his style of running and Skittles antics. Lynch is the face of the Seahawks, and without re-signing him, this off-season just wouldn’t feel as positive. Lynch also helped resurrect Seattle’s running game, which hadn’t had a 1000-yard rusher since 2005. He’s a free agent going into 2012, and it is of the utmost importance that the Seahawks re-sign him.

Honorable mention: Earl Thomas, David Hawthorne, Red Bryant

SEE WHO TOOK HOME BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT, BIGGEST SURPRISE AND OTHER AWARDS AFTER THE JUMP!
 

Dear Tarvaris,

Hey, it’s Seattle. Looking back at this year, we’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?

When Pete Carroll brought you in to replace Matt Hasselbeck, fans were unimpressed. You didn’t really do anything worthwhile when you were the starting quarterback in Minnesota, even playing terrible at times. An average NFL fan’s perspective of you was a young, inexperienced QB with a strong arm that most of the time made boneheaded decisions.

Add all that to replacing a Seattle legend in Hasselbeck, and it was predicable how Seahawks fans would react to you: negatively. Fans flooded Seattle talk radio stations calling for your head even before the season started, as backup QB Charlie Whitehurst outperformed you during preseason. But nonetheless, Pete Carroll kept you at starter going into the season opener against the 49ers.

And it was disaster.

The Seahawks offense couldn’t get off its feet during the first three games scoring an average of just 10 points, and much of the blame was put on you, T-Jack. The boo-birds at CenturyLink field were even louder now, routinely chanting “CHARLIE! CHARLIE!” during the Seahawks’ 13-10 victory over Arizona in week 3. We all wanted you to quit. Yes, give us Charlie Whitehurst, we thought. Just end our misery now.

But you persevered.

After those first three abysmal games, you fought through a torn pectoral muscle on way to throwing for 2564 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a 60 % completion rate in your final 13 games. Once we got our chance to see Charlie Whitehurst fail miserably in Cleveland, we all shut up and admitted you’re not half bad.

You became enamored to Seattle fans once we realized your mental toughness. Not a lot of guys can transfer to a new team with fans biting at your neck and have a decent season leading a young, growing team to a 7-9 record that could have easily been 9-7 if not for a couple close losses.

But you did have your “what the heck are you doing Tarvaris?” moments like your fumble at the end of the 49ers game or your three interceptions in Dallas. Those moments made us wonder whether or not you can truly be a franchise QB, but hey, that issue is a whole other letter.

In the end however, you were pretty good. That’s it. You weren’t amazing, not terrible. Just good.

Just know, Tarvaris, that we all appreciate what you went through this season. Against many odds, you persevered and fought until the end.

And that’s all we can really ask for.

Sincerely,

Seattle


--Nathan Parsons (@nathanparsons98)

Seattle Seahawks (7-8) vs. Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
When: 1:15 pm PT
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium; Glendale, AZ
TV: FOX Channel 13 (Announcers: Sam Rosen, Chad Pennington and Jody Jackson)
Radio: 710 ESPN AM and 97.3 KIRO FM (Announcers: Steve Raible and Warren Moon)

After a tough, gut-wrenching loss to the 49ers last Saturday at home, the Seahawks prepare to wrap up their season Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams are eliminated from playoff contention, yet Seattle still wants to gain momentum into the offseason with a victory. Pete Carroll said he will play it just like any other game and he expects the starters to play as much as they normally would. A win would drop the Seahawks further down the board in the draft, but it also would give them a one game improvement over last season with a 8-8 record.

Because it’s never too early to talk about the NFL draft. Okay, so maybe it is. But after watching Boise State obliterate Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl, a thought popped up in my mind: Should the Seahawks draft Kellen Moore?

Moore put up stats that are truly amazing, but winning more games than any other college player EVER (50) is his most impressive, including three out of the four bowl games he’s played in. The NCAA will likely never see another person win so many football games. But Moore’s done more (see what I did there) than just win games. 

Coming off a big win in Chicago, the Seahawks enter this pivotal NFC West showdown against the 49ers knowing that they must win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The final home game of the year for Seattle will feature two of the hottest teams in the league. San Francisco will look to stop Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch, who has scored a touchdown in 10 straight games, while Seattle hopes to continue their stellar defensive play. This matchup has all the makings of a defenive battle.

This is the one Pete has been waiting for.

Four years ago, Pete Carroll watched the Stanford Cardinal spoil his Trojans’ perfect season in the Coliseum. Pete’s USC team were 41-point favorites to take care of business against the previously lowly Cardinal, but Jim Harbaugh’s boys spoiled the day for them in stunning fashion, winning 24-23.

Seahawks vs. Rams Postgame Observations
Final Score: Seattle 30, St. Louis 13 

• The Rams are terrible

There’s no getting around this fact in the Seahawks’ 30-13 drubbing of the Rams on Monday Night Football. Actually, they might be the worst team in the NFL right now with the amount of injuries they’ve stacked up. They have no capable receivers aside from Brandon Loyd, which led to a field day for Seahawks corners Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman. St. Louis’ offense in general can’t function, as Sam Bradford was under pressure the entire night, getting hit nearly every pass play.

The only thing the Rams have going for them is an above-average defensive line, but that’s not enough to win an entire football game at CenturyLink field.

• Doug Baldwin deserves the Seahawks MVP

This undrafted rookie from Stanford has emerged as the most productive player on the Seahawks’ offense. Against the Rams, Baldwin caught seven balls for 93 yards and a touchdown adding to his season total of 718. Baldwin is by far the Seahawks’ leading receiver, with Ben Obomanu coming in second with 31 receptions for 336 yards and 2 touchdowns. Baldwin also blocked a punt in the first quarter, which led to Michael Robinson scooping the ball up and taking it in to put the Seahawks u[ 7-0.

Baldwin also has 32 first down catches, second for rookie wide receivers. His play style reminds me a lot of former Seahawk wide receiver Bobby Engram with the way he makes his cuts and how he releases from cornerbacks. Doug has been Tarvaris Jackson’s security blanket.

• Aaron Curry who?

2009 fourth overall pick Aaron Curry has been all but forgotten by Seahawks fans with the emergence of rookie linebacker K.J. Wright. Wright isn’t as near as athletic as Curry, but Wright’s defensive football I.Q. is his redeeming trait that led to a solid 5 tackles, 2 for loss, and a sack against St. Louis. Even before the season started, coaches praised Wright for his ability to pick up and execute the Seahawks' aggressive defensive scheme.

With Wright, David Hawthorne and Leroy Hill, the Seahawks have one of the top-10 line backing cores in the NFL.

• Paul McQuistan is not Russell Okung

From the very first snap of the game, left guard turned left tackle Paul McQuistan struggled. He consistently got beaten around the edge by the Rams’ pass rushers, not being able to shuffle his feet fast enough. This lead to Tarvaris Jackson never being truly comfortable in the pocket until the second half when the offensive line started chugging away at the demoralized Rams defensive line.

While McQuistan struggled in pass protection, he played decent when run blocking, having some nice kick-out blocks on the defensive ends throughout the game. McQuistan’s and the entire offensive line’s efforts lead to Marshawn Lynch rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown, with fans actually throwing skittles on the beast while celebrating his touchdown.

While no one truly felt the absence of Russell Okung tonight, expect it to be felt when the Seahawks head out to Chicago to try to avenge last year’s playoff loss. Bears defensive end Julius Peppers is one of the best in the game, and I imagine he’s licking his chops after watching tonight’s game.


--Nathan Parsons (@nathanparsons98) 

Coming off a big win against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Seahawks now turn their sights to a match-up with their division rivals, the St. Louis Rams, on ESPN's "Monday Night Football". Seattle needs to win their remaining four games to have any opportunity at the postseason, so a win here against the Rams is a must. Marshawn Lynch will look to continue his recent stretch of dominance against one of the worst run defenses in the league.

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