Let’s face it, the Seahawks need an upgrade at QB

Tarvaris Jackson threw 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and had a 79.2 QB rating. (Jane Gershovich/710Sports.com)

By Jim Moore

I’ve got nothing against Tarvaris Jackson. We’ve had him on “The Kevin Calabro Show,” and I like what I’ve heard from him as a person. I just don’t want to see him as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback next year.

At every other position, I would argue that the Seahawks have Super Bowl potential. At quarterback, not so much. Better put — not even close.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before — maybe John Schneider and Pete Carroll are fine with a game manager at quarterback, but I’m not. And I don’t even know if Jackson is that great as a game manager.

I’d prefer a game-winner, and Jackson has proven time and time again that he’s closer to being a game-loser than a game-winner. As Simon Cowell would say: “Sorry,” but it’s the truth.

Jackson had eight opportunities to lead the Seahawks on game-winning drives in five different games this season and went 0-for-8.

He threw 14 touchdown passes this year and 13 interceptions. Houston third-stringer T.J. Yates had a better quarterback rating than Jackson. Another rookie, Andy Dalton, had a better quarterback rating in Cincinnati. Heck, even Jake Locker had a better quarterback rating in Tennessee.

Warren Moon was on the show yesterday, and the Hall of Fame quarterback insists that Jackson can become a better passer and decision-maker with a full offseason of workouts with the Seahawks. It was intimated that the lockout hurt Jackson. And I’m sure his pectoral injury affected his progress as well.

But I don’t care if this guy practiced morning, noon and night for 150 days in a row, I still don’t think he’s going to magically become a good quarterback. He’s still going to have those head-shaking moments next year when he hangs on to the ball too long in the end zone or throws it out of bounds on fourth down.

Green Bay’s backup quarterback, Matt Flynn, is one option that figures to be available to Seattle. (AP)

These are reasons that Minnesota didn’t want him anymore. Jackson will be 29 years old next year, and to think that he’s suddenly going to be a transformed man in the pocket because of extra offseason workouts? No offense Mr. Moon, sir, but that’s just poppycock. You may have been right about Cam Newton, but you’re wrong about Jackson.

We’ve seen him, and I firmly believe that this is Jackson’s ceiling — some good moments but too many of those other moments that will never cut it in the playoffs.

I don’t want two seasons of watching the so-called “bridge” quarterback from Matt Hasselbeck to whoever’s next. I want to see whoever’s next now. Whoever’s next will presumably have a higher ceiling than Jackson. And a higher ceiling is needed to get to the Super Bowl.

Maybe whoever’s next is Matt Flynn. Maybe it’s Ryan Tannehill. Maybe it’s Landry Jones if he declares. Maybe it’s Robert Griffin III if the Seahawks trade up to get him. I don’t care who it is, I’m just ready for someone else, even if that someone else struggles in his first year with the Hawks.

Flynn is everyone’s favorite flavor right now because he threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns last week against Detroit. Bucky Brooks from NFL.com compares him to Matt Schaub of the Texans. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take Matt Schaub Jr. or Matt Schaub Lite as the next Seahawks quarterback.

Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer told Brock Huard that Flynn, at 6-foot-2, is a smaller version of Hasselbeck. Well, heck, I’ll take that too.

The Seahawks are in a tough spot. The best thing they can do is roll the dice on Flynn and grab a pass-rusher with the 11th or 12th pick in the draft. The worst thing they can do is stick with Jackson.

In between, there are other things they can do. I’d advocate trading up to get Robert Griffin III. ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have Griffin being selected sixth overall by Washington in their most-recent mock drafts.

Depending on how the coin flip goes with Kansas City, the Seahawks will draft 11th or 12th. I wasn’t a math major at Washington State, but 11th or 12th is only five or six picks away from No. 6. I know you’d have to trade other picks and/or players to move up, but I don’t think we’d be talking the kitchen sink.

Another problem for the Hawks — throw out Andrew Luck going to the Colts with the first pick overall, and you still have Cleveland at No. 4, Washington at No. 6 and Miami at No. 8 that need a quarterback. I would also argue that Jacksonville might be thinking QB at No. 7 with the so-so season that rookie Blaine Gabbert had.

If you don’t get Griffin, the rest of the rookie quarterbacks apparently aren’t worth taking with the 11th or 12th pick. Kiper’s and McShay’s latest mock drafts have Jones going at No. 17, and that’s assuming that the Oklahoma QB comes out.

After Jones, Kiper has Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill at No. 27 and McShay has Tannehill at No. 29. CBSSports.com’s Rob Rang doesn’t even have Jones or Tannehill listed in the first round of his mock draft.

So if the Seahawks took Jones or Tannehill at 11 or 12, they’d be reaching like the Vikings did last year when they took Christian Ponder at No. 12.

The Vikings could have had Jackson as their starter this year but took the someone-else option, first with Donovan McNabb, then with Ponder.

Whatever they do, it’s time for the Seahawks to go with the someone-else option too.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for his website, www.jimmoorethego2guy.com, and every Monday in the Kitsap Sun. You can reach him at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.