Pete Carroll keeps us guessing with QB competition

By Jim Moore

I would love to be a fly on the wall at Matt Flynn’s condo or apartment or hotel room or wherever he’s staying during training camp.

That fly would hear the conversation between Flynn and Miss Louisiana, his fiancée, Lacey Minchew. I’m guessing it’s different than the conversations he has with reporters and Seahawks’ coaches.

Flynn, as you know, has been named the sort-of starting quarterback by Pete Carroll, who has changed his mantra from Win Forever to Keep ‘Em Guessing Forever.

In a major announcement on Tuesday, the Seahawks’ head coach said that Flynn will start the second preseason game at Denver just like he did in the first preseason game last Saturday in Seattle.

And just like last week, Russell Wilson will relieve Flynn in the second half or maybe sooner in this game – Carroll left the door open on that possibility.

He also said or indicated that Tarvaris Jackson, the third man in this quarterback battle, will not play against Denver. He didn’t play against Tennessee either, leading most of us to think that he’ll never play for the Seahawks again, speculating that he’ll be released next week.

I’m not a big T-Jack fan, nor am I a little T-Jack fan. I have nothing against him; I just don’t think he’s very good, that’s all. He’s OK at best, and OK doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to win a Super Bowl.

But I felt bad for him yesterday when he faded back to pass and had the ball slip out of his right hand, bouncing in a backward direction. Justifiably frustrated, T-Jack booted the ball. It was a full-on Dave Krieg soap-dish move that longtime Seahawk fans used to see on occasion with their former small-handed quarterback.

T-Jack isn’t really getting a fair shot in this quarterback competition according to Jim. (AP)

I also feel bad for Jackson because he’s not really getting a fair shot in this quarterback competition. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I even felt he deserved a shot in the first place, but speaking from Carroll’s perspective, if you’re going to talk like T-Jack’s still involved in the battle, give him a chance to play.

Carroll defends himself by saying that the team already knows what they have in T-Jack based on what they saw from him last year. Translation: We already know he’s not very good.

Did you catch his ringing endorsement of Jackson yesterday? Carroll said a lot of nice things while also mentioning that T-Jack “can function.”

Imagine your boss saying: “Joe can function.” That means that you, Joe, are an OK asset to your company but nothing to write home about it. Whoops, excuse me, let’s get current with the clichès! You’re nothing to blog about, Joe.

Before we get to the fly on Flynn’s wall, I’m glad I’m not the fly on T-Jack’s wall because I have a feeling I’d be splattered before I got a chance to hear anything. And if I’m T-Jack, I don’t blame him for being exasperated beyond belief and smashing me, the fly, to smithereens out of utter frustration.

What about the handling of T-Jack in this quarterback battle makes sense? As far as I can tell, he’s just being kept at this point in case one of the other two guys gets hurt.

When Flynn was signed, Jackson was the only quarterback he had to beat out for the starting job. He probably thought to himself: “Not a problem, I’ll sign with Seattle and take the many millions that Miami wouldn’t give me and flick T-Jack away with my little finger.”

But the Seahawks complicated matters by drafting Wilson and all of a sudden Flynn is being chased down the stretch by this hard-charging little man from Wisconsin.

Let’s pick up the conversation at the Flynn household…

Miss Louisiana: “Hang in there honey. Y’all still gonna get the job.”

Flynn: “Yeah, but can you believe all of these hoops they’re making me jump through? Ridiculous. I like Russell, he’s a great kid, but I’ve got the experience. I’ve got the savvy. I’ve got a better understanding of the offense. I recognize coverage schemes better than he does. I’ve got…

Miss Louisiana, interrupting: “But darlin’, you know I love you, but doesn’t Wilson have a stronger arm than you?”

Flynn: “Whose side are you on?!?!”

It’s fun trying to figure out what Carroll is thinking, which way he’s leaning, that kind of thing. Good luck. Whichever direction you think he’s going, I’d suggest you head the other way.

Join the Go 2 Guy at a Cougar viewing party hosted by 710 ESPN Seattle at the Village Pub in Magnolia on Aug. 30. On tap: Prizes, drink specials, singing of the fight song and hopefully a Cougar victory over BYU. Kickoff set for 7:15 p.m. Go Cougs.