Baldwin: no clear leader in Seahawks’ QB competition
Jun 12, 2012, 12:50 PM | Updated: 1:00 pm
By Liz Mathews
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin says the Seahawks’ quarterback situation may not be as clear-cut as people think.
Baldwin joined “The John Clayton Show” on Saturday and gave his thoughts on incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson, free-agent acquisition Matt Flynn and rookie Russell Wilson.
Acquired last season as an undrafted free agent, Baldwin finished the year with a team-high 51 receptions, 788 yards and four touchdowns, quickly establishing himself as one of the team’s most reliable receivers — and one of its most outspoken players.
While some assume the starting job is Flynn’s to lose, Baldwin said it’s too early to identify a clear leader in the quarterback competition.
“It’s kind of hard to tell right now the difference between Matt and Tarvaris because we’re not in pads, the defenses that are out there are not a defense we had to game plan for, it’s our defense that we know well,” he said.
“So between those two guys, it’s not as clear-cut as people may think it is.”
Jackson, Flynn and Wilson have been splitting reps equally during voluntary workouts. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has said repeatedly that he won’t rush to name a starter.
“I think the biggest thing for us is not so much who is going to be our quarterback, because obviously we had some success last year with T-Jack under center,” Baldwin said. “I’m biased to T-Jack just because he was here last year. But I think the most important thing that we need is to get consistent play from everybody else — that’s the receivers and the offensive line and the running backs.
“That’s going to make the quarterback’s job so much easier.”
The Seahawks’ mandatory minicamp practices will be held Tuesday through Thursday. The team will then break before convening for the start of training camp near the end of July.
