Seahawks Position Previews: Quarterbacks

Tarvaris Jackson, new Seahawks QB
Image courtesy of Elaine Thompson (Kansas City Star)

Starter: Tarvaris Jackson, 6’2” 225lbs, Age 27
Second String: Charlie Whitehurst 6’5” 225, Age 29
Third String: Josh Portis 6’3” 211, Age 24

The Seahawks came into this offseason not knowing what was going to come of the Matt Hasselbeck situation. This lead to a lot of rumors of possible trades/signings of Kevin Kolb, Vince Young, or Carson Palmer. Well, as we all know, none of that happened and the Seahawks signed former Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson to be their signal caller.

In five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Jackson played in 36 regular season games, averaging a passer rating of 76.6 over that span. In his five seasons, Jackson only threw 603 passes. Compare that to Saints QB Drew Brees, who threw the ball 658 times in 2010 alone. Jackson will have to pass a lot more in Seattle, now that he is the definitive starter as they head into their preseason and eventually the regular season.

Many people seem to forget that Tarvaris Jackson and recently acquired WR Sidney Rice come from the Vikings, where new Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell also hailed for five seasons from 2006-2010. This gives the Seahawks offense an advantage when it comes to their new system. Specifically with a new quarterback, Jackson will have no learning curve when it comes to learning the offense, so he and Rice should have an immediate connection.

Jackson, known more as a mobile quarterback, adds a dimension the Seahawks haven’t seen much of since the days when Seneca Wallace played in place of an injured Matt Hasselbeck. With his speed and agility out of the pocket, plays which would have broken down in prior years may now break into solid gains or breakaway plays. Along with the territory of being a mobile quarterback comes the criticism of not staying in the pocket long enough. Jackson, not naturally a passer, will need to give the Seahawks receivers a chance before he decides to vacate and rush out of the pocket. If Jackson can display poise in the pocket as it shrinks, the Seahawks will fare well. If he doesn’t, and Jackson naturally runs out of the pocket and makes a broken play, the Seahawks will have to correct on-the-go.

Charlie Whitehurst came into the offseason with the Seahawks at least expecting to compete for the starting job with whoever else the Seahawks brought in. However, reports so far have generally been negative in regards to his readiness to compete for the job at this point. Whitehurst just hasn’t seemed to be making the transition that they expected and hasn’t really challenged Jackson for the starting job.

Third stringer Josh Portis, an undrafted free-agent signing out of California University (Pennsylvania) has actually fared better throughout training camp and is pushing Clipboard Jesus for second string. Look for Portis to see a lot of play time tonight as the Seahawks take on the Chargers at 8:00 PM ET. The Seahawks aren’t going to work Jackson too hard in his first start. Expect him to only see a series or two. However, don’t expect to see an extreme amount of passing out of the ‘Hawks tonight, because San Diego has one of the better secondary’s in the league.

Overall, fans should be excited about the new quarterbacks on the team. Coming in with knowledge of the system, Tarvaris Jackson should have no setbacks as he commands the offense. Inexperience will play a part in determining the success that the Seahawks enjoy there, but if Jackson can overcome it and play like a knowledgeable veteran, the Seahawks are going to see some exciting play from the quarterback position this year.