Matt Flynn's Big Game

[Rengaw]

Let's face it, without Matt Flynn's big game against the Lions, his value would be nowhere near what it is today. I was excited as any Seahawk fan when we signed him but was shocked Miami didn't sign him. I thought Pete's comments of the quarterback job being up for grabs between Tavaris Jackson and Matt Flynn was just Pete being fair minded but not actually what he thought.
But, after watching as much film as I could on Flynn, I must say I wasn't impressed. His arm is average at best. He can't throw the long ball well and his out patterns are anemic compared to most NFL quarterbacks. Even his big game against the Lions, he threw alot of balls up for grabs and had receivers make adjustments to make the catch. He does have a quick release but not as quick as Tarvaris does.
Flynn's strength seems to be his coolness in the pocket and being able to see the field. I would give him the edge over Tavaris in reading situations and responding to them. He also has a nice touch on his short route passes. From what I have seen of him, I would rate him about equal with Jackson. I think Jackson is better than he showed last year. The offense line was so young and poor at the beginning of last year, Jackson had no time at all to settle into any passing rythmn. And later in the season, his injury really hampered him. But Jackson's ability to respond correctly to game situations I would have to rate below average.
So, I give Tarvaris the edge on physical ability and Matt the edge on game awareness. It could be an interesting upcoming season, with it always being a good thing to have two quarterbacks to rely on. If Tarvaris gets a fair shake, I'm betting on him being the Seahawk's quarterback by season's end.

[Garanddad]

Wow. Jackson in 6 years, 51 games has managed not to progress at all. His "big arm" has netted 38 touchdowns in all that time with 35 interceptions. Jackson is not a viable QB - how many more chances does he get? Jackson seems absolutely unaware that a field exists. Flynn has not played as much - but when he has he has demonstrated his on field abilities - not to mention that he comes from a franchise that knows how to develop QB's. Jackson has proved - on more than one team - that he cannot play as a starter in the NFL (I would argue that he is not back-up material either but I am feeling charitable today). Flynn has shown potential. Would you prefer to be in the running for Luck or Griffin, absolute unknowns on the NFL board? Carroll's comment on competition, by the way, was a sop to his ego - everyone knows Flynn wouldn't have come to Seattle if he wasn't the starter.

[tahuyaman]

Jackson has progressed, just not as dramatic as you want.

I believe the thing that hurt Jackson the most was being made the starter for the Vikings from his first game. He never had a chance to learn from a veteran like so many quality QB's do. Jackson isn't a lost cause.

[fulltimefan]

Hopefully the competition will make both of them better. I supported tjack all year but looking back the team had the chance to win several games having the ball with the chance to win or tie at the end and not getting the performance needed from the qb position. I also can't recall any drives at the end of the half that were successful. He did improve during the season however and hopefully he will continue to improve. No one can say that Flynn will for sure be a success, but you can't just say those games were against bad defenses. I don't think that Detroit gave up 480 yds and 6 td's every game.

[Scier]

It wasn't just his game against the Lions. His game against the Patriots last year already had people talking about acquiring him in a trade. That was his first NFL start, and he nearly beat the high-scoring champs. Regardless, I expect that in a couple years, Flynn will be getting a long-term extension, and we'll be playoff competitors once more.

[AKHawk]

I believe the thing that hurt Jackson the most was being made the starter for the Vikings from his first game. He never had a chance to learn from a veteran like so many quality QB's do.

He did sit behind Favre for a bit there, and that still didn't do him any good.

I don't think you need a big arm to be successful in the NFL. I'll take brains over brawn any day at the QB position. I can't tell you how many times I saw receivers getting open (Big Mike especially) and Jackson just simply didn't see them. What good is a strong arm when the QB can't even see when he has a guy open?

[tahuyaman]

I

believe the thing that hurt Jackson the most was being made the starter for the Vikings from his first game. He never had a chance to learn from a veteran like so many quality QB's do.

He did sit behind Favre for a bit there, and that still didn't do him any good.

By then it was too late. Besides, Favre said that he has no desire to help in the development of younger players. He was perhaps the worst QB in history to have as a so called mentor.

[AKHawk]

Just because he wasn't buddy buddy with Jackson doesn't mean that the kid couldn't have learned a thing or two from him.

[tahuyaman]

Just because he wasn't buddy buddy with Jackson doesn't mean that the kid couldn't have learned a thing or two from him.

I listened to an interview with Favre about this subject. It was clear that he did whatever he could to hinder his understudy.

[AKHawk]

Can you point me to that interview? Because I fail to see how Farve would go out of his way to hinder anyone on his team. I know he's all about himself but I don't think he'd actively hurt his backup.