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Is this the face of the man Tim Tebow would catch passes from as an H-back? Some say the answer is yes.
Jesus Christ…er…Charlie Whitehurst is pictured here performing the miracle of the five loaves and the two fish . He was just prepping lunch for 5,000 hungry Seahawk fans on hand to watch OTAs. Now that’s the way to win a popularity contest! Later in the day, Whitehurst would turn water into wine, proving that he is the one and only Messianic savior Seahawk fans have been clamouring for.
Note the Bing! logo patch on Jesus’s…er…Charlie’s jersey. That must be Paul Allen’s doing. Any man rich enough to put the Bing! logo on Jesus’s…er…Charlie’s jersey must have a lot of Microsoft money behind him.
Speaking of turning water into wine, some fairly outlandish claims for Charlie’s potential have been published in this past week. ESPN Insider Chris Sprow published a piece showing that it is better for a QB to sit for a couple years than to start as a rookie. Ergo, throwing a kid head first into the shark tank, sink or swim, is not such a good idea. I accept that conclusion without objection.
Keep your eyes on the Sparrow when the going get’s narrow. Then Mr. Sprow drops the two ton logical fallacy upon our heads:
“There is also good reason to believe that, among all the QBs associated with the 2010 NFL draft (Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen included), Whitehurst will have the best pro career.”
Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, Barretta. So how do you answer fallacious reasoning such as this? How about this way? You forgot about everything else going on in politics these days.
I think we have excellent reason to believe that Mr. Whitehurst is just a temporary insurance policy for the Seattle Seahawks, not the future of the franchise. Why do I say this? Well, my thinking goes a little like this:
- Not one source has reported that Whitehurst will be the starting QB for the Seahawks in 2010.
- All official sources allude (briefly) to Whitehurst as the eventual successor to Matt Hasselbeck.
- This implies Hasselbeck is the man at this time.
- If the oft-injured 12 year veteran can’t go this year, that succession could be immediate.
- You never take a flier on another team’s second stringer, much less their third string QB. Take it from Kansas City, this storyline never works out.
- When Pete Carroll was asked if he would draft Sam Bradford if he fell to the Seahawks, Carroll answered “Hell yes!” with great lust in his voice. Doesn’t sound like he is too married to me.
- There is a certain PAC-10 kid named Jake Locker gestating across the street at the University of Washington who is expected to be the next big thing. Locker is purportedly the Ryan/Stafford/Bradford of 2011.
Keep your eye on the last point. That’s the big one.
Call me foolish, call me irresponsible, call me a rumor monger, but for some reason, I just can’t seem to shake this off. I think Coach Pete Carroll is going to make a big move to get Jake Locker in 2011. Why do I think this? Well, my reasoning goes a little like this:
- Locker is the hometown hero.
- Locker is being carefully groomed under Pete Carroll’s trusted pal and former OC Steve Sarkisian.
- This is just the way Pete Carroll likes his QBs prepared.
- Locker—in a raw state—was instrumental in Washington’s massive upset of No. 3 ranked USC in 2009 (16-13). I think Carroll remembers that one.
- Drafting Locker would be commercial bonanza for the Seahawks. He’ll put a lot of butts in the stands at Qwest Field.
- Even an expensive draft-day trade to select Locker would be a very popular move in Seattle.
- Paul Allen wants to personally slap the Bing! logo on Jake Locker’s jersey.
Finally, the NFC West is commonly regarded as the division with no franchise quarterbacks. We’ll see what the experts say about that this time next year. Many of us could be surprised to see this presently pathetic situation change, seemingly overnight.
I doubt Matt Lienhart is a bust. I think he simply had trouble convincing his coach to sit a future Hall of Famer.
I swore Alex Smith was a bust, but I may have spoken too soon. With improved protection, an invigorated running attack, and a spread passing attack, Alex Smith may yet blossom in 2010. He began blossoming last season.
The Rams just selected young Sam Bradford from Oklahoma.
Call me foolish. Call me a dreamer. Call me irresponsible. But somehow I just don’t think Pete Carroll wants to be the odd man out if the NFC West is suddenly blossoming with young franchise QBs. There is a principle of combat-symmetry that must be respected. Quarterback play is the most important single variable in contending. It’s going to be tough to win the NFC West without a franchise QB…soon.
So in summary, the Locker scenario is perfect, perfect, and perfect. It is just too perfect. It is a perfect storm condition. I think Jake Locker is the future of the Seattle Seahawks.
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So the other ownership shoe dropped last night for the Rams. Adam Schefter announced on ESPN’s NFL Live that Silent Stan Kroenke has decided to exercise his contractual right of first refusal to purchase the Rams.
The report is correct. Enos Stan Kroenke has decided to exercise his contractual right of first refusal to purchase the remaining 60 percent of Ram stock he does not already own. This puts him squarely at odds with league rules and with Shahid Khan.
First, the League Rules
As you all know, the league has bylaws forbidding NFL majority owners from owning a majority share in any other sports franchise in an NFL city . The rule used to prohibit ownership of any other pro franchise in any city.
The rule was mildly re-interpreted to allow Paul Allen (owner of the Portland Trailblazers) to purchase the Seattle Seahawks. The league owners wanted Paul Allen in the clubhouse and on the golf course. The owners wanted a league connection to the new silicon economy, and to Microsoft.
- The NFL Finance committee already announced that it doesn’t like one of the several financial devices Khan intends to use to purchase the Rams.
- Kroenke is already an insider. He has been partial owner of the Rams since the early 1990s. He has been vice chairman of the Rams’ board for some time, and served on several NFL committees.
- Kroenke has more money than Khan. Kroenke is worth an estimated $3 billion. His wife—Anne Walton, a Walmart heir—is worth $3.5 billion. Together they are worth approximately three times as much as Shahid Khan ($2.14 billion).
- The NFL ownership booth is one of the most exclusive clubs around. It is a consummate old boys’ network. Kroenke is much more their type of guy than Khan.
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We’ve been wondering forever why the NFL can’t stage a Super Bowl in Seattle. Well, as Peter King points out, the walls impeding that idea might be about to crumble.
King takes the shortsighted view that it’s a horrible idea to hold the Super Bowl in northern cities. He says hosting a Super Bowl in the Jets’ and Giants’ new stadium in February 2014 is a bad idea because “too few people are thinking about the precedent it sets for future games in outdoor, cold-weather venues.”
King seems aghast at the idea that Dan Snyder will want the game at FedEx Field or Pat Bowlen will want it in Denver or Paul Allen will want it at Qwest Field.
“Dangerous ground for the NFL to travel,” King calls it.
More dangerous than holding Super Bowl XL in a city besieged by a snowstorm? Sure, Detroit’s Ford Field is an indoor stadium, but the weather was horrible for the Super Bowl between the Seahawks and Steelers in February 2006.
King obviously doesn’t know what the weather is like in Seattle in February. It’s typically one of the sunniest months of the year in Western Washington.
Here’s a look at the past five Super Bowl dates and the weather in Seattle and the Super Bowl cities on those days:
Feb. 4, 2010
Seattle: 57 degrees, light rain.
Miami: 78 degrees, no rain.
Feb. 1, 2009
Seattle: 44 degrees, no rain.
Tampa: 68 degrees, no rain.
Feb. 3, 2008
Seattle: 39 degrees, no rain.
Glendale, Ariz: 61 degrees, no rain.
Feb. 4, 2007
Seattle: 51 degrees, light rain.
Miami: 69 degrees, heavy rain.
Feb. 5, 2006
Seattle: 47 degrees, no rain.
Detroit: 33 degrees, snow.
The Super Bowl will be at the Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington, Texas, next year.
The 2012 Super Bowl is scheduled to be played at covered Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. FYI, it was 38 degrees in Indy (19 lower than in Seattle) on Super Bowl Sunday this year.
If Detroit, Indianapolis, and New Jersey can host the title game, why shouldn’t Seattle?
SPECIAL ATTENTION
So far, the Seattle Seahawks have paid more attention to special teams than any other area of the team this offseason.
The signing of Sean Morey on Monday continued the theme. The 34-year-old veteran is listed at wide receiver, but that’s not really his position (he has 11 catches in 10 seasons). He’s a special-teams demon, plain and simple.
He went to the Pro Bowl in 2008 after leading Arizona with 22 tackles on special teams, and he was an alternate last year after recording 19 tackles.
Special teams has been a focus all offseason. It started when the Hawks gave punter Jon Ryan a long-term deal. Then they signed two long snappers (one has since been released) and retained the services of kicker Olindo Mare for another year with the franchise tag.
Since then, they have added a couple of speedy pass rushers―CFL standout Ricky Foley and Ricky Clemons―as well as running back Quinton Ganther and linebacker Matt McCoy. Ganther was a special-teams standout in Washington, and the other guys are the kind of speedy players who seem made for special teams.
The Seahawks ranked No. 11 in the NFL in special teams last season, thanks mainly to the incredible seasons of Ryan (franchise-record 46.2 yards per punt) and Mare (franchise-record 21 straight field goals). But punt coverage was a big problem, as the Hawks gave up 11.1 yards per punt return (third worst in the league).
Guys like Morey, Ganther, McCoy, Clemons and Foley should help shore up that weakness.
On top of that, Seattle’s return game was average, and losing Nate Burleson won’t help.
A lot of people want the Hawks to draft Clemson’s C.J. Spiller, who would make the return game much more explosive.
The sixth pick seems too high for Spiller, who is not an every-down back, but apparently Miami and the New York Giants might not think so. They reportedly both are considering making a jump into the top 10 to get the super-turbo Tiger.
The Dolphins have the 12th pick and might be interested in grabbing Spiller to eventually replace Ronnie Brown, who recently was arrested for DUI. Brown was tendered at the first-round level as a restricted free agent, which says the Dolphins don’t consider him essential to their offense (or they would have tendered him at the highest level, first and third).
Trading up to No. 6 typically would cost the Dolphins their second-round pick (No. 43 overall), which would be a great addition for the Seahawks if they were OK dropping down six spots and out of the top 10.
END GAMES
Talk over the weekend centered on the Seahawks possibly trading unwanted guard Rob Sims to Chicago for defensive end Alex Brown.
Brown has been good for six sacks a year for the last seven years, but he’s not worth five million dollars per year (and the Hawks reportedly agree).
Another end who is better and cheaper and might be available is Washington’s Andre Carter. The Redskins are going to a 3-4 defense, which the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Carter wouldn’t seem to fit.
Carter had 11.5 sacks last year and has 25.5 over the last three years. He’s the same age as Brown (almost 31) but much cheaper: $1.3 million in 2010. He reportedly has a no-trade clause, though, and would have to waive that.
The Seahawks are looking at Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan in the draft, but if Carter could be had for a fourth-rounder or a conditional pick in 2011, he might be worth a look.
Of course, if the Hawks are interested in Brown, they can just wait for Chicago to release him.
NO POISON PILL FOR O.J.?
Although O.J. Atogwe would seem to be a nice fit for the Seahawks, they have joined other safety-barren teams in not trying to sign the restricted free agent to an offer sheet.
Atogwe was tendered only at the right of first refusal, meaning no draft pick would be necessary to sign him away from the St. Louis Rams. However, The Miami Herald reports that teams don’t want to negotiate with him because they figure the Rams would simply match any offer.
As for the idea we floated weeks ago , the Herald reports that no team is willing to use the kind of poison-pill clause that led to Steve Hutchinson leaving Seattle for Minnesota and Nate Burleson leaving Minnesota for Seattle in 2006.
An unidentified source told the Herald: “No team will say it, but it appears that a poison pill is something that teams aren’t willing to do. I believe that’s one of the things the owners want to eliminate in a new CBA, so I think there’s real reluctance to go outside the box on this issue. I’m not saying no one will do it, but it doesn’t appear likely right now.”
If the Rams can’t re-sign Atogwe by June 1, they will have to tender him at 110 percent of his 2009 salary, which amounts to almost seven million dollars, or let him become a free agent. If the latter happens, there figures to be an immediate bidding war for his services.
In the meantime, it looks like the Seahawks are going to eschew our advice and sit this one out.
THE MARSHALL PLAN
If talks between the Seahawks and Broncos regarding receiver Brandon Marshall are going to go anywhere, it probably won’t be until after April 15.
That is the deadline for teams to sign Marshall, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet that would require a first-round pick.
Once that deadline is reached, with no team offering a first-round pick, the price naturally will drop below a first-round pick.
Then it will simply be a matter of whether some other team gets into the bidding at the lower price.
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“I don’t have a ton of experience in game situations, and I understand. That’s kind of what I have to make up here pretty soon and convince everybody this was the right thing to do.” — quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, addressing concerns that the Seahawks paid too much for him in draft capital and cash.
***
Just about everyone agrees the Seahawks gave up too much for Whitehurst, and it certainly appears the Hawks might have been able to get him for less.
But, if he’s the guy who can replace Matt Hasselbeck as Seattle’s next franchise passer, the Seahawks didn’t really give up that much for a small gamble on greatness (or, at the least, good-enoughness).
Sentiment is running about 60-40 in favor of this move, but here are some of the complaints from the Seattle fans and observers who don’t like this deal:
1) They gave up too much for a 27-year-old third-string quarterback who has never thrown a pass outside of the preseason. Boo hoo.
2) They won’t draft a quarterback in the first round now. Boo hoo.
3) They can’t trade for Brandon Marshall now. Boo hoo.
4) Blame Tim Ruskell for trading away the 2010 third-rounder that could have been used to sign Whitehurst without trading down in the second round or giving up next year’s third. Boo hoo.
Other than the price of the deal, those complaints are all pretty silly. But let’s address each of those concerns logically, shall we?
First of all, remember, the last time the Seahawks made a move like this for a quarterback, the stakes were even higher and it worked out quite well. To get Hasselbeck in 2001, the Seahawks dropped seven spots in the first round (10th to 17th) and swapped a third-round pick for a seventh with Green Bay.
At the time, we thought that deal was fair, considering Hasselbeck had played very well in the preseason and had already been coached in the West Coast offense by Mike Holmgren.
We were among the very few who supported Hasselbeck in that lost 2001 season, when everyone else was calling for Trent Dilfer. DIL-FER! DIL-FER! DIL-FER!
And now we’re willing to see what happens with this Whitehurst trade, which is really not a very big gamble, all things considered.
As we projected last week when the Hawks’ interest in Whitehurst came to light, a swap of second-rounders, with no other picks involved, would have been just about the right price to pay for a third-round rookie.
However, Whitehurst has had the benefit of four years of tutelage by Norv Turner, one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. Even though he has not played, Whitehurst has absorbed much knowledge and seen it applied expertly by Philip Rivers.
That explains why San Diego general manager A.J. Smith asked for the 2011 third-rounder. And it probably explains why Seattle general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll apparently did not make a counter offer to try to lower the 2011 pick to a fourth or fifth.
As Schneider told reporters, “We value our draft choices, but we consider Charlie part of our draft class.”
Essentially, they got an extra player this year (a possible future starting quarterback, no less) without decreasing their net number of picks, and they still have a second-round pick.
The draft points in the NFL draft trade chart net out to a late second-round pick, and that’s not a bad price to pay for a guy who is ready to play now. At the very least, the Seahawks will be getting an upgrade at the No. 2 QB position.
They also don’t need to consider drafting a quarterback unless one naturally falls to them as the old “best player available” in a later round. Their two first-rounders and the second-rounder can be used to focus on left tackle, defensive end, safety, running back and cornerback—or perhaps trading for (ugh) Denver receiver Brandon Marshall.
For those who love the punk (we’re not in that crowd), the deal for Marshall is not off the table simply because the Hawks dropped to the bottom of the second round. The Broncos want to get rid of Marshall and will lower their asking price once draft week arrives and they realize there still is no market for him.
The Hawks will not give up a first-rounder on one of the NFL’s biggest thugs, even if they think he might be starting to mature. But they will consider the second-rounder and perhaps another pick.
This is where they could make up for getting beaten in trades for Whitehurst and Seneca Wallace (a seventh-rounder?).
As for blaming Ruskell for vacating the third round in last year’s draft, that’s ridiculous. While Ruskell failed with most of his first-round picks during his five years in charge, he had an excellent draft last year.
He picked Aaron Curry fourth overall—a no-brainer. He traded out of the second round to acquire Denver’s first-round pick this year—the reason the Seahawks have the 14th overall pick to go with their No. 6.
He traded back into the second round to get Seattle’s new center, Max Unger. And then he gave up the 2010 third-rounder to trade back into the 2009 third round to draft receiver Deon Butler, yet another good move.
It was quickly obvious that Butler has all of the makings to be a solid pro receiver. His most obvious attribute is his speed, but he catches the ball expertly (with his hands) and has a knack for running good routes.
It is unfortunate he didn’t get to play more last season, but he should figure prominently going forward.
So, to criticize Ruskell for trading away the 2010 third-rounder for Butler is ridiculous. It’s part of the draft-day trading game.
Ruskell maneuvered expertly last year; he got the Hawks an extra first, got back in line in time to grab Unger and returned to get a guy who will turn out to be a solid pro receiver.
So, no, the Hawks had no third to offer the Chargers, but Schneider and Carroll decided they were willing to part with next year’s third instead (plus the swap down).
It’s a small price to pay if Whitehurst becomes the next franchise quarterback. And if he doesn’t, it’s still not a terrible price to pay.
As for concerns that Whitehurst was “just a third-string quarterback,” well, he was actually a second-string QB disguised as a No. 3.
Smith told SI.com’s Don Banks that the only reason Whitehurst, the Chargers’ third-round pick in 2006, was behind Billy Volek on San Diego’s depth chart was because Volek was more experienced. (Plus, Volek is one of the top backup QBs in the league.)
Lack of experience seems to be Whitehurst’s only weakness at this point. His strengths, by all accounts: good size (6-4, 220), a strong arm, a quick release, excellent mobility, intelligence and pocket presence.
“I’m prejudiced for the guy, because he was our third guy,” Smith said. “I think he’s going to be a success, and obviously Pete Carroll in Seattle feels the same way. It’s a judgment call. But he’s a very talented player and he’s been a great pro for us.
“He’s a great team guy, and his work ethic and preparation are excellent, especially for a guy who’s not a snap away from playing. We think he’s gifted and has all the tools. And he’s been in the NFL and with a great program here, with other good quarterbacks.
“I think he’s ready for the challenge,” Smith said. “He hasn’t played in the NFL, due to the circumstances here, but we have to say that about college players coming out in the draft every year. They’re getting an outstanding player.”
Carroll told reporters: “He’s got the mobility that we love. He’s got a big arm. He’s hungry to play. He’s been waiting for his turn. And that attitude he brings, as well as the athleticism and his throwing ability, makes him a guy that we’re really pumped up about.
“We thought we saw enough,” Carroll said of Whitehurst’s inexperience, “the fact that he is such a good athlete, that he does run so well, that he’s got very good feet and just generally good speed for the quarterback position that we think enhances the style of play that we intend to put out there. We felt good enough about that evaluation.
“We took our time, now. We didn’t rush through this judgment at all. We looked at everything. We’ve seen every snap he’s had about three different times.”
As for the money, which reportedly is $8 million over two years, who cares? Money is not an issue for Paul Allen’s team in an uncapped year.
And even if the salary cap returns in 2011, it won’t be a problem for a team that paid $9 million to Deion Branch and Patrick Kerney last year, with cap values over $7 million for each.
In fact, if (when?) the Hawks get rid of Branch and Kerney, that will save them more than $21 million over the next two years.
Some think the Seahawks will try to trade Hasselbeck to get Whitehurst on the field now. But that doesn’t make much sense.
First, Carroll and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates have sung the praises of the veteran quarterback ever since they joined the Seahawks.
Second, even after the Whitehurst deal, Carroll made it clear that Hasselbeck is still the Seahawks’ starting quarterback. Third, there likely would not be much of a market for Hasselbeck.
If the Seahawks were going to try to trade Hasselbeck, the best place would have been Cleveland, where Mike Holmgren is in charge.
But the Hawks gave (and we do mean “gave”) backup QB Seneca Wallace to the Browns instead, and Holmgren signed Jake Delhomme to be his veteran starter.
Other teams that could use a quarterback include Buffalo, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Oakland and Washington.
But Hasselbeck is likely worth more to Seattle than he is to other teams, who won’t want to give up much for a 34-year-old quarterback who has missed 11 games over the past two years and has only one year left on his contract.
No, the best move is definitely to let Whitehurst arrive with no pressure in 2010 and let him learn Bates’ offense. If he has to step in for an injured Hasselbeck, so be it.
Some have mentioned the idea of letting Hasselbeck start the season and then replacing him once he struggles. But any problems he may have will be symptomatic of bigger offensive issues.
Hasselbeck rarely plays poorly (forget those two aberrational four-pick games late last season, which can be attributed to a horrible offense, a bad line and stubborn receivers not doing what they were supposed to do).
As long as Hasselbeck is healthy, there will be no reason to bench him. If the team becomes as bad as last year’s, even Whitehurst won’t be able to save it, but the Hawks might want to play Whitehurst to get him experience. OK, so be it then, if that happens.
But what if the team makes a quick turnaround and Hasselbeck plays like he did in 2007, when he had his best season ever.
In that case, Schneider and Carroll would have a big decision to make in 2011: Do they re-sign Hasselbeck and leave Whitehurst on the bench for another season? If the team is in position to win in 2011, the answer would be simple: Yes.
But those are questions for next year. For now, Whitehurst will back up Hasselbeck.
“Matt’s obviously our guy that we’ve been excited about for a good while, and we’re pumped to have him,” Carroll said. “Charlie’s going to fit into this competition and take it as far as he can. And we have big expectations for him for the long haul.
“We’re counting on Matt to lead this thing, and Charlie is going to take his shot at it every turn.”
And no matter how it turns out, it’s worth the gamble.
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At this point in the NFL season all slates are cleared and no team can be called a clear-cut division favorite.
Five out of eight divisions were won by two games or fewer. Among the three with greater divides, two of the second-place divisional teams still posted winning records.
Yet no division is so unclear at this point in the offseason as the NFC West. Recent divisional stud Arizona was inconsistent even during its prime and just witnessed its Hall of Fame quarterback pick the sunset he wanted to ride into.
The past two years the Cardinals have been aided by playing in arguably the worst division in football. The three other teams in their division have the same combined win total as Indianapolis managed on its own.
Taking away divisional games (in which an NFC West team was guaranteed a win) the division sported an unhealthy .300 record as a unit.
With mediocrity can come great parity however.
San Francisco already won two games against the Kurt Warner-led Cardinals last season, and are a young team that might just be finding itself. With a great running back in Frank Gore and defensive player of the year candidate in Patrick Willis, they have several pieces in place.
Seattle boasts a rejuvenated front office, helmed by new head coach Pete Carroll. They boast two first round draft picks (both within the first half of the round) and near carte blanche approval of owner Paul Allen to do what is necessary.
St. Louis seems the least likely to make a run at the division lead. They are coming off a 1-15 record in which the shambles of a team managed less than 11 points per game.
The Rams do appear to have a solid coach in Steve Spagnuolo and one of the league’s best all around backs in Steven Jackson. With the first overall pick they have a great chance at landing a cornerstone player to build the team around.
What all these teams have in common should be the deciding factor in who emerges atop the NFC West—questions at quarterback.
Arizona currently has one quarterback on its roster in former 10th-overall draft pick Matt Leinart. Leinart has looked very ordinary in his limited time as a starter, posting a career rating of 71 despite throwing to one of the league’s best receiving corps.
The Cardinals will be adding to the roster before the season begins, but how they go about that remains to be seen. The vote of confidence in Leinart makes an impact move like trading for Donovan McNabb or drafting a quarterback in the first round unlikely.
The team will probably bring in a younger name (be it a third-fourth round draft pick or a younger veteran) under the guise of backing up Leinart, with the idea that the competition for the starting role will be more subtle.
Trying to give support to Leinart could leave the team in a lurch however if the 26-year-old signal caller disappoints.
San Francisco would like nothing more than for that to happen. They have issues of their own at quarterback, having spent the last two years unable to establish a true number one guy from the Alex Smith/Shaun Hill tandem.
Barring any major surprises, Smith will be the opening day starter in 2010. With more than double the starts of Leinart he can no longer use inexperience as an excuse to his underwhelming play.
Smith was drafted first overall in 2005, and carries a career rating even lower than Leinart’s at 69. Taking over for Hill in Week 7, Smith actually posted encouraging numbers in 2009.
He ended the year with an 81.5 quarterback rating and had his first season with a positive toudown-turnover ratio.
Smith should also have the luxury of an established number-one receiver for the first time in his career. Michael Crabtree had 48 receptions for 625 yards despite missing all of training camp and five games to a contract holdout. Translated to 16 games the numbers equate to almost 70 catches for 909 yards.
Given the time to learn the team’s playbook and develop a rapport, Crabtree should flirt with 1,000 yards in his sophomore year, something that could very much help Smith to finally emerge from first-overall disappointment.
Seattle shows up as a wildcard within the division. Head coach Pete Carroll will bring an entirely new philosophy to a team that was 5-7 before it packed it in for the final four games.
Assuming he is still the opening day starter, Matt Hasselbeck is on the downward swing of his career, but still a proven veteran with a superior resume to the rest of the division.
If he can fend off the nagging injuries that slowed him the past few years, he is only two years removed from a 3,966 yard 28 touchdown 2007 season. He isn’t the team’s long term answer anymore, but in the short term he holds the resume to get results.
Pete Carroll is actively seeking additional help at quarterback, be it to take over the starting role or just replace departed (via trade) backup Seneca Wallace.
While coaching at USC Carroll had a great track with turning out quarterbacks. Four former Trojans are slated to start behind center in 2010 (Carson Palmer, Matt Cassel, Matt Leinart, and Mark Sanchez) two of which saw playoff action last season.
With a pair of first round picks to bolster a squad not long removed from seeing the postseason, Carroll and the Seahawks could find themselves leapfrogging Arizona and San Francisco if they can secure steady play from the quarterback position.
The final team in the division is also the farthest from entering the mix. The St. Louis Rams were the NFL’s worst team in 2009, with only a single win.
They have holes at virtually every position, and it is uncertain what order they will work to address them in.
Marc Bulger proved last season that he no longer has the capacity to be even a temporary answer at quarterback. Although only 32, a host of injuries have aged him prematurely, and he cannot be counted on to either play a full season or deliver results when playing.
Given the gaping hole behind center, the logical assumption would be that St. Louis would attempt to draft its quarterback of the future with the first overall pick.
It might not be the case however, as can’t-miss defensive tackle Ndamakong Suh makes for a tantalizing prospect for former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Should St. Louis elect to forego Suh, the assumption is that they will draft Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.
With nothing else to really work with in the passing game, it would be a great surprise if in his rookie year Bradford were able to produce the kind of results necessary to flirt with .500, let alone fight for a divisional crown.
Still, with any team in the NFC West capable of major surprise or letdown in 2010, stranger things could happen.
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