Seattle Seahawks: Naming Russell Wilson as Starting QB Benefits RB Marshawn Lynch and Running Game

By Nate Kuester
Senior Writer

The Seattle Seahawks likely did not expect their third round pick of former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson in the 2012 NFL Draft would  become such a pivotal component to their upcoming season. Fast forward four months from April and that is exactly the case after the rookie was named as the starter for Week 1 action.

“He’s earned this job,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Sunday evening via a conference call. “It was a legitimate competition like we said from the beginning.”

Wilson has many accolades to hang his hat on after all that he accomplished at North Carolina State and at his temporary home for a year in Madison, Wisc., but his earning the starting role in a three-way competition he was expected to finish third in has to rank right up at the top for the ardent competitor. Seahawks Pete Carroll was not merely blowing smoke when he informed the media the race truly was open for the rookie, off-season free agent acquisition Matt Flynn and incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson.

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A great many things have transpired since Wilson led the Seahawks to their  victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Friday night. Aging wide receiver Terrell Owens failed to make the roster cut for Monday’s deadline to trim down player personnel, and fellow signal-caller Jackson appears to be on his way to the Buffalo Bills.

Wilson put in two solid efforts of backup work to Flynn in preseason play prior to earning the starting job against Kansas City. Carroll announced that the rookie signal-caller will start in the final preseason outing against the Oakland Raiders and will start out the regular season with the Arizona Cardinals. Carroll, among others on the team, have noted that Wilson conducts himself like a seasoned veteran to provide the field leadership they expect out of a quarterback.

“He is so prepared he just does not seem like a first year player,” Carroll said. “He seems like he’s been around.”

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Wilson is known as a fairly accurate thrower, but he opens up a great deal of possibility with his mobility. His finesse when he tucks the ball and runs will ultimately give Seattle a very potent ground game in addition to what he can do with his arm. Star running back Marshawn Lynch stands to benefit a great deal with opposing defenses now having to worry about a quarterback that can hit through the air and with his feet.

Wilson’s sense of urgency, combined with his selling of the play-action fake, makes him a tough guy to figure out. There is little doubt that Carroll’s desire to establish a strong running attack has played into the decision and Lynch becomes that much more of a problem if you are a defender. Wilson isn’t a running quarterback, but he is quite the hand-full when he scrambles.

The decision to start Wilson makes sense from a logical standpoint because you have Flynn, who is only too eager to step in if called upon, to back up Wilson should the rookie’s stellar preseason play not translate into the regular season. If he doesn’t perform up to standard, he’s a rookie and high expectations are not warranted. But if he does play at the level Carroll seems to think he is capable of, the gamble pays off.

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Carroll told reporters that Wilson was happy of course, but took the news in a cool manner.

“He said he was excited about that, and that it’s exciting,” Carroll said. “And absolutely in stride. I don’t think it’s going to bother him a bit. In time as you guys [reporters] are around him more and you watch him more, you’ll come to appreciate the uniqueness of Russell and his approach.

“He expects to be good. And he expects to be successful. And he expects to make plays. And he expects all of that, so true to his soul. That’s just the way he is and thinks. Nothing else even kind of enters in his mind. He came to win this job.”
Naming Wilson may seem like a move from out of the blue, but if you look at what the decision means for the team in it’s ability to control the game with the ground attack and from a long-term developmental standpoint it’s a can’t lose scenario–even if they do lose some.

Follow Nate Kuester on Twitter: @NateKuester.

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