Seemingly, everyone is on the Matt Flynn Bandwagon.
Even before all of this, as far back as August 15th on this very blog I speculated that Matt Flynn could very well be the Seahawks long-term answer at QB.
As I sit here today, I'm not completely sure that he isn't the answer. I just know that I don't want him to be.
I've watched the replay of his record-setting start against the Lions in Week #17; watched it a few times. Pause, play, pause, play..... rewind...... play.
Pause.
Matt Flynn might very well be a fine starting QB in the NFL for a long time, but can he be elite? I just don't think so. For that reason, I'm now fully in favor of identifying, drafting and developing our own.
Flynn does a lot of things well. He's decisive, accurate and gets the ball out quick, spreading it around to all of his available weapons. But as I watched him against the Lions I couldn't help thinking this was a guy who's been preparing 16 weeks for this one start. And, everything went his way in that game. His banged-up offensive line kept him relatively clean, and some balls he put up for grabs ended up as spectacular catches for touchdowns. I'm talking to you Jordy Nelson. He also threw one VERY bad interception, and had two others dropped that would have looked equally horrific on the highlight tape, and might have changed the very outcome of the game.
But most of all, the reason I don't endorse bringing in Matt Flynn can best be summed up this way: The guy taking snaps for the OTHER team that day.
I'm watching Flynn and I'm seeing a guy with a short arm, who shot puts the ball and looks like he has to have everything moving in the right direction to make a strong throw. Then Matt Stafford comes out and flicks his wrist and the ball is 40 yards down field on a line for a big gain. I didn't see Flynn throw into any tight windows, while Stafford was living in them. The reality is, Flynn had a lot of wide open receivers to throw to.
I can hear the rebuttals already; "But Stafford was the top overall pick!" I realize that. But as much as this QB draft at one time looked like it was going to be stocked with ready-to-play blue-chip prospects, now it's looking more and more like the high-ceiling-developmental-guy draft.
And I think that plays right into the hands of Jon Schneider and Pete Carroll.
They take pride in finding young talent, and they trust their scouting process implicitly. They will never draft a player because the consensus is he's the best player available, or bow to public pressure.
This draft is now littered with young, intriguing QB's who, provided they're properly nurtured and trained, have much higher ceilings than Matt Flynn. Chandler Harnish, Brock Osweiler, The Ryans (Tannehill and Lindley) and Nick Foles are all guys who could be there for the taking. All are at least a full season away from being game-ready, but each possesses an exciting skill-set. Some would require using a first round choice, others could be had in the 2nd or later.
At this point, my preferred course of action is to draft a develop our own QB. It may take a little longer for it to click, and I suspect that's why a lot of fans are in favor of The Flynn Option; they're impatient and hungry for a winner. I get that, I am too..... but I want to win a LOT, and for a long time. It has to be done right.
Regardless of how you feel about Tavaris Jackson, he's really the ideal bridge QB, and once the running game got going last year it was clear we can win with him while we wait for our young QB to be ready. Think Jon Kitna/Carson Palmer. Draft one of the guys I mentioned, and sit him. Have him be inactive on game day. DO NOT play him until he's ready.
We could all reap the benefits for years to come.
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