It’s crazy how quickly NFL head coaches forget how much a great quarterback matters after having one on their staff for an extended period of time. They get this notion in their head that it was solely their coaching that made these guys great, and all of the sudden you get Bill Belichick signing Cam Newton.
The latest example of this is Pete Carroll, who has been saying the Seahawks didn’t need to draft a QB — or acquire a serviceable one. They received Drew Lock in return for Russell Wilson going to Denver, and the Seattle coach told Sports Radio KJR that he thinks he got a player who would’ve been the first quarterback off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“I think he’d have been the first guy picked, of quarterbacks anyway. He’d have been the first guy in this draft. I don’t have any hesitation saying that.”
Uhh, OK. Lock went with the 42nd pick in the 2019 draft and this is a down year for QBs, so he might be right that no one will be better than his extremely average, if that, quarterback. The issue, though, isn’t whether Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett will be a subpar pro, it’s that we know Lock is. Whether the 12th Man is/was mad about Wilson jumping ship doesn’t matter because everyone is pissed about the situation under center.
Making things worse was Carroll putting his pom pom in his mouth during the same segment, saying fellow Hawks’ QB Geno Smith is as talented as Lock.
“The first look at Drew, he’s really athletic, he’s really a confident athlete, you can see he’s got a lot of body control, he’s got quick feet, he’s got a quick arm, he’s got various ways he can release the football as his body’s in different positions,” Carroll said. “He’s got a real knack there. He’s got a strong arm, he can throw the ball a mile down the field. He compares to Geno, and Geno Smith has a great arm. He has a world-class arm, and all that. To match up with that, that’s saying a lot.”
The argument that Lock would’ve headlined this year’s QB draft class was a better way to fire up the fanbase than saying, “Hey, he’s just as good as Geno Smith, aka the guy you watched suck last year when he filled in for Russell.”
If Carroll wants to get spicy and pick a quarterback on his roster as the theoretical first QB taken in 2022, nominate Smith, who went three picks higher in 2013 than where Lock went in 2019. Is he auditioning for a future head coaching job or a spot on First Take?
By most accounts, the Seahawks had a good-to-great draft. They brought in Charles Cross, who was in the discussion for best tackle in the draft — and that’s not some random propaganda that spilled out of the side of my mouth. Kenneth Walker III is an ideal back for Carroll’s run-heavy approach (and current quarterback situation).
The coach and front office refuse to call this a rebuild. And until Tyler Lockett isn’t on the team, and they balk at giving DK Metcalf the massive contract he’ll be looking for next offseason, it’ll be true. Right now, Seattle feels like the franchise that Lock just came from, but the version that’s still looking for a quarterback. However, at least the Broncos tried to address the issue.
I understand Carroll approaching his situation with a glass half full mentality. He’s an optimistic person by nature, and nothing good is going to come from dumping on the already fractured confidence of his collection of misfit QBs. But, honestly, this isn’t even an argument with a bright side. Either you have a quarterback or you don’t.
We have no idea if Willis or Pickett will be the guy for the Titans and Steelers, but at least there’s a chance they are.
It’s OK, though, Seattle fans. Give Carroll like five halves worth of watching frustrated receivers and an even more stagnant than usual offense, and he’ll realize very quickly how hard it is to win without a great quarterback, and the tanking will ensue.
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