Matt Flynn Vs. Russell Wilson: No Favorite In Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks have a strange quarterback battle. There doesn't seem to be a clear leader and it's already the third week of the preseason. There doesn't seem to be a fan favorite in either Matt Flynn or Russell Wilson. Then there's the whole question of why this is even a competition in the first place considering Flynn's $8 million a year deal.

I took all my quarterback thoughts and brought them to Danny Kelly of Field Gulls, SB Nation's Seahawks blog.

So, Danny, is there a favorite among the fans between Flynn and Wilson?

"That's a great question - and I have no real answer for you on that," Danny said. "There are multiple camps on this subject and several schools of thought. Like any quarterback battle that is even remotely close, there is going to be some contentious debate over it."

I'm sure there's nothing polarizing about this debate. Sorta like Chiefs fans and their quarterback, right?

"Some believe that Wilson will never buck the odds -- long, long odds -- that a 5'10 quarterback taken in the 3rd round will ever amount to even a starting level quarterback in the league (think about that for a second -- a 5'10, 3rd rounder. Not many of those guys around). There are others that believe he can and will be a very good NFL quarterback, but he should sit for a year or two and learn the ropes. There are others that think - "Why wait?""

Classic debate in the NFL -- how long do you sit your rookie quarterback? The Aaron Rodgers model -- a/k/a letting him sit on the bench -- barely exists anymore. 18 of the last 20 first round picks started in year one (Brady Quinn and Jake Locker did not). 10 of those 20 started game one of their first year. This year, we could see five rookie quarterbacks starting, easily breaking the record (3): Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and perhaps the Seahawks' Wilson.

Back to the Seahawks quarterback competition.

"The Matt Flynn evaluations are pretty similar and parallel," Danny continued. "There's no real consensus on which player should or will end up starting, but most believe that both have looked pretty decent in the preseason so there is hope that one of them will take the job and run with it, never looking back. Especially from Pete Carroll."

What Pete Carroll is obsessed with is competition. I know the Chiefs talk about competition but not the way Carroll does. That's his thing. He preaches it everywhere, during practice, games, anywhere.

And you know what? He actually believes it. If Wilson wins this job there's no bigger piece of evidence that anyone can compete for a spot on the Seahawks. I like that quality about Carroll.