While many Seahawk fans waste time lamenting the omission (for now) of Marshawn Lynch from the pointless Pro Bowl, we’d rather rue the fact that Tarvaris Jackson is not a Pro Bowl quarterback.
We don’t mean that he deserved to be and simply is not; we mean that he is not and never will be.
Jackson’s failure against the 49ers last weekend sticks out more than anything from that unfortunate loss, and it is clearer than ever that the Seahawks must come up with a viable quarterback if they are going to win in the playoffs.
Their running game and defense are probably strong enough to get them there, but they are going to need a quarterback capable of reading defenses and rallying them in the fourth quarter. These are things Jackson simply has not shown he can do.
Now, perhaps it is unfair to judge him based on this season – when he and the offense were scuttled by the absence of offseason camps and by a multitude of injuries that kept the passing game from ever getting in sync. Perhaps a healthy Jackson who has had a full offseason with his receivers will play better next year.
But don’t count on it.
Jackson is what he is: a strong-armed, weak-thinking passer who fails to read the field well while the play is in motion, who makes mistakes at crucial times and who does not possess the ability to rally his team to touchdowns when he must.
The home loss to the 49ers was the latest example of all of these deficiencies. As usual, he held the ball for far too long all game. He also failed to drive the team to any touchdowns in the second half (the one set up by the blocked punt does not count), and he fumbled the ball away at midfield when he had every chance to at least put his team in position to retake the lead with a field goal.
This was the fourth time this season he had the ball in his hands with a chance to rally the Seahawks for a late win, and it was the third time he turned the ball over in the clutch – he did it twice in succession against Dallas and then again in the defense-driven collapse against Washington.
Because Pete Carroll likes him – and because the Seahawks have no other option at this point — Jackson most likely will get another chance to lead the offense next season. And, assuming the running game and defense continue the improvement they showed this season, they might make the playoffs.
But mark these words: The Seahawks will not win a playoff game with Jackson at quarterback.
And that should bug Seahawk fans much more than some debatable all-star slight to Lynch.
Original Story:
http://outsidethepressbox.com/?p=4583
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December 30, 2011
