Tarvaris Jackson: 4 Thoughts on His Seahawks Debut

On Thursday night, Tarvaris Jackson made his debut as a Seattle Seahawk and wasn't overly impressive.

Jackson completed three of five passes for only 13 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also sacked twice, one of which was an intentional grounding. 

There is obviously a lot of work to be done in Seattle, and the improvements have to begin with Jackson if the Seahawks want to make the playoffs again in 2011.

4. Tarvaris Jackson Needs to Play More in the Preseason

I understand that protocol says that you aren't supposed to play your starting quarterback extended minutes in the first preseason game.

What Pete Carroll should have realized was that Jackson obviously needed the extra work. 

It is obvious that Jackson is not yet comfortable in Seattle's system, and the Seahawks owe to him and themselves to give him as much time under center in the preseason as is reasonably possible.

3. Tarvaris Jackson Is No Matt Hasselbeck

As bad as Matt Hasselbeck's numbers were over the last three seasons, he threw 34 touchdowns compared to 44 interceptions in that time; Jackson has the potential to be worse.

An interesting number on Jackson is that, despite throwing for 341 yards last year, he averaged under six yards per attempt. On Thursday night, he averaged under three yards per attempt. Last year, Hasselbeck averaged almost seven yards per attempt.

If the Seahawks can't protect Jackson, like they struggled to at times on Thursday, he'll make Hasselbeck's numbers look good. A rushed young quarterback is not a good recipe in the NFL.

2. Tarvaris Jackson Is Not a Good Scrambler

Despite only being on the field for just two series last night, Jackson took two sacks—one of which was an intentional grounding.

Sacks are bad for a lot of reasons, and if Jackson is unable to avoid them, the Seahawks will be in for a long season.

Every time Jackson takes a sack, it increases the chances of a fumble or of injury. If he continues to take sacks at a high rate, it will eventually lead to him rushing his passes as well, which, of course, will increase his interceptions.

1. Tarvaris Won't Be the Starter for Long

Remember that guy Charlie Whitehurst, who filled in at times last year?

Well, based on the performances of last night, it is only a matter of time before Whitehurst wins the starting job. Oops, I said that wrong: It's only a matter of time before Jackson loses the starting job. 

Whichever it is, expect Whitehurst to start a decent amount of games in 2011. By no means is Jackson that much better than Whitehurst—if he is better at all.

Last night, Whitehurst completed 14-of-20 for 115 yards. Last season proved he can play in the big games when he led the Seahawks to a playoff-clinching victory against the St. Louis Rams. It's only a matter of time before he gets the job this year.