Tarvaris Jackson vs. Charlie Whitehurst: Seattle Seahawks Tale of the Tape

While fan dissention is diminishing, Tarvaris Jackson will be starting over Charlie Whitehurst in this Sunday’s opening game for the Seattle Seahawks.  

In an ESPN Sports Nation poll prior to the third preseason game, a full two-thirds of respondents felt Whitehurst should be named the starting quarterback.

There is a reason why coaches, not fans, make player decisions.

While Jackson was struggling with no pass protection and starting wide receivers missing time, Whitehurst was camping out in the pocket and distributing the ball against opponents' reserves.

Almost every preseason a backup quarterback steps up and posts solid performances.  The hype gives fans reason to believe their next great QB is about ready to burst onto the scene.  The Seahawks have had a few of these passers come and go in recent years.  

When fans see their beloved diamond-in-the-rough gone a season or two later, they can't understand why he is no longer with the team.  "But he looked so good in preseason," they bemoan, as Seahawks fans did recently with Mike Teel.

The same preseason that David Greene was impressing Seahawks fans with his accuracy, King 5 News’ blog was praising another QB prospect: “I know its preseason…but [Matt] Leinart looked NFL ready.”

As these three preseason stars showed that these games are, simply, much different than the regular season.

What Makes the Preseason Different?

Most fans understand the backup quarterback isn't playing against starting defenses, thus making their job easier.  

Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, who covers the Seahawks and played for Seattle in 1997-'98, offered thoughts on his experience: "There's a big difference between No. 1s and No. 2s, and that's what I'd like to see Charlie perform against before I even start to even think about a quarterback controversy."

The quality of the opposition is fairly easy for fans to see.  A bigger issue is just how different the style of play is in the preseason. 

In the regular season, defensive fronts will run complex stunts and blitz linebackers and safeties through the openings.  They scheme their way to apply pressure to the quarterback, witnessed in Seattle last year as veterans Chis Clemons and Raheem Brock had career seasons. 

Wrinkles are thrown into zone and man protection, disguising where the coverage is coming from.  Recognizing hidden schemes is an area where both Jackson and Whitehurst need to improve.

Starting units will show some of this in preseason as they work on perfecting their units.  However, reserves are on the field to fight for roster spots.  Coaches want to gauge their ability to fight off blockers, rush the passer, tackle at the point of impact and cover defenders.  Schemes don’t accomplish that and only serve to give opponents more video to analyze in preparation for regular-season matchups.

The quality of the players and NFL defensive schemes account for the increased speed of the NFL game.  It is also why some great college quarterbacks struggle at this level and to date has been Whitehurst’s biggest issue.  He has looked great at times in a slower pace of the preseason but has not been able to produce with his arm when games matter.

Overview: Tarvaris Jackson

Jackson has had mixed results as a starter.  Playing for Brad Childress left no room for error, and Jackson was well aware that a single poor performance was grounds to be benched in Minnesota.  That is a tough standard to live up to in the NFL, particularly when much of a QB’s production is beyond his control.

If Jackson is going to have any level of success he needs to feel secure in his role.  He needs to know he can air the ball out to Sidney Rice without fear of being benched if a ball is intercepted.  However, first, he needs time to throw the ball.

There is a possibility that Jackson will surprise everyone and become a great quarterback.  That is not likely the expectation, though.  He signed a two-year, $8 million contract.  That type of a contract is backup-QB money in the NFL, not what is given to a player the team expects to lead the franchise. 

Then again, Pete Carroll is asking his quarterback to be a game-manager.

"

We're not trying to make our quarterback the guy that's gotta throw the ball 40 times a game. We want a guy that manages the offense really well, and can keep us moving and get us into the best plays, that allows whole team to function.

"

Jackson will be expected to help the Seahawks win games without carrying the team.  He has shown the ability to do that in the NFL.  He's also shown the ability to throw costly interceptions.

At one point Childress believed Jackson had the potential to carry a team, but coming from the Football Championship Subdivision’s Alabama State, his learning curve in the NFL was much bigger than quarterbacks coming from schools in power conferences.

Jackson was a mid- to late-round prospect.  Quarterbacks taken late in the draft are usually afforded time to study under a great NFL passer.  However, Childress drafted him in the second round, recognizing the athleticism and talent that could make him a great NFL QB. 

His draft status brought unrealistic expectations.  Not only did he not spend time as a third quarterback getting accustomed to the speed of the NFL, he saw starting duty as a rookie.

Jackson finally had a mentor in Minnesota over the past two seasons.  While it is unreasonable to expect anything close to Brett Favre’s level of play, studying his work habits and approach to the game should have improved Jackson as a player.

The Seahawks coaching staff is banking that Jackson's level of play has been elevated through Favre's mentoring.

In a radio interview with Dave Mahler on Seattle’s KJR radio, Jackson recognized that Seattle likely represented his last opportunity to be a starting QB in the NFL.  He expressed appreciation for Carroll and the coaching staff, stating "I want to make sure and prove those guys right."

Expectations for Jackson have been diminished, and it is possible he'll even live up to them.  He will likely have several games to get a feel for his new team before there is too much pressure to make a change at quarterback.

There will be at least two games before the CenturyLink crowd starts to chant for "Charlie."  The Seahawks don't have their home opener until Week 3.

Tarvaris Jackson Regular-Season Stats:

SEASON	GP	CMP	ATT	CMP%	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	RATE
2006	4	47	81	58.0	475	5.86	2	4	62.5
2007	12	171	294	58.2	1,911	6.50	9	12	70.8
2008	9	88	149	59.1	1,056	7.09	9	2	95.4
2009	8	14	21	66.7	201	9.57	1	0	113.4
2010	3	34	58	58.6	341	5.88	3	4	63.9
Career	36	354	603	58.7	3,984	6.61	24	22	76.6

Overview: Charlie Whitehurst

In one regular season start Whitehurst did very little other than not turning the ball over.  In the other he was just plain terrible, missing on pass after pass and throwing an interception.

Whitehurst has shown the ability to make quality passes.  Where he seems to struggle is with the speed of the NFL game.  When attempting to read complex defenses he has become nervous in the pocket.

Instead of consistently stepping into his passes, he has a proclivity to get on his toes and throw while falling away from his target.  This causes passes to float, sailing over short- and medium-range targets and falling short on deep passes.

Fans seem to have forgotten the excuses they made for Whitehurst last season.  When he was called upon to start against the New York football Giants, Whitehurst and the offense struggled—mightily!  

The fans that wanted Whitehurst to replace Hasselbeck last season forgave the dreadful performance, as he hadn't had ample opportunity to work with the first team offense.  Some also used poor offensive line play as an excuse, but the Seahawks offense offered passable blocking (pun intended).  The Giants did apply pressure on Whitehurst, but failed to log a sack.

The odd part: The same fans that made excuses for Whitehurst last November fail to offer the same consideration for Jackson now. 

Tarvaris Jackson: 2011 Preseason Performances

The preseason has not been kind to Jackson.  In most of his series he struggled behind poor offensive line play, relying more on his legs to protect his health than his arm to help the team.  

It didn't help that Seattle played several teams with solid defensive fronts.

The best grade I can give Jackson's preseason efforts is an "Incomplete."  No, not as in incomplete passes.  He simply didn't have an opportunity to put a finished product on the field.  Fans were given glimpses of what he's capable of when he scrambles, and the final drive in Denver showed he has the ability to throw the ball.

Overall, though, the offensive line didn't do the offense any favors.  Seattle never established a ground game while Jackson was in the game, which is the cornerstone of the new offense.  

If Seattle does want a game-manager at the quarterback position, it simply must be able to blow open holes for the running backs.  Until that happens, the desired offense won't work regardless of who is throwing the ball.

Charlie Whitehurst: 2011 Preseason Performances

Whitehurst picked up in 2011 where he left off during the 2010 season.  He was a decent game-manager when he had time to throw and did well avoiding the rush when it was there.  

Whitehurst still seems to make more good plays with his feet than his arm.  When pressured, though, Whitehurst still loses accuracy.  He had several throws versus the Raiders that either sailed over the receiver (which is hard considering the number of 6'5" targets he has at his disposal) or were well behind his target.

Whitehurst's biggest issue continues to be keeping up with the speed of play.  He can be too quick to check-down to his safety valve because of it.  Even worse, he still has a tendency to get up on his toes, throwing while falling away from his target.

There is a solid reason why the coaching staff believes Jackson should be the starter.  While Whitehurst continues to play well in an open pocket, he struggles when under pressure.

Jackson vs. Whitehurst: Final Preseason Numbers

While actions speak louder than words, careful review of game film speaks louder than statistics.

Jackson hasn't quite hit the 60 percent completion target.  However, he had to throw five balls away in the game versus the Minnesota Vikings alone (five fewer attempts would put his completion rate at 64 percent).  

Then again, he also needed to throw away a few more passes during preseason games instead of holding onto the ball too long, resulting in two more sacks than he should have taken.

Jackson's numbers were also hindered by a bobbled pass to Golden Tate that ended up an interception and a touchdown in that same game.  Whitehurst, on the other hand, was the beneficiary of a deflected pass that fell into Leon Washington's hands for a big gain.

At this point the quarterback position is far from settled.  Neither option has separated himself in the competition.

Many fans believe Whitehurst's performances against reserves should propel him to the front of the competition.  However, Jackson has performed better under similar circumstances.  The coaching staff has seen what they need in game and practice situations to continue to support Jackson as the starter.

The fan base will get an opportunity to see for itself starting Sunday when the Seahawks visit the San Francisco 49ers.

2011 Seattle Seahawks Preseason Passing Statistics

Player	Att	Com	Yds	%	TD	INT	Long	QBR
Charlie Whitehurst	62	42	405	67.7	1	0	32	91.1
Tarvaris Jackson	55	32	269	58.2	1	2	43	61.9
Josh Portis	24	10	124	41.7	1	0	27	72.2