Resurrecting Carreers in Seattle

It seems that the Pete Carroll regime has developed an affinity for former first-round draft picks who never panned out. It was assumed that Mike Williams and Reggie Williams were only low-risk acquisitions who could possibly help a depleted core of receivers; the Seahawks replaced Mike Teel with J.P. Losman, and the reclamation projects begin.

J.P. Losman shouldn’t necessarily be considered a huge bust in the National Football League – his production has not justified a first-round selection, but he isn’t as disappointing as JaMarcus Russell or Ryan Leaf.

As a first-round pick, however, Losman should have developed into a starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Losman failed to validate Buffalo’s initial belief and investment.

Losman started all 16 games for Buffalo in 2006 and threw for over 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns. He did throw 14 interceptions, however, and fell out of favor the following season. Since then, he has spent time with the Oakland Raiders and the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.

The acquisition of J.P. Losman triggered the departure of Mike Teel. Many fans wanted  to see Teel given the opportunity to prove himself as the future franchise quarterback; unfortunately, the new regime prefers a different set of skills.

Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates prefers quarterbacks who are athletic and can make throws outside of the pocket. Charlie Whitehurst is a great example of the mobile, strong-armed quarterback who is demanded in Seattle.

Mike Teel will surely be given an opportunity elsewhere, but J.P. Losman is a better fit at the bottom of the depth chart in Seattle – for now.

As indicated in a previous post by Andrew Auger, Losman is experienced and at least somewhat-proven, and should offer more as a third-string quarterback than Teel. If nothing drastic happens this season, however, Losman will never find himself under center in the regular season; this is a minor transaction unless Pete Carroll can revive careers in the National Football League.

So why the interest in all of these former first-round draft picks?

I suppose bringing in former first-round prospects can’t hurt. They’re low-risk acquisitions who at least possess above-average physical tools that got them to the National Football League in the first place.

The Buffalo Bills once regarded J.P. Losman highly enough to spend a first-round draft choice on him. Of course, draft status doesn’t mean anything once the ball is snapped, but why not take a chance on a signal caller who once showed a lot of promise?

And who knows, maybe Pete Carroll and company can actually resurrect a few careers in the process.

Shaun Dolence: dolencesm@gmail.com
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