Seattle To Bring In Four Veteran Passers For a Tryout Monday
The Seahawks plan to work out four quarterbacks on Monday after trading backup quarterback Matt Flynn. With the trade of Matt Flynn to Oakland complete, Seattle has only one Quarterback on the roster who has taken a snap in a regular NFL game. Quarterbacks Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn, Tyler Thigpen and former Seahawk Seneca Wallace will all tryout and hope to sign with Seattle on Monday after a workout, it is unclear however if Seattle will sign any of the veteran passers.
In any backup quarterback you want someone who can keep the offense from self-destructing and put the players around him in a position to make plays without making critical mistakes in critical moments. You don’t necessary need the backup quarterback to make big plays but they need to be able to move the offense down the field. Leinart, Wallace, Quinn and Thigpen all have been career backups and have shown spurts where they have been able to move the ball downfield, none have done it at a consistent level, which is why all four are looking for a job as a backup.
Sep 11, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyler Thigpen (4) warms up before the game with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
In Quinn and Leinart you get two quarterbacks who can stand in the pocket and deleiver the ball to receivers in a west coast timing offense when the running game is clicking forcing the linebackers to cheat up, creating passing lanes underneath. In Thigpen and Wallace you get very much the same just an extra element. Thigpen and Wallace both can get out of the pocket and make plays with their legs, neither is as crafty as Russell Wilson but the threat to run the read option is there with them, while Quinn and Leinart are not able to do so.
Who gets the job at quarterback then? My guess is as good as any but I’d think Tyler Thigpen is the most likely to sign. Seattle’s offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell spent time with Thigpen in Minnesota before Thigpen was cut and picked up by the Chiefs in 2007, his rookie year. Thigpen while with the Chiefs was able to run for 386 yards, and 3 touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per rush. Thigpen is a talented passer too who is able to throw the ball downfield and find open receivers. Don’t expect him to go out and make the plays we often see from Wilson, but expect him to be able to run the same offense. Leinart, Quinn, and Wallace could all be possibilities but the fact that Thigpen is only 28 and quicker on his feet than the rest I expect him to get the nod on Monday.