Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made a very Pete Carroll-esque move when he named Russell Wilson his starting quarterback before the season. Despite a rocky start, Carroll's sticking with the rookie.
"We're going with Russell right now," Carroll told The News Tribune on Monday. "He's working his tail off to get it right, and where all of the focus goes to the quarterback position, there's a lot of guys who figure into what's going on, and he's one of them. So we're just trying to get better."
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Wilson energized the Seahawks' offense in the preseason, but he's struggled to move the ball during the team's 2-2 start. Meanwhile, Seattle's big free-agent acquisition, Matt Flynn, watches all of this from the bench, probably wondering what he's doing here.
Fans want to see him play, but Carroll said Monday that Flynn isn't ready to practice or play like a starter because of a nagging elbow injury that's limited his throws in workouts. After that went viral, Carroll adjusted his explanation later in the day.
"Matt's ready to play," Carroll said. "We just don't know what's going to happen when he gets a lot of work. He might be all right. But we don't know that. We have not taken him there yet. But he's ready to play in every game, and he's ready to go in the very next play we need him, and so the competition goes on, in my mind, as it does in every position on our football team. Our guys continue to compete. But he has not had the opportunity, because we give the starter all the reps. And with a young guy for the first time, we're giving him every single snap we can."
Carroll clarified that Flynn hasn't aggravated the elbow, but described the injury as something the quarterback might wrestle with all season.
Flynn's health might be one reason the Seahawks' coach remains married to the idea of Wilson under center. On the other hand, Carroll knew from the start that Wilson's development would require patience. While many from the outside see a young quarterback not quite ready for the job, Carroll never has been preoccupied with outsiders. In Wilson he trusts -- for now.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
