On Tuesday, Pete Carroll held a nearly 50 minute end of the season press conference, which I found pretty interesting and fairly telling of the direction of the team. He discussed the obvious- QB situation, team strengths and weaknesses, etc; but also shed light onto free agency, the Green Bay draft model, and the 49ers. It’s absolutely worth a watch, if not for your own enlightenment, then to discuss with us! Here’s what I took away from it:

The (always popular) QB Topic + the Offensive Philosophy

Pete had good things to say about Tarvaris, expectedly. And why not? The guy is straight up tough. He was and is the best option for the team. Carroll praised him for his ability to rebound from injury, survive the first half of the season behind a new and young line, and touched on his potential as a long term option. 

When I listen to a coach, I try to take away the subtle hints he gives, and the nuances of how he says what he does. I finished the conference with the impression that, as we fans have been saying, Tarvaris Jackson is not the answer long-term (23:40 is telling, among others). He’ll be around to compete, and he’ll play if he’s the best available option (as was the case this year), but I don’t think Carroll wants to bank the team’s future on him.

Now that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees to lead an aerial assault on opposing secondaries (though, I doubt he’d complain). Quite contrary; Carroll repeatedly stressed offensive balance and putting as little responsibility on the QB as possible (both of which he’s previously emphasized, and I’m sure you already know). What was telling, to me at least, was Pete’s bit about young QB’s being able to transition smoothly from college to the NFL; how, because they’ve taken so many snaps from middle school through college, this repetition has allowed guys like Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan to play successful rookie seasons and, thus far, have successful careers.

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