Jim Moore: Seahawks quarterback? I’ll take Drew Lock’s potential over Geno Smith’s record

The Seahawks ended their offseason workout program on Thursday, the last day of mandatory minicamp. Now they won’t be back on the field until late July when training camp starts, a six-week stretch that will feature continuing speculation about the quarterback situation.

You know the candidates who will seek to replace Russell Wilson, none of whom are all that attractive, but Pete Carroll is no doubt thinking he can make it work in a big way with a game manager at quarterback, which is what Wilson was in 2013 when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.

I want Carroll to be right in the worst way. If he is, he’ll prove that he can still make things happen in a pass-happy league with a ball-control offense and solid defense. And since I’m certainly old enough to be old school, I would love for Carroll to shove it in the faces of the football analytics folks who think the game has passed him by and regurgitate reasons why from their laptops.

I would also like to see more evidence that indicates Carroll was right with his offensive philosophy and Wilson was wrong when the Seahawks’ head coach reluctantly let Russ cook two years ago. Those differences led to a divorce in March when Wilson was traded to the Broncos.

I loved the trade because I think the Seahawks got maximum return for a quarterback who appears to be entering the twilight of his career. Could be wrong about that because Wilson is only 33, but he’s not nearly as mobile as he used to be, and I’m thinking as he gets older those improvised big plays will turn into sacks more often than they did before.

I’m so convinced of all of the above, I’ve wagered $100 with a co-worker that the Seahawks will have a better record than the Broncos this season, and if I’m wrong, oh well.

The biggest concern I have about this playing out as planned is this constant chatter we hear from Carroll and his offensive coordinators and some of the players that basically suggests Geno Smith is leading the quarterback battle by a reasonably good margin.

Over and over again, we hear that Smith has a better grasp of Shane Waldron’s offensive system, which gives him the edge over Drew Lock, who is trying to get up to speed. I mean, come on, how complicated can this system be? Is it so difficult to learn whatever the intricacies are that you’d seriously lean toward Smith as the starter?

Let’s be clear on this: No one wants Smith to be the starter, as in NO ONE, aside from Smith himself. But if you’ve followed Smith’s career, you know he’s not the answer. Ask a Jets fan about him - he was terrible in New York. With the Jets and Seahawks, his teams are 13-21 when Geno starts.

Last year he went 1-2 when he took over for an injured Wilson. The only team he beat? Jacksonville, the worst team in the league.

Smith has thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes in his career, 37 to 34. He’s 31 years old so you know what you’ve got with him: a standard NFL backup.

With Lock, it’s not like he’s going to win any beauty pageants either, but at least he’s got an unknown ceiling. Broncos fans might think it’s delusional to believe he’ll ever be good after watching him mostly struggle for the past three years. But were there extenuating factors? He dealt with a series of offensive coordinators and system changes that might have adversely impacted his development. Surely the Seahawks think they can find the Drew Lock who went 4-1 as a starter during his rookie season in 2019 instead of the one who lost his starting job to Teddy Bridgewater last year.

Put me firmly in the change of scenery camp for Lock, and if it doesn’t work out, why not find out instead of wondering what he might have been while Smith takes the snaps. What’s the point of that? At best, based on his long history, Smith might lead the Seahawks to a 7-10 record in 2022. With Lock, considering the unknown with a 25-year-old who is entering his fourth year in the league, he could turn into the player the Broncos thought he’d be when they drafted him in the second round in 2019.

Seriously, rate your excitement level if Carroll names Smith as the starter. Let me guess, it’s about a 1 or a 2 on a scale of 10. Followed by thoughts of “Boy I’m really gonna miss Russell now” and “I guess the Hawks plan to tank this year.”

That’s the thing with Lock. There’s a chance he could still be a franchise quarterback. He could also completely flame out, and what better year to flame out than this year? If he’s awful, OK, you know he’s not the guy and in the process, the team goes 4-13 and you get a top 5 pick in the 2023 draft.

Full confession: further enhancing the possibility that I might have a gambling problem, I’ve wagered $350 with the same co-worker that Lock will win the job over Smith. I can’t imagine that Carroll, even given his hatred for turnovers, would opt for the more conservative option over one that could pay off big-time.

What could really throw this competition out of whack is the potential for new candidates to come to Seattle, and you’ve heard the names - Baker Mayfield from Cleveland and Jimmy Garoppolo of San Francisco. Both would have to be released for this to happen, and I’m guessing it’s unlikely with both players. The Browns are waiting to see if Deshaun Watson will be suspended for the 2022 season, and if he is, it would seem that Mayfield would be a better choice to start than Jacoby Brissett. The 49ers want to give their starting job to Trey Lance, but will he be ready to take over? I don’t know about that, and with Garoppolo they have a proven guy who has led San Francisco to one Super Bowl and almost to another last year.

I would love to see Jimmy G here - he seems like a perfect fit for a balanced offense like the one he runs in San Francisco. I’d even be on board with Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick who shined in 2020 with 26 TD passes and eight interceptions, leading the Browns to a huge playoff win at Pittsburgh.

Short of that, gimme Drew Lock as the starter and stop it already with the Geno Smith nonsense.

Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on 950 KJR-AM, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.