Pete Carroll: Drew Lock getting COVID has changed Seahawks’ timeline on settling QB derby
The Seahawks would have settled their decision on who is succeeding Russell Wilson at quarterback this week, at the end of the final preseason game.
Then real life got in the way.
Drew Lock got COVID-19 last week. He had to quarantine for five days. He missed his week of starting in practice and against the Chicago Bears in a preseason game. That has changed coach Pete Carroll’s plan on when he will determine whether Lock or Geno Smith starts Seattle’s opener Sept. 12 against Wilson’s Denver Broncos.
Carroll is Coach Always Compete. Yet quarterback is the one position in the franchise teams would prefer to be set and settled at the end of each preseason. The Carolina Panthers, along with the Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers the NFL teams with QB competitions this summer, named their starter Tuesday: recently acquired Baker Mayfield.
Carroll may have been days from following Carolina in announcing his guy. But then Lock lost his chance to be the starter for a week to COVID — and thus the Seahawks lost their chance to be set on Smith or Lock coming out of this week.
“I’m saying we weren’t afforded that opportunity this time around,” Carroll said before practice Tuesday for Seattle’s preseason finale Friday at Dallas.
“I could go ahead and just call it, but I want to let the guys battle, and let them show where they are, and let us get as much information as possible.
“The timeline we (had) got disrupted.”
He said, for the second time in three days, Lock will play a lot Friday at Dallas.
Asked if Lock will play with the starting offense against the Cowboys, something his done only one day last week and then alternating with Lock in practice Sunday, Carroll wouldn’t say.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” he said.
Yes, it seems the Seahawks’ quarterback derby will go into September.
As he does about every day he’s asked about the competition, the coach reiterated Tuesday how well the 31-year-old Smith, Wilson’s backup the last three seasons for the Seahawks, has performed and handled this training camp — and how well Lock, 25, has thrown the ball and played the position, albeit mostly with the second-team offense.
“Geno’s done a very good job of being in that position. His voice is solid. He’s on point all the time. He’s been very consistent with his work,” Carroll said.
“And Drew has been really sharp.
“So what’s...I know it’s not supposed to be a good situation when you have two quarterbacks. That means you don’t have one, is the old saying.
“But we might have two ones.
“We’ll see what happens.”
That may not be comforting to Seahawks fans. Some are concerned at how poorly the offense, defense and team has played through most of preseason losses at Pittsburgh and while falling behind 24-0 and getting booed at home against Chicago last week.
Is it possible the quarterback who starts the opener isn’t the Seahawks’ starter for the bulk of this season.
Carroll almost scoffed.
“I don’t know that. Really. Think about it,” he said.
“It’s a good question because you are trying to figure it out. But I don’t know that. We are going to wait and see what happens. I mean, today is a really big day for me, find out what they look like today. A guy’s coming back from COVID. He made it back (Monday and Sunday), did fine. Made it through everything (Monday), all the walk-through stuff, did fine. Let’s see how he goes (Tuesday) and see how it fits.
“But I’m not closing the book on anybody competing for their spots. We have two enormous weeks coming up (after this week). So we’ve got a lot of time here to work it out.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 1:50 PM.
