Rookie Wilson named Seahawks' starting quarterback
Rookie Russell Wilson will be the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback for the regular-season opener.
Coach Pete Carroll made the announcement during a conference call with reporters on Sunday evening.
"He's earned this job," Carroll said. "It was a legitimate competition as we said from the beginning, and with the opportunity he's taken advantage of, he deserves to start."
Wilson, a third-round draft pick out of Wisconsin, was part of a three-way competition for the starting job involving Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson.
Wilson started Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City and completed 13 of 19 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Jackson was 3-for-5 for 1 yard in that game, and Flynn did not attempt a pass Saturday.
"Russell has shown nothing but that he is a quarterback. He is so prepared, he does not seem like a first-year quarterback," Carroll said, according to the team's Twitter account. "This (Wilson) is an extraordinary kid. He just kept knocking us out with what he brought."
When the Seahawks signed Flynn to a free-agent contract in the offseason, it was assumed he would be the Seahawks' starter.
"He's disappointed," Carroll said during the conference call, regarding Flynn's reaction. "Matt came here to be the starter, and he took it exactly the way I think a great competitor would."
Jackson reportedly will be traded to the Buffalo Bills, although Carroll said the deal has not been finalized.
"He deserves a chance to be playing so Buffalo came after him," Carroll said. "I hope it's a good thing for him. He did a great job for us and he proved everything you'd ever want to see out of a competitor."
