Healthy QB is all that matters in exhibitions

Are you worried about the Seahawks’ red zone offense?

Not me.

In fact, if they’d lost 56-3 to the Los Angeles Chargers over the weekend instead of 24-14, things would be pretty much the same.

Keeping with his custom, Pete Carroll wildly overstated the Hawks’ inability to get a touchdown on three trips into the red zone while the first unit was on the field.

“It couldn’t be any worse,” the coach said, perhaps hoping someone would actually believe him.

There are two ways it could be worse, one more disastrous than the other.

First of all, it could have happened in a regular season game, something that really counts.

Of course, if it had been the regular season, Russell Wilson would simply have run the ball — and probably scored — when he was flushed from the pocket on a third down inside the 10-yard line.

Instead, he tried a difficult throw to tight end Nick Vannett near the very edge of the end zone, and couldn’t fit it in.

AND THAT brings up the second way things could have been worse.

Wilson could have gotten hurt.

Shoulder, knee, anything.

Seahawk fans and football junkies are assessing this team right down to the third-string tight end and how developing young pass rushers are learning how to “get skinny.”

I can make it far simpler for everybody.

Just like with every other season since he arrived in the Northwest, Wilson has to stay upright.

Ask the Green Bay Packers what happened when Aaron Rodgers hurt his shoulder and missed most of last season.

Seriously.

If anything happens to Wilson, Austin Davis would quarterback this team into total mediocrity — or perhaps much worse.

It is absolute gospel that these exhibition games, which are simply designed to make money from a meaningless scrimmage, become important only if there is a critical injury.

And nothing is more critical in the NFL than a franchise quarterback.

I SUPPOSE you can amuse yourself by oohing and aahing over the big games enjoyed by wide receivers Jaron Brown and David Moore against the Chargers.

They both made some terrific catches in traffic, so if you want to base excitement over the Seahawks’ 2018 offense on that — as Wilson did in a postgame interview — then be my guest.

Before you go over the top, though, remember that both of these guys aren’t exactly fighting to see significant action. They’re battling for a roster spot, perhaps just one between the two of them.

Remember that Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett sat out the L.A. game entirely, and Brandon Marshall played only a cameo role.

It’s all a matter of perspective.

If you insist on taking something important from the second exhibition game, try this ...

Offensive tackles Duane Brown and Germain Ifedi each broke down on one of those plays in the red zone, leaving Wilson with very large people breathing down his neck.

At the risk of repeating myself, that O-line has to keep Wilson clean as the Seahawks — with so many new faces on defense — trudge through this rebuilding process.

You know, to be fair to Carroll, maybe he was thinking of Brown and Ifedi when he said things couldn’t be any worse.

How much worse depends on Wilson’s health after every game.

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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press.

A Brand New Day appears Wednesday through Saturday each week. Steve’s sports column runs on Tuesday.

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