Tarvaris Jackson finished an up-and-down season with 3,091 yards passing, a 60.2 percent completion rate, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 15 games. (AP)

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The ongoing Tarvaris Jackson saga continued in Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals as the Seahawks quarterback had the sort of game that summed up his entire season. He threw for 222 yards and completed 60 percent of his passes. Along the way there were the familiar hot and cold plays that have characterized Jackson's year.

He had one beautiful 61-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Lockette to tie the game in the fourth quarter. He threw one awful interception down in the red zone, squandering a precious scoring opportunity. He was sacked four times, twice because he held on to the ball too long. He had several dropped passes that were right on the money.

It was a perfect microcosm of Jackson's up-and-down 2011 season. Meanwhile, we're all left wondering what to think about him going into the offseason.

But the Seahawks are not alone and that's the bad news. There's a supply and demand crisis for good quarterbacks in the NFL. Everyone wants one and they're hard to find.

Even the playoff-bound Denver Broncos are facing a conundrum at quarterback as general manager John Elway has a tough offseason decision to make on Tim Tebow. The wildly popular quarterback has gotten Elway's Broncos into the playoffs for the first time since 2005, but he threw for 60 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, completing just 27 percent of his passes.

The New York Jets thought they were set at quarterback, but Sunday's loss to the lowly Miami Dolphins with a playoff appearance hanging in the balance leaves Jets fans wondering about Mark Sanchez, who threw three interceptions and has struggled down the stretch.

Add the Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs to that list of teams looking for a quarterback. Even teams like Jacksonville, Buffalo and Oakland who made big moves to get a quarterback may be looking to improve.

This will make the first two picks of the 2012 draft precious if all goes as anticipated. Stanford's Andrew Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin III are expected to be the first two picks.

Around the league, the backup quarterback du jour is Green Bay's Matt Flynn. Flynn is this year's Kevin Kolb. He threw for a franchise-record 480 yards and six touchdowns Sunday against the Lions. If Kolb was worth $63 million last year, Flynn is surely worth at least $70 million after that performance, right?!

These are things to consider the next time you utter the words "The Seahawks need to go get a quarterback." Everybody wants a Drew Brees or an Aaron Rodgers. But how do you get these guys without giving up a king's ransom or every pick in the draft? It's easier said than done.

The good news is that if the Seahawks are in the mood to trade up in the draft, there are fewer teams ahead of them in need of a quarterback than it seemed a few weeks ago. If ESPN.com NFC West blogger Mike Sando is right and the Hawks do have the 11th or 12th pick, there may be only a few teams ahead of them looking for a quarterback in the draft.

1. Colts, 2-14
2. Rams, 2-14
3. Vikings, 3-13
4. Browns, 4-12
5. Buccaneers, 4-12
6. Redskins, 5-11
7. Jaguars, 5-11
8/9. Panthers OR Dolphins, 6-10
8/9. Panthers OR Dolphins, 6-10
10. Bills, 6-10
11/12. Chiefs OR Seahawks, 7-9
11/12. Chiefs OR Seahawks, 7-9

If Peyton Manning does return to the field, you could argue that the first five teams feel they are "set" at quarterback, leaving only the Redskins, Dolphins, maybe the Jaguars, and Chiefs (depending on who wins the coin toss) to compete for Luck or RGIII.

But Seahawks general manager John Schneider is known to favor trading down in the draft rather than up. Schneider and his staff have proven to do very well in the later rounds with picks like fourth-rounder K.J. Wright and fifth-rounder Richard Sherman.

I've ridden the Tarvaris Jackson roller coaster like most fans this year and now that the season is over, I've settled on the following: I'm content with the Hawks going into next season with Jackson as their quarterback. I'd love to have a player like Luck or RGIII. We'd all like to see how good Aaron Rodgers' backup would look in a Seahawks uniform.

But at what price?

Certainly they need to get some young quarterbacks in the pipeline to develop for the future, but I'm for continuing to invest in Jackson. If head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell can work with T-Jack in the offseason and improve his decision making process and give him the confidence to pull the trigger in the pocket – even marginally – the Hawks will be better off saving their draft choices and their cash.

Follow Dave Wyman, 710Sports.com contributor

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  DesertRez wrote...

  Well

  January 3, 2012 6:24 am

  Pick up a Kellen Moore for cheap. You can't hit in the NFL anymore anyways, and the Hawks will be ready for when they go full-on flag football.

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  Cougs1 wrote...

  Hawks QB

  January 3, 2012 6:53 am

  Dave, thanks for finally being the one analyst on this site for spelling out the reality of the QB situation for the Seahawks. There are maybe 5 or 6 QB's currently starting in the NFL today that I would want to start for the Hawks. The rest are as big of a gamble, if not a bigger gamble, than Tarvaris. His season was marginal at best. With a full off season ahead of us, without fear of a lockout, we will get a chance early next season to see what Tarvaris can really do in this offense. Still think like you they need to find their QB of the future!

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  clevesside wrote...

  Tavaris does need another season....

  January 3, 2012 8:26 am

  ...when you consider: he was new, played hurt, and learned in each game what strategies would work and not work. All in one season. I'm sure the QB coach will work with him on improving his field vision and release timing. The NFC West is now more competitive, thank God, and Pete n' John will respond accordingly, for sure. A new QB, as been mentioned elsewhere in the blog, is Friday night at the casino, maybe after a few scotches. Do you get a Dave Krieg or a Rick Mirer? Go figure, if you can...

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  artimus wrote...

  I think some of these folks leading the charge for a new QB

  January 3, 2012 9:42 am

  think there's an endless supply of Joe Montanas ripe for the plucking.

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  tgowt3 wrote...

  Don't Sell the Farm

  January 3, 2012 10:59 am

  I'm a huge fan of RG3 and would absolutely love for him to come to Seattle. I like his physical ability so much so that I would even rather have him than Luck. Yes, I am hoping that the Hawks trade up in order to take RG3 but will be disappointed if they sell the farm in order to take any QB this year. TJax is solid and will only get better with time. It was obvious in the play call that TJax had not earned the trust of his coaches early in the season. As time went on the playbook was opened up more and he displayed his potential. In no way do I think TJax is or ever will be a "franchise" QB. That's not what we need though. Everyone wants that QB that can carry a team through any situation. But look where that landed the Colts. There is absolutely no way they come anywhere close to drafting first if Manning was healthy. And don't bring that weak argument that Indy has no talent on their team. They have plenty of on the field issues but Manning covered up their biggest weakness, a lack of talent on the sidelines. Seattle has plenty of talent and much of that talent comes from young, no-name players. Find me another team that can lose their top corners and have the depth to still thrive at the position. Also, the O-line didn't miss a beat when replacing injured players. The team mentality exhibited by the Hawks on both sides of the ball is amazing. They're all competing for their jobs on every play but they are constantly encouraging each other. It seems as though every player feeds off of one another and fights to make sure they do their job to make everyone else's job easier. Marshawn Lynch's Beast Mode style of running definitely influences the O-line to step up their intensity. That same "never quit" attitude that Lynch embodies can also be found in TJax. I guarantee the players in the locker room respect the tough play they got from their QB. To have a pectoral injury that nearly required surgery and play through it without complaining shows the character of TJax and how much he valued the opportunity to start and captain an NFL team. Thankfully we didn't sell the farm to acquire a player like Kolb. If the QB of the future isn't there for the Hawks at a reasonable price, we should pass and roll with TJax. Please....don't sell the farm!

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  Hawkman wrote...

  sell the farm...

  January 3, 2012 6:40 pm

  I agree, there is no need to sell the farm. With this management group we will find the best talent at the best price. I would love to have a top ranked QB step in, but there are risks. It was interesting to hear Pete talking about Matt Flynn with a little flutter in his voice. FA next year that might be in our guys sights. Well there are a lot of options and it will be interesting how it plays out. The off seasons now begins. Go Hawks!! I look forward to the draft talk. But for now I hope SF brings home the trophy to the NFCW.

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  Tree wrote...

  QB Competition ?

  January 7, 2012 10:56 am

  It's not easy to find a QB, but it's necessary. I can't see another season with a QB franchise question; even another building year. Is Jackson a building year QB? The Seattle QB offseason challenge is where management earns the big bucks. Tough, athletic or playmaker...ideal to have all for a QB. I still lean toward a playmaker. As for Denver, can't figure out what Tebow is...

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