Charlie Whitehurst was removed after two series in Sunday's game against the Bengals.

We're still not sure why Whitehurst started as Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral) has looked healthy. Regardless, Whitehurst was his typical inept self while in there. He completed 4-of-6 passes for 52 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions today, but failed to engineer a scoring drive. As long as Jackson stays healthy, Whitehurst will be a strict backup.

Coach Pete Carroll confirmed Friday that the Seahawks are preparing Charlie Whitehurst to start against the Bengals in Week 8.

Carroll referred to the game as "Charlie's first time in his career able to start two games in a row." While Seattle's quarterback situation is officially being left up to a "game-day decision," most signs point to Whitehurst getting the nod over Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral). Neither has played well consistently this season, and Cincinnati is ranked fifth against the pass.

Charlie Whitehurst completed 12-of-30 passes for just 97 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's loss to the Browns.

A brutal performance in a big opportunity for Whitehurst. It's clear he's not an NFL-level starting quarterback, showing happy feet in the pocket and missing receivers high often. Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral) will get his starting job back as soon as he's ready.

Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged Friday that Charlie Whitehurst will start against the Browns this week.

Carroll hasn't ruled out Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral), but it sounds like he'd only be active in a backup role if he suits up. Whitehurst has taken all of the first-team reps this week, so it's no surprise that he's getting the call. It's an upgrade for rookie slot receiver Doug Baldwin, who was Whitehurst's favorite target in relief two weeks ago. Rotoworld ranks Whitehurst 26th among fantasy QBs for Week 7.

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune considers Charlie Whitehurst "likely" to start at quarterback for the Seahawks in Week 7.

"Carroll's hopeful that Tarvaris will get some reps maybe on Thursday or Friday, but I think it's likely that they're probably gonna go with Whitehurst as the starter," Williams told the Akron Beacon-Journal as the Browns gear up to host the Seahawks. Charlie "Check-Down" Whitehurst could help the cause of slot receiver Doug Baldwin, but is poor QB2 bet in fantasy leagues.

Coach Pete Carroll said he is in the process of getting Charlie Whitehurst ready to play.

Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral) hasn't been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Browns, but he looks like a long shot. Whitehurst played well in a relief role during Week 5, completing 11-of-19 passes for 149 yards with a touchdown in less than one half of work against the Giants. He'd be on the low-end QB2 radar with Cleveland expected to be without top corner Joe Haden (knee) again.

The Everett Herald doesn't expect a quarterback controversy to ensue in Seattle after Charlie Whitehurst's solid Week 5 effort off the bench.

Whitehurst did well to manage the game, avoiding turnovers and "leading" his team to a win. Early indications are that Tarvaris Jackson's pectoral injury is just a strain, however, and he figures to regain his starting job after the Week 6 bye. Whitehurst finished Week 5 with 11-of-19 completions for 149 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions against the Giants.

Coach Pete Carroll praised Charlie Whitehurst's learning curve this week in Darrell Bevell's West Coast offense.

"Charlie's functioning beautifully," Carroll said. "He's farther along that I thought he would be this early." Whitehurst has completed 72 percent of his passes through two games compared to 58 percent for Tarvaris Jackson. Unless T-Jack picks up the pace over the final two preseason games, Whitehurst could start pushing for the Week 1 job.

Charlie Whitehurst completed 14-of-19 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's preseason loss to the Vikings.

Whitehurst was spot on for the second straight game, though today's performance was against a woeful Vikings' defense. Opposition aside, it was clear he gives the team a much better chance to win than Tavaris Jackson. Even before the game was over former Seahawk Lawyer Milloy bluntly tweeted, "Charlie Whitehurst should be our starting QB opening day." Whether coach Pete Carroll is willing to pull the plug on the Jackson experiment before the season even begins remains to be seen.

Charlie Whitehurst completed 14-of-20 passes for 115 yards in the Seahawks' preseason opener Thursday night.

He scrambled for another 13. We hate to draw conclusions so early in the preseason, but Whitehurst has been practicing in coordinator Darrell Bevell's offense for two weeks, and Tarvaris Jackson has been in it for five years. And Whitehurst looked much more comfortable, even if he's still "Check-down Charlie." Whitehurst is a safe bet to make starts this season. The Tarvaris experiment might flash here and there in exhibition and some regular season games, but over the long haul, it isn't going to work.

Charlie Whitehurst is planning to be the Seahawks' starting quarterback this season.

Whitehurst acknowledges that competition, either in the form of Matt Hasselbeck or another veteran free agent, will be brought in, but believes "I'm going to get the chance to be the starter." Although he led Seattle to a stirring Week 17 win, and into the playoffs, last season, Whitehurst is almost certainly the Seahawks' Plan B.

ESPN's John Clayton believes Charlie Whitehurst is letting opportunity pass by in failing to show leadership during offseason workouts.

Free agents Matt Hasselbeck and Lawyer Milloy are credited with setting up the players-only workouts in Seattle. "Part of the knock on (Whitehurst) is that you know he's got talent, but does he have that desire to take over things?" Clayton asks. "Does he have that leadership ability?" Clayton cites John Beck, who is setting up Redskins workouts and exuding a ridiculous amount of confidence, as an example of a QB seizing the reins while Whitehurst defers to veterans.

Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune believes coach Pete Carroll "could be leaning toward handing over the reins" to Charlie Whitehurst instead of re-signing Matt Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck would set the Seahawks back at least $7 million in guaranteed money, not to mention a commitment to the 35-year-old as the starter for the next couple of seasons. Williams believes Carroll is now looking for more of a game manager at quarterback in a ball-control, run-oriented offense. If the Seahawks opt against a Hasselbeck return, Matt Leinart or Tarvaris Jackson could be brought in as competition while the team continues to build toward a contending roster.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says his team didn't draft a quarterback last month because, "We didn't think we could afford to yet."

Carroll and GM John Schneider took the logical approach of fortifying the offensive line before throwing a rookie into the fire. "You saw us go after a couple guys that were offensive linemen, which is an area that -- without that -- the quarterback can't play," Carroll said. The Seahawks have picked three offensive line starters on the first two days under Carroll and Schneider: LT Russell Okung, RT James Carpenter, and RG John Moffitt.

GM John Schneider hinted that the Seahawks never planned to draft a quarterback because they were counting on signing a free agency or making a trade to fill the position.

"We had a plan going in," Schneider said, "and we still have our plan. We just can't execute that plan right now." The Seahawks have been talking up Charlie Whitehurst as a real option to start, which runs counter to Schneider's comments. While Seattle has been strongly linked to Carson Palmer, we're not sure they can "plan" for Bengals owner Mike Brown to change his stance. The most likely scenario is racing Arizona to the phone to dial up the Eagles for Kevin Kolb once trades are allowed.

Coach Pete Carroll made it clear that Charlie Whitehurst will compete for the starting quarterback job this summer.

"Charlie Whitehurst is going to throw his hat in the ring and try to be the starting quarterback here," said Carroll. Beat writers are giving Matt Hasselbeck less than a 50 percent chance to return, and Carroll suggested than any QB drafted this year won't be thrown into the fire as a potential Week 1 starter.

Seahawks GM John Schneider defended Charlie Whitehurst in a Monday pre-draft press conference, insisting Whitehurst will be given an opportunity to win a starting job in training camp.

"Charlie won the biggest game of the season," Schneider said, speaking of the Seahawks' playoff-clinching Week 17 win over St. Louis. "...The Rams were playing pretty good at that point. And he took care of the ball and played well." Whitehurst was mostly dreadful apart from that game, and he didn't inspire much confidence in Week 17 with 192 yards on 36 attempts. There's no reason to believe he's a viable starter in the NFL.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll again refused to name a starting quarterback Wednesday for the Wild Card round.

Carroll did confirm that both Charlie Whitehurst and Matt Hasselbeck (hip) "will be available" against the Saints. The Seahawks appear to be leaving their starter at quarterback up to a game-time decision for a second straight week. It won't help their long odds of winning, but can't hurt them either.

Charlie Whitehurst completed 22-of-36 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown to lead the Seahawks to a 16-6, NFC West-clinching Week 17 win over the Rams.

He also chipped in 30 yards on eight carries. Whitehurst got off to a nice start, hitting Ruvell Martin for a 61-yard gainer on the second play from scrimmage on a play where the Rams had blown coverage. He ended the night with a solid QB Rating, but he often had happy feet and locked onto his primary receiver. Still, all in all it was a solid performance and it will give coach Pete Carroll a decision to make whether to play Matt Hasselbeck against the Saints even if he's healthy or not.

Charlie Whitehurst is starting over Matt Hasselbeck (hip/glute) against the Rams.

Hasselbeck is available to play, but Whitehurst, who received most of the reps in practice this past week, will get the call. If Whitehurst struggles, you can bet that coach Pete Carroll won't hesitate to put the veteran back in there.