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INDIANAPOLIS -- Coach Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks came to the NFL scouting combine in search of their next quarterback.

That was two years ago. And last year. And this year.

Call it the longest-running unsolved mystery in the NFC West, the division's most compelling draft drama.

"We're looking for a great competitor," Carroll said.

An obvious requirement for a coach claiming "Always Compete" for his mantra.

"We're looking for a guy that can really carry it when it's tough and make plays when you need it to happen, that affects guys around him in a real positive way because of what he brings," Carroll said.

That stands to reason. The Seahawks, twice 7-9 under Carroll after turning over more of their roster than any other team, were one of five teams without a fourth-quarter comeback victory last season.

"There's a lot more to it than just physical stature," Carroll said, continuing to outline his quarterback requirements, "but really, we'd like to have a guy that can run a little bit and complement the running game and do something for us -- get out on the edge and threaten enough to keep the run game that we're so committed to alive and at its best."

Carroll knows what he wants. The Seahawks can't be sure when they'll find it -- in the draft, free agency, by trade or not at all. They could be back in this position a year from now.

Every option carries risk. Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. offered thoughts on some of them during a roundtable discussion with ESPN.com bloggers at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Drafting a QB in the first round

The Seahawks hold the 12th overall choice. Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill would be the favorite in this spot.

"I think if they like him, they will take him there, because he is not going to go much later," McShay said. "I'll be shocked if he’s not gone by No. 20."

Andrew Luck is the consensus No. 1 overall pick, with Robert Griffin III looking like the favorite to go second. Trading up from 12th to second for Griffin might be cost-prohibitive. It's tougher still envisioning the St. Louis Rams, owners of the second pick, conspiring to arm a division rival with a potential franchise quarterback. Besides, at least three other teams seeking quarterbacks hold picks between second and 12th.

Back to Tannehill. He started 20 games at quarterback, a relatively small number, but he played receiver previously. A broken foot prevented him from working out at the combine. He plans to perform for scouts during a March 30 pro day.

Tannehill played in a West Coast offense under former Green Bay coach Mike Sherman at Texas A&M. The Seahawks run a version of the West Coast scheme. Sherman is now with the Miami Dolphins, who hold the eighth choice. How much does Sherman like Tannehill? Enough for the Dolphins to consider him that early? And how much will the Seahawks value Tannehill in the end? Specifically, how will Carroll value him? He'll make the call.

Tannehill could have been reading from Carroll's quarterback handbook when he described his strongest traits.

"A couple of things I do well is move and throw on the run," Tannehill said. "[Sherman] likes to move the pocket -- bootlegs, nakeds, whatever it may be. Get outside the pocket and make throws downfield."

Texas A&M struggled in second halves. Tannehill wasn't able to rally them. Dropped passes were a persistent problem. The results reflected poorly on everyone, contributing to Sherman's firing after a 6-6 season.

Drafting a QB early, but not that early

Arizona State's Brock Osweiler and Michigan State's Kirk Cousins project in the next tier. Osweiler rested a foot injury at the combine. Like Tannehill, he'll work out for scouts March 30. Cousins worked out at the combine.

"Cousins is starting to get a little more love for his ability to distribute the ball and be consistent and make good decisions," McShay said, "but I think Cousins is a third-round quarterback who might go in the second."

Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout described Cousins as a 2012 version of Andy Dalton -- smart and from a pro-style offense. Like McShay, he projects Cousins as a second- or third-rounder at this point.

Cousins stands 6-feet-3, weighs 214 pounds and could stand to gain weight. He appeared overwhelmed as a junior in a bowl game against Alabama. Two late picks against Georgia in a bowl game this year could not stop him from rallying the Spartans to a triple-overtime victory.

McShay's take on Osweiler lined up exactly with what Carroll said he wanted from the position. That was striking to me because I hadn't shared Carroll's comments with McShay. Neither did I ask McShay about Osweiler specifically in relation to Seattle.

My question was whether Osweiler, listed at 6-8 in college and officially a tick under 6-7, possessed adequate athleticism.

"I think he’s really athletic," McShay said. "That is the thing that surprised me the most."

McShay had previously seen Osweiler as a too-tall quarterback flailing away.

"Limbs everywhere," McShay said. "He was off-balance, he was always kind of falling off to the left like a pitcher off the mound because he didn’t have good balance at the end. So, I didn’t think I was going to like him at all."

McShay watched four Arizona State games in a row one night. Osweiler grew on him.

"He is accurate enough, can still improve in that area, he makes a lot of tough throws that you need to make in the NFL, he feels pressure really well and has such better initial quickness and mobility than a guy like Ryan Mallett," McShay said. "He can actually move out of the way, reset his feet and throw. That is what Mallet can never do. He also is unbelievably competitive."

That last part was Carroll's No. 1 requirement.

"I fell in love with him as a competitor," McShay said. "Just the little things he can do, just diving for a first down, guys hanging from his legs and throwing. He does a lot of little things that I think go unnoticed. He only has 15 starts, so it scares you to death to spend a really high pick on him. Now, if you can get him in the middle of the second round, you feel really good about that."

Going after a veteran instead

Matt Flynn? Peyton Manning? Both could be options.

Green Bay controls whether and how Flynn hits the market when free agency begins March 13. The Packers could simply let him leave, increasing their chances for receiving a compensatory draft choice. They could name him their franchise player, then try to trade him.

Manning's future with Indianapolis appears to be fleeting. He might not be healthy enough to sign right away. If the Seahawks did nothing about the position in the meantime, they would be in position to add Manning later in the process. But it's unclear how well Manning would fit their offense, whether he'll be healthy enough, how willing Seattle would be to make concessions, how eager Manning would be to sign with the Seahawks, etc.

Standing pat at the position

Tarvaris Jackson has one year remaining on his contract. He could start entering the 2012 season even if the Seahawks draft a quarterback. Charlie Whitehurst appears unlikely to return as the No. 2 quarterback. Josh Portis could be back, likely as the third option.

One executive for a rival team, asked to project the Seahawks' starter for 2012, took the field over Jackson by about 2-1.

Is this the year the Seahawks find their next guy?

A quick NFC West roll call shows coaching staffs holding up quite nicely through the usual cherry picking that goes on this time of year.

Indianapolis' hiring of Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano leaves only one head coaching vacancy, in Tampa Bay. NFC West alum Mike Sherman, once offensive coordinator under Mike Holmgren in Seattle, appears to be a favorite there.

It's looking like the highest-profile and/or most valuable assistants in the division are staying put for 2012, barring a surprise.

Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton interviewed in St. Louis. Cardinals assistant head coach/offensive line Russ Grimm signed a new contract.

San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman interviewed at Penn State. The 49ers' special-teams coach, Brad Seely, interviewed with Indianapolis. Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach/offensive line Tom Cable did not emerge as a known candidate for head coaching jobs this time around.

The St. Louis Rams voluntarily parted with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Cardinals fired quarterbacks coach Chris Miller. Arizona still could find a way to bring back Todd Haley. Overall, though, NFC West staffs have held up pretty well given that three-fourths of the division felt good about its direction when the season ended.

Last offseason, NFC West teams were breaking in six new offensive or defensive coordinators, a figure accounting for Mike Miller's promotion in Arizona. The Seahawks had a new offensive line coach in Cable. McDaniels was new to the Rams. Horton was new to the Cardinals. San Francisco was starting over entirely.

Continuity should not be a problem for the Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks.

Colleague Kevin Seifert showed some daring by sending TCU quarterback Andy Dalton to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 12 in a recent ESPN.com mock draft.

He wasn't arguing for Dalton's value so much as saying the Vikings' need for a quarterback might compel them to take one there.

"To me," Seifert later wrote with first-year Vikings coach Leslie Frazier in mind, "there is no better time to jump to the other side than in a coach's first year, giving him a building block for the rest of his program."

The key, of course, is not mistaking anchors for building blocks.

Steve Mariucci was the San Francisco 49ers' first-year coach when the team used a 1997 first-rounder for Jim Druckenmiller, a blunder softened only by Steve Young's presence on the roster. That experience should not directly influence the 49ers' thinking as they consider first-round quarterbacks for new coach Jim Harbaugh, but it's a reference point.

With Harbaugh and the 49ers in mind, I went through recent drafts to see which teams with first-year head coaches used first-round selections for quarterbacks. More precisely, I looked at all first-round quarterbacks since 2000 to see which ones had first-year head coaches.

Six of the last eight first-round quarterbacks -- Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and JaMarcus Russell -- joined teams with first-year head coaches. All but Russell remain franchise quarterbacks in their teams' eyes. All but Russell are still playing for their original head coaches. Four of the six had winning records in 2010.

For most of those franchises, value and need lined up pretty well, and first-year coaches benefited.

"If you don't have a quarterback, you're drafting maybe a different kind of running back, maybe a different kind of offensive lineman, than if you have somebody," Lions coach Jim Schwartz told reporters at the scouting combine. "We had Calvin Johnson, but our ability to get Jahvid Best, Nate Burleson in free agency, to draft Brandon Pettigrew -- those pieces were because of the quarterback that we have."

We could also argue that the St. Louis Rams were better off building their offensive line and other areas of their roster before making Sam Bradford the first overall choice in 2010. They could have drafted Sanchez or Freeman instead of defensive end Chris Long in 2009, then spent subsequent selections on players to build around one of those quarterbacks.

Bradford and Denver's Tim Tebow were the "other" first-round quarterbacks in the eight-man group featuring Stafford, Sanchez, Freeman, Ryan, Flacco and Russell.

In general, getting the right quarterback for a first-year head coach puts a franchise in strong position for the long term. There's no sense forcing the issue, however, because the wrong quarterback can drag down any coach, regardless of tenure.

A coach such as the Vikings' Frazier might have a harder time waiting. His contract runs only three seasons and ownership expects quick results. Harbaugh has a five-year deal with the 49ers. Expectations are high, but there's less urgency for immediate results.

The first chart shows the 14 first-round quarterbacks since 2000 that landed with returning head coaches.

The second chart shows the 14 first-round quarterbacks since 2000 that landed with first-year head coaches.

Those responsible for making sure fans had Super Bowl seats weren't responsible for maintaining seats on airplanes leaving Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

I'm home, in other words.

Ten thoughts relating at least tangentially to the NFC West following the Green Bay Packers' 31-25 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl:

• Packers general manager Ted Thompson was doing a good job whether or not Green Bay beat the Steelers. The victory only bolsters his credibility as a primary architect for Super Bowl teams with multiple franchises. Thompson played a role in the Packers' two Super Bowl appearances of the 1990s. He played a bigger role in putting together the Seattle team that appeared in the Super Bowl following the 2005 season. More recently, he won a championship after replacing a successful head coach (Mike Sherman) and legendary quarterback (Brett Favre).
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Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesPittsburgh's Bryant McFadden, 20, had a rough day against Jordy Nelson and the Packers.
• Cornerback Bryant McFadden, traded from Arizona back to Pittsburgh before the 2010 season, had a tough game. After recovering from an abdominal injury to start the Super Bowl, McFadden suffered a hip injury that forced him to leave the Super Bowl. The Packers had already completed a couple passes against him to that point. With McFadden out, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers beat McFadden's replacement, William Gay, for a touchdown. McFadden returned and the Packers continued to have success through the air.
• Former San Francisco 49ers linebackers Diyral Briggs and Matt Wilhelm won Super Bowl rings with Green Bay. The 49ers released Briggs early in the 2010 season. They parted with Wilhelm on the reduction to 53 players even though the move seemed to leave them a little thin, at least at the time. Wilhelm made one special-teams tackle Sunday, after an 18-yard kickoff return. Briggs made one assisted special-teams tackle, after a 2-yard punt return.
• Lots of things would have changed had the 49ers drafted Rodgers first overall in 2005. Around here, we generally approach the subject in terms of what Rodgers might have meant to the 49ers. The Packers would obviously be vastly different, too. Perhaps they wouldn't have drafted a quarterback in the first round. Would they have kept Brett Favre?
• NFC West teams loaded up on pass catchers in the 2008 draft. Donnie Avery, John Carlson, Early Doucet, Keenan Burton and Josh Morgan come to mind. The Packers drafted Jordy Nelson, who caught nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. Avery went 33rd overall. Nelson went three spots later.
• The punt Green Bay muffed early in the game did not cost the Packers because they recovered. A turnover there might have changed the game. At the time, I thought of Steelers special-teams coach Al Everest, who was fired by Mike Singletary following the 2009 season.
• The Cardinals plan to again pursue one or more members of the Steelers' defensive staff about possibly becoming defensive coordinator in Arizona. That makes sense. Pittsburgh has been very good on defense overall. The Steelers' pass defense has had problems in the team's past two Super Bowls, however. Rodgers and Kurt Warner combined for 681 yards passing and six touchdowns with one interception in those games.
• On second thought, those passing numbers against the Steelers' defense don't look so bad. Arizona allowed 664 yards passing and seven touchdowns with one interception in its last two playoff games, both after the 2009 season. Rodgers and the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees did the damage.
• Former 49ers receiver Arnaz Battle played in the game for Pittsburgh, but he did not register a statistic.
• Former Rams defensive tackle Ryan Pickett -- chosen right before Reggie Wayne, Todd Heap and Drew Brees in the 2001 draft -- started at left defensive end for the Packers. He made tackles following runs of 1 and 3 yards.

By the way, thanks to those who offered ideas for the blog via Facebook. Nicely done.

Update: Another thanks goes to those who pointed out ex-Seahawk Howard Green's role in pressuring Roethlisberger into an interception.

Quick thoughts on recent events affecting the NFC West:

• Cardinals secondary coach Teryl Austin, the new defensive coordinator at Florida, is the latest NFL assistant to seek career advancement in the college ranks. Nolan Cromwell left the Seahawks as receivers coach following the 2007 season to become offensive coordinator under Mike Sherman at Texas A&M, only to return to the NFL as a receivers coach with the Rams this week. Another former Seahawks assistant, longtime running backs coach Stump Mitchell, who spent the last two seasons with the Redskins, recently became head coach at Southern University. Coaching receivers and running backs rarely leads to becoming an NFL coordinator or head coach, a source of frustration for coaches hoping to advance through the ranks. The Cardinals had interviewed Austin as a potential defensive coordinator last offseason, but they hired Bill Davis instead.
• The Dolphins' bungling of Joey Porter's release showed the value of a competent salary-cap manager. The Dolphins recently lost cap administrator Bryan Wiedmeier to Mike Holmgren's Browns. If the 49ers or Cardinals have interest in Porter, they now know for sure that Porter will be available. The Dolphins could clear cap space in the short term, allowing them to release Porter soon, or they could wait until the new league year begins March 5, at which point the salary cap will disappear.
• Prospective Rams owner Shahid Khan has an interesting story, as outlined by Kevin McDermott of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Among my favorite revelations: "In a speech in 2000, Khan said his secret to success was heeding the lessons of ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tze, whose book 'The Art of War' gave advice on how underdogs can win against more powerful adversaries." I want to know more about Khan.
• This looks like a good time for Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt to secure a contract extension. The team will have a tougher time replicating its recent success now that Kurt Warner has retired, no matter how skilled Whisenhunt might be as a head coach (and there's a lot to like about his approach to personnel matters and game management). Whisenhunt could do a better job in 2010 and still have a hard time matching the 9-7 and 10-6 records of the past two seasons. Might as well get that extension now instead of after finishing, say, 8-8 or worse with Matt Leinart under center.

Enjoy your weekend.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says during a chat that he thinks the Rams are "seriously considering" making a play for Michael Vick this offseason. Vick would already know the Rams' offense, which Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur brought from Philadelphia. Vick would sell tickets, a challenge for any team coming off a 1-15 record and lacking star power. Shurmur's relationship with Eagles coach Andy Reid could give the Rams access to more reliable information as to how Vick would fit into a new team. Vick would probably be better than any other quarterback on the Rams' roster. General manager Billy Devaney knows Vick from when both were with the Falcons. Those are all reasons for the Rams to consider Vick if the Eagles make the quarterback available.

Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com says former Rams and 49ers coach Mike Martz could be losing interest in coordinating the Bears' offense after the team has reached out to lots of candidates, but not him. Martz: "It sounds like there's something they want to do. I just want to move on. I just worry about Lovie (Smith). I just want to see him do well. That was the reason for my interest."

Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Bears will hear about it if their offense struggles with someone other than Martz as coordinator. Hayes: "Maybe (Jay) Cutler is nixing Martz because Martz was critical of Cutler's demeanor during a news conference earlier this season. Should the quarterback be making this call? Former Lions coach and current Bears assistant Rod Marinelli butted heads with Martz when they both were in Detroit. Are the Bears going to let their defensive line coach scuttle this hire?"

ESPN's Adam Schefter says former NFC West assistants Al Saunders and Jim Zorn are candidates to interview with the Ravens.

John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle says former 49ers punter Tom Wittum, who passed away recently, still followed the team and attended games periodically.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee passes along comments from 49ers president Jed York. York on playing the Broncos in London: "It's a tough trip, and hopefully we'll be able to have an East Coast road game the week before and be able to cut that trip in half and have a 6-hour flight to London as opposed to a 12-hour flight from San Francisco, which I think the San Diego Chargers did a few years ago."

Scott Kegley of 49ers.com checks in with linebacker Patrick Willis and punter Andy Lee as both arrived at the Pro Bowl.

Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel checks in with new Seahawks general manager John Schneider, focusing on how the Packers will adjust without him. Ted Thompson, Reggie McKenzie and John Dorsey will pick up the slack. However, the Packers were admittedly a bit top-heavy after replacing former coach Mike Sherman, who had doubled as GM. Bedard: "McKenzie will become more involved with college scouting leading up to the draft, while Dorsey will be asked to contribute more to pro personnel during the season. Dorsey will deal more with agents, which was a major component of Schneider's duties. Also, Thompson will become more personally involved in trade talks. He often left McKenzie and Schneider to find deals and bring them to his attention."

John Morgan of Field Gulls links to an item with background information on new Seahawks strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle says former Seahawks offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is the new quarterbacks coach for the Texans. McClain: "Knapp and new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison are replacing Kyle Shanahan. He was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Shanahan’s contract expired, and he went to Washington to become the offensive coordinator under his father, new Redskins coach Mike Shanahan."

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times checks in with new Seahawks linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., who wanted to coach in Seattle or San Francisco if he couldn't remain at USC. He is reunited with Lofa Tatupu. Norton: "Lofa has always been a very special guy to my heart. He was a guy I coached at USC, one of my first years at coaching. It was unfortunate to see him go down last year with the injury, but I'm expecting him to get this defense back to where it was before."

Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle says he thinks Kurt Warner will retire. Rolle: "Judging from conversations that I've had with him I think he understands that he's had a great, Hall of Fame career. I think football has taken its course. But he's the best teammate I've ever had. He's been a leader on and off the field." Warner has said he wants to feel good about retiring. Can he walk away and feel good about it? That is the key question.

Revenge of the Birds' Andrew602 passes along thoughts from Cardinals safety Hamza Abdullah, who played extensively in the divisional-round playoff game after Arizona lost Rolle to injury. Playing with Adrian Wilson was a highlight for Abdullah. Abdullah: "Oh, man, did I learn anything? I could talk to you about two or three hours just strictly on that. Adrian Wilson is a great safety, obviously. ... It's just a privilege. I really believe that God has blessed me to not only be with a great organization but to learn from a veteran like Adrian Wilson. To be honest with you, it doesn't get better than Adrian Wilson."

When Mike Holmgren left the Green Bay Packers, successor Ray Rhodes lasted only one season. The team fired him after the Packers lost three of their final four games to finish 8-8.

The expectations Holmgren established in Green Bay had raised the bar for whichever coach followed him. Rhodes' successor, Mike Sherman, enjoyed five consecutive winning seasons. The Packers fired him when the streak ended with a 4-12 record in 2005.

Is current Seahawks coach Jim Mora the next Ray Rhodes? Firing Rhodes after one season wasn't fair. But the Packers felt as though the team wasn't heading in the right direction under Rhodes. Firing Mora after one season would not be fair. The Seahawks shouldn't make a move unless they can find someone demonstrably better.

Bill Cowher comes to mind. He would be better than just about anyone the Seahawks could hope to hire. The early speculation says Carolina and Tampa Bay are the most likely suitors for Cowher if the former Steelers coach returns to the NFL in 2010, as expected. But if the Seahawks could land Holmgren a decade ago -- and the feeling around team headquarters was surreal when it happened -- why not Cowher?

Update

Jeremy asks via Facebook: "Any truth to this or just speculation?"

Mike Sando: This is not a report. It's me asking, 'Why not?' I do not know whether Cowher would be interested, or if the Seahawks will even seriously consider a change. But if Seattle could land Holmgren a decade ago, why not aim high?