Wilson was that guy in Seattle, and having him on a cheap rookie contract helped the Seahawks build a team around a young defender who made it to the Super Bowl in his second season.
This shaped Fitterer’s thinking about the position regarding list building, but then again, he is too early in his new job to allow it to be dogma.
“The problem is finding a good young rookie and having the chance to put him on the field and compete,” said Fitterer. “There are really benefits to this, but we are not stuck with the novice quarterback. We will examine each position and each acquisition path.”
Fitterer also addressed several other topics in his first interview since taking office. But he is also smart enough to know that he will be asked about the quarterbacks. Very.
Q: When interviewing you for work, did David Tepper make adding a quarterback seem like a priority?
Fitterer: “I think it is a priority in the mind of every owner, every coach, every GM. We are never satisfied. Even if you have Russell Wilson, or whoever you are, you are always looking. Always evaluating the defenders and the which is next. It is the most important position in the field.
“I’m going to sit down with coach (Matt) Rhule. We are going to come up with a plan. We want to elevate all the positions of the team. It takes planning and it is something that we will work on moving forward.”
Q: How familiar are you with the current list?
Fitterer: “It’s a 30,000-foot view. You know everything on the tape. Now I’m trying to learn about the players, who they are, the type of workers they are – starting to delve into that part now.
“It all happened so fast, you have a quick study of what the team is. Now I have to really assess, not just the frontline players, but the depth of the players. I need to know who is here. We are going to be very active in terms of shaking this list, especially on the backend and bringing in the right mix of players. In order for me to do that, I need to know who is here first and who fits. “
Q: What specific parts of the list stand out to you at first glance?
Fitterer: “I think when you look at it, there are a lot of really good young talent. A lot of explosive players in the receiver and the running back. (Jeremy) Chinn, Derrick (Brown), (Brian) Burns, Donte (Jackson). I think the way I want to build the team is one, obviously a defender, and two, both sides of the line. Really, establishing the offensive line, maybe getting another corner, just creating competition at those points is the right view now. “