RENTON -- Matt Flynn will start the Seahawks' exhibition opener on Saturday against Tennessee, and he will work exclusively with the first-unit offense from Wednesday through Friday in preparation for that start.

Tarvaris Jackson, meanwhile, isn't expected to play as Russell Wilson will be the back-up for the game. That doesn't mean Jackson is out of consideration for the starting job, Carroll said, only that the coaches already have a body of work from him to consider.

"At this time,I think that I can make a little bit of a shift," Carroll said. "And cut down his [Jackson's] reps so that we can get a really good look at Matt and at Russell. To make a big decision like this, it's about the information you gather, and I want really, really good information coming in so we can make a really clear-cut choice as we do it."

So first up is Flynn, who is expected to play the entire first half on Saturday.

"Matt has done a fantastic job so far," Carroll said. "He's learned the system. He's on it. He can make all of the adjustments, all the calls. He sees the defense really well. I love that he's moving well in the pocket, and all of the things that we're asking him to do, he's fit that together so far, but now I need to see him in a situation where now he takes over and see what that looks like."

Carroll did not announce the plan at quarterback beyond Saturday's exhibition game, but he indicated that the nine days of practice in training camp have given the coaching staff enough time to evaluate Jackson's recovery from the pectoral injury he played through last year.

"T Jack came in in great shape," Carroll said. "He's quicker than he was. He worked his tail off in the offseason, you can tell. His arm is strong. He's fully recovered. We knows what we're doing."

Carroll pointed to the fact Jackson started 14 regular-season games for the Seahawks last year in addition to four exhibition games. Not only that, but Jackson has six years of experience playing for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

"That helps us in this situation," Carroll said. "I think he'll be able to survive cutting his reps out to a certain extent, and the other two guys will be able to pick up some reps."

Flynn will play the first half of Saturday's exhibition game with Wilson playing the second half.