Russell Wilson doesn't get enough love. Football is the ultimate team sport and it isn't just matching a player on a good offensive and defensive team but also a system and coaches that are compatible. Wilson definitely has been put into a spot to succeed but it shouldn't be taken away from him that he has made the most of his opportunities. It has shown over and over to be an elite playmaker and a QB who is efficient, doesn't make a lot of mistakes in bad situations, and can be counted on to make the big play when called upon. Seattle is not just winning with him, or in spite of him, but Seattle has been winning the last 3 years become of Russell Wilson. 2012-2014 they would be a middling 7-9 to 9-7 team with Tavaris Jackson at the helm. Wilson is good at making plays when necessary to keep games close and excellent at closing out games. Yes, this is a total team effort but he certainly does his part.
The quote below isn't anything comprehensive,
just saw it today, but it flies in the face of the so-called game manager narrative.
In Week 13: 15-of-22, 236 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, 10.73 Y/A, 118.7 passer rating, seven rushes for 35 yards
Wilson is now 4-2 in his career against the 49ers, including his first road win. He has eight touchdowns and four interceptions in those games, but over his last three games he's handled them pretty well.
This was his 23rd career regular season game with a passer rating of 100 or better, which is four more than any player has ever had in his first three seasons.. It was his eighth career game of at least 10 Y/A, which is tied with Dan Marino for eighth-most through three seasons. He would tie the record of 12 if he did it for the last four games.
With two more wins, Wilson will have the most wins a QB has ever had through three seasons. He is currently 32-12. Marino was 33-10 to open his career and Matt Ryan was 33-13.
In the season: 214-335, 63.9%, 2,466 yards, 15 touchdowns, five interceptions, 7.4 Y/A, 94.7 passer rating, 91 rushes for 679 yards and four touchdowns
Wilson has a little bit more to go to get to a passer rating of 100 or better, and if he does, he'd become the first QB in the NFL history to post a rating of 100 or better in each of his first three seasons.
He could have one more huge rushing game and that would be enough to put him over the mark of mostly-uncharted territory for rushing yards by a QB in one season.
Wilson has been one of the best home quarterbacks in NFL history to open his career, but look at his road numbers this year:
113-of-171, 66%, 1,329 yards, 10 touchdowns, one interception, 106.6 rating, 7.77 Y/A, 387 rushing yards.
Wilson has the second-best road passer rating in the NFL this season, behind Tony Romo.
In the career -
Wilson's 67 touchdown passes is seventh-most all-time through three seasons. He is seven behind Jeff Garcia for sixth. Incidentally, Andrew Luck now has 80 career touchdown passes.
Wilson's 98.9 passer rating is the second-best of all-time through three seasons, behind Kurt Warner.
Dating back to 2012, Wilson has the fourth-highest passer rating in the NFL (min. 500 attempts) behind Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees. His 7.88 Y/A is third-highest in that time. His 32 wins are third-most, after Manning and Tom Brady.
Some of those accomplishments are "team" accomplishments. But he entered a 2012 team with the same parts from 2011 (7-9 team) and turned them into a much, much better team. That three game stretch with 150 points and how he played, as a rookie, down the stretch in 2012 was amazing. Wilson made an amazing rally against Atlanta and nearly dropped 400 yards passing on them and came from behind to take the lead with 32 seconds to spare--only for the defense to get burned. So there is two sides to the "team" element. On that Sunday the defense let Wilson down, not vice versa.
So the claim is Wilson is a "gamer manager". Game manager being short hand for, "Players living off the success of others and who are asked just not to screw things up." Anyone watching Wilson knows this is total garbage--Wilson stretches and then breaks defenses. The Seattle offensive line has been below average to outright bad in pass protection since he arrived in Seattle but Wilson has turned this weakness into turning DOA plays into game breaking plays.
There was a
great example of this in the Niner game on Thanksgiving.
The 49ers dial up a sweet disguised cornerback blitz that is well timed, and they pick the perfect gap. Most quarterbacks would be DOA, but Wilson eludes Johnson not once, but twice (with assistance from Lem Jeanpierre). What else can be said here? Wilson swings Seattle from a likely punt situation (or worse) from deep in their territory to knocking on the door step for another score.
I don't remember Trent Dilfer doing any of that.
There is a real bias against Wilson because he, "runs." Pete Prisco is constantly bashing Wilson. Two weeks ago
Prisco said he would take Jay Cutler over Russell Wilson.
Its really difficult to argue with anything Prisco just said, so we wont. Instead, lets explore something a little less cut and dry. Which NFC quarterback would Prisco most want: Russell Wilson, Jay Cutler or Robert Griffin III?
Id probably take Cutler, but most people would probably take Russell Wilson, Prisco said. I just prefer my quarterback to be able to stand in the pocket and make throws. One thing you watch with Russell Wilson I mean, yeah, hes done some good things, but I dont want my quarterback running for 100 yards. I dont want my quarterback running for 80 yards. I want my quarterback in the pocket, spinning his head and making his reads and making all the throws. Because eventually and RG3 has found that out quickly that ability to run and make plays goes away. So yeah, you can move in the pocket. Move with your head up and make throws. I dont think Russell Wilson does a good enough job of that.
Prisco is a real click bait blow hard but my opinion is there are "other" issues driving his comments. It is clear that his comments are strongly tinged with such a deep bias that he overlooks the fundamental fact: Wilson "moves with his head up" and makes throws as he prefers to throw over running. Wilson scrambles to throw first. It is true that since Harvin was traded Wilson has been more assertive in taking running yards when given--and then almost always slides. If teams are going to give him 20 yards on a bootleg he will take it. Unlike Prisco, I prefer my QB abuse a defense which assumes QBs are immobile statues so they don't need to cover 100% of the field and when the defense ignores basic coverage because old school football is no longer in vogue (e.g. leave the flat, not check the bootleg QB, pursue down the line of scrimmage with no respect for the other backs) I like that Wilson exploits the gross specialization and defensive tactics that completely ignore the QB. I also like that he turns dead plays into positive plays and, with a bad line, he gets out of the pocket. The worst hits I see Wilson and other QBs take are those standing in the pocket like a sitting duck.
Prisco is taking Cutler who hasn't proven to be a playoff capable QB. Wilson on the other hand is 4-1 in the playoffs. Prisco wants a poor leader at QB who, while possessing elite skills, when it comes to making plays he makes all the wrong choices. Compared to Wilson who is a great team guy and has great ball security. And all that hogwash about not being able to throw in the pocket you just need to look at the playoffs last year. Wilson had a good first half against the Saints before the rain/wind set in but Wilson, when Seattle needed a big play, dropped in a perfect comb on 3rd down to Baldwin to seal the game. Or in the NFCC against San Fran when he hit Kearse on 4th and long for the TD (or the scramble where he hit Baldwin for 50). Wilson didn't throw up INTs or make stupid plays. He makes game winning plays. Sometimes sitting in the pockets. Sometimes on a rollout and other times scrambling. Sometimes he does run. But he is very savvy about the game situation and knowing what he needs to do to execute.
The Super Bowl should have validated Wilson as a young, good, and rising QB. One of the better
assessments of his performance:
Just think about the passes he made, on the run, thrown only where his receivers could get them. Think about the sideline pass to Doug Baldwin early in the game. Think about how, when the pocket broke down, he was able to extend plays. Think about the scramble on the first drive that, I thought, picked up the first down, though the officials ruled otherwise.
Yes, I saw some nerves -- just a sliver of them -- on the opening drive, when he missed tight end Zach Miller badly on his first throw. And that's to be expected, even for the perpetually mature Wilson. But just think about what this kid did on third down:
Third-and-9 from Denver 30: 12-yard completion to Jermaine Kearse.
Third-and-6 from Denver 14: Scramble for 5 yards (almost converted).
Third-and-7 from Seattle 31: 9-yard completion to Golden Tate.
Third-and-4 from Seattle 46: 6-yard completion to Baldwin.
Third-and-5 from Denver 43: 37-yard completion to Baldwin.
Third-and-14 from Denver 14: Incomplete to Kearse.
Third-and-4 from Denver 5: First down on pass interference (attempted pass in back of end zone).
Third-and-17 from Seattle 19: Complete to Tate for no gain.
Third-and-7 from Seattle 45: 12-yard completion to Luke Willson.
OK, I'm going to stop there. That's every third-down play through three quarters, and as we know the game was over by then. So Wilson converted six of nine third-down chances. He missed one by less than a yard on a scramble and the other two he did not convert were from long range (14 and 17 yards). It will be impossible not to think back on this game and have one's mind not turn quickly to Wilson spinning, sprinting, rolling out, slipping away and then making a play.
Only once did Wilson toss consecutive incomplete passes -- and that was the sequence early in the game on second-and-14 and the subsequent third-and-14. That's it, folks.
Wilson completed passes to eight different receivers, and four players had at least four targets. Everyone was involved. He finished 18 of 25 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers while averaging 8.7 yards per rush. Manning has never has a Super Bowl passer rating above 88.5 and had thrown at least one interception in every Super Bowl he has played in. And Manning has never tossed even two touchdown passes in a Super Bowl game.
Wilson was more than a game manager, much more
Wilson has a lot to improve on. He admits as much. But he also hasn't been dropped into NFL offensive nirvana either. His receivers have been middling and this years crew is worse than last years pedestrian crew (minus Rice, Tate, Harvin, and TE Zach Miller is by far the weakest it has been). And his line has not been good since he has been in the NFL. And yet he continues to be a an efficient, well rated QB who can make all the throws, makes plays, avoids mistakes, and just happens to be the 15th ranked rusher in the NFL as a pass first mobile QB. He has proven to have grit in adversity and a good team lead and proven, yes, a team can win a Super Bowl with him.
I am not going to knock Luck as he is a good young QB but Wilson is a better fit in Seattle. Wilson shores up a huge area of weakness in the line and has Wilson is good at manufacturing low risk/high reward plays on broken plays due to his mobility he doesn't create as many turnovers. Being down/out in a playoff game isn't a reason to throw a ton of INTs. I look at Luck in 2013 vs. KC and NE and Wilson in 2012 against ATL and I am not sure Luck fits the mold in terms of what Seattle has asked of Wilson in ball control while also finding a way to make plays when needed. Maybe Luck would be even better but having watched Wilson in great detail I am confident enough in him and his growth I wouldn't want to find out. Wilson is on the way to having a storied NFL career and clearly in his first 3 years Wilson has played better than Kap, Cam, RGIII, Tannehill, Dalton, and even Luck.