What's funny about the obvious Russ Diehards is how staunch their support STILL is for a player who's flaws were quietly exposed even among analysts for years leading up to his trade and that have been entirely exposed now. Yet, all they can do now is toss whatever shade they can find at a qb who, in his first year off the pine ( actually the trash heap) ,according to his coaches and teammates did things with the offense that it was incapable of doing before. And he didn't need a self fabricated highlight real to do it.
Geno will get tge most of his wrs, his rb, his wrs, his o coordinator, and his offense. And the Hawks will go as far as that offense is built to go.
Russ only ever got as much as was available out of himself. The potential of the skill players around him was never fully realized because they were only ever in support of Russ's improvistaion. Didnt matter if they were masters of their craft... getting open on time... lineman blocking theit assignments accurately. What was drawn up didn't matter. It was just Russ playing elite Russ. Not Elite QB.
We managed to win a title with a qb who in year 11 is a deer in headlights when diagnosing plays. He wasn't better in year 2 and 3. He was worse. And still we won.
And we will win again, multiple times. And like last years success, it will only be a surprise to those who refuse to see it. And like last year, the chants from that tribe will be of 'no one could see this coming', or ' everything had to go perfectly ' , or ' Geno can't do it again', or ' If Russ had what Geno was given, he'd have done better '.
Save it. It's ok if you hitched your wagon to a dead horse, but don't expect every other wagon to slow down now because yours is busted.
Russ was the best there ever was at playing sandlot football. At that, he was elite. So much so that incoming wrs were made to learn the scramble drill. his HC permitted it and allowed multiple o coordinators to be left to look like idiots for never being able to scheme up a consistent, balanced and ultimatley successful playoff offense.
Russ played his game in the only town he would have been able to and in the early years, he had Lynch and the LOB help him through when his style of play didn't work or was figured out late in the season.
Do you want me to post articles from our SB season when the talk was abiut how we wouldn't go far if Russ continued to play as poorly as he did. How the hell is that elite? Hiw quickly we forget... or re-remember...
After they exited, he was left to carry the team on his own and could never manage more than a win in the playoffs because defenses knew what he was about, just as the whole league does now.
Literally the entire narrative through our championship runs was around whether we could win with a manager qb and pedestrian wrs.
Was that the talk when Allen and Mahomes were battling for AFC supremecy? Nope. Because they are obviously elite at their craft. Whether escability, anticipation, arm talent, processing... they ARE elite.
Russ, at our peak, never garnered that kind of respect. And it was only when any recognizable offensive strategy was abandoned for letting Russ create in his own, that the spotlight shined on him fully, because by default, every passing highlight was of a qb spinning around, twisting, turning and making an incredible play. Not because he always HAD to but because his non elite limitations forced him to.
And when he can't do that now, how elite is he at doing basic, non elite qb stuff? See the 2022 Donks offense.
And to think he will all of a sudden return to 'eliteness' under S Payton for any sustainable period? Good luck with that one.
2022 Geno on the 2013 and 2014 Hawks would have thrown the lights out. Period. That o line gave Russ more time than he ever had and opened up holes for Lynch that put him in position to win the NFL rushing title. Geno's o line last year got him sacked 4th most in the league and he STILL set all time franchise records.
Geno and the Seattle Seahawks will be fine.