I hate to bring this up again but

[NJHawk]

Now that RW doesn't scramble around like he use and make those amazing throws outside the pocket do you think his height is more of an issue now. I see alot of open recievers over the middle and it seems like he just cant see them . He doesn't get a lot of time for second or third reads but still.

 

[Northwest Seahawk]

As bad as i think Wilson is playing right now it's hard to evaluate him behind this trash 0-line and awful running attack. That said he has to be better than he's been i do expect a good game from him Sunday. If he struggles again this weekend i'm going to be extremely disappointed.

 

[justafan]

I think the line is good enough. I always want a better one. But when Wilson and Carson were healthy we were scoring points.

 

[keasley45]

Of course his height is an issue.

There's no possible way that his height can't be a factor. I think it's obvious that it doesn't have to be a limiting factor if you have other skills to offset it.

If you have the ability to scramble and get outside the pocket so you can find your wr's, you can overcome it.

If you have the ability to read defenses well and diagnose coverages, you can navigate the pocket and adjust your drop to put yourself in position to get the ball out quickly

If you have a high release it doesn't help your visibility but can prevent batted balls and allow you to throw to spots over the line on shorter routes IF you're adept at seeing the field and have developed strong communication with your receivers to where they know where to be in a given situation.

Russ is famous for taking deep drops in part because it buys him time AND gives him a better read of the field.

And yes, on shorter drops, he had a tendency to scramble sometimes because the protection wasn't good and sometimes because he needed to get outside to see the field. His tendency to not get the ball out quickly made his bailing more necessary.

But whatever the reason, yes, absolutley. The fact that he's less mobile, and limited in other ways is severely impacting his play.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Height, vision, call it whatever you want. But yes, it's a factor.

It's been a factor Russell's entire career, that's why he's developed that amazing escapability and illusiveness. To compensate for the height, he needs the play to break down so he can find a window to see through so he's confident in his decision making to let it rip.

So yep, loss of legs, escapability and speed = deterioration of all the things we're seeing now. Including his confidence.

 

[hoxrox]

Kyler Murray is shorter than Russ and here are his passing charts:

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/pla ... 413/season

Here are Tua's charts:

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/pla ... 344/season

These QBs both attack the middle with regularity.

So height may be a factor, but it's not the main reason.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Kyler Murray is shorter than Russ and here are his passing charts:

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/pla ... 413/season

Here are Tua's charts:

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/pla ... 344/season

These QBs both attack the middle with regularity.

So height may be a factor, but it's not the main reason.

Russell also had good pocket numbers and passing charts when he was healthy and more mobile than he is now.

There's a reason all the taller more stationary QB's like Brady, Manning, etc can play into their late 30's and now early 40's, they never relied on their legs and mobility and as long as they don't lose their arm strength can still be very effective.............and the shorter mobile QB's fade away by their early to mid 30's once their legs fail them.

We all thought Russell was more in the Brees mold, able to compensate for his loss of mobility with his pocket presence, timing and strong arm.

But that's proving to not be true. Russell still doesn't get the ball out on time, so either he can't see, can't recognize or doesn't trust the throws.

Or some combo of all three.

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

I don't think it's height.

I've always said even back when he could scramble and make magic, that he would need to learn how to avoid sacks the way normal QBs do. Learn the Hasselbeck special of spiking the ball 5 yards in front of an outlet receiver to ground the ball legally. To read defenses faster. To utiliize short crosses to deliver the ball faster to beat pressures.

There are plenty of other short QBs that can and do those things. Wilson has never really done those things. Possibly as a consequence of his ability to scramble/keep plays alive and deliver high value plays. The reality is, that there are at least 3 one on one battles along the LOS on every pass play leaguewide. I'd venture to guess that on a very good percentage of those plays (40%+) at least one of those matchups the DL wins and creates pressure.

It's difficult to pinpoint an exact reason. But the end result is, Wilson doesn't beat pressure anymore. Or rather more accurately, he either beats it, or is sacked. Because sometimes he does beat it just fine. It's just that he incurs drive killing plays at a far greater clip.

Just got finished rewatching some old 2014 Seahawks games and the difference in speed, quickness and elusiveness is kind of jaw dropping. Which really shouldn't be all that surprising. He's 33 now, not 26. He needs to develop new (to him) methods for beating routine pressure. And has to start turning those sacks into incompletions.

 

[OrangeGravy]

I don't think it's height.

I've always said even back when he could scramble and make magic, that he would need to learn how to avoid sacks the way normal QBs do. Learn the Hasselbeck special of spiking the ball 5 yards in front of an outlet receiver to ground the ball legally. To read defenses faster. To utiliize short crosses to deliver the ball faster to beat pressures.

There are plenty of other short QBs that can and do those things. Wilson has never really done those things. Possibly as a consequence of his ability to scramble/keep plays alive and deliver high value plays. The reality is, that there are at least 3 one on one battles along the LOS on every pass play leaguewide. I'd venture to guess that on a very good percentage of those plays (40%+) at least one of those matchups the DL wins and creates pressure.

It's difficult to pinpoint an exact reason. But the end result is, Wilson doesn't beat pressure anymore. Or rather more accurately, he either beats it, or is sacked. Because sometimes he does beat it just fine. It's just that he incurs drive killing plays at a far greater clip.

Just got finished rewatching some old 2014 Seahawks games and the difference in speed, quickness and elusiveness is kind of jaw dropping. Which really shouldn't be all that surprising. He's 33 now, not 26. He needs to develop new (to him) methods for beating routine pressure. And has to start turning those sacks into incompletions.

I like your point about league wide pressure. Russell gets plenty of NFL quality pockets to operate from and he doesn't handle it well. People have been beaten over the head for so long with the bad o-line drum that they fail to realize every team gives up pressure. There are very few units that are what fans would consider good if they watched every game. Big misconception that fans have. Every fanbase thinks their team's o-line sucks for a reason. It's impossible for that unit to be faultless when team's pass 40+ times a game

 

[hawks85]

Kyler Murray is shorter than Russ and here are his passing charts:

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/pla ... 413/season

Here are Tua's charts:

https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/pla ... 344/season

These QBs both attack the middle with regularity.

So height may be a factor, but it's not the main reason.

Wilson doesn't understand the west coast offensive scheme. In his head he thinks he does but he doesn't. His backyard swing for the fences style doesn't mix with the west coast concept and scheme and that's why the offense sucks, it's not Waldron at all.

 

[xray]

Maybe he's just not as good as he used to be for many of the reasons pointed out above . The seasons of potential MVP awards and him being a 1st team All-Pro have come and gone . He peaked a couple years ago . It happens to them all sooner or later .

 

[pittpnthrs]

I think he needs to run more than he does. Last week the middle of the field was wide open and he did nothing. I was yelling for him to take off and grab the 8 to 10 yards. Ironically he did just that the very next play so maybe it isnt there as often as I think it is. Its a fact he isnt as mobile as he used to be, but he's still better than most.

 

[LickMyNuts]

Russ doesn’t seem to be throwing with anticipation. He’s not seeing the field well and seems to be out of sync with his WR’s