The Broncos, including Hackett and Wilson, plus friends of "Team 3" in the media, told us over the summer that the whole offensive scheme was being built around Wilson and his strengths.
That's part of why why some talking-head mediots were predicting the Broncos would put up 50 on the Seahawks in the opener. Instead, the Broncos have only scored 75 points in five games, just 16 of those points against the Seahawks.
And it was more than just talk in the media. You'd think (I did, and I haven't yet convinced myself I was wrong) that before committing at least $161M over four years to Wilson, the Broncos' ownership group knows enough basic rules of business that they'd have done some "due diligence" on Wilson, including how the new offense based on his strengths was coming along.
So now I have to wonder what happened between training camp and now.
I think Hackett knew what he had right away. But getting Wilson was as much about selling jerseys as it was winning games. Wilson brought the Broncos instant relevance. And I'd wager when they lost out on Rodgers and identified Wilson as the next best get, the FO asked Hackett whether he could work with Wilson and, given the errors in his game, whether or not he could 'fix' him.
Looking back now, Russ's posturing and blaming Pete's offenses for holding him back may have been more about securing a ticket out of Seattle than it was slandering for the sake of defending his legacy. If the player is saying the reason he's been putting up bad tape is because he's been getting hit too much or been chained to an offense that he can't connect with, then the warts look less terminal and more a result of a failed marriage and disconnect in philosophy - just what he'd need his next HC / coordinator to believe in order to give him a shot and his next payday.
Had Russ not played his hand exactly as he did, and instead failed in 2021 trying to execute the offense that Geno is now running, the cracks would have been obvious and he'd be worth far less, because they'd be talking about him here in Seattle the way they are talking about him in Denver now.
Pete's remark about Geno doing what he's asked to do was a direct criticism of Russ, particularly last year when even with a new coordinator, Russ just did.... Russ.
You could go back to the post game presser last year against the Jags when Pete lauded Geno for getting the ball out quickly and distributing it all over the field. Add to that Shane's remarks last year about why the offense was struggling when he said his offense only works if the qb gets the ball out quickly and the writing wasn't just on the wall, it was illuminated in red neon.
I said this before the trade I think, but I honestly don't see an out for Wilson. I think that he'll likely at some point be injured enough that he'll use that as the reason he's struggling (not that it wont legitimately impact his play).. and eventually why he was never able to regain the form he showed in Seattle. And the mantra will be that he gave it his all... gave the game everything he had but that ultimately, the hits piled up and prevented him from once again 'being great'.