I think Russ is a guy who always loved and believed more in what he could do as an athlete than he did the sports he played. I also think he enjoys the prestige associated with celebrity stardom more than he does the xs and os.
One might argue that most all pro athletes enjoy the stardom, but i think for some, the fire for the game burns brighter than others, beyond just the sport itself, the strategy, the work required to be the best... the grind, is the root that feeds everything else.
With Russ... there's the facade of the guy who puts in the time and enjoys the grind. But other than the reports that he's the first guy in and last guy out, the evidence of that diligence isn't there. If it was, you woukdnt see him making the same mistakes in year 11 that he did in year 1. Or, as ADB said, being called out for screwing up a play in practice on Tuesday, and it still not being fixed come GameDay.
And behind that facade? A guy who is still not capable of picking up what Kurt Warner described as high school concepts when he analyzed Russ's tape.
A guy who puts on the appearance of being Mr philanthropy, but is found to be using his charity to disproportionately line his friends pockets relative to the $ going to thise in need.
A 'celebrity' who enjoys being seen and making known how hard he's working in the public eye, over and over rather than just putting his head down and letting his hard work show in obvious improvement.
And the evidence that the above being accurate? The testimony of his former teammates who became fed up at a guy who didn't mind taking the spotlight while he avoided accountability for mistakes he made. Thise mistakes - pushed onto teammates to shoulder by NEEDING to be a top defense to have a chance to win a championship, or wrs who rather than spending time perfecting their plays, needing to devote time to 'scramble drills'.
So, his legacy is being shaped to be what it has always been, if you listen to what his teammates thought of him ad far back as 2013 and even before that, at NC state. He was just good at creating the image of something else.
He is and will always be a ln incredible talent and athlete who did amazing things for almost a decade in Seattle. But his story, as I see it is more about a gifted athlete who despite not having the skill to be a truly elite qb, came closer to that achievement than any human being should have a right to. Through sheer talent, grit, and determination to not be cast aside, he not only found himself as a qb in the league, but as a starter. And not just as a starter, but for a brief period, one who's achievements rivaled the truly greats.
Russell Wilson. A good QB. A remarkable athlete, generational talent and as a pure competitor, without peers.
And after writing all of that and reflecting on it, maybe i was being too harsh in calling his work ethic a farse. maybe he wasnt just BSing with all the film study he claimed to do. Maybe it just took that much work to get a guy who wasn't necessarily cut out to play the spot to position himself to do what he did. In that sense what he's done is truly remarkable. Because by all accounts and known standards, he should have never even had a chance, let alone put up thr numbers he did.