People Outside Seattle Just Do Not Understand Russell Wilson

[seahawksny]

Well guess what, Doug Baldwin is just as important to this team is Calvin Johnson is to his.

Cute pic, but I don't get your post

That's a WTF face.

So basically you don't think baldwin is as important to this offense as johnson is to detroit?

 

[Our Man in Chicago]

If we did not have Russell Wilson, we would be like the Arizona Cardinals (without Carson Palmer) or the St Louis Rams (without Sam Bradford).

I disagree. We have the number one rushing offense - which would still be good without Wilson - and the number one defense in the game.

So we're a plug and play type team...any decent QB would suffice?

If we did not have Russell Wilson, we would be like the Arizona Cardinals (without Carson Palmer) or the St Louis Rams (without Sam Bradford).

I disagree. We have the number one rushing offense - which would still be good without Wilson - and the number one defense in the game.

Your wrong. We wouldn't even make the playoffs. We tried this before with a full season of Tavares Jackson.

Unless you decided to be a Seahawks fan after we won the superb owl you witnessed this first hand. Wilson was the missing piece.

People...hold on.




It is my contention that we certainly would not have won the Super Bowl without Russell Wilson, and that - should he go down this year - we would not win it this year either. But I was not talking about the Super Bowl. I was not talking about the playoffs. I was merely saying that we'd be a better team on a 1:1 basis than StL or AZ are right now without their starting QBs. Simply that.

So the conversation, as I responded to it, really had nothing to do wih Russell Wilson; it was in what the team would look like without him. And I think that our team with QBX would still be better than StL or AZ - teams that, respectively, will not make the playoffs and will lose in the first round. Why do I believe this? I believe that we have superior coaching, front office, and personnel.

I also think that our team is better as a whole now than it was when TJ was its starter. Would we have reached the playoffs this year with TJ? Probably not. With a generic QB like Dalton? Maybe, but they wouldn't be favored to do anything but lose in the first round.

Either way, I've been a Seahawks fan for quite a while now (see signature). Russell Wilson is the best QB in franchise history, but the rest of the team isn't so bad, either.

 

[theincrediblesok]

I don't want other people to understand him, he's ours and nobody else! They can talk and be all jealous but we got a complete team. How many other teams can say that? He tilts the field like our other players. You would think after almost 3 years of film on Russell you think they would contain him only for him to run around defenses and make them pay.

Everyone of our guys have something special and everyone is pretty damn good at their positions

Sherman - You can't throw to his side
Earl - Can't go deep, he covers the field faster than a swarm of locust on crops
Bobby - He's gonna stop your run game
Bennett/Avril - Your gonna have to double team them or else it's a sack
Kam - Better brace yourself if your going to the middle, he will hit everyone even if it's his teammates to get to the guy. He lives in a dark place.
Beast - He's almost unstoppable, can't tackle him and expect him to go down, better bring your friends
Baldwin - Clutch, when we need him to make plays, he make plays.

 

[Our Man in Chicago]

Returning to the point of the thread: anyone who states that Russell Wilson is "not a franchise QB" is a bit too married to the tyranny of stats. It's too early to christen Wilson The Next Montana, but he's a similar sort of leader - one who plays within his offense, yet makes his whole team better and plays generally mistake-free football. He's a force multiplier who has so far played with a wisdom beyond his years. Barring injury, he has the potential to become a Hall-Of-Famer.

The surprisingly large crowd of Russell Wilson-doubters has proven that the "elite" tag is at once self-applied and ill-defined.

Must be cold up in Minnesota already - too cold for synapses to fire.

 

[netskier]

There is a good article on WashingtonsBlog.Com that discuses six reasons why people ignore evidence that requires them to change their minds. Highly recommended, particularly to "big picture" kinds of people.

Title: Why the bad guys keep winning.

Posted: December 23.

Listed: upper right column of recent articles.

Three people who might particularly like this are big sky doc, Mick some number, and Oly Fan (do you really like Olympia beer?).

More generally, I gift you all this blog for economic and political stimulation.

Merry Christmas everyone.

 

[Maulbert]

Well guess what, Doug Baldwin is just as important to this team is Calvin Johnson is to his.

Yeah, I agree. I love ADB, but that's just nucking futs.

 

[Hasselbeck]

If we did not have Russell Wilson, we would be like the Arizona Cardinals (without Carson Palmer) or the St Louis Rams (without Sam Bradford).

I disagree. We have the number one rushing offense - which would still be good without Wilson - and the number one defense in the game.

Take away Wilson's 56 yards rushing per game.. and throw in a pocket QB that rarely runs.. and our rush offense is 11th.

So yeah it'd be "good" .. but it'd be closer to average than anything.. and not great like it is with Russell in there.

Without Russell Wilson we'd be the 2011 Seahawks. Because that team had the great defense, Marshawn Lynch and Tarvaris Jackson at QB. In case.. you know.. you forgot about Tarvaris Jackson at QB.

 

[Tech Worlds]

If we did not have Russell Wilson, we would be like the Arizona Cardinals (without Carson Palmer) or the St Louis Rams (without Sam Bradford).

I disagree. We have the number one rushing offense - which would still be good without Wilson - and the number one defense in the game.

Take away Wilson's 56 yards rushing per game.. and throw in a pocket QB that rarely runs.. and our rush offense is 11th.

So yeah it'd be "good" .. but it'd be closer to average than anything.. and not great like it is with Russell in there.

Without Russell Wilson we'd be the 2011 Seahawks. Because that team had the great defense, Marshawn Lynch and Tarvaris Jackson at QB. In case.. you know.. you forgot about Tarvaris Jackson at QB.

That was before our super bowl championship. So maybe not?

 

[Our Man in Chicago]

Take away Wilson's 56 yards rushing per game.. and throw in a pocket QB that rarely runs.. and our rush offense is 11th.

So yeah it'd be "good" .. but it'd be closer to average than anything.. and not great like it is with Russell in there.

Good point re: the rushing stats, yet I'm not sold on this:

Without Russell Wilson we'd be the 2011 Seahawks.

 

[hawkfan68]

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships" ~ Michael Jordan.

Michael sums up Russell Wilson and the Seahawks pretty nicely. Russell Wilson is very talented but it's his smarts and ability to do what is best for the team that sets him apart.

 

[Sports Hernia]

If Dante was alive today, he would rewrite Inferno and add an additional circle of hell for those who, without solicitation, tell others how their fantasy team is doing. My God those people should have their heads run through with blunt scissors.

Amen, brother! :thirishdrinkers:

 

[Threedee]

If defense could carry a team, then the Ponder Vikings would have had a better record, and the '92 Seahawks would have been in the playoffs. TB would have also challenged GB last week. A defensecan only carry for a competent QB and offense.

 

[WilsonMVP]

From John Clayton's ESPN Mailbag today:

Q: All I want for Christmas is for ESPN and NFL analysts to admit Russell Wilson has had absolutely nothing to do with the success the Seahawks have been having the second half of the season. Their run, just like last year's, is being driven by a dominating defensive unit that has rounded into form and has nothing to do with Wilson. Earlier in the season, when the defense wasn't hitting on all cylinders and the Seahawks needed Wilson to pick them up with the offense, he didn't do it. He couldn't do it! They were a .500 football team, and everyone was saying they probably weren't even going to make the playoffs. That's because Wilson is not a franchise QB.

Scott in Minnesota

A: I couldn't disagree more. He's 35-12 as a regular-season starter and has a Super Bowl Ring. He and Marshawn Lynch carry this team. In three years, he has moved into the elite class of quarterbacks. You can't just look at the stats. He doesn't make many turnovers, and that is critical to the Seahawks' formula for success. He's worked behind an offensive line that has struggled for two years. More importantly, he keeps getting better. The Seahawks average 24.9 points a game. That's sixth best in the NFC. Without Wilson, the Seahawks would average around 18 points a game and be a seven- or eight-win team.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12073 ... as-cowboys

The same ignorant thinking that's happened with a lot of the national media (many of whom after 3 years and a SB win, have been forced to choke on the truth) to this day continues to be barfed up by opposing NFL fans.

I don't know if it's more a sign of the average fan being ignorant and stupid, blinded by fantasy football conditioning to see the qb position as "300+ yards a game = good qb". Or if it's just a whole lot of bitter, jealous fans of teams with lackluster qb's, who do not want to admit the guy their team (who likely still needs a franchise qb) passed on is any good. I mean, why else does this idiot (likely Vikings fan) feel the need to email John Clayton and demand Wilson be given zero credit for Seattle's success?

Most NFL fans who have one team that they follow above all others are incapable of truly gauging opposing teams. They simply do not pay as close attention to the every detail as they do their own. That and odds are their own homerism for their squad generally makes them pretty biased against perceived rivals/teams they're jealous of. I get all that. But there's something about Russell Wilson that really pushes the envelope in this regard. Be it the dumbification of the common fan thanks to fantasy football (personally, I think this is culprit #1), jealously, or pure ignorance. There's something that's causing your average fan to miss entirely just what makes #3 beyond special.

Maybe I shouldn't care. Maybe as a Seahawks fan, I should be more than happy having loser Vikings fans say such things, while my team is the best in the league, winning a title and going for more. Something tells me that Russell will never get the credit he's fully due until the Hawks win thanks to him and not the defense at all. That he'll have to win "New NFL" age 45-37 games like many of the teams in this league with good qb's and terrible defenses are forced to. That he'll get more credit if he starts throwing for 350 yards and game and multiple interceptions. The more I think about it, I actually think it bothers me more how stupid the common fan is becoming in today's stats obsessed fantasy football era.

Oh well, whatever. Let Scott in Minnesota enjoy his fantasy title. I'll gladly take another Hawks Super Bowl.

Go Hawks.

100% correct, especially on the fantasy part. The world has been consumed and blinded by fantasy football.

everybody talks Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson. Well guess what, Doug Baldwin is just as important to this team is Calvin Johnson is to his. , and players like Baldwin will never have the stats to compare, but it doesn't matter. What matters is, who helps their team win.. the Seahawks have many of those guys and Russell Wilsons most important Stat will never show up in fantasy. In my opinion His most crucial Stat that has fueled his success is that he doesn't turn the ball over. This term "elite qb " is so misinterpreted. Stats are the stats, but who has had more success in super bowls, eli or Peyton manning? One is a fantasy lovers dream , the other doesn't turn the ball over. So which one wins in big games and which one doesn't ?

end of discussion

I agree with the turnover part.

I just looked today and Luck has 7 pick sixes in his career..I am pretty positive that is more than Christian Ponder and Wilson only has 1 pick six in the first half of his rookie year.

I still dont get the love for Luck. Maybe his second season was the anomaly in regards to turnovers. In his rookie year and this year combined he has 34 INTS and 22 fumbles(16 of them lost fumbles) but somehow people think hes god gift at QB. Also he is one pick six int away from being top 100 in Pick Six interceptions ALL TIME.

Fun Fact: Hasselbeck is 25th all time in Pick Six with 14 for his career.

 

[Sarlacc83]

Some of Wilson's problem is his predecessors.

Wilson is changing the definition of QB. He's what Vick was supposed to be. A QB that could throw and run. People are hedging their prognostications based on previous examples. He's compared to Vick more than Steve Young because, well, melanin (I think a lot of times when Russ may come off like a robot or overly scripted its because he realizes he has to because, well, melanin).

Also fantasy football. Fantasy football has done more damage to the game than anything else. It causes the commissioners office to tweak rules advantageous to offenses and it skews fans perceptions. That's one of the many reasons I refuse to play fantasy football. It's a cancer, truly.

XOXO

Joe Gilliam (google it)

The NFL has changed because they have realized what valuable and marketable commodities QBs like Manning, Brady, Rodgers, and Brees are. That's why the offensive rules change on the heels (knees) of Brady tearing an ACL or Manning getting knocked out of the playoffs. Not some Yahoo or ESPN fantasy outcry. Offense sells - ask steroids era baseball. The NFL is smart enough to know this, and it's why most casual fans hate Seattle.

Moreover, the rise of fantasy football popularity follows the growth in popularity of the NFL. (and I notice Seahawks fans don't complain about the rise in the cap resulting from better network ratings and thus better deals. Who makes up a significant portion of non-fans that are watching?) It is not the other way around. Correlation does not imply causation. But people must blame a group of which they are not a part because it's easier than thinking through the real causes which would lead them to more difficult territory. In other words: follow the money. How much does fantasy actually make the NFL v. Other Contributions? If it's not fantasy, y'all are scapegoating simply because it's not something you enjoy, and it's shameful.

 

[Anthony!]

From John Clayton's ESPN Mailbag today:

Q: All I want for Christmas is for ESPN and NFL analysts to admit Russell Wilson has had absolutely nothing to do with the success the Seahawks have been having the second half of the season. Their run, just like last year's, is being driven by a dominating defensive unit that has rounded into form and has nothing to do with Wilson. Earlier in the season, when the defense wasn't hitting on all cylinders and the Seahawks needed Wilson to pick them up with the offense, he didn't do it. He couldn't do it! They were a .500 football team, and everyone was saying they probably weren't even going to make the playoffs. That's because Wilson is not a franchise QB.

Scott in Minnesota

A: I couldn't disagree more. He's 35-12 as a regular-season starter and has a Super Bowl Ring. He and Marshawn Lynch carry this team. In three years, he has moved into the elite class of quarterbacks. You can't just look at the stats. He doesn't make many turnovers, and that is critical to the Seahawks' formula for success. He's worked behind an offensive line that has struggled for two years. More importantly, he keeps getting better. The Seahawks average 24.9 points a game. That's sixth best in the NFC. Without Wilson, the Seahawks would average around 18 points a game and be a seven- or eight-win team.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12073 ... as-cowboys

The same ignorant thinking that's happened with a lot of the national media (many of whom after 3 years and a SB win, have been forced to choke on the truth) to this day continues to be barfed up by opposing NFL fans.

I don't know if it's more a sign of the average fan being ignorant and stupid, blinded by fantasy football conditioning to see the qb position as "300+ yards a game = good qb". Or if it's just a whole lot of bitter, jealous fans of teams with lackluster qb's, who do not want to admit the guy their team (who likely still needs a franchise qb) passed on is any good. I mean, why else does this idiot (likely Vikings fan) feel the need to email John Clayton and demand Wilson be given zero credit for Seattle's success?

Most NFL fans who have one team that they follow above all others are incapable of truly gauging opposing teams. They simply do not pay as close attention to the every detail as they do their own. That and odds are their own homerism for their squad generally makes them pretty biased against perceived rivals/teams they're jealous of. I get all that. But there's something about Russell Wilson that really pushes the envelope in this regard. Be it the dumbification of the common fan thanks to fantasy football (personally, I think this is culprit #1), jealously, or pure ignorance. There's something that's causing your average fan to miss entirely just what makes #3 beyond special.

Maybe I shouldn't care. Maybe as a Seahawks fan, I should be more than happy having loser Vikings fans say such things, while my team is the best in the league, winning a title and going for more. Something tells me that Russell will never get the credit he's fully due until the Hawks win thanks to him and not the defense at all. That he'll have to win "New NFL" age 45-37 games like many of the teams in this league with good qb's and terrible defenses are forced to. That he'll get more credit if he starts throwing for 350 yards and game and multiple interceptions. The more I think about it, I actually think it bothers me more how stupid the common fan is becoming in today's stats obsessed fantasy football era.

Oh well, whatever. Let Scott in Minnesota enjoy his fantasy title. I'll gladly take another Hawks Super Bowl.

Go Hawks.

100% correct, especially on the fantasy part. The world has been consumed and blinded by fantasy football.

everybody talks Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson. Well guess what, Doug Baldwin is just as important to this team is Calvin Johnson is to his. , and players like Baldwin will never have the stats to compare, but it doesn't matter. What matters is, who helps their team win.. the Seahawks have many of those guys and Russell Wilsons most important Stat will never show up in fantasy. In my opinion His most crucial Stat that has fueled his success is that he doesn't turn the ball over. This term "elite qb " is so misinterpreted. Stats are the stats, but who has had more success in super bowls, eli or Peyton manning? One is a fantasy lovers dream , the other doesn't turn the ball over. So which one wins in big games and which one doesn't ?

end of discussion

I agree with the turnover part.

I just looked today and Luck has 7 pick sixes in his career..I am pretty positive that is more than Christian Ponder and Wilson only has 1 pick six in the first half of his rookie year.

I still dont get the love for Luck. Maybe his second season was the anomaly in regards to turnovers. In his rookie year and this year combined he has 34 INTS and 22 fumbles(16 of them lost fumbles) but somehow people think hes god gift at QB. Also he is one pick six int away from being top 100 in Pick Six interceptions ALL TIME.

Fun Fact: Hasselbeck is 25th all time in Pick Six with 14 for his career.

Actually a lot of guys on the NFL network are starting to say the same thing about Luck and in how bad he looked in the last game without TY and people are starting to see it.

 

[Anthony!]

Some of Wilson's problem is his predecessors.

Wilson is changing the definition of QB. He's what Vick was supposed to be. A QB that could throw and run. People are hedging their prognostications based on previous examples. He's compared to Vick more than Steve Young because, well, melanin (I think a lot of times when Russ may come off like a robot or overly scripted its because he realizes he has to because, well, melanin).

Also fantasy football. Fantasy football has done more damage to the game than anything else. It causes the commissioners office to tweak rules advantageous to offenses and it skews fans perceptions. That's one of the many reasons I refuse to play fantasy football. It's a cancer, truly.

XOXO

Joe Gilliam (google it)

The NFL has changed because they have realized what valuable and marketable commodities QBs like Manning, Brady, Rodgers, and Brees are. That's why the offensive rules change on the heels (knees) of Brady tearing an ACL or Manning getting knocked out of the playoffs. Not some Yahoo or ESPN fantasy outcry. Offense sells - ask steroids era baseball. The NFL is smart enough to know this, and it's why most casual fans hate Seattle.

Moreover, the rise of fantasy football popularity follows the growth in popularity of the NFL. (and I notice Seahawks fans don't complain about the rise in the cap resulting from better network ratings and thus better deals. Who makes up a significant portion of non-fans that are watching?) It is not the other way around. Correlation does not imply causation. But people must blame a group of which they are not a part because it's easier than thinking through the real causes which would lead them to more difficult territory. In other words: follow the money. How much does fantasy actually make the NFL v. Other Contributions? If it's not fantasy, y'all are scapegoating simply because it's not something you enjoy, and it's shameful.

Did you know Wilson is 3rd in total fantasy points this season? Most fantasy owner do not know it. He was also top 10 last year and most fantasy owner did not know that either.

 

[theincrediblesok]

I played Wilson all week on fantasy (except bye week), it was kind of like how our season was. I was at the milestone of 4-4 and then Wilson came alive and I went 9-5 afterwards and won my Championship. I think it's a sign of things to come!

 

[ivotuk]

Wilson is MORE than a Passer, he is an athletic Ball Mover.

Which is EXACTLY the message Marshawn was trying to get across when he got fined $11,000! :shock:

 

[Crizilla]

If we did not have Russell Wilson, we would be like the Arizona Cardinals (without Carson Palmer) or the St Louis Rams (without Sam Bradford).

Wat

 

[Crizilla]

Wilson not a franchise QB? What is wrong with some people? I don't care how good the defense is, if you go 35-12 in 3 seasons with at least 1 Super Bowl win, you're a franchise QB

I think this dude was trolling or something