Anybody who is on the fence about Russ making it to Canton should look up all the records he broke in the 10 years with us. Oh, and by the way, he has a ring.
Sorry for the Russ haters but he will be wearing a gold jacket within 15 years from now.
I dont disagree with the stats. The issue Russ has is that he has shown that he is a QB that can only play the game his way.
When you look at the qbs in Canton, their isnt a single one who didnt have the cerebral aspect of the game or who thrived solely off of athletic ability, now is their one who wasnt undisputably a leader.
Russ has called into question the value of his stats given the group with whom he played (Lynch and the LOB) and the coach who allowed him to play the way he did, to the point he was sustained at the expense of all else.
Contrast Russ with his own personal support group in the coaches and system (and literal perosnal attendants who he took with him to Denver) to Russ without those elements and you have a qb unlike any other in The Hall. One who was a highlight machine and made magic on the field, to one who couldnt run a HOF coach's playbook, and was unceremoniously left to pasture despite the financial hell it left the franchise in.
And contrast Russ (the 'other' Russ) against a rookie in Bo Nix who took that same playbook and managed to get his team in the playoffs, without the physical skill and experience of an 11 year SB winning vet like Wilson. And he did it while taking 24 sacks, vs Wilson's 45 sacks... and Wilson didnt play in the last 2 games.
Wilson THIS year has 33 vs Nix 24 for the whole season.
Should that be disqualifying? In itself? No. But he has left in his wake 2 QBs who have stepped into the vacancies he has left and havent struggled. Neither are longing for the days that he was QB (although some fans might be) and he is available in the league still playing, for them to acquire if they wanted to.
The truth Russ has now shown, is that he wasnt a qb who was ever held back by those around him. To the contrary, he has shown that he was a qb who only ever won anything or found success beyond stats when he played with a HOF team around him.
When the weather turned cold and opposing defenses hardened in the post-season, the teams he led exited, despite sporting formidable ground attacks and until 2019, at least average defenses.
Unfortunately, now, the one counter Russ always had to failing was poor protection, but poor protection has followed him literally everywhere he has gone. Why would anyone now think that Seattle EVER could have done something to help him achieve the mythical 'championship ball' he and the team supposedly could have achieved if only the blocking was better ?
That is the question and those are the realities HOF voters will have to ponder in trying to fit Wilson for a golden jacket. And none of those consideration that plagur Russ, surround the HOF qb enshrined in Canton.
Stats dont alone guarantee access, nor do championships. Ask Mark Rypien, Trent Dilfer, Jim Plunkett and others. Russ's stats will now be qualified to a degree by the fact that he played for Peyton, put up solid numbers but was wholely ineffective.
I'd be happy for him if he got in and i am forever thankful for (and still amazed by) the performances he put on here in Seattle. But when you look back on thisr games and no longer have the illusion of 'what if pur coordinator was better' or 'what if our line had been better' how much better we could have been and realize it was as good as it coukd have been with Russ... well that rings a little bit different. And thats just reality. But i wouldnt trade it for anything. It was a phenomenal period in Seahawks history, and he was the qb.
F the Steelers and F him....
