What is going on with Wilson? Has he become distracted?

[Tokadub]

Ok well first of all I would like to say that it's entirely possible that the opposing teams defenses were just so good that it wasn't directly Wilson's fault... but I will also introduce some reasons why maybe it could be.

Secondly I would like to post some examples which prove that I have always been a huge Russell Wilson fan. In fact, I started following the team way more closely once we drafted him. I compared Wilson's college stats with Andrew Luck's (who was the overall #1 pick) and if I remember correctly it was basically a wash... I can't say for sure Andrew Luck or Russell Wilson had a better college career statistically... this peaked my interest we just stole a pick obviously from my point of view.

Even after his first career start vs the Cardinals (a loss), I saw the potential and I was a fan... Here's some of my old post when I thought Wilson was a top 5 QB when most experts including John Clayton, or just NFL fans in general thought he was average almost universally.


How long are morons gonna say LUCK > WILSON...??!!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=93894


Which would you prefer 4 more yards per drive or 1 less INT?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=96102&p=1405602#p1405602


That 2nd post was referring to Andrew Lucks average production with yards per drive vs his interception rate of about 1 more per game than Wilson. Now here's the issue... Wilson is not protecting the ball anymore. Part of the reason I became a huge fan is he played smart football, now it seems a little different... I'll list a few of the possible explanations off the top of my head...



1) Wilson recently had an interview where they asked him "Do you think you are the best QB in the league?".

Without hesitation Wilson answered he thinks he is... WRONG answer!

Yes I agree confidence is super important but if his mind set is that he's already the best that's not a good sign. His correct response should of been along the lines of, "I'm working really hard and if we win another Super Bowl then I think everyone could agree I'm the best right now"...

Something like that, the fact he thinks he can just win 1 Super Bowl and he's the best QB in the league is downright delusional and arrogant. I think we could of realistically AND very easily won 3 Super Bowls 2012-2014.

Now is that Wilson's fault? No, I think the majority of blame should be on Bevell and Tom Cable. But you can't change history, winning only 1 Super Bowl with incredible defenses and a Hall of Fame Running Back.

Yes I understand they changed the rules after 2013 so we can't be aggressive vs receivers anymore... but how did that one play not get called today when Metcalf was getting pushed about 5 times in a row beyond 5 yards. He was getting bullied out of bounds with blatant repetitive one-sided pass interference violations but magically the refs ignored it??? This caused him to be a few inches short of a huge catch that could of swung the momentum of the game...


2) I'm a huge Carson fan, but maybe we all undervalued him... it's possible Wilson just can't be an elite QB against good opposition without an elite Running Back.


3) Wilson might be a bit beat up (maybe concussions) or distracted. Hard to tell but he just doesn't seem so sharp mentally the last few games.

He got away with a delay of game penalty earlier in the game which nobody mentioned on the broadcast even though it was clearly visible in the replay.

He then got another delay of game changing a 3rd and short into a 3rd and long situation...

It's hard to put a finger on what's actually going on... But I would argue if you are already married to a super famous and rich lady, that's probably about the max distractions a serious athlete should have... but Wilson is now doing podcasts on youtube, I know in the past he was involved in random businesses etc...

In my opinion he should focus on playing, this goes along with my earlier opinion how he already thinks he's the best QB... if you think that then of course you think you have time to do youtube podcast and other random stuff instead of studying and practicing...

Even if Wilson can mentally balance all these different things and still get proper rest etc... I think it just sends a bad message to the team when your leader is choosing to go out of his way doing all this stuff that doesn't help win in any way.


4) His target selection is just weird lately... I don't have All-22 anymore but I'm pretty sure Troy Aikman was correct in his assessment and shock that DK Metcalf was never targeted in 1 on 1's.

The whole team feeds off the energy of DK Metcalf making big plays yet Wilson just ignored him for the vast majority of the game. Most the replays they showed yes Metcalf wasn't wide open but he wasn't necessarily beat either... give your upcoming star receiver a chance to make a play!!!

I'd rather give Metcalf a chance to make a play than all this dink and dunk stuff so we are always in 3rd down situations where we are absolutely terrible without Carson.

It just seems weird... it's like he categorizes players differently instead of just reading the field and reacting naturally. For example why is nearly every single throw to Greg Olsen like 9-10 feet in the air???

I just cant explain why he makes every single catch so difficult for Greg Olsen throwing so high...

Now he is struggling with his trademark deep ball ever since we started losing this season... he is overthrowing and under throwing a lot...


Conclusion:

I know I cover a lot of ideas here but as Wilson likes to say, "at the end of the day (what he should say now)... I just need to be better and stop having so many turnovers... I need to see the field and stop going for touchdown stats when I can easily run for a first down. I need to distribute the ball efficiently and intelligently and I pray Cris Carson comes back because we seem to be bad without him."

I'm still a huge Wilson fan, he's my favorite QB of all time by far. But I think it's very possible he let all this MVP stuff get into his head where he's going for TDs and overthinking things instead of playing with his natural instincts and making good choices (which is why I thought he was a top 5 QB before the majority of NFL fans and experts).

 

[PNW]

Great assessment, I agree on everything you wrote. He used to always strive to be the best ever, but now he thinks he’s the best already so is that hunger to be the best still there? We’re all gonna find out on Thursday.

 

[Welshers]

In my opinion it has nothing to do with the MVP like some people are saying. He is a total team guy and cares about winning first and foremost. Against Arizona on the 3rd and 2 at the end of the game that would have iced it they gave him the option to audible to a pass if he wanted. He liked what he saw in the D and opted tohand it off. If he was just in this for MVP wouldn't he be audibling to passes in situations like that? He's a team guy.

Good write up though. You put a lot of effort into that post. I just don't agree MVP has anything to do with it.

Some factors of what I think is going on with him:
-We have no running game right now. Teams can just focus on the pass. That makes it so much harder for him. At the beginning of the season teams still thought of us as a very run heavy team, as we had been the past few years. So they prepared to defend the run as well. Now they can focus only on the pass. Getting Carson back should help with this.
-He has taken a ton of hits recently. 6 sacks vs LA and 5 against Buffalo. It would be a lot more if not for his escape artist abilities. If you look at some of the highlights today the pressure was near instantaneous. He just doesn't have time. And taking that sort of damage surely takes a toll on your game. You get tired both mentally and physically.
-I think there is so much pressure on him because of our D that he is trying to do too much.

 

[themunn]

To me, that 1st interception was proof that the defensive frailties are affecting his decision making. There have been some signs that Wilson has been forcing things that aren't there, probably because he has the weight of the team on his shoulders.

If Wilson truly believed the defense had the capability to make a stop then I think he takes the easy 1st down run and 4 more attempts to hit the EZ or take 3 points.

But his thought process now is probably more like "if I don't make something happen, we will lose this game". Ironically, the defense did its job to force a punt and then we did JUST enough to get the 3 points on the board with a 61 yarder going in at the half. However, I just can't see Wilson attempting that throw if we have a competent defense.

With that said, there were a lot of positive signs from our defense. After a slow start in the first 20 minutes or so, they allowed 7 points on the following 6 drives (145 yards total over 40 minutes is a huge result - if they can keep that up for 60 then we will be in a good place), and forced an excellent fumble. The 95 yard drive to open the 2nd half was disappointing, though I think the DPI call in the end zone was harsh as we could/should have held them to 3 points there.

If it's a sign of things to come then hopefully it can help Wilson get back to make sensible decisions and stop trying to force things.

 

[Tusc2000]

Some factors of what I think is going on with him:
-We have no running game right now. Getting Carson back should help with this.
-He has taken a ton of hits recently. You get tired both mentally and physically.
-I think there is so much pressure on him because of our D that he is trying to do too much.

I agree with your assessment and have taken the liberty of boiling your post down to the salient points.

Once we get Carson back, and he's close to 100%, that will open up the passing game.

Russ indeed looks exhausted, he has been carrying the team on his back -- and we are seeing the results of this. Some poor decisions, a lack of awareness when the pocket is breaking down, and not putting the right touch on his passes.

Russ is doing the best he can -- which is better than nearly any QB could possibly do. The fact that we have even stayed in these games the past 2 weeks is a testament to his fortitude. But there's only so much one guy can do against good NFL teams.

 

[Uncle Si]

Some factors of what I think is going on with him:
-We have no running game right now. Getting Carson back should help with this.
-He has taken a ton of hits recently. You get tired both mentally and physically.
-I think there is so much pressure on him because of our D that he is trying to do too much.

I agree with your assessment and have taken the liberty of boiling your post down to the salient points.

Once we get Carson back, and he's close to 100%, that will open up the passing game.

Russ indeed looks exhausted, he has been carrying the team on his back -- and we are seeing the results of this. Some poor decisions, a lack of awareness when the pocket is breaking down, and not putting the right touch on his passes.

Russ is doing the best he can -- which is better than nearly any QB could possibly do. The fact that we have even stayed in these games the past 2 weeks is a testament to his fortitude. But there's only so much one guy can do against good NFL teams.

This is a far more reasonable and pragmatic football explanation.

 

[TwistedHusky]

We have become very dependent on Wilson being extraordinary.

To the point we don't worry if we don't have adequate protection for him or even the best chance for him to compete.

He is taking a lot of shots, even on the passes he completes.

We used to do that to the great QBs when we had a good defense. So we should recognize that 'softening up' a QB works. The cumulative impact of all of those shots has an effect.

As does the realization on Wilson's part that 7 yds is not enough.

The idea this is on Wilson ignores the reality that no other QB could do this, aside from Mahomes now and maybe Rodgers ( more in his prime). As pointed out by others, there is a limit to the weight he can carry and doing this successfully in game after game takes a toll.

We didn't even have our starting center yesterday, but people think the problem is Wilson is 'distracted'. Not that our coaches and playcalling are not helping him at all right now.

He isn't distracted. He is getting hammered. Regularly.

Wilson didn't pull out his normal magic but we shouldn't have a game plan that depends on it to win in the first place.

 

[hoxrox]

I actually don't think Wilson is "pressing" due to our bad defense as is commonly suggested. We were only down 7 points with TONS of time left when he ran right and threw left... a big no-no.

He is human - not super human. Thus, he has a ego. Right now his ego is telling him he's the best QB in the NFL. This is over-confidence. He's going for the homerun every time at bat, instead of just getting on base. Getting that single, or that double. This gun-slinging mentality is causing some terrible decisions. That might work against bad defenses, but not good ones.

Instead he needs to just go with the flow of the game. Let other players make plays. Dare I say it, go back to being more of a game manager? No, not really, but dial it back some. There needs to be more balance.

 

[themunn]

I actually don't think Wilson is "pressing" due to our bad defense as is commonly suggested. We were only down 7 points with TONS of time left when he ran right and threw left... a big no-no.

But surely the events of the Bills game stick in mind - being down 7 with plenty of time left is fine. But they don't score on that drive (our opening drive), the Bills then go up the field and all of a sudden it's 14 down. Wilson throws an interception trying to force something at 14-0 down (fine, it's 4th and 1 in the red zone, inteception or incomplete doesn't really make a difference). The Bills score a FG and it's 17-0.
Finally the offense clicks and scores a TD in the following drive... the Bills drive and score a TD and it's 24-7.

Wilson HAS to be starting to think "OK it's only a 7 point deficit, but if I don't score here, it's highly likely we're 14 behind and chasing the game". He talks about staying neutral but that first half against the Bills... and then first 3 drives against the Rams allowing 17 points HAS to be affecting him mentally.

Everybody has been saying "Russell has to score every time to keep us in the game". At some point he's going to start believing it too.

 

[RCATES]

This is just classic Wilson. He either starts hot and falls at the end or vice versa. This is exactly why he has never received an MVP vote. Just too inconsistent to be considered Elite.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I actually don't think Wilson is "pressing" due to our bad defense as is commonly suggested. We were only down 7 points with TONS of time left when he ran right and threw left... a big no-no..

He's pressing for a couple reasons;

1. A bad defense. He knows he has to play lights out and make plays because if he and the offense don't score 30+ points, we'll lose.

2. He's pressing because he doesn't have Carson and a dependable run game, so defenses are scheming to just stop Russell.

3. He's pressing because the combo of #2 means he's getting hit and sacked at a higher rate, so that's making him rattled and forcing him into bad decisions, which is VERY uncharacteristic for Russell.

 

[IndyHawk]

It might just be that RW has some personal issues outside the game.
who knows?if he isn't as focused in game then his mind is somewhere
else for whatever reason.

 

[xray]

To know that he will take 3 or more sacks and several hits going in , would sure as phuk distract most QBS. IMO

 

[Bobblehead]

Yeah he's distracted, cause he knows, he has to put 6 on the board with every frikken drive and if one drive fails the next drive becomes even more crucial and the pressure to score becomes that much more important. Then the coach decides to punt on 4th and inches..WTF.

 

[Spin Doctor]

I think a lot of you are putting too much importance on Carson and the running game. The running game can be compensated with short passes, and routes designed for YAC. We were doing those things early, but slowly we've drifted to the old paradigm where we're just trying to attack the intermediate and deep passing game. We don't even force teams to account for those short routes. We went away from what was working, and I blame Carroll 100 percent. He's stated that he doesn't like the dink and dunk passing game. Carroll does not know how to compensate for what other teams throw at him, and he has demonstrated this time, after time.

Wilson is going to continue to be killed if we don't adjust our offensive strategy.

 

[TwilightError]

I think there are all the reasons to believe Russ will bounce back. He’s had bad stretches before and he has always overcome them. Maybe he did get overwhelmed by the MVP talk and maybe he will not ever get it. So what? It’s about the team winning and at the end of the day Russ knows that. Now he should be able to fully focus on that too. He will bounce back.

 

[Grahamhawker]

I think a lot of you are putting too much importance on Carson and the running game. The running game can be compensated with short passes, and routes designed for YAC. We were doing those things early, but slowly we've drifted to the old paradigm where we're just trying to attack the intermediate and deep passing game. We don't even force teams to account for those short routes. We went away from what was working, and I blame Carroll 100 percent. He's stated that he doesn't like the dink and dunk passing game. Carroll does not know how to compensate for what other teams throw at him, and he has demonstrated this time, after time.

Wilson is going to continue to be killed if we don't adjust our offensive strategy.

You may have answered your own question. You described exactly why many see the run game as critical within the prevailing "system".

 

[John63]

I think a lot of you are putting too much importance on Carson and the running game. The running game can be compensated with short passes, and routes designed for YAC. We were doing those things early, but slowly we've drifted to the old paradigm where we're just trying to attack the intermediate and deep passing game. We don't even force teams to account for those short routes. We went away from what was working, and I blame Carroll 100 percent. He's stated that he doesn't like the dink and dunk passing game. Carroll does not know how to compensate for what other teams throw at him, and he has demonstrated this time, after time.

Wilson is going to continue to be killed if we don't adjust our offensive strategy.

You may have answered your own question. You described exactly why many see the run game as critical within the prevailing "system".

Or PC can do what Great coaches do and adapt and go back to what Works. So, if we go with what works

 

[Welshers]

He's distracted by the pass rushers constantly in his face and knocking him down. Sacked 11 times the past two games, would have been more if not for his insane scrambling ability. The D seems to be getting to him quick. When you take damage like that it will distract you and impede on your play

 

[scutterhawk]

Ok well first of all I would like to say that it's entirely possible that the opposing teams defenses were just so good that it wasn't directly Wilson's fault... but I will also introduce some reasons why maybe it could be.

Secondly I would like to post some examples which prove that I have always been a huge Russell Wilson fan. In fact, I started following the team way more closely once we drafted him. I compared Wilson's college stats with Andrew Luck's (who was the overall #1 pick) and if I remember correctly it was basically a wash... I can't say for sure Andrew Luck or Russell Wilson had a better college career statistically... this peaked my interest we just stole a pick obviously from my point of view.

Even after his first career start vs the Cardinals (a loss), I saw the potential and I was a fan... Here's some of my old post when I thought Wilson was a top 5 QB when most experts including John Clayton, or just NFL fans in general thought he was average almost universally.


How long are morons gonna say LUCK > WILSON...??!!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=93894


Which would you prefer 4 more yards per drive or 1 less INT?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=96102&p=1405602#p1405602


That 2nd post was referring to Andrew Lucks average production with yards per drive vs his interception rate of about 1 more per game than Wilson. Now here's the issue... Wilson is not protecting the ball anymore. Part of the reason I became a huge fan is he played smart football, now it seems a little different... I'll list a few of the possible explanations off the top of my head...

1) Wilson recently had an interview where they asked him "Do you think you are the best QB in the league?".

Without hesitation Wilson answered he thinks he is... WRONG answer!

Yes I agree confidence is super important but if his mind set is that he's already the best that's not a good sign. His correct response should of been along the lines of, "I'm working really hard and if we win another Super Bowl then I think everyone could agree I'm the best right now"...

Something like that, the fact he thinks he can just win 1 Super Bowl and he's the best QB in the league is downright delusional and arrogant. I think we could of realistically AND very easily won 3 Super Bowls 2012-2014.

Now is that Wilson's fault? No, I think the majority of blame should be on Bevell and Tom Cable. But you can't change history, winning only 1 Super Bowl with incredible defenses and a Hall of Fame Running Back.

Yes I understand they changed the rules after 2013 so we can't be aggressive vs receivers anymore... but how did that one play not get called today when Metcalf was getting pushed about 5 times in a row beyond 5 yards. He was getting bullied out of bounds with blatant repetitive one-sided pass interference violations but magically the refs ignored it??? This caused him to be a few inches short of a huge catch that could of swung the momentum of the game...


2) I'm a huge Carson fan, but maybe we all undervalued him... it's possible Wilson just can't be an elite QB against good opposition without an elite Running Back.


3) Wilson might be a bit beat up (maybe concussions) or distracted. Hard to tell but he just doesn't seem so sharp mentally the last few games.

He got away with a delay of game penalty earlier in the game which nobody mentioned on the broadcast even though it was clearly visible in the replay.

He then got another delay of game changing a 3rd and short into a 3rd and long situation...

It's hard to put a finger on what's actually going on... But I would argue if you are already married to a super famous and rich lady, that's probably about the max distractions a serious athlete should have... but Wilson is now doing podcasts on youtube, I know in the past he was involved in random businesses etc...

In my opinion he should focus on playing, this goes along with my earlier opinion how he already thinks he's the best QB... if you think that then of course you think you have time to do youtube podcast and other random stuff instead of studying and practicing...

Even if Wilson can mentally balance all these different things and still get proper rest etc... I think it just sends a bad message to the team when your leader is choosing to go out of his way doing all this stuff that doesn't help win in any way.


4) His target selection is just weird lately... I don't have All-22 anymore but I'm pretty sure Troy Aikman was correct in his assessment and shock that DK Metcalf was never targeted in 1 on 1's.

The whole team feeds off the energy of DK Metcalf making big plays yet Wilson just ignored him for the vast majority of the game. Most the replays they showed yes Metcalf wasn't wide open but he wasn't necessarily beat either... give your upcoming star receiver a chance to make a play!!!

I'd rather give Metcalf a chance to make a play than all this dink and dunk stuff so we are always in 3rd down situations where we are absolutely terrible without Carson.

It just seems weird... it's like he categorizes players differently instead of just reading the field and reacting naturally. For example why is nearly every single throw to Greg Olsen like 9-10 feet in the air???

I just cant explain why he makes every single catch so difficult for Greg Olsen throwing so high...

Now he is struggling with his trademark deep ball ever since we started losing this season... he is overthrowing and under throwing a lot...


Conclusion:

I know I cover a lot of ideas here but as Wilson likes to say, "at the end of the day (what he should say now)... I just need to be better and stop having so many turnovers... I need to see the field and stop going for touchdown stats when I can easily run for a first down. I need to distribute the ball efficiently and intelligently and I pray Cris Carson comes back because we seem to be bad without him."

I'm still a huge Wilson fan, he's my favorite QB of all time by far. But I think it's very possible he let all this MVP stuff get into his head where he's going for TDs and overthinking things instead of playing with his natural instincts and making good choices (which is why I thought he was a top 5 QB before the majority of NFL fans and experts).

You never really arrive to "greatness", it is an ongoing endeavor...IF you actually believe that you can rest on your laurels in the NFL, be prepared to jump to the side, because some hungry someone will be willing to put in the work to make you a has been.
I absolutely love Russell Wilson, but something is wrong with his play.....He could have easily, AND VERY LIKELY run, (unimpeded) for a FIRST DOWN, and yet decided to chance throwing a pick???? WTH.
Something isn't clicking, and I don't know if he is working through an injury, but he needs to be working a lot harder on a quicker release, or he's going to get his a$$ handed to him.....Too damned many sacks & HITS, take their toll. :177692: I love the hell out of ya Russ, but you have to play smarter than this.