The Importance of Russell Wilson

Day six of Seahawks training camp has come and gone and the question on everybody’s mind is how in the world Seattle will overcome the Percy Harvin injury, who is now beginning his Seahawks tenure on the PUP list. Never mind the fact that the Seahawks were one of the best teams without Harvin last season because clearly that does not matter! The question strikes so much fear that bandwagon fans everywhere have already begun to bail and suddenly become lifelong Broncos fans. This news, of course, is aided by the fact that the Seahawks will have to start the season without Bruce Irvin, who will be serving a four game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy, which we all know about by now. The Seahawks also started training camp with other impact players on the PUP list, such as Chris Clemons and Zach Miller. Since it is the preseason PUP list, it is not a huge deal, but who really knows when these guys will be 100% ready to go? Sidney Rice is getting some non-surgical knee work done in Switzerland, but Pete Carroll assured us fans that Rice will be ready to go when he gets back, so I for one am no more worried about him than I normally am. I could go on about what we, the fans, have to be worried about, but the entire point is that there are enough things going wrong that fans are worried, but I for one am not! You may ask yourself, “Why, 12^th dude, why are you not worried!” (But then again, probably not because of the title of this thread) That’s right, Russell Wilson! Our starting robotic quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks!

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Russell Wilson came into the season last year with his height being a big question mark to many, despite being phenomenal behind the biggest offensive line in college at Wisconsin. But dammit, Wilson said, “just give me a chance”, and John Schneider and Pete Carroll gave him that chance despite signing Matt Flynn in the off-season to come in and compete to be (but safely assume win, prior to the draft) the starting quarterback. I was thrilled because I loved Russell Wilson in college; he and Andrew Luck were my two favorite quarterbacks in the draft (I also think RGIII is terrific).  Russell Wilson got his chance, won the starting job, and his first season is now a piece of beautiful NFL history. Despite Russell Wilson’s growing success as the season went on, some people refused to accept the fact that a quarterback of his stature could succeed at the NFL level and went on to call the rise of Russell Wilson “improbable”, but I say nay! For anyone to call the rise of Russell Wilson “improbable” because of his height, or where he was drafted, simply does not know or understand who he is. And how does it not matter that Drew Brees is like a hair taller? Russell Wilson is a fantastic leader and competitor. He makes the entire team around him, on both sides of the ball, better. He is the first person in and the last person out from practice. Russell Wilson puts in so much energy and focus into the game that even John Schneider has voiced his desire for Wilson to take a break; but that’s not how Wilson rolls. He is literally the prototypical type of person that people refer to when they say “lead by example”. Russell Wilson does just that, on and off the field. You may question where Wilson gets the energy, but remember: he is a robot. He does not need sleep. He drinks and eats simply so that he can fit in with normal human beings, but for our benefit and not for his own, of course, because Russell Wilson is not a selfish robot or player. Why we writers even refer to Wilson as “he”, or “him” remains a mystery, but I am following the trend. The man has quickly become one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league.

The reason I continue to look forward to the upcoming season with optimism is mainly because we are fortunate to have Russell Wilson. Entering year two, it is hard to imagine Russell Wilson getting any better after last season, but I believe he will because I know his work ethic, and I know he will never stop getting better as an NFL player. There will be no sophomore slump for Russell Wilson; only triumph. Some people still want to question Wilson’s height despite tying Peyton Manning with the most touchdown passes as a rookie and only throwing 10 interceptions. I call those people idiots, so I advise that you ignore them. Additionally, our team is not built on a few good men. We are solid across the board with no real weaknesses. If one man falls, another is expected to step up and play to expectations. Yeah, Percy Harvin will miss a big chunk of the season. Heck, it is possible that he misses the entire season. Nobody really knows at this point. But guess what? Golden Tate is going to step it up once again!

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Sidney Rice will still be making those grabs that make you scream in amazement! Our running back earned the nick name"Beast Mode" for crying out loud. Rookies who are yet to make a name for themselves will do just that, and you will find yourself accepting them as you would Earl Thomas or Richard Sherman. Speaking of which, the defense is still going to be knocking people on their ass up and down the field (but mostly down). So if you find yourself worrying already about the upcoming season because things haven’t gone perfectly, don’t! Look forward to this season with confidence and excitement just as you would if we had Bruce Irvin the first four games and there were no question marks with players like Harvin, Clemons, or Miller. But if you must, it helps to think about this: The Seattle Seahawks have also added proven veterans in Antoine Winfield, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril.

Go Hawks!