As the Seattle Seahawks started their pre-season campaign, coach Pete Carroll was left with something of a selection dilemma at quarterback. Most expected him to go with Matt Flynn, the marquee free agent they had just signed to a €15 million, three-year deal.
Flynn was by no means the unanimous choice of Seahawks fans and there were a number who felt Carroll should stick with last year’s quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson. He might not be the most exciting option but he offered continuity to a team seemingly in a constant state of flux.
There was a third guy but he was only 5’ 10”, had been touted as a better baseball prospect than quarterback, and had even played in the minor leagues.
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However, much to everyone’s surprise, on 26 August Russell Wilson was named Seattle’s starting quarterback.
On Sunday night, the Seahawks became the first team since the 1950 Giants to post back-to-back 50 point games. While last week’s rout of Arizona had a lot to do with their defence, Sunday’s win owed much to 24-year-old Wilson.
The third round pick out of Wisconsin in April’s draft passed for 205 yards and a touchdown while finding the endzone three more times on the ground. Of more importance than individual statistics, the Seahawks won for the fifth time in six games and, at 9-5, secured their first winning season in five years.
While divisional honours look beyond them, the Seahawks are in an NFC wildcard spot. They are not, however, a team you could describe as sneaking into the playoffs. Averaging 413 yards and 35 points a game over the last six, their path to the postseason is as discrete as the boulder’s in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride for Wilson. Though the Seahawks opened the season 3-2, they scored more than 20 points just once, a 27-7 win over the Cowboys in week two. After throwing five interceptions to just one touchdown in weeks four and five, Carroll gave his rookie the dreaded public vote of confidence.
In week six, Wilson responded. At home to the Patriots, he threw for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns and found Sidney Rice on a 46-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute to go to secure the come-from-behind victory.
Since then, Wilson has among the best quarterbacks in the league, throwing 13 touchdown passes to just three interceptions while getting all three of his rushing touchdowns in Sunday night’s rout of the Bills.
Being a third-round pick, there will inevitably be comparisons with the likes of Joe Montana or Tom Brady, both of whom were considered speculative picks at best but who went on to win multiple Super Bowls.
It’s far too early to lump Wilson in with those guys but, at 24 and with an elite defence on the other side of the ball, not to mention 26-year-old Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, something special could be brewing in Seattle.
It might not happen for the Seahawks this year, indeed it probably won’t, but amid all the talk of RGIII and Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson should not be forgotten.
The Redzone: Russell Wilson said
CAST YOUR MIND back to August 2012.
As the Seattle Seahawks started their pre-season campaign, coach Pete Carroll was left with something of a selection dilemma at quarterback. Most expected him to go with Matt Flynn, the marquee free agent they had just signed to a €15 million, three-year deal.
Flynn was by no means the unanimous choice of Seahawks fans and there were a number who felt Carroll should stick with last year’s quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson. He might not be the most exciting option but he offered continuity to a team seemingly in a constant state of flux.
There was a third guy but he was only 5’ 10”, had been touted as a better baseball prospect than quarterback, and had even played in the minor leagues.
However, much to everyone’s surprise, on 26 August Russell Wilson was named Seattle’s starting quarterback.
On Sunday night, the Seahawks became the first team since the 1950 Giants to post back-to-back 50 point games. While last week’s rout of Arizona had a lot to do with their defence, Sunday’s win owed much to 24-year-old Wilson.
The third round pick out of Wisconsin in April’s draft passed for 205 yards and a touchdown while finding the endzone three more times on the ground. Of more importance than individual statistics, the Seahawks won for the fifth time in six games and, at 9-5, secured their first winning season in five years.
While divisional honours look beyond them, the Seahawks are in an NFC wildcard spot. They are not, however, a team you could describe as sneaking into the playoffs. Averaging 413 yards and 35 points a game over the last six, their path to the postseason is as discrete as the boulder’s in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride for Wilson. Though the Seahawks opened the season 3-2, they scored more than 20 points just once, a 27-7 win over the Cowboys in week two. After throwing five interceptions to just one touchdown in weeks four and five, Carroll gave his rookie the dreaded public vote of confidence.
In week six, Wilson responded. At home to the Patriots, he threw for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns and found Sidney Rice on a 46-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute to go to secure the come-from-behind victory.
Since then, Wilson has among the best quarterbacks in the league, throwing 13 touchdown passes to just three interceptions while getting all three of his rushing touchdowns in Sunday night’s rout of the Bills.
Being a third-round pick, there will inevitably be comparisons with the likes of Joe Montana or Tom Brady, both of whom were considered speculative picks at best but who went on to win multiple Super Bowls.
It’s far too early to lump Wilson in with those guys but, at 24 and with an elite defence on the other side of the ball, not to mention 26-year-old Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, something special could be brewing in Seattle.
It might not happen for the Seahawks this year, indeed it probably won’t, but amid all the talk of RGIII and Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson should not be forgotten.
Week 15 results
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American Football Editor's picks NFL Pete Carroll Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks