Russell Wilson and the surprise of the preseason - Mparas1432's Blog

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Russell Wilson and the surprise of the preseason Stuck

Posted on August 27, 2012 at 07:03 PM.

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Give Pete Carroll credit, he stuck to his word that each job had to be earned. Now following months of battling expected starter Matt Flynn, Russell Wilson has been named as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.

He�s also the best surprise that�s emerged this preseason.

In three preseason games, Wilson has completed 35 passes for 464 yards on 52 attempts. He�s also rushed for 150 yards. The third round draft pick�s dynamic play has given no choice for Carroll to start him.

�It�s been a very exciting competition that has gone on, and Russell has taken full advantage of his opportunities and has done everything that we have asked for on the field and more than what you guys could know off the field in meeting rooms and with our players and how he�s represented. He�s earned this job,� Pete Carroll told reporters on a conference call.

However, it�s the factors that went against Russell Wilson that makes his story fascinating. When originally drafted, experts thought Seattle reached for him in the third round. The Seahawks also had signed Matt Flynn to a 3 year, 26 million dollar contact a month earlier.

Besides not expected to be a starter, Wilson had people questioning his physical tools as well. At 5�11, Wilson wasn�t labeled as tall enough to be a successful NFL quarterback. Drew Brees is the exception, not the standard.

While he still has much to prove, Wilson being named starter makes him the fifth rookie quarterback to start week one. Of the five, Wilson is the only one to not be a first round pick.

No one would have been surprised if Seattle had stuck with Flynn since the money that was involved. However, Russell Wilson was just too much of a force to ignore.

�The more competitive situation we put him in, the better he was,� Carroll said. �He just has a real knack for playing the game of football.�

Do you think Wilson�s success will carry over to the regular season? Did Seattle make the right call in naming him the starter? Let us know in the comments.

Comments

# 1 Bmore Irish @ Aug 27

im not a fan of starting rookies, unless its a situation with luck or rgIII of course. wilson played at a level to earn the starting job, i just wouldnt have started him personally. i think he can be successful, and im not one of the ppl who thinks his size will hinder him, hes talented and dynamic. but what if he doesnt find success his first season as a rookie? what if they then decide to pull him for flynn who got all the money anyway? that could kill the guys confidence, and send his career on a downward trajectory. idk tho, im def rootin for the guy

# 2 The_Wise_One @ Aug 27

Being a Seattle fan it's exciting to see someone like Wilson start but I just hope this doesn't backfire or Pete Carroll's seat could heat up. There is no doubting that he earned the spot though. Russell has that "it" factor and has a rare sense of poise and intelligence. He will have to play at a high level or Flynn will step in quickly.

# 3 bigbob @ Aug 28

I can't personally say I'm surprised.

I thought he was one of the top three quarterbacks coming out of college this year and I expected him to be a starter in the league. Of course, all the experts put him down because of his height, saying he wouldn't be able to see over an NFL line.

Did they forget that last year, Wisconsin's line was compared to the NFL and I believe only one team was said to have had a bigger line by average?

I think he'll continue his impressive start and is the future of the Seahawks Franchise.

# 4 lon515 @ Aug 28

I was gonna use trade for him in my ccm but now that he is the starter i wont.

He was the second best quarterback coming out of this draft his only flaw was his size if he had the size of luck he would of been a first round pick.

now when teams buy into that logic they keep losing(Cards,Kc,Bills)

# 5 AussieChiefsFan @ Aug 28

Oh god that game was painful to watch.

# 6 lyleman222 @ Aug 28

im not a hawks fan but i agree bigbob, the guy put up great numbers in college , all these so called experts whining about his height! get real the guy is super talented could be one of the top rookie QB's of the year, griffin III, luck and weedon getting the lime light but you GO wilson GO!!

# 7 sean_c @ Aug 28

Being a Hawks fan too, I'm kinda excited. I would have been happy with Flynn as starter too as I think he still has a chance to be a good QB. It's good to be a Seahawk fan right now!

# 8 MMurda @ Aug 28

for the first time in the caroll era im excited for the season. i have not been a fan of his fly by the seat of the pants aproach at all and ridiculous amts of roster moves...esp those moves involving guys that shouldve been franchise players imo...tatupu, josh wilson, curry(i know he was slow to launch but they coulda worked with him..not thrown away a high pick). i also hate how he kept running with bargain bin qb's to lead the tm...whitehurst, tavaris j.

but russell wilson has it all tho...except height. he brings excitement and a real offensive threat to have defenses shook. good mobility, arm, accuracy, decision making...we badly needed this. i hope it plays out well. if not, i mean this is only his first yr in the league. he has plenty of time to grow. i honestly dont see him losing his spot tho...this is the best seattle qb play ive seen since like 07-08 hasselbeck

# 9 spokanecoach @ Aug 31

So called experts just need something negative to write about, the easiest thing is to pick on his size. This kid played behind the biggest O-Line in college and had no problem at all. After seeing Grudens QB Camp, I instantly said this kid would be the starter for the Hawks this year. He is a very intelligent and humble guy, I knew would put in the work and win the position. I also loved what Gruden told Osweiler the best part of being a big QB is being able to see over the line and read the whole field, the worst part about being a big QB is that the defense can see you over the line. Size doesnt equal success, hard work and dedication do and those qualities arent measured in inches. Cant wait to watch Wilson suprise the haters all season long.