Short, But Tall in Many Ways: Russell Wilson

Most people standing at five feet, eleven inches tall in American society, 5'10 5/8" to be exact, are considered to be above the average height of a person. Apparently, that's not Russell Wilson. Most college quarterbacks who put up numbers that lead a team to the Rose Bowl are considered icons and future NFL stars. Well, that's not Russell Wilson either, according to the critics. After three years at North Carolina State University, Russel Wilson transferred to Wisconsin for his senior year of college football. It put the Badgers in championship consideration right away. After a very successful regular season in which Wilson put up All-American numbers and threw 33 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions, the Badgers reached the Rose Bowl. The Badgers played the Ducks tight the whole way, but the Ducks prevailed in the end. Wilson was also a very skilled baseball player, but chose to go the football path and entered the 2012 NFL draft.

Many panelists and critics dogged Wilson for his height leading up to the draft, but many also added that if he had the height he'd be the 3rd QB taken overall because he had the intangibles and skills, just not the height. They slated him as a late 3rd round pick at best. But there was that one team that had the confidence to select the QB everyone had written off. That team was the Seattle Seahawks. It was one of their best picks of the draft, if not the best.

Russell Wilson was immediately thrown into the fire as a rookie in his first NFL season. The Seahawks had previously signed Matt Flynn, but had no starting QB set in stone. Thus prevailed an ongoing QB competition (see previous blog entry for more details). So far, Wilson has put up big numbers, much like his college stats, in the Seahawks first two preseason games. In both games, he has played the entire second half against second, third and fourth teamers. Even though he's playing against lower level guys, he's still put up huge numbers. Tomorrow, Pete Carroll will announce who will start vs. the Kansas City Chiefs this week. Here's why I think it should be big Russ Wilson.

You can't teach heart. That's what Russell Wilson has along with a lot of other overlooked skills. One of the best things that Wilson brings to the team is his heart. One trait that Flynn doesn't bring and Wilson does is his ability to extend plays. Extending plays is the key to finding the wide open receivers and big plays as well as avoiding sacks, both which the Hawks crucially need as assets in their offense. Flynn has had his chance with the first teamers his first two games in the preseason. It's time for Russell Wilson to have his shot and for us to see what he can do. People could argue that starting a new quarterback 2 weeks before the regular season would mess up the chemistry, but that's not what it will do at all. Starting Russell Wilson vs. the Chiefs will give us our winner of the QB competition. Earlier I said Flynn would win, simply because of his contract and his experience, but Wilson has a chance to take the job right out of Flynn's hands this week. The key to Russell being able to do that is showing his height factor should be considered a non-factor, his skills are as good as RGIII's, and showing the big heart of his. I think Russell can do it, but only if he gets the chance.

As a high schooler, you wanna see everyone given a fair chance. If Pete starts Russell, it'll give me a sense of fairness within the organization. If he doesn't, I will always wonder what could of been if Wilson did start the third week of the preseason because you surely can't be having QB competitions when you're trying to build chemistry and win games in the regular season. The QB competition needs to be decided by the end of this week. C'mon Pete, ditch those indecisive ways and pick the best gunslinger you got, but give everyone a fair shot. Russell Wilson will show you what's he's got.

Thanks for reading and follow us on twitter @seasportssoup. Keep checking back for updates!

Marshall

Quarterback Controversy- Seattle Seahawks Edition

I'm expecting big things out of the Seahawks this year. I think a lot of other people are as well. Playoffs should be attainable and maybe even a Conference Championship game if they play extraordinarily. This can all only happen though if you have a solid quarterback who leads the team. In my opinion the Seahawks have two quarterbacks viable for the starting job, those being Russel Wilson and Matt Flynn, with one really sticking out to me. That would be Matthew Flynn, number 15.

Picture by Joe Nicholson, US Presswire

I watched Matt Flynn in college, the one year he started at LSU, and never found that he was that great of a quarterback. I never really thought much of him and believed that he was just a good ol' D1 quarterback. He threw for 2407 yards, 21 touchdowns and had a 56.3% completion rate. Not bad, but not amazing either. In reality and after my research, I realized Matt Flynn was a solid college quarterback who was VERY efficient. That's just the kind of guy he is. Not an All-American or star, but a sufficient well rounded QB. I was wrong about my initial thoughts on Flynn, clearly, as he lead LSU to the national championship over Ohio State that year. When Flynn was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round in 2008, again, I didn't think much of him. I was wrong again. Flynn was the understudy to Aaron Rodgers for four years before becoming a free agent this past offseason. During those four years Flynn learned from the best quarterback in the game and showed his learning's in the two chances he got to start for the Packers. Two years ago Flynn started for an injured Rodgers against the Patriots and put up respectable numbers, throwing for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. Last year, in a start where the Packers were resting Rodgers, Flynn went off and showed how much he had really learned. Flynn set the franchise record for passing yards by throwing for 480 yards. He also threw 6 touchdowns and had a completion rate of 70.5%, a pro bowl caliber performance. This performance increased his value greatly for the upcoming offseason as he was going to be a free-agent.

Matt Flynn visited the Seahawks and the Dolphins in the offseason before he eventually signed with the Seahawks for a three-year deal worth $26 million, usually a starter's contract. However, in the NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected another quarterback in the third round, Russell Wilson who put up huge numbers his senior year in college, but was drafted low because of his height. Thus a quarterback controversy was started between Russell Wilson, Matt Flynn and Tavaris Jackson (everyone knows he never had a chance). During training camp Pete Carroll reiterated over and over again that each QB had a fair shot, but the competition was, and is between Matt Flynn and Russel Wilson. Each QB got to play a half last Saturday and each played well considering who they were playing against, Flynn against first and second teamers, Wilson against second, third and fourth teamers. The plan is the same for tomorrow's game against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. After all the preseason games, I believe that Matt Flynn will be the first team quarterback who steps on the field in Arizona to begin the season as he simply has more experience, knowledge and skill (height too) over Russell Wilson. I believe Matt Flynn will lead the Seahawks to the playoffs, along with their top five defense, and that the team will be one and done. I also believe Matt Flynn will put up solid numbers this year, but it still remains to be seen if he is the QB of the future for the Seahawks and personally I don't think he is. Just like I was wrong about Flynn in college and with the Packers, I hope I am wrong again and I truly hope he exceeds mine and everyone else's expectations.

This QB controversy and competition is fun to watch from a high school student's eyes. You want the best QB for your team, but that fire within you kind of wants to see the underdog win. My heart wants Russell Wilson to win the competition and blow all doubt about his height away, as well as my expectations for him, but my brain says Matthew Flynn will eventually win in the end. Who knows, Flynn could end up leading the Seahawks to a championship this year and many years to come. Only time will tell.

Thanks for reading and follow us on our new twitter @seasportssoup for updates on the blog.

Marshall