Comments on: Why I Hate The Russell Wilson Pick

By: goofyrider63

goofyrider63 — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:30:23 +0000

@Keith_12thMR @Evilmd80 Have you seen any NC State footage?

By: Keith_12thMR

Keith_12thMR — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:46:27 +0000

@goofyrider63 @Evilmd80 Pretty much all of the above. Mostly for me it’s the lack of field vision. When I looked at the tape from wisconsin, the O-line opened up these huge gaps in the defense for him to see/pass through. He just wont get those gaps at the Pro-Level.

By: Biestieboy

Biestieboy — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:06:52 +0000

Russell is 5’10 3/4, which gets rounded to 5’11″ on any roster listing. For those who say no quarterback less than 6 feet has ever succeeded, you obviously just don’t know your football history.

Eddie LaBaron (known as “Little Eddie”) was 5’9″, as was Doug Flutie. Sonny Jurgenson was 5’11″, and he was one of the greatest ever QBs (and don’t give me that QB rating bullshit…the rules were very different when Sonny played, and you can’t compare across eras). Joe Theisman was listed at 6 feet, but was doubtless shorter than that, and a friend of mine who is 5’9″ said he has met Mike Vick and that he is “maybe an inch taller than me.” Pat Haden had a fair amount of success as a starter with the Rams, and he was 5’10″. There is actually also quite a bit of doubt as to whether Drew Brees is really 6 feet tall.

As for Russell Wilson, he played in two pro-style offenses for two different D-I colleges. He was a four year starter and threw 109 TD passes vs. 30 interceptions. He also threw for over 11,000 yards. He has few peers on roll-outs and play-action plays, and while an excellent pocket passer, he is also always a threat to run, either on a designed play or on a scramble.

During the last season, Russell had only three passes batted down, which was fewer than 6’7″ Brock Osweiler. He has a high release, and is great at finding passing lanes.
Russell holds three NCAA records:

*Most passes without an interception–389
*Most consecutive games with at least one TD pass–38
*Highest ever QB rating–191.8 (better than RG III)

Russell was all-ACC in his freshman year. This year, he finished 9th in Heisman voting, was third-team All-American, and won the Greise-Brees award as the best QB in the Big Ten (besting Kurt Cousins).

Especially as a Big Ten player, he played against many of the fastest, biggest, and most athletic players in the country, and he excelled. His o-line averaged about 6-5 and 320 pounds, and he had no problem seeing and throwing over them. It’s not clear why you think he wouldn’t succeed at the next level.

Instead of listening to Mel Kyper, who never played the game, listen to guys like John Gruden, who know football inside out, and can’t stop singing his praises.

GB
Brooklyn, NY

By: bellefson91

bellefson91 — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:42:27 +0000

It’s a pretty lazy argument to say that since no one has done it before no one else can. If you’re going to tell us why you hate the Wilson pick, tell us what he does that makes you not like him, not how he fits the profile of a small QB. We’ve all heard that before. Brees is an exception to the “height” rule but is a great exception at that. You think that the width of your thumb that separates them in height will be the difference between record-breaking QB numbers and a guy who can’t start? I just can’t buy that.

By: kt0071

kt0071 — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:03:22 +0000

I didn’t like the majority of the Seahawks draft, but this was one pick that I liked. Sure he’s short for an NFL QB, but unlike Tavaris Jackson, he has tremendous upside. We know what Jackson can do, he’s not going to get any better. He will never be able to lead the ‘hawks to a win in the 4th Qtr. Assuming Flynn beats out Jackson for the starting job, I think there is a good chance Jackson gets the boot and we keep Wilson and Portis as the back-ups. Huge upgrade at QB over last season.

By: Evilmd80

Evilmd80 — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:19:35 +0000

@Keith_12thMR I didn’t throw those stats out as a means to predict his NFL success, but rather to show that even at 5’10″ behind a mammoth line and versus good competition, he was able to put up good numbers. The Badgers run a West Coast offense and we run a West Coast offense, so the transition into our playbook, especially with his football smarts, SHOULD be smooth and he might even impress during the preseason. Like I initially said, i’m not in love with how early they picked him, but I do like the pick.

By: goofyrider63

goofyrider63 — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:07:13 +0000

@Keith_12thMR @Evilmd80 Now I’m curious about something. What specifically bothers you about his lack of height? Getting balls batted down, risk of injury, blocked vision? Or is it just a general fear of the unfamiliar?

By: goofyrider63

goofyrider63 — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:59:22 +0000

@Keith_12thMR No one KNOWS how ANYONE’s skills will translate to the NFL. All anyone can do is make educated guesses based on what they’ve already seen. Russell’s been touted as having all the qualities you mentioned above by professionals and laymen throughout his career, and there’s been plenty of ink, tape, and stats to back it up. Maybe you don’t think the Seahawks should have picked a qb at all, and that’s fine. I’ve seen that argument around, too, and that probably holds more water. But, if your only complaint about the pick is his height, that’s about as rational as preferring a taller guy whose skills, ability, and experience don’t come near Wilson’s. We are talking about winning games here, right? Maybe if a shorter qb has better focus, better discipline, better natural ability, less personal drama, is smarter, and just plain works harder than most quarterbacks… maybe that makes him better than a lotta 6’4″ guys. Maybe that particular “perfect storm” has never shown up in the NFL for 50 years. All those NFL record-setters were firsts; that means it hadn’t been done before. It didn’t mean breaking the previous record was impossible. It just meant that not everybody can do it. Nobody’s saying Wilson’s the best in the world. But there’s reason to believe, by some of the criteria you yourself have mentioned, that he’s better than a lot.

By: GMunn

GMunn — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:09:41 +0000

I’m not having it.
He’s just 3 cm shorter than Drew Brees and Michael Vick. Do those 3cm make all the difference? It’s a third round pick, if he busts he busts, but the upside is well worth the risk.
He might not be the only 5’10 (and 5/8ths) QB to come out of college with a tremendous body of work, but usually those “tremendous body of works” are really a “tremendous body of work… for a 5’10 QB”. How many other quarterbacks of ANY size have come to a new team and set the all-time single-season record for passing efficiency in their first year?
In addition to that, he holds FBS records for the following:Most consecutive pass attempts without an interception
Most consecutive games with a touchdown pass

And his 33 Big Ten TD passes is also second all-time only to Drew Brees.
He might be small, but the results speak for himself. Wilson is a straight up player.

By: Keith_12thMR

Keith_12thMR — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:21:46 +0000

@Evilmd80 I find college stats to be completely useless when evaluating players. So much depends on the system that they play for, and the talent around him. Keep in mind that Wilson played behind by far the best O-Line in college football. The record holders at the college level, Chung, Walter, etc. were all useless at the NFL level. I study the tape and scout their skills. The stats simply aren’t a useful tool for scouting college players anymore.

By: Keith_12thMR

Keith_12thMR — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:17:26 +0000

@goofyrider63 I’ve scouted a ton of his games in my evaluations of him and the other players on Wisconsin and the Big 10. I even said that the tape shows that’d he’d been would have been a top 10 pick.

Bringing up Brees was done because every keeps using him as a example when saying that Wilson will be successful. All i said is that Brees is a the perfect storm of factors that allow him to be successful, and you have no idea if all of Wilson’s skills will translate to the NFL at the same level, and if they do, it may not be enough.

By: goofyrider63

goofyrider63 — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:47:59 +0000

“Look at everything that Brees is, not just his height. He’s got a fantastic arm, a lightning quick delivery, flawless footwork and mechanics, uncanny accuracy, and an amazingly high football IQ.” This is where your argument completely falls apart. At first skim, I thought this list was about Russell Wilson. Instead, it’s used as a contrast comparison, so I’m guessing you’ve never seen Russ play, studied his stats, or seen his tapes. Then, you went ahead and wrote an entire article about why this pick stinks. I’m new here, but a poorly researched article about a popular, much-documented football player on a sports blog isn’t a good first impression. But, Pete Carroll seems like a smart guy, and he thanks you on YouTube for something (not exactly sure what), so maybe it’s not all bad here. Anyway, I’ll give coach the benefit of the doubt. About 12th Man, I mean.

By: Evilmd80

Evilmd80 — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:38:07 +0000

I don’t like where they drafted him, as many have argued. I was pissed when I heard about it from a friend who was watching the draft live. However, after coming back in off the ledge and watching some video of the kid and perusing his stats, I came to conclusion (personally, of course) that it’s not the wasted pick some people are making it seem. Yes, he’s 5’10″, but he does have longer arms and the biggest hands of any QB in this year’s draft at 10 34″. This tells me he should be able to get the ball out over the arms of defenders and his O-line. Let’s not forget either, that he played at in good D1 conferences in the ACC and Big 10. If he had put up the numbers that he did (3175 yds, 31 tds, 4 ints, 73% completion and another 335 yds and 6tds running) playing for south midwest eastern arkansas or some other D2 or D3 school, then I’d be more skeptical as to whether he could even compete at the NFL level, but he didn’t, he put those numbers up on a Wisconsin team that was in the Rose Bowl last year. The average height of the Wisconsin offensive line last year was 6’5″. That’s the same average height along the Seahawks line. Will they need to roll him out? Sure, but do I think that he can make throws from the pocket? Absolutely. Remember that he’s got a much stronger arm than Kellen Moore (and that’s why he went undrafteed: short with a weak arm) and he has a pretty quick release and a high football IQ. Of course, only time will tell.

By: Keith_12thMR

Keith_12thMR — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:02:24 +0000

@Organized_Opponent I’ve never had a problem with what I saw on the tape when it came to Wilson. Like I said, had he been 6 inches taller he’s have been a top 10 pick. In fact, Id have had him above RG3 on my board if he was.

By: Keith_12thMR

Keith_12thMR — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:56:57 +0000

@rational_commentary Do you really think that Wilson is the only 5-10 QB in the past 50 years who had a tremendous “body of work” in college? Wilson’s success in college doesn’t mean it’ll translate to the NFL.