Russell Wilson rookie year and Deshaun Watson’s show big differences
Wilson looked pretty good as a rookie, too
Russell Wilson had a great rookie year, but he started out slowly. His stats aren’t nearly as good as Watson’s through the first six games. Wilson threw for an average of 185 yards per game. He threw eight touchdown passes versus six interceptions. He did complete 62.5 percent through six games, just one point above Watson’s 61.5 completion percentage.
On the ground, Wilson fared no better. He ran for just 109 yards and no touchdowns in those first six games and averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. In short, Wilson hadn’t become Wilson yet. That’s okay, though; he got better.
For the 2012 season, Wilson threw for 3118 yards, a bit better than his pace through six games. Far more importantly, he wound up with 26 touchdown passes on the year, adding 18 to his previous total. While he bumped up the production, he cut down on interceptions. He only threw four more in the last eight games. While his final numbers aren’t close to what Watson’s project to be, he did make the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
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Is it a fair comparison, though?
Surprise, surprise, it really isn’t fair. You’re shocked at this, I know. Two things throw the comparison into Watson’s favor. First, the league has changed to favor quarterbacks, even in just the five short years since Wilson’s rookie season. I fully expect by 2022, quarterbacks will be playing under two hand touch rules. No, I don’t want to see them drilled into the turf and take a dozen shots to the head every game. It is a fact that the game favors passing more than ever.
The second hidden advantage in this comparison is the competition. Deshaun Watson has faced bad pass defenses, as I noted in a previous article. Wilson’s opponents were all in the upper half of the league’s pass defenses. The only team that fell into the bottom half of the rankings? The New England Patriots, 29th in yards allowed and 21st in touchdowns allowed. They were 5th in interceptions, I’ll give them that.
Coincidentally or not, that Patriots game was Russell Wilson’s coming out party, as he threw three touchdowns, no interceptions, and the most yardage of his rookie campaign.
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Which brings me back to Mr. Watson. He hasn’t faced a defense nearly as good against the pass as the Legion of Boom. Not even close. He’s going to have a great season, and hopefully a great career. But as I wrote earlier, today will not be one of his highlights.