Do the Seahawks have the best quarterback in the NFC West?
By Lee Vowell
Russell Wilson has been possibly the best quarterback in Seahawks history. But how does he rank in the NFC West for 2018?
Isn’t it funny how much Russell Wilson doesn’t get enough love. Oh, he would never say it. But no matter what the Seahawks quarterback does, he isn’t generally viewed as a top-five quarterback in the NFL.
Even from Seattle fans, Wilson may not get enough credit. He gets criticized for holding on to the ball too long and taking too many sacks and sometimes not making the easy play. I will tell you, fellow 12s, if I had Wilson’s offensive line for the last few years, I am not only holding on to the ball too long, I am taking the snap and immediately running out of bounds.
Wilson should get credit for still having his sanity and health. Many quarterback wouldn’t. And to still get dissed after scoring every offensive touchdown but one for Seattle last season? Just be glad you don’t have Case Keenum or a multitude of other starting NFL quarterbacks under center for Seattle.
But a fair question is if Wilson is the best quarterback in his own division. Here is how the starters rank.
4: Whichever quarterback is starting for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona lost Carson Palmer this offseason. He retired. Palmer most likely will never make the Hall of Fame but he was, when healthy, a very good quarterback for most of his career. In his place Arizona will start Sam Bradford. Or Josh Rosen.
Bradford isn’t a bad quarterback. He has just never stayed healthy. And he probably won’t behind Arizona’s bad offensive line. Rosen is a brash rookie. Great for his confidence, but he will probably face a sad awakening. Rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle. Rosen will be no different.
3: Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Goff is third? Well, why not? Goff may be a very good quarterback for years in the NFL. He was pretty good in 2017. But he is not the difference between his team winning a Super Bowl or not. He could, though, between his team losing one or not.
Goff was a lot better in his second season than his first. But the Rams were much better because new coach Sean McVay knew how to better involve running back Todd Gurley. When Goff had to take the game over in the playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons last year, he couldn’t.
2: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Maybe it is too early to elevate Garoppolo to second place in the division. But the 49ers won their last five games for a reason. And that was that Garoppolo took over a struggling offense and eventually turned them into one that could put up a bunch of points against a great defense like the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Goff plays for a team that believes in itself because of the talent over the entire roster. The 49ers believe they can win because of Garoppolo. That is the difference between Garoppolo and Goff.
The best quarterback in the NFC West is still Russell Wilson
Why is Wilson the best? Because he is still the only quarterback in the division to win a playoff game, let alone win a Super Bowl. And Wilson has been to two championship games, having lost the one, of course.
Next: Seahawks need to sign Wilson to an extension now
It also comes down to this: Take Wilson and put him on any of the other teams in the division and they become better. Take any of the other potential starting quarterback in the NFC West and Seattle is worse. Wilson is the best quarterback in the division.