Seahawks QB Russell Wilson makes cover of Sports Illustrated

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson headlines the cover story of Sports Illustrated.

For years now, Seattle Seahawks fans have been disgruntled on social media pondering why Russell Wilson doesn’t get enough respect around the league. Year after year, Wilson remains Mr. Consistent and yet, nothing is made out of it.

Yesterday, Sports Illustrated released its September 2020 sports issue and the cover story features our star quarterback: The Impossibilities of Russell Wilson.

For years now, Russell Wilson has been making the un-ordinary look quite ordinary. The author of the piece, Conor Orr, elaborates on how Wilson has never caught the attention of the league:

"Those close to him [Wilson] insist he’s long been crafting improvisational masterpieces while the rest of the football world remained enamored with the pocket quarterback elite. Then he sharpened his pocket game at a time when those same people starting obsessing over the mobility and theatrics of today’s young stars, as if they were something new–something we’d been missing all along."

You ever hear one of your hipster friends discuss one of their idles and state, “they were never appreciated in their time”? Well, Russell Wilson is the version of whatever idle they were discussing. Coming into the league with the Seahawks in 2012, Russell Wilson was overshadowed by a dominant defense, which many referred to as, “The Legion of Boom”. After the dissemination of the Legion of Boom, the NFL world was enamored with the athletic ability of Cam Newton, then the rocket arm of Patrick Mahomes and now, the new Michael Vick, Lamar Jackson.

Russell Wilson is unique in his preparation of the game. Not only does he focus on his physical training, but, he spends time on the mental side of things as well. Decker Davis, Wilson’s personal trainer is always developing plans that fit what Wilson wants to work on for that offseason. He has done a great job of assisting Wilson as he comes into every season in great shape and rarely gets injured. His mental conditioning coach, Trevor Moawad, has helped Wilson develop a “neutral” mindset. A mindset that entails being level headed; not focusing on the negative or the positive. It’s about staying in the moment and eliminating any negative thoughts/behaviors.

While there are many up and coming stars in this league, it is hard to ignore the greatness of Wilson. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, he is going to make the highlight reel nearly every week because no one has his escape ability. In the Sports Illustrated piece, Wilson touches upon the beauty in the making of a spectacular play:

"Me, I want to keep my eyes downfield. That’s the magic of it all, to be able to see these things as one big picture."

Wilson presents you with the mentality of an artist; painting with emotion and with an extraordinary amount of patience as the art slowly comes to formation. His ability to keep his eyes down field while also manipulating defenders rushing him is second to none. If you do not think so, check out this play he made against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football in 2017.

Keep in mind that it was rare for a quarterback to be under 5 feet 10 inches and make into in this league. Russell Wilson is the reason that they are now being drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft (Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield just to name a few).

Over the years, Wilson has displayed his smarts at the line of scrimmage; being able to pick up blitzes and making quick reads in doing so. But, the one ability he always will have in his back pocket if a play were to go wrong; his Houdini like ability.

One of the primary reasons as to why the Seahawks were 10-2 in one score games during the regular season is due to the play-making ability of Russell Wilson. When the game is on the line, he is willing to run with the ball, which causes more havoc for the defense. Russell epitomizes what a winner is, what a winner does when his team needs him and that a winner is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

It is hard to believe that Wilson has not received a single MVP vote in his career. To think that voters feel he is not worthy of a single vote should be criminal. As of late, Wilson has been receiving more respect from his peers. This offseason, he was voted as the #2 player on the NFL’s Top 100 player list.

Will this be the year Russell Wilson finally gets the respect he deserves?

According to CBSSports, Wilson has the third best odds of being this year’s MVP. His current odds sit at +800 only behind former MVP Lamar Jackson (+600), and former Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes (+350).

With DK Metcalf developing, Tyler Lockett coming into his own and the addition of Greg Olsen, Wilson has arguably his best supporting cast he’s seen in his career. Without a great supporting cast, he puts up MVP numbers. With this supporting cast, I expect Wilson to be nothing shy of DANGERUSS.