I dont think the issues with Wilson are at all complex.
He's a little bit of a narcissist (maybe a bit more than a little).
He's always been in a mode where he's had to prove his detractors wrong.
He's never been effective at reading defenses.
He's never been able to effectively see the entire field.
To the above point, if he could read defenses and better anticipate where defenders might be, like Brees, his stature would be less an issue. That's not the case.
Folks point to Ciara as being the fly in the chaste ointment that was Russ. I say BS. Russ was always who he is. He just gradually became more empowered to be that dude when all of the checks that would keep his ego at bay were removed. Namely, any player who would openly criticize him. Pete clipped away all of the questioning voices that then allowed Russ to explode into an unchecked, worse version of himself who was emboldened by a coach that backed him and allowed him to play his version of football, often at the expense of the team. Ciara just happened to come along while he was going to the Darkside.
But when Russ pulled out wins playing Russ ball, rather than being gifted with humility at the awareness that we were winning, but not in a sustainable way and having to 'come back' in games often BECAUSE of him, he went 'full wilson',, drunk off the accolades of the media who only looked as deep as the highlights, and doubled down on who and what he was. And there was NO ONE to question him. And in that, he warped his own sense of himself into thinking he actually was capable of being this Uber pocket passer when he wasn't and will never be.
The Wilson you see now is 33 years in the making. It's a reaction to being told you can't succeed, by opponents, by critics, and even by your teammates. The thing that made Russ great is the same thing that's bringing him down. He had to believe in himself and dedicate himself to what he COULD do on the field. He mastered that and was in a system that allowed him to maximize what he was in Seattle. But that same ability so shut out detractors, look inside and win with what got you there has also blinded him to positive criticism that years ago might have helped him to develop as a passer. Now at 33... its not going to happen. Instead of ever really humbling himself to listen to those who could help him improve, it's obvious he shut them out in favor of being able to prove he could do it his way and succeed. That's why you started hearing all the ' I KNOW I'm great ' talk from him. What person who's truly great at anything ever says 'I know I'm great'. He was saying that in the moment his greatness was questioned by those around him who knew better. You were seeing him express outwardly the battle he was fighting himself, internally. But rather than commit himself to improving, he just wove a mirage around himself of being the uber professional... hardest working, best prepared, most chaste...
CLASSIC Narcissist.
BUT I have to think that maybe now, he's seeing the error. Everytime he drops back and there's a wr open that he's too slow to hit... everytime he drops back and gets pummeled because there was an adjustment at the line that he should have made... everytime he scrambles around and realizes Tyler and ADB aren't there to break off their routes (routes that actually worked) so that they could be in a spot he might find them... and instead, sees wrs looking at him with a 'wtf' expression on their faces, he HAS to feel it.
Then again, the hallmark of the narcissist is that it's ALWAYS someone else's fault.
So maybe not.
Hopefully Ciara can talk some sense into him, because none of his 'Yes Men' will.
