From John Clayton's ESPN Mailbag today:
Q: All I want for Christmas is for ESPN and NFL analysts to admit Russell Wilson has had absolutely nothing to do with the success the Seahawks have been having the second half of the season. Their run, just like last year's, is being driven by a dominating defensive unit that has rounded into form and has nothing to do with Wilson. Earlier in the season, when the defense wasn't hitting on all cylinders and the Seahawks needed Wilson to pick them up with the offense, he didn't do it. He couldn't do it! They were a .500 football team, and everyone was saying they probably weren't even going to make the playoffs. That's because Wilson is not a franchise QB.
Scott in Minnesota
A: I couldn't disagree more. He's 35-12 as a regular-season starter and has a Super Bowl Ring. He and Marshawn Lynch carry this team. In three years, he has moved into the elite class of quarterbacks. You can't just look at the stats. He doesn't make many turnovers, and that is critical to the Seahawks' formula for success. He's worked behind an offensive line that has struggled for two years. More importantly, he keeps getting better. The Seahawks average 24.9 points a game. That's sixth best in the NFC. Without Wilson, the Seahawks would average around 18 points a game and be a seven- or eight-win team.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12073 ... as-cowboys
The same ignorant thinking that's happened with a lot of the national media (many of whom after 3 years and a SB win, have been forced to choke on the truth) to this day continues to be barfed up by opposing NFL fans.
I don't know if it's more a sign of the average fan being ignorant and stupid, blinded by fantasy football conditioning to see the qb position as "300+ yards a game = good qb". Or if it's just a whole lot of bitter, jealous fans of teams with lackluster qb's, who do not want to admit the guy their team (who likely still needs a franchise qb) passed on is any good. I mean, why else does this idiot (likely Vikings fan) feel the need to email John Clayton and demand Wilson be given zero credit for Seattle's success?
Most NFL fans who have one team that they follow above all others are incapable of truly gauging opposing teams. They simply do not pay as close attention to the every detail as they do their own. That and odds are their own homerism for their squad generally makes them pretty biased against perceived rivals/teams they're jealous of. I get all that. But there's something about Russell Wilson that really pushes the envelope in this regard. Be it the dumbification of the common fan thanks to fantasy football (personally, I think this is culprit #1), jealously, or pure ignorance. There's something that's causing your average fan to miss entirely just what makes #3 beyond special.
Maybe I shouldn't care. Maybe as a Seahawks fan, I should be more than happy having loser Vikings fans say such things, while my team is the best in the league, winning a title and going for more. Something tells me that Russell will never get the credit he's fully due until the Hawks win thanks to him and not the defense at all. That he'll have to win "New NFL" age 45-37 games like many of the teams in this league with good qb's and terrible defenses are forced to. That he'll get more credit if he starts throwing for 350 yards and game and multiple interceptions. The more I think about it, I actually think it bothers me more how stupid the common fan is becoming in today's stats obsessed fantasy football era.
Oh well, whatever. Let Scott in Minnesota enjoy his fantasy title. I'll gladly take another Hawks Super Bowl.
Go Hawks.
