purpleneer":3bavg354 said:
I am flabbergasted at both the thought and the reasons behind it of the backup QB not mattering.
First, the idea that a backup can't even prevent one loss in the best of circumstances or that as little as one game can be worth caring about. It is especially appalling to see this sentiment from the fans of a franchise with such a history of using HFA to achieve all 3 of their Super Bowl appearances. Do people really think the Hawks don't have a win in their recent run that had a chance of happening with someone like Foles or Keenum? Have people not noticed that at least one loss might have been avoided by having a healthier Russ? Was Philly not widely considered dependent on Wentz?
Next, it doesn't surprise me to see/hear national media say something akin to Russ deserves all the credit for any Hawks success, but when Hawk fans say it (I confess to a big ego when it comes to football understanding and being judgmental) I feel for certain that they don't know what they're talking about. Even this past season included a win in which the offense benefited from 5 turnovers and still had no claim to say they even carried their weight; do people really think Russ played well in LA or there isn't a backup around who had a chance with this team in that game or against the 9ers, Giants, or Colts? Do people watch it all and say the good is all Russ and all the struggles are proof that nobody else on the team can play?
Nice post. I wholeheartedly agree, that while Russell Wilson has proven himself to be a valuable asset to his team, he is not the entire team, and when he’s having a bad day, he really has a bad day. Somehow, someway, even on those days, he sometimes manages to pull himself out of it and saves the day, but not without the heart and soul, belief, trust, and all out effort of the rest of the team.
I think one of Russell’s greatest detriments, is his believing half the exaggerated crap the NFL media talking heads have to say about him, and who try to paint him as a one man football team, who does it all himself. All wins are credited to him, all losses were the result of his teammates playing substandard football and letting him down.
I love Russell Wilson, I really do, his arrival in Seattle turned the Seahawks into the team I always dreamed and believed it could be. Mostly because of his belief in himself, and his full on belief that it was his destiny to lead this team to multiple Super Bowl Championships, and I for one believe he still will. He has matured, and “Thank God” finally pulled his head out of the heavenly clouds and gotten his feet back on the ground, long enough to once again, become of some earthly good.
I would love for Russell to put his team ahead of himself when he is having one of his totally suck days, and let his backup get us to the win, instead of riding his determination and belief he can win it, right down to the last loosing second left on the time clock. I guess he’s watched enough to know that if you do that too often in the NFL you can find yourself taking a backup to your own backup, if they happen to also be talented and capable as he is. That said is exactly why the Seahawks do need to secure a “real and fully capable backup Quarter Back, that is as good or even better than Russell is”.
I am a tried and true believer in Pete Carroll’s compete for your position philosophy, and it seems to prove itself out as a winning formula time and again, but with that said, as spectators we can all see that philosophy applies to most players and positions, but not all, and if you look back over the past couple of seasons, it’s those exceptions that have proven to work against us instead of for us.
I think the choices we make for our backup Quarterback is maybe more important to our success than any other position on our roster. A mediocre QB won’t lead us to the playoffs, or to a Super Bowl championship. It’s exactly why we need to fill this vacancy with a proven, fully capable QB like Colin Kaepernick, or what appears to be a fit as a Quarterback out of the draft, like for instance, Josh Allen, LMAO, bet no one saw that coming out my mouth, LOL. I’m probably totally out to lunch on my take on this prospect, but over the years I have found myself seeing a college player who I’m all but positive is a fit for the Seahawks, and that is what I see in Josh Allen. It’s not anything in particular, just the whole package.
Kind of like how I feel about the prospect of drafting, Shaquem Griffin, who has a contagious, infectious heart and soul determination and belief embedded in him, that no one can deny nor diminish, that I might add, is big enough to spread out across the entire Pacific Northwest, I have always maintained that the Seahawks are an emotionally fueled team, that thrives when its core spirit is fed by folks like Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, and personalities like them. I guess only time will tell, I for one “ Still Believe”! Sorry for straying a little off topic at the end.