Russell Wilson | Larry Brown Sports

Darnell Dockett rags on Russell Wilson’s hair

January 27, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Most men in their mid-50s would kill for a head of hair like the one Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has. The 25-year-old has grown his locks out a bit over the course of the season, and he’s rocking a borderline jheri curl look right now. On Sunday, Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett made fun of Wilson for his hair.

“What the f—!!!!” Dockett wrote on Instagram alongside the photo you see above. “A head full of baby oil… I’m sleep (sic).”

We call that Super Bowl hair, Darnell. Quarterbacks who make it to the big game can pretty much wear their hair however they want. Wilson’s wife, who brought us one of the greatest moments in draft WAG history, must like it just fine.

H/T Jimmy Traina’s The Big Buzz

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Darnell Dockett, Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson asked Terry Bradshaw for advice on winning Super Bowl (Video)

January 23, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

In the moments after the Seattle Seahawks clinched a spot in Super Bowl XLVIII, Russell Wilson found himself standing next to one of the winningest quarterbacks in Super Bowl history. Terry Bradshaw, like Joe Montana, is a perfect 4-0 in Super Bowl starts. Wilson decided to take advantage of being in the presence of such wisdom.

“I’ve got a question for you,” Wilson said to Bradshaw. “What do we need to do to win it? What makes you win it?”

This, as they say, is sports porn. There’s a difference between pregame analysis on FOX Sports and a genuine one-on-one conversation between one of the game’s great young quarterbacks and an NFL legend. Fortunately, we were given a glimpse into the latter.

“You know what, you’ve got to be really cool,” Bradshaw told Wilson. “Don’t let the moment catch up with you. You’ve got to play the game down. If you build it up, you’ll screw it up and you won’t play well.

“It’s not just another game, believe me. But you can make it one. Just be cool.”

Awesome stuff. While it’s much easier said than done, Wilson should be able to take some pressure off himself by looking across the field. Peyton Manning has far more to lose than he does. If the Denver Broncos lose, people are going to be talking about how Manning was never a great playoff performer and has trouble winning the biggest games. If Seattle loses, Wilson is just a 25-year-old kid who will probably be back there some day.

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Russell Wilson, Terry Bradshaw

Russell Wilson taken by Rangers in Rule 5 baseball draft

December 12, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

If Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson has a sudden change of heart and decides playing quarterback for one of the best teams in the NFL just isn’t for him, he has a nice future lined up with the Texas Rangers. On Thursday, the Rangers selected Wilson in baseball’s Rule 5 draft.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, the Rule 5 draft allows teams to take minor leaguers who are not currently on 40-man rosters from other teams. Since Wilson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2010 and spent parts of two seasons in Class-A, he had the necessary amount of service time in the minor leagues to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

As Deadspin pointed out, the Rangers now owe the Rockies $12,000 and can keep Wilson on their Triple-A reserve list. Should he ever decide the pursuit of a Super Bowl is no longer the thrill he is looking for, Wilson can return to baseball and join the Rangers farm system.

Wilson played college baseball at NC State for three seasons and was taken in the fourth round of the MLB draft, so his baseball talent is obviously no joke. That being said, the Rangers likely selected him in the Rule 5 draft to get people like us to talk about it. If nothing else, they can now say Russell Wilson is connected to their organization.

Filed Under: Baseball, Featured Stories, Football, Headlines Tagged With: Russell Wilson, Texas Rangers

Michael Bennett poses as Russell Wilson to get table at restaurant

December 6, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Russell Wilson is one of the most popular people in Seattle, and he showed us why on Monday when he lit up the stat sheet with 310 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout win over the New Orleans Saints. Earlier this week, Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett used Wilson’s popularity to get something for himself.

During an interview with 710 ESPN radio, Bennett said he called a restaurant looking to get a table and let the hostess know that he was a defensive end for the Seahawks. He was told the restaurant was “all booked up.” That’s when Bennett decided to call back and pretend to be Wilson, again asking if there were any tables available.

“And she was like, ‘Yes! We can make a table for you! You were 22-for-30 the other night, 130 quarterback rating!’” Bennett recalled the hostess saying. “She knew every stat.”

Bennett is much larger than Wilson, has a beard and really doesn’t look anything like him. When he arrived at the restaurant with his family, there was no fooling anyone.

“I got to the restaurant with my wife and kids,” Bennett said. “I said, ‘Oh, thank you. I’m Russell Wilson.’ She was like, ‘Good joke.’ I said, ‘Gotcha.’”

Bennett said he and his family got the star treatment anyway with a roped-off table and sparkling water. Of course, the fancy ropes and fizzy water were for Wilson. I’m sure Bennett didn’t mind. After all, he did return a fumble for a touchdown against the Saints. He deserved some star treatment, too.

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Football Tagged With: Michael Bennett, Russell Wilson

Colin Kaepernick shaved eyebrow in great EA Sports marketing ploy

September 16, 2013 By Larry Brown 1 Comment

Colin Kaepernick “shaved” off one of his eyebrows after losing a bet to Russell Wilson over the Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers game on Sunday night, but it was all done as part of a brilliant marketing scheme by EA Sports.

Kaepernick and Wilson starred in a commercial over the offseason promoting EA Sports’ NFL video game Madden 25. While they made the commercial, they also recorded a bit where they bet each other an eyebrow on the outcome of the big NFC West game between their teams. The bet got tons of publicity during the week, but Wilson admitted on Softy Mahler’s radio show in Seattle that the bet wasn’t real. That didn’t stop EA Sports from releasing a video following the game of Kaepernick shaving off his eyebrow.

For those unfamiliar with how this sort of thing works, a company like EA will film two versions of the commercial — one with Kaepernick shaving the eyebrow and the other with Wilson doing it. Then they release the appropriate video based on the outcome of the game. You may recall that Reebok did the same thing with its Perfectville commercial after the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl in 2008. Here’s the alternate commercial.

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Colin Kaepernick, commercials, Russell Wilson

Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson bet: Loser shaves an eyebrow on Sunday

September 10, 2013 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks are facing off on Sunday in what should be a great game between two Super Bowl contenders. The question is, will more be on the line than early-season playoff position in the NFC West?

Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson recently starred in a commercial for Madden 25 together in which they make a friendly wager that the losing quarterback on Sunday has to shave an eyebrow off. My initial reaction is that it’s just a commercial and the two young stars would never do it, but then the message at the end of the 15-second clip popped up.

“See who loses an eyebrow after Sunday’s game.”

This is the NFL we’re talking about and one of the most popular video games of all time. You don’t have to create false wagers to get people to tune into the Seahawks-Niners game or buy a copy of the latest Madden, so could this be for real? I think I speak for everyone when I say that would be pretty lame if not.

UPDATE: Wilson addressed the commercial during a radio appearance and basically admitted no one will be shaving an eyebrow. Pansies.

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson denies asking Seahawks for new contract

January 22, 2013 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Russell Wilson is vehemently denying a report that said he asked the Seattle Seahawks for a new contract.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Chris Mortsenesen reported that a representative of Wilson told the Seahawks something had to be done about the rookie quarterback’s contract.

Wilson’s agent, Bus Cook, reportedly was “irate” over the report. He told NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport that the report was B.S.

Cook called the report B.S. because under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, players cannot address/alter their contracts until they have completed their first three seasons.

Wilson understands the CBA rules, and he told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King that he has not and will not ask the Seahawks for a new deal.

“I speak for myself, and I never demanded or asked for a restructured contract … I have complete understanding and respect for the new CBA rules … Anyone who knows me knows I play for the love of the game. I play for the challenge of being the best one day and know I have a long way to go.

“I respect the NFL, respect the new CBA, respect my teammates, respect all of the other players across the league, and respect the Seattle Seahawks,” Wilson told King.

Wilson was drafted in the third round by Seattle. Per Rotoworld, he signed a four-year, $2.198 million contract in May. The deal included a $619,472 signing bonus. He is scheduled to earn $526,217 in 2013, $662,434 in 2014, and $798,651 in 2015.

Wilson tied an NFL rookie record with 26 touchdown passes and set a rookie mark with a 100.0 passer rating. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes and threw for 3,118 yards with 10 interceptions while also rushing for 489 yards and four touchdowns in leading Seattle to an 11-5 record and playoff berth. In the postseason he threw for 572 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 127 yards and a score in two games, including the Seahawks’ first road playoff win since 1983, beating Washington in the wild-card round. He likely will be one of the biggest bargains in the league the next two seasons.

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks