There is little doubt that frustration had set in with Russell Wilson regarding the Seattle Seahawks, and one of his former teammates offered some telling insight about what might have bothered Wilson so much.
FOX commentator Greg Olsen, who played for the Seahawks in the 2020 season, said he had often been baffled by the coaching staff’s conservative offensive approach. Olsen felt that Wilson also shared those frustrations.
"It was like we were playing with a JV roster"@gregolsen88 tells @ColinCowherd why Russell Wilson wanted out of Seattle pic.twitter.com/3mhLkwE2BR
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“I never thought they had a personnel issue,” Olsen told “The Colin Cowherd Podcast”. “The conversations that I would have with the coaches, and the amount of pushback and the amount of questions that I would get in return, saying ‘We’re not sure if we can do this, I’m not sure if we can protect this.’ And I’d sit there scratching my head. It was like we were playing with a JV roster. It was like we were playing with a rookie undrafted quarterback.
“I just think the ideology there was always defense first, kicking game, punt the ball, field position, force turnovers, defensive-led, and then they’d hand the ball to Russ at the end of the game and say go be magic. I just think it was part of Russell’s frustration.”
The Seahawks certainly never had limited offensive personnel. In addition to Wilson, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett were consistently viewed as quality receivers. Giving Wilson more freedom and urging the Seahawks to “let Russ cook” became common refrains among fans, but coach Pete Carroll seemingly had a distaste for the idea.
There have been some claims that Wilson may have checked out last season. Olsen might argue that, rightly or wrongly, unimaginative gameplanning played a role in that.
Photo: Oct 4, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks on after defeating the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
