At 27-years-old, Russell Wilson already has two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory under his belt. He’s also been playing at an extremely high level over the past few weeks, prompting some to say Wilson is on the path to elite status. Browns head coach Mike Pettine doesn’t think the Seahawks quarterback is there yet, though.
Earlier this week, Pettine praised Wilson, but stopped short of putting him in the group that generally includes Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. As expected, that didn’t sit well around Seattle, in particular in the Seahawks locker room.
Michael Bennett, who is never shy about saying what’s on his mind, defended his quarterback during a radio interview and took a shot at Pettine at the same time.
“Obviously he’s not good at picking quarterbacks,” Bennett said on 710 ESPN. “Maybe he doesn’t know what elite is. I think that Russell Wilson is very elite. He’s been to two Super Bowls. It’s only his fourth year. I don’t think a lot of guys can say that.”
“There’s a lot of guys with a lot of passing yards that haven’t had any success and don’t even go to the playoffs, like Philip Rivers and guys like that. Drew Brees hasn’t been to the playoffs in two years. So Russell Wilson is definitely an elite quarterback, and he can lead a team. I think Russell Wilson has done a great job of proving that he is up there at the top tier of players.”
To this point in his career, Wilson hasn’t put up the numbers the quarterbacks generally labeled as elite have, in part, because the Seahawks don’t need him to. They’ve had among the better defenses in the league and an effective ground game led by Marshawn Lynch.
However, over his last four games, the numbers Wilson has accumulated have made people take notice. During that span, he’s completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,171 yards (292.75 per game) with 16 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Russell Wilson may not enter the “elite” conversation very often nationally, but to those within the Seahawks organization he fits the bill. And, I’m sure that suits Wilson just fine.
