Hall of Fame QB has brutal take on Russell Wilson
Aug 13, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) before the preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Russell Wilson has received ample criticism from a lot of places in 2022, but the latest assessment from one of his mentors might be one of the most harsh in its own way.
Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, who served as a Seahawks radio analyst for the first seven years of Wilson’s career there, said that Wilson was getting what he had always wanted now that he was in Denver: the chance to be a pocket passer. That, Moon said, is precisely why things are not working.
“Everybody wants to blame the coach,” Moon said, via Jason Cole of OutKick. “But this is what Russell wanted. He wanted to be a pocket quarterback. That’s what he has always wanted.
“(Seattle) wanted to have him in the pocket about 60 percent of the time and then move him around the rest. All that stuff about, ‘Let Russ cook’ is really him talking about wanting to be in the pocket all the time. He can’t do that. He’s too short. You have to get him out in space a lot of the time to he can see everything.”
Moon added that Wilson often talked about Drew Brees being one of his favorite quarterbacks, but that the Seahawks could not mimic what Brees’ Saints did because of how their roster was constructed.
“Saints also did a really good job of getting guards and a center who were good and could keep the pocket clean when (Brees) stepped up to throw. Seattle used Russell on read-option plays much of the time to keep Wilson moving around,” Moon said.
Moon is not wrong that the Broncos’ issues cannot be fully pinned on coaching. After all, coaching was not what made Wilson make a decision like this that directly contributed to one loss.
Wilson has had the Denver offense built around him. All that has led to is a team that is last in the NFL with 166 points scored, so Moon might have a point.