picks, and the contract that he got not long before the regular
season began Russell Wilson, mr. Unlimited has been limited
all week with his shoulder injury
and of course he's going to play. The question is, how will
it affect him? We haven't seen the best of him yet. We've seen
it in flashes, the drive against the 49ers, right? Where
they won the game. That's it. That's when it was old school.
Russ
running the ball. Climbing the pocket using his legs finding
a way to A to to be faster and more Nimble and agile than
the other guys around him. But for the most part, it's been
uninspiring for the
most part. These Broncos have not been what Broncos fans
demanded I remember in our initial Power Rankings, I had
them at 19 and
I was starting to be fearful that I was going to get a box
from somebody in the 303 area code that was maybe ticking.
They were not happy with me. So look to and to
squarely middle-of-the-pack teams.
I'm
on the bottom half of that middle of the pack. I would
say, they're not, they're not a great team right now, and they
have a lot of injuries going into this game Javonte Williams
out for the year. Melvin, Gordon takes over as the number
one. Tailback, they've got Mike Boone who I think, should
probably get plenty of
opportunities tonight, especially with Melvin. Yeah.
Fumbling the ball four times in four games, they picked up
latavius Murray from the Saints, practice squad as well,
good pickup. But they've just, they've just got to get
something going that makes us say.
This is why they gave up all that money and all those draft
picks to go get Russell Wilson because right now.
Sorry, Ross, but Geno Smith
looks a hell of a lot better than you do through four games
and I know there's 13 games to go, but so far quarter of
the Season, kind of
Geno Smith
making the Seahawks, look smart for Drawing the Line in
the Sand with Russell Wilson and saying, we're just not going to
continue this pay you franchise quarterback money because we
don't regard you as
Franchise quarterback
Seahawks so far have been Vindicated. Well yeah,
they have no doubt. I mean their offense has been more
explosive especially through the passing game explosive and
surgical you can say whatever you want consistent, anything
you want? I mean again you know
Gino Smith as I was trying to tell people write during
the preseason there's some real tangible skill to the guy we'll
see if it holds up but there's Talent there there is
and then he's putting it all together right now and tearing
people up. He what is the second rated quarterback and
football you know I know Rating doesn't say everything but it
says something and it tells you he's playing good football
as far as Russell Wilson's concern. Yeah, my coming. You
said it. They're not paying, you know, 40 North to 45
million dollars a year for the twenty first offense in
football. And, you know, a passing offense, that's
not good right now. That mean, then there's no consistency in
the passing game. Now, the now to me like they have a little
more hope than the Colts are potential.
We know their defense is really good. The Colts defense is good
too, but I As you know, more
dominating pie-making factors on the Denver Broncos defense
and for the Colts offense compared to the Broncos offense.
There's a I think at least more potential here to be had.
There's no doubt about that. We know they run the ball pretty
effectively. But like they have guys on the outside, where we
talked about the Colts, where
wait, there's nobody that scares you
and Matt Ryan's arm doesn't scare you
Russell still has a big arm
and then Jerry, Judy sudden, KJ Handler
and they're scary. I mean, they are, he is a big poster, cage
a Handler last week, just write down the football field but
the problem with with Russell right now is something that we've
talked about a lot, these plays right here, passes over
the middle are few and far
between and then Mike, here's my other issue because I really
watch this game thoroughly on Tuesday on film. You know,
if it's not one-on-one or the first read, like you saw right
there with that throw. Russell Wilson, doesn't complete any
passes other. That if it's not one-on-one down the sideline or
one-on-one shot ball for a post or hey,
I know that offense and it's rooted in a lot of Gruden,
Shanahan stuff, right? With with
with Nathaniel Hackett where I plays where I go, okay, this is
the first read. If he's not wide open, then nothing's going
to happen in the passing game. It's not he's not going to go
to the second, the third, the fourth receiver,
really? It's the second is he do though,
what does he do? If the first guy is not right, what's he
doing? He's like he Almost goes right down to the rush and
starts to look around and move and try to scramble and then
tries to throw a
short pass and really it's it's more than a handful of times in
every game. I've watched so far on film this year, Where I Come
Away Gan, there are six seven, eight, nine plays every game,
where I go, this place called for this coverage. You know,
these guys are open here. Yeah, the first guy might have not
been opened, but men to three and four wide open. What, what
exactly is he looking at? Why He pulled the trigger and do it
and there's a little of that where I'm sure he's still
getting used to the offense and
whatever else, but that to me is the concerning point where,
you know, we can look at the Colts and say, yeah, Matt
Ryan's getting old and the offense and lines not good
right now with the Broncos. I don't say those things. I just
go Russell's, not
playing very good period, there's plagues and completions
to be had and they're having to basically run the ball and just
hope he can make a play every now. And then right now instead
of running a
Instant offense that can pick you apart like a
47 million, dollar-a-year quarterback should.
And I take no pleasure in this whatsoever because I made no
prediction about what was going to happen. Yeah. Point that we
made all along is that Russell Wilson wanted. He wanted to be
the straw that stirs. The drink, he wanted to be Mahomes,
he wanted
to be Josh Allen, he wanted to be Aaron Rodgers
and the Seahawks never viewed in that way, the Seahawks who
knew him better than anyone in the NFL ever would or could
made the assessment. We're not going to set this thing up to
run through you. That's where let Russ Cook came from
two years ago when they were great early in the season,
oh, he's never had an MVP vote this year. He may get all of
them and then it all fell apart because the defense has started
to adjust and they couldn't pivot when they started to take
away whatever they had cooked up in the offseason to allow
allow Ross to cook. I remember being told ya, if Russ if rust,
they don't let Russ cookies going to go find a different
kitchen.
And he did that leads me to another Point. Chris. Yes,
after that 2020 season that we saw miserable. Russ watching.
Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl. Fifty five.
Right, we started to hear,
Russ talk about his unhappiness, with certain
things in Seattle.
And then came the very memorable
exchange between his Agent. Mark Rogers
and Chef T. Hey Roger says
my client wants to stay with the Seahawks however, in
the event that he To be traded, he would believe a straight trade
no-trade clause for the unprecedented unprecedented
the
Bears. Raiders Cowboys,
saints Saints. And I mentioned the Saints for one very
important reason. Yeah, 42,
number one, the former Saints coach Sean, Payton is
available. So you better mind your p's and q's there anything
you'll hack it. Secondly
Peyton was on with Colin Cowherd earlier this week,
right? And they asked Peyton what he would do with Russell
Wilson, let me hear, the said was yeah, he
She said, he said, first
I'd want to cut up of all of Russell's pass plays of 30 or
more yards from the field. I'd want to know, I'd want to see
are there schemes that he's more comfortable? With,
I know they did a great job in Seattle of bringing him off of
a naked bootleg and then pulling up. And we all saw that
throwback to Tyler Lockett 60 yards in the air. I'd want to
see all those plays. Then I'd want
a look at another
film of his Red Zone. Touchdown passes inside the 20. All of
his Red Zone. Touchdown passes inside the Honey, so I'm asking
my assistants,
give me his Greatest Hits. And then we have to make sure we've
got the same song lyrics available in our offense.
That's what Sean Payton would be doing right now. Basically,
the best of the best that worked in Seattle.
We got to get that into our offense in Denver because it's
currently not there.
It's 100% And I want to get to this because it is, I mean, it
isn't, it's an interesting thing, there's no doubt about
it. And it's something like I, that's what I said. Similarly,
at the end of my notes with this, where I basically said,
like
the the The Seattle. I mean that's how the Denver Broncos.
Yeah, it's a little concerning. Like we've talked about with
the lack of offense so it is,
you know, I mean again
we know Week 1, the second half, it was good
week to write the Houston Texans, who were not ready to
write home with to say, hey, that's one of the best evils of
football. In fact, it's one of the worst. They couldn't throw
the football
week 3. The 49ers good defense,
still, couldn't throw the football,
but then there's last week to
and the Raiders again. Another Divas nothing to write home.
And, and, you know, they had, favorable field position
the whole game.
And it's just too spotty and to what Sean Payton sang. And one
of the things I wrote to sum up kind of my two pages of notes
on
the Broncos offense was
way either Russell's got to start playing better
and understanding the offense and
really get into the intricacies of,
you know, knowing and trusting the offense and going through
the Reeds and wait and all he's someplace. He's on the wrong
side of the field where I go? Wait no one.
This coverage, you got to be over here, you can't be over
there and I'll get I know this is a learning process, but
I said either he's going to get better and Trust the offense
and read it and playing the pocket the right way without
looking
around and doing that at the first, guys, that open or to
Sean Payton's point. They got to devise a system of just
one-on-one ball on the outside and take shots down the field.
That's really what it is. I mean, it's got to be one of the
other and I don't know where it goes. I don't think it's going
to be truly realistic to do the latter part that I'm saying.
Here, one-on-one shots and just shots down the field to devise
a whole offense around that
well, but but at the very least, it's disappointing right now.
And we just talked about Matt Ryan,
the third were scoring offense and footballs the Denver
Broncos with Russell Wilson. What there are one of the worst
if not the worst
with first downs
and all of football
they're there they are third elastin football.
I mean that's just it's unacceptable
with one the coaching they They have their in the offense and
the offense is good. I don't look at that offense. Mike and
go. Oh wow, it doesn't give you any answers.
I mean, it's he Nathaniel Hackett it, you know, you could
say what he wants and I know he's made his mistakes, it's
not a stupid or bad
offense and then, you know,
and so I look at that and then you go to the talent like we're
talking about. Mike, can you go whether there's Talent? No,
they got matchup issues there. They should not be where
they're at, and I'm never one to just sit here and go
quarterback,
quarterback quarterback. But this is one where
it's a lot quarterback. It
As for what you're paying and what you're expecting from this
kind of guy who like you said, wanted this type of you know,
Challenge.
And here's the most important point I believe, right? We were
led to believe throughout the offseason, whatever Nathaniel
hack it would speak on this topic. They were constructing
an offense specifically for right. Russell Wilson. Yeah,
accentuate the positive eliminate the negative, do
the things he does. Well,
do you get the impression they've done that? And if they
haven't done that, it It's like, they haven't done that.
Why haven't they done that? Did they may be realize,
this guy's in the guy to build an offense around, we just need
to plug them into our offense because it feels like they're
just plugging him into the offense rather than building
the offense around him. Well I know I think they are
building it around him to a degree but there is still just
certain situations where you got to be able to run
the offense and do that and where where I would believe
the disconnect happened. And I've heard this, you know,
even from people in Seattle over the years where
You know practice we get this coverage and he throws it and
does it makes the aggressive play and and goes to the right
spot but for whatever reason, when you get in the game things
change a little bit. So you think oh wait, he's got this,
he's comfortable,
he's good here. And then the game comes around and there's
a little reluctancy to pull the trigger on a consistent basis.
He's a shorter quarterback. So you're going to have issues
with out
like we've talked about and
you know, there's a little bit more Rush watching that goes on
and I think that's where they're kind of figuring out
weight. The okay. Wait, we got to figure out the he played he
practices like this when he plays like this. So we got to
kind of find the middle here
but like with the outside, they're trying to find shots to
take down the field. They are, you know, but but teams of
course, are a little ready for it because they know that's
like the one thing right now and they're passing offense
that can hurt you, right?
Is that so they're going,
wait, when they get one of these running sets and it looks
like they might run power Football. Let's be a little
safe here because could be the play-action Courtland Sutton
Post down the middle, right? So teams are a little Ready for
it. And then
they are trying to throw the ball outside
and make things good for him.
But I did a play on social media yesterday and there was
probably six, seven, eight, more plays that I could have
shown in the Raider game alone to where I'd go.
There's guys here open outside the numbers
and we're just not getting there as an offense or Russell
Wilson and that that to me is, you know, that I'm putting more
on him than Nathaniel Hackett is when I'm telling you,
I guess basically, yes.
We choosing my words here. Careful. Yeah.
We saw last Thursday night that Richard Sherman, who has a long
history of hating Thursday night football because it
requires players to play with limited opportunity to rest and
recover.
Oh, now he's think it's
not, not delve into his his true feelings because he's
sitting at the desk collecting. A check from Thursday Night
Football.
I'll let others decide whether and to what extent that's
hypocritical second.
Yeah, he don't like Russell Wilson, he gets a chance to
crap on Russell Wilson tonight and I've seen some of it on
Peter suddenly
and he has a podcast and
he was going in on Russ after the weak one game saying that,
hey, Peyton Manning would have called a time out there amid
all that confusion in the game against the Seahawks. I just
I wonder
how much they're going to T.
Richard. Sherman up tonight. Yeah,
to go after the deficiencies in Russell, Wilson's, play. Even
if it's just a conversation, like, we're having. Yeah,
right. Well, he do that. Well, he shy away from it. Let's see.
Let's see.
Very big on reacting to criticism by saying, let's have
a face-to-face conversation with that implicit
intimidation. I mean, Richard, we're adults here, we know what
you mean? When you suggest, let's talk about
a face-to-face, you want to intimidate people
with your presence. I get it.
Let's see what happens tonight when he's face-to-face with
a camera, let's see what he says about Russell Wilson, very
curious. So I can see that happen that plays out
Fitzpatrick is going to break it down. I mean, he will do
where I, you know I would imagine this conversation
happens a little bit but you're right. It's going to
be interesting to see how delicate.
Ellicott or you know how deep they go into the subject but
you know usually fits is pretty good about finding
you know the right theme with the quarterback and maybe what
we're missing or talking about or whatever that way. And you
know I wouldn't be shocked to see him show a few of these
plays I'm talking about and then
now hey hey Richard Sherman, what do you think? And then he
goes off. So that that'll definitely got me tuned in
the pregame tonight. On Amazon Count Me In those numbers back.
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