Rams

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Russel has done too many amazing things for this team for me to give up on him, but he’s a $20 million quarterback, and, by his own words, excuses are for people that make them. I haven’t heard him make any excuses, but my point is that this distraction or this problem or what have you are just noise for Wilson. He needs to tune it all out and get back to playing the football we know and he knows he can. I mean, that 1st pick was just atrocious especially when he had green space for days in front of him.

[NorthHawk]

Of our first 6 wins, 5 were against teams with losing records. Only the Dolphins (who'd have thought!) have a winning record.
We've lost to good teams in Cards, Bills, and Rams - even if their records don't look earth shattering.

[obiken]

Right I agree. However NH, Carson was out for all those games. We have no identity without RW, what do we do well without him. Penny is a bust, cover Metcalf you got no one, Rams had 3 guys out and their OL is better than ours healthy. Wagner is spent, the Boom is gone, and Cover 3 is old news. We gave up the farm for Jamal Adams but he is just a safety. IF RW was to go down for a whole year, would we not be the Jets, or the Giants at best??

[RiverDog]

Of our first 6 wins, 5 were against teams with losing records. Only the Dolphins (who'd have thought!) have a winning record.
We've lost to good teams in Cards, Bills, and Rams - even if their records don't look earth shattering.

You can make that argument about a lot of teams. Take the Packers for example. Only one of their 7 wins have come against a .500 team. The only team the Saints have beaten with a .500 record have been the Bucs (they beat them twice). Only 2 of the Chiefs 8 wins have come against .500 teams.

[TriCitySam]

I've read he has a lot of personal advisers, trainers, etc. Maybe he has too many people in his ear (like Jake Heaps telling him to cook and saying publicly the team needs to let him cook or "Russ isn't going to be happy"). He has been off on his throws, missed a couple deep ones yesterday.

[mykc14]

Russel has done too many amazing things for this team for me to give up on him, but he’s a $20 million quarterback, and, by his own words, excuses are for people that make them. I haven’t heard him make any excuses, but my point is that this distraction or this problem or what have you are just noise for Wilson. He needs to tune it all out and get back to playing the football we know and he knows he can. I mean, that 1st pick was just atrocious especially when he had green space for days in front of him.

He's actually a $35 million quarterback. I doubt he has any mental distractions outside of football that are bothering him. He's gone through a lot in his life without it affecting his game.

[mykc14]

If we are talking about "what's wrong with Russ" then I would argue that there are many issues. I would say he is pressing. I would also say we have no threat of a running game without Carson or Hyde and that is hurting our offense in general. It is also possible that teams are taking away his strength- the deep ball. Teams are just not letting DK or Lockette get behind them. They need a possession receiver. Right now it feels like it is Greg Olsen, but really Josh Gordon would be a perfect fit for us. I also think he is getting a little confused at the LOS for whatever reason. To me it started in the second half of the Cards game. They mixed up their look and the Hawks had no real answer. RW looked bad, he looked confused. I don't think the team has made an adjustment since then. One reason could be that it is hard without a legitimate running game. Finally he has been hit a lot. He may have some sort of nagging injury. They didn't call a running play for him last week, which is something they have done in previous games. The amount he has been hit could also cause him to be 'seeing ghosts' to a certain extent as well. Most of that stuff can be fixed: RW needs to move past the MVP and TD record talk. The Carson needs to get healthy. They need to scheme to get DK the ball earlier against those 'shut down' corners. Make them tackle him. He's a big man that is hard to bring down. Smoke/Bubble Screens etc... I see teams playing him 9-10 yards off sometimes, that should be an automatic 'NOW' route (turn and throw- quick hitch look). Lastly, they need to figure out those defensive looks. The Hawks upfront have been fooled way too much. Too many unblocked rushers, RW making the wrong read on the snap etc...

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

And maybe he doesn’t have any distractions, but, regardless, he isn’t playing like a $35 million QB. Some of his picks are flat out bone headed. Whatever his issues are, he’s got 35 million reasons why he should fix them.

[Hawktawk]

Not having a big time run threat like Carson who is as good as anyone when healthy is huge. He's also a load as a pass blocker and that's led to some huge sacks including the one a week ago where he got knocked silly on a blindside hit where the back didn't even block the guy a bit. Someone suggested on this forum Russ may have suffered a concussion on that hit due to the way he played the rest of that game. Either way Russ seldom stinks it up 2 weeks in a row but this was as unquestionably bad a performance as I remember since Russ has been a mature veteran QB. My curiosity is whether he is hurting. Did he get his bell rung bad and he's hiding it? Is he god forbid having to use pain medications that affect his play? Something is just too far off from weeks 1-5 to now to chalk it all up to scheme breakdowns etc. He's not the same player right now and its shocking after the last 9 years watching the guy do ninja stuff.I chalked up the AZ game to a fluke as he threw 3 TD passes, just a bad day and the next week vs the 9ers is as good as I've ever seen him play then 7 turnovers and 2 TD passes in the last 2 games. Far and away more turnovers than anyone in the last 4 weeks.Its mystifying.

He should be ready to rip Thursday cause he's getting dressed down in sports media today. Another bad performance and it will become a torrent.

[obiken]

Not having a big time run threat like Carson who is as good as anyone when healthy is huge. He's also a load as a pass blocker and that's led to some huge sacks including the one a week ago where he got knocked silly on a blindside hit where the back didn't even block the guy a bit. Someone suggested on this forum Russ may have suffered a concussion on that hit due to the way he played the rest of that game. Either way Russ seldom stinks it up 2 weeks in a row but this was as unquestionably bad a performance as I remember since Russ has been a mature veteran QB. My curiosity is whether he is hurting. Did he get his bell rung bad and he's hiding it? Is he god forbid having to use pain medications that affect his play? Something is just too far off from weeks 1-5 to now to chalk it all up to scheme breakdowns etc. He's not the same player right now and its shocking after the last 9 years watching the guy do ninja stuff.I chalked up the AZ game to a fluke as he threw 3 TD passes, just a bad day and the next week vs the 9ers is as good as I've ever seen him play then 7 turnovers and 2 TD passes in the last 2 games. Far and away more turnovers than anyone in the last 4 weeks.Its mystifying.

He should be ready to rip Thursday cause he's getting dressed down in sports media today. Another bad performance and it will become a torrent.

No question, but no QB can do it all by himself. I dont think CC plays. My Fear is Russ starts to take more heat, both verbal and physical, and he is not the long term problem. Unlike LA, KC, or Pitts, How many games would we win without him? 0

[Hawktawk]

Carson is described as probable, quote was he definitely will play. They are a different team with him in there.

[RiverDog]

Not having a big time run threat like Carson who is as good as anyone when healthy is huge. He's also a load as a pass blocker and that's led to some huge sacks including the one a week ago where he got knocked silly on a blindside hit where the back didn't even block the guy a bit. Someone suggested on this forum Russ may have suffered a concussion on that hit due to the way he played the rest of that game. Either way Russ seldom stinks it up 2 weeks in a row but this was as unquestionably bad a performance as I remember since Russ has been a mature veteran QB. My curiosity is whether he is hurting. Did he get his bell rung bad and he's hiding it? Is he god forbid having to use pain medications that affect his play? Something is just too far off from weeks 1-5 to now to chalk it all up to scheme brehaakdowns etc. He's not the same player right now and its shocking after the last 9 years watching the guy do ninja stuff.I chalked up the AZ game to a fluke as he threw 3 TD passes, just a bad day and the next week vs the 9ers is as good as I've ever seen him play then 7 turnovers and 2 TD passes in the last 2 games. Far and away more turnovers than anyone in the last 4 weeks.Its mystifying.

He should be ready to rip Thursday cause he's getting dressed down in sports media today. Another bad performance and it will become a torrent.

Carson's availability unquestionably has had a negative effect on Russell's QB rating. So did not having Pocic. But in my view, that isn't the problem so much as it has been his decision making and his not being mentally in the game. Russell had a wide open field yet chose to throw an on the run, across his body pass to a covered receiver in the end zone. He lost track of the play clock in a critical 3rd down, did a hook slide during a 2 minute drill instead of going out of bounds, got called for a grounding penalty. Those are, in my opinion, the more concerning problems as they indicate a lack of concentration, and that's never been a problem for Russell.

[RiverDog]

If we are talking about "what's wrong with Russ" then I would argue that there are many issues. I would say he is pressing. I would also say we have no threat of a running game without Carson or Hyde and that is hurting our offense in general. It is also possible that teams are taking away his strength- the deep ball. Teams are just not letting DK or Lockette get behind them. They need a possession receiver. Right now it feels like it is Greg Olsen, but really Josh Gordon would be a perfect fit for us. I also think he is getting a little confused at the LOS for whatever reason. To me it started in the second half of the Cards game. They mixed up their look and the Hawks had no real answer. RW looked bad, he looked confused. I don't think the team has made an adjustment since then. One reason could be that it is hard without a legitimate running game. Finally he has been hit a lot. He may have some sort of nagging injury. They didn't call a running play for him last week, which is something they have done in previous games. The amount he has been hit could also cause him to be 'seeing ghosts' to a certain extent as well. Most of that stuff can be fixed: RW needs to move past the MVP and TD record talk. The Carson needs to get healthy. They need to scheme to get DK the ball earlier against those 'shut down' corners. Make them tackle him. He's a big man that is hard to bring down. Smoke/Bubble Screens etc... I see teams playing him 9-10 yards off sometimes, that should be an automatic 'NOW' route (turn and throw- quick hitch look). Lastly, they need to figure out those defensive looks. The Hawks upfront have been fooled way too much. Too many unblocked rushers, RW making the wrong read on the snap etc...

As I mentioned to Hawktalk, not having a running threat or having a nagging injury isn't going to account for some of the things we saw Russell doing yesterday. For whatever reason, he was making mental mistakes one doesn't expect from a veteran quarterback.

[trents]

In a way, it might be a blessing in disguise. I'd much rather hit a slump and have these issues about Russell surface now than in December or January.
There's plenty of time for him and the rest of the team to get the ship righted.

This.

We forget sometimes about the ups and downs of a long NFL season and also about the huge part injuries play in how a team performs. Some teams start strong but finish weak. Some teams start bad but steadily improve during the season. Look at Miami and Tampa Bay. Some teams slump in mid season but pull it together towards the end, hitting on all cylinders going into the playoffs.

A commentator had an astute observation on Saturday I believe. He noted that D.K. is a straight line receiver who succeeds with speed and physicality. He's not a good short and intermediate route runner who can stop on a dime and change directions sharply like say, Julian Edleman. So when D.K. is up against a taller and just as fast defender all day like he was with Jalen Ramsey yesterday he may struggle. And we have allowed our offense to revolve too much around the big play strike from Wilson to D.K. What happens when we run up against a team that can take that away? That's when we need a running game. And we had only one healthy back yesterday who last week was on the practice squad. There are some practical reasons why we have been struggling lately. It's not just that Hawks are making mistakes and screwing up.

[mykc14]

Carson's availability unquestionably has had a negative effect on Russell's QB rating. So did not having Pocic. But in my view, that isn't the problem so much as it has been his decision making and his not being mentally in the game. Russell had a wide open field yet chose to throw an on the run, across his body pass to a covered receiver in the end zone. He lost track of the play clock in a critical 3rd down, did a hook slide during a 2 minute drill instead of going out of bounds, got called for a grounding penalty. Those are, in my opinion, the more concerning problems as they indicate a lack of concentration, and that's never been a problem for Russell.

Yeah, I would say those are concerning. I saw what you did. Obviously I have no idea what is going on in his head but that INT seemed like he was trying to do too much. I feel like he was pressing. The play clock was very frustrating, especially because it directly led to the 2nd pick, I think. They were taking their sweet time in the huddle. I feel like he probably got the play call late, but there was no urgency. The hook slide in the 2 minute drill was a head scratcher as well. Watching that live I was thinking maybe RW felt like he couldn't make it out of bounds and it was better to slide and get lined up again quickly than try to make it out of bounds and lose time there, but who knows for sure. The intentional grounding shows a complete lack of awareness. He had a flat receiver whose head he could have thrown it over for no penalty. It's something I teach my HS QB's early on. Know where your check-down are and if you're ever in trouble throw it in their direction 10 feet over their head. I don't know if it's a lack of concentration or not, but I do think he does get confused pre-snap sometimes, at least more than he should. You don't see that happening to the truly elite veteran QB's, but you can usually tell when it happens to RW. He gets the snap and then realizes he made a mistake and tucks into a ball.. or completely gets blind-sided. My only thought is that maybe because this is the first time the Hawks have been this pass heavy he is seeing defenses that he hasn't typically seen and he's going through an adjustment period. Hopefully he makes the adjustment and figures out how to beat the blitz because he is getting blitzed a lot in the last few games and he certainly will again this Thursday.

[RiverDog]

Yeah, I would say those are concerning. I saw what you did. Obviously I have no idea what is going on in his head but that INT seemed like he was trying to do too much. I feel like he was pressing. The play clock was very frustrating, especially because it directly led to the 2nd pick, I think. They were taking their sweet time in the huddle. I feel like he probably got the play call late, but there was no urgency. The hook slide in the 2 minute drill was a head scratcher as well. Watching that live I was thinking maybe RW felt like he couldn't make it out of bounds and it was better to slide and get lined up again quickly than try to make it out of bounds and lose time there, but who knows for sure. The intentional grounding shows a complete lack of awareness. He had a flat receiver whose head he could have thrown it over for no penalty. It's something I teach my HS QB's early on. Know where your check-down are and if you're ever in trouble throw it in their direction 10 feet over their head. I don't know if it's a lack of concentration or not, but I do think he does get confused pre-snap sometimes, at least more than he should. You don't see that happening to the truly elite veteran QB's, but you can usually tell when it happens to RW. He gets the snap and then realizes he made a mistake and tucks into a ball.. or completely gets blind-sided. My only thought is that maybe because this is the first time the Hawks have been this pass heavy he is seeing defenses that he hasn't typically seen and he's going through an adjustment period. Hopefully he makes the adjustment and figures out how to beat the blitz because he is getting blitzed a lot in the last few games and he certainly will again this Thursday.

I don't think that we can attribute Russell's first interception, the one where he was scrambling towards the end zone, to trying to do too much. It came after we had scored twice in our first three drives and it was a 2nd and 5 at the Rams 22 right after we had come up with a turnover. There shouldn't have been any pressure on him to make something happen. If any of the turnovers were due to his trying to do too much, the 2nd interception in the 4th quarter when we were trailing by two scores and hadn't scored since the first half would seem to make more sense.

We might be over analyzing this problem with Russell. Defensively the Rams played a whale of a game against us, particularly their secondary. Giving up just one TD, that being on our first drive, and keeping us under 250 passing yards is a remarkable feat. They matched up very well against our receivers. The good news is that we won't have long to dwell on it.

[Aseahawkfan]

It appears Russ can't get it done very well without some kind of run game. Our type of offense doesn't seem to work very well without a run game. Hard to take those deep plays without making the secondary key on the run. We should be adapting to a West Coast short passing game with no run game, but we never seem to adapt fast enough to the fact that our run game is non-existent.

We know how the play action pass system works. It only works well with a run game. You basically get a run game going forcing the safeties and LBs to focus on the run opening up mismatches against our receivers deep. You can't do that when you're run game isn't going.

So we should be switching to more of a West Coast short passing game to move the ball without a run game. But we don't have an OC for that, so we're kind of stuck right now until our run game gets going again.

[Hawktawk]

One unsung thing about Carson is what a reliable receiver he was out of the backfield. He had several of Russes TDs before being injured. There's not a check down option right now but it still doesn't excuse the mistakes. The across the body no look Mahomes fail pick when he literally had 20 yards of real estate open in front is not Russ. The last one he threw targeting the aging well covered Olsen he had DK uncovered on a drag route 5 yards behind him and with DKs athleticism he might have put his right foot in the turf and housed that. Wilson was off mentally.Even the free play on the offsides was a pick thrown into coverage underneath when Russells MO is always throw it up top on a free play.

He was not even his normal cheerleader self on the sidelines in a game they only lost by 7.

Problems at home? Concussed?
I hope good Russ shows up Thursday because we will need him.

[RiverDog]

One unsung thing about Carson is what a reliable receiver he was out of the backfield. He had several of Russes TDs before being injured. There's not a check down option right now but it still doesn't excuse the mistakes. The across the body no look Mahomes fail pick when he literally had 20 yards of real estate open in front is not Russ. The last one he threw targeting the aging well covered Olsen he had DK uncovered on a drag route 5 yards behind him and with DKs athleticism he might have put his right foot in the turf and housed that. Wilson was off mentally.Even the free play on the offsides was a pick thrown into coverage underneath when Russells MO is always throw it up top on a free play.

He was not even his normal cheerleader self on the sidelines in a game they only lost by 7.

Problems at home? Concussed?
I hope good Russ shows up Thursday because we will need him.

Yeah, you're not alone. Every poster in the forum saw the same thing. I'm sure that I won't be the only one that will be keeping an eye on Russell this Thursday to see how he responds. Hopefully it's just an anomaly, something that every human being goes through from time to time.

Carson didn't practice yesterday, so it's unlikely he'll be active for Thursday. Carlos Hyde did practice, but was limited. Russell's going to have to do it on his own again. I couldn't find anything on Pocic's status, but I assume he'll play.

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/footb ... -with-dnp/

[NorthHawk]

Pocic didn't practice and neither did Fuller, so it might be Jones that starts at Center.

[mykc14]

I don't think that we can attribute Russell's first interception, the one where he was scrambling towards the end zone, to trying to do too much. It came after we had scored twice in our first three drives and it was a 2nd and 5 at the Rams 22 right after we had come up with a turnover. There shouldn't have been any pressure on him to make something happen.

We might be over analyzing this problem with Russell. Defensively the Rams played a whale of a game against us, particularly their secondary. Giving up just one TD, that being on our first drive, and keeping us under 250 passing yards is a remarkable feat. They matched up very well against our receivers. The good news is that we won't have long to dwell on it.

I don't mean he's pressing based on the in game situation. I think he is pressing because he knows he has to carry this team. He knows they have to score 35-45 points a game to win (which was true before Sunday). I also think the MVP and TD record talk have him pressing. Obviously I could be way off base here, but that is the only thing that really makes sense besides the fact that maybe he's getting different looks that he's not used to based on how much they are passing. We are at a 65-35 (roughly) pass-run split. That is by far the worst split in the PC era. If you look at the top ten passing teams in the NFL (based on percentage of plays that are passes) you have Chicago, Jacksonville, Philly, Washington, Dallas, Cincy, SEATTLE, Houston, Tampa Bay, Denver... If you look at the top 15 teams in that stat only 4 have winning records (Hawks, Bills, Tampa, and Chiefs). Before Carson injury we were closer to a 60-40 split. That is where we need to be against good teams. We need to stop falling behind early and we need to get Carson back!

[RiverDog]

Pocic didn't practice and neither did Fuller, so it might be Jones that starts at Center.

Ugh. That's not good.

[RiverDog]

I don't mean he's pressing based on the in game situation. I think he is pressing because he knows he has to carry this team. He knows they have to score 35-45 points a game to win (which was true before Sunday). I also think the MVP and TD record talk have him pressing. Obviously I could be way off base here, but that is the only thing that really makes sense besides the fact that maybe he's getting different looks that he's not used to based on how much they are passing. We are at a 65-35 (roughly) pass-run split. That is by far the worst split in the PC era. If you look at the top ten passing teams in the NFL (based on percentage of plays that are passes) you have Chicago, Jacksonville, Philly, Washington, Dallas, Cincy, SEATTLE, Houston, Tampa Bay, Denver... If you look at the top 15 teams in that stat only 4 have winning records (Hawks, Bills, Tampa, and Chiefs). Before Carson injury we were closer to a 60-40 split. That is where we need to be against good teams. We need to stop falling behind early and we need to get Carson back!

I see what you're saying, and I agree about Russell pressing.

Good point about our run/pass ratio. I'm sure it's one of the major reasons why we've seen Russell's QB rating plummet.

[mykc14]

Pocic didn't practice and neither did Fuller, so it might be Jones that starts at Center.

We won't know about Pocic until tomorrow probably. Concussions are tough and we don't know what day he last had symptoms. Him not practicing could be just where he is on the concussion protocol. They have to go through certain steps on consecutive days with no symptoms to eventually be cleared. I read that they think Fuller will be able to go on Thursday. The injury report on Monday, the day after a game, doesn't hold a lot of weight. Today's report will be more telling. Also, as far as Carson goes they didn't really test his foot until Saturday so I would expect the same thing for him and Griffen this week. Wait until Wednesday to really push them and then see how they respond on Thursday.

[obiken]

River, M14, I just don't see us winning this game. I really really hope I am wrong. You look at our schedule, the Cards, and the Rams schedule, IF they beat us, its over this year; we are a WC team at best, and I have said it for years, you need that bye. Winning 3 straight playoffs games , no matter how good you, are is damn near impossible. Pete has go bye bye, I have said it before, and I love him, but we need to move on. We wont though 5 more years till Russ goes down, or out.

[TriCitySam]

River, M14, I just don't see us winning this game. I really really hope I am wrong. You look at our schedule, the Cards, and the Rams schedule, IF they beat us, its over this year; we are a WC team at best, and I have said it for years, you need that bye. Winning 3 straight playoffs games , no matter how good you, are is damn near impossible. Pete has go bye bye, I have said it before, and I love him, but we need to move on. We wont though 5 more years till Russ goes down, or out.

We’ve had a really great run with Pete and history tells you “moving on” probably means you get worse, not better. Look at the Chargers - never as good as they were under Marty S. Being competitive year-in year-out works for me. I do think he needs to take a hard look at his coaching staff. Something isn’t working on the D side.

On Russ, I didn’t like the way he dismissed his performance with the “I’m a great QB and am going to continue to be a great QB” line. Just me, but didn’t care much for it.

[RiverDog]

We’ve had a really great run with Pete and history tells you “moving on” probably means you get worse, not better. Look at the Chargers - never as good as they were under Marty S. Being competitive year-in year-out works for me. I do think he needs to take a hard look at his coaching staff. Something isn’t working on the D side.

Pete took a hard look at his coaching staff when he dismissed his previous DC, Kris Richard. In the Legion of Boom years, the DC's didn't get a lot of credit. It was Pete's defense. Now that we've turned into the worst defensive team in the league it's suddenly his coaching staff's fault? At some point, we're going to have to quit excusing Pete's role in this team's plight as being a problem with his coaching staff and hold him accountable.

I'm still on Pete's bandwagon, but I'm not wearing a seat belt. Too many more jolts and I might fall off.

On Russ, I didn’t like the way he dismissed his performance with the “I’m a great QB and am going to continue to be a great QB” line. Just me, but didn’t care much for it.

I'm not doubting you, but what you're saying sounds very out of character for Russell. I'd like to see where you got that quote. All I've seen is remarks like these:

"I just got to get better," Wilson said, via the Seattle Times. "I'm not going to make it overly complicated. It's not on anybody but me. I put it on my shoulders, and we'll get it fixed."

https://www.nfl.com/news/russell-wilson ... ody-but-me

[c_hawkbob]

On Russ, I didn’t like the way he dismissed his performance with the “I’m a great QB and am going to continue to be a great QB” line. Just me, but didn’t care much for it.

On the other hand I sure don't want him to start doubting himself! Confidence in perhaps the single attribute all great athletes share. I do however hope he's learned a bit of humility, at least enough to keep him on his toes. It's a delicate balance.

[mykc14]

River, M14, I just don't see us winning this game. I really really hope I am wrong. You look at our schedule, the Cards, and the Rams schedule, IF they beat us, its over this year; we are a WC team at best, and I have said it for years, you need that bye. Winning 3 straight playoffs games , no matter how good you, are is damn near impossible. Pete has go bye bye, I have said it before, and I love him, but we need to move on. We wont though 5 more years till Russ goes down, or out.

Well, OBI there aren't too many games against good teams that you see us winning, but I do agree with you that a loss in this game will make a division title, HFA, and a first round bye near impossible. As far as PC goes it's hard not to like him. He's a HOF level coach but a defensive coach who's defense is the worst in the league isn't something that should happen. PC needs to take a long look in the mirror and get an outside perspective on this defense.

[c_hawkbob]

On Russ, I didn’t like the way he dismissed his performance with the “I’m a great QB and am going to continue to be a great QB” line. Just me, but didn’t care much for it.

I'm not doubting you, but what you're saying sounds very out of character for Russell. I'd like to see where you got that quote. All I've seen is remarks like these:

"I just got to get better," Wilson said, via the Seattle Times. "I'm not going to make it overly complicated. It's not on anybody but me. I put it on my shoulders, and we'll get it fixed."

https://www.nfl.com/news/russell-wilson ... ody-but-me

I have no problem attributing both quotes to Russ. Even perhaps in the same interview.

[RiverDog]

On Russ, I didn’t like the way he dismissed his performance with the “I’m a great QB and am going to continue to be a great QB” line. Just me, but didn’t care much for it.

I'm not doubting you, but what you're saying sounds very out of character for Russell. I'd like to see where you got that quote. All I've seen is remarks like these:

"I just got to get better," Wilson said, via the Seattle Times. "I'm not going to make it overly complicated. It's not on anybody but me. I put it on my shoulders, and we'll get it fixed."

https://www.nfl.com/news/russell-wilson ... ody-but-me

I have no problem attributing both quotes to Russ. Even perhaps in the same interview.

What Sam said wasn't really a quote. I want to see what he was referring to, if what he heard/read could have been taken out of context. I have never seen anything out of Russell that could be described as self adulation such as Sam was suggesting.

[c_hawkbob]

“I’m not going to make it overly complicated, it’s not on anybody but me. I put it all on my shoulders to get it fixed.”

Granted, when Wilson was asked straight up if he was pressing because of the circumstances, he denied it by answering, “Not really.

“The reality is I know who I am,” Wilson added. “I know I’m a great football player, I know I’ve been great, I know I will be great, I’ll continue to be great. I know there are better days ahead. … I look forward to getting back after it, getting back to work and just finding my best again. I have no doubt greatness is in store.”

Aaand there you have it, both quotes (or very reasonable facsimiles thereof), same interview.

https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/wilson ... -seahawks/

[RiverDog]

“I’m not going to make it overly complicated, it’s not on anybody but me. I put it all on my shoulders to get it fixed.”

Granted, when Wilson was asked straight up if he was pressing because of the circumstances, he denied it by answering, “Not really.

“The reality is I know who I am,” Wilson added. “I know I’m a great football player, I know I’ve been great, I know I will be great, I’ll continue to be great. I know there are better days ahead. … I look forward to getting back after it, getting back to work and just finding my best again. I have no doubt greatness is in store.”

Aaand there you have it, both quotes (or very reasonable facsimiles thereof), same interview.

https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/wilson ... -seahawks/

Yes, I just saw it. Thanks!

It does seem pretty out of character and taken literally I can see how it might cause some concern. But Russell isn't saying that he's "The Greatest", which is much more opinionated, only that he's a "great player", which is more factual in nature. I would have preferred that he used a different term for his self description, like "good" rather than "great", but he's been around Pete so long that he's probably forgotten how to use more neutral adjectives. At this point, I'm willing to give Russell the benefit of the doubt.