By definition, a lone wolf is someone who strays from the pack. Someone who ventures out on their own. Someone who prefers not to have the company of someone else.
Russell Wilson is the lone rookie left in the NFL playoffs. He’s the field general of the Seattle Seahawks, one of the hotter teams in this year’s post season. The rest of this year’s playoff quarterbacks have a combined 57 years of experience, with Colin Kaepernick being the outlier.
Wilson has been playing tough all season long and Sunday was no different story. He led his Seahawks back from a 14-0 deficit to score 24 unanswered points for a victory. While his stats may not mirror the effort this young rookie is putting forth, the score and a victory definitely shows it.
Wilson and the Seahawks have been bolstered by their rushing game with Marshawn Lynch and a solid defense. Wilson is a natural leader. He manages the clock extremely well and keeps Seattle’s high-powered offense under control. Wilson can move the chains with his arm or with his feet. While his stats don’t really jump off the page, he very rarely makes mistakes as of late.
This season, Wilson has been under the radar. Other rookie quarterbacks like Andrew Luck of the Colts and Robert Griffin III of the Redskins took the spotlight from day one back in April. While Luck and Griffin didn’t have to wait long to hear their name called on draft day, Wilson had to wait until the third round. Analysts said that Wilson wouldn’t be able to line up under center and take snaps. They said he was too small. They said that he couldn’t stay in the pocket and make plays. But, if you ask me, Wilson has done everything in his power to prove those theories wrong.
Will Wilson become the first rookie field general to win a Super Bowl? Only time will tell. But one thing we can say is that Wilson has distanced himself from the pack of rookie quarterbacks and positioned himself at the top of that category this season.
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