Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson’s Quest To Stardom

At the beginning of the year, I didn’t believe Russell Wilson would become the starter in Seattle. I had Matt Flynn penciled in as Seattle Seahawks’ starter this season. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a fan of Wilson, I just didn’t think he would be their guy right now.  In my mind, I didn’t expect them to shy away from the man that they just signed over the offseason – Matt Flynn. Flynn seemed like a sure starter for Seattle.

What once was a three man battle – Tarvaris Jackson, Matt Flynn, and Russell Wilson – soon became a one man show.

When the Seahawks agreed to trade last year’s quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson (to Buffalo), and named Russell Wilson the starter I was a little surprised. Wilson’s numbers told the story, though.

Wilson was given the starting role after a few great performances in the preseason. In his four preseason games Wilson completed 40 of his 63 pass attempts for a total of 536 yards and 5 touchdowns with only one interception.

It wasn’t just the stats that gave fans and the organization hope. His game management, poise, and leadership were the factors that won him the role as the starter.

Now, Wilson has the Seahawks rolling. They enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NFL. And for Wilson, he is finally starting to get some recognition as a top rookie after a beat down of the NFC West division champion San Francisco 49ers and a few 50-point outings.

As I mentioned earlier, I have always been a fan of Russell Wilson’s. He was a fantastic college player. Some believed he may be too small to produce at the next level. He has proven all of his critics wrong, and he has done so as a rookie.

Wilson still has one more hill to climb. He can get over that hill this weekend as he takes on fellow rookie, Robert Griffin III.

Russell Wilson has lived in the shadows of the likes Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III for some time now.  Not only this year as rookies, but also dating back to their final year in college. Wilson was over looked in favor of these guys in the Heisman watch, and here we are again – just a year later – and he is still over looked by many as Andrew Luck and RGIII continue to get most of the buzz.  All three of the rookies have brought their teams to the playoffs this season. All three of these rookies will have their shot at winning their first playoff win. All three of these quarterbacks will be a force to reckon with for years to come.

Passing Stats	Completion %	Passing Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
Russell Wilson	72.8	3175	33	4
Andrew Luck	71.3	3517	37	10
Robert Griffin III	72.4	4293	37	6
Rushing Stats	Rushing Yards	Yards Per Carry	Touchdowns
Russell Wilson	338	4.3	6
Andrew Luck	150	3.2	2
Robert Griffin III	699	3.9	10

College Stats – Final Season

Passing Stats	Completion %	Passing yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
Russell Wilson	64.1	3118	26	10
Andrew Luck	54.1	4374	23	18
Robert Griffin III	65.6	3200	20	5
Rushing Stats	Rushing Yards	Yards Per Carry	Touchdowns	Fumbles Lost
Russell Wilson	489	5.2	4	1
Andrew Luck	255	4.1	5	0
Robert Griffin III	815	6.8	7	2

NFL stats – Rookie Season

Wilson will have the chance to step out of the shadows this Sunday as he goes toe-to-toe with RGIII. This should be a great game. This was the match-up that I wanted to see. I would like to thank the Minnesota Viking and Dallas Cowboys for making that happen.

Coming into this game the Seahawks are looking scary and are actually looking like favorites coming into Washington. They are firing at all cylinders. In the last 4 games the defense has allowed just 4 touchdowns and the offense has scored a total of 17 TD’s in that span. Their defense has scored just as many touchdowns than they have allowed – both scoring and allowing 4. This is a team that other teams will be reluctant to play coming into the playoffs. The Redskins are no exception.

This won’t be the same Robert Griffin III that the NFL has seen over the course of the season. In week 14 versus the Baltimore Ravens, Griffin went down with a knee injury. He didn’t play the following week against the Cleveland Browns. You can tell by watching him that he isn’t the same. His ability to hit holes and explode for huge runs hasn’t been there. He still makes the right reads and was able to muster up 63 rushing yards and a touchdown against the gaping holes of the Cowboys defense in last week’s victory.

Seattle’s defense is much better than the dreadful defense of the Cowboys. It will be interesting to see how this read-option offense of the Redskins will fair against the Seahawks. RGIII must be healthy enough to make people miss. If not, he will be forced to beat Seattle with his arm… which will difficult to do seeing as how they rank 6th in passing yards allowed per game.

This game may very well come down to the play of Russell Wilson. The Redskins have had one of the weakest pass defenses this season and Wilson must capitalize on the match-up.

This is my game of the week for the wildcard round of the playoffs. All eyes will be on these two rookie quarterbacks late in the game. If Wilson succeeds he will finally make it out of the shadows and into the limelight.

Kickoff: 1:30 PM (PT), January 6 2013

Jason Hartzog is on Twitter. Follow him at @JHartsLife

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