The old saying goes, “It’s always the ones we least expect that turn out to surprise us the most.” However, the success of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson comes as no shock to the player.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Wilson said. “I think, more than anything, it’s my work ethic that has prepared me. I’ve done everything that I can to be the best that I can possibly be.”
At 5’11”, the diminutive Wilson isn’t the prototypical NFL quarterback. Before the draft, his size and arm strength had many people skeptical of his professional prospects. Professional NFL scout Chris Weinke even said, “If he was 6’5’’, he’d probably be the number one pick in the draft.”
The rookie quarterback, out of the University of Wisconsin, shocked the entire National Football League during the 2012 draft when the Seattle Seahawaks selected him in the third round.
If Wilson wanted to start, he would have to beat out seasoned quarterback Matt Flynn. Wilson won and never looked back.
Last season, Wilson outperformed even the highest of outsider expectations. His height proved to be a non-factor, thanks to his outstanding athleticism. His ability to escape pressure from defenses allowed him to create and manipulate passing lanes all season.
On his way to leading his team to an 11-5 record, Wilson broke several NFL rookie records, including throwing 26 touchdown passes during the season and throwing 385 yards in a postseason game. His 10 interceptions in 16 games were a league low; Wilson now owns the NFL rookie record for pass-to-interception differential.
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll called Wilson a “diamond in the rough” and the future of the team. Through his ambition, work ethic and love of the game, Wilson has become the team’s leader.
It is under that leadership that the Seahawks went on their incredible regular season run. They destroyed the Arizona Cardinals 58-0 at home in Seattle,and Wilson led the Seahawks to a 50-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills by rushing for 92 yards and scoring three touchdowns.
They stunned the San Francisco 49ers 42-13 at CenturyLink Field, clinching a spot in the NFL playoffs as a wild card team, and closed out the season undefeated at home with a victory over the St. Louis Rams.
Often overlooked during the season by better-known, highly drafted and media-hyped rookies, Wilson has earned the right to be among such players — like Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck and Washington Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Moreover, during the Seahawks playoff run, Wilson outperformed draft classmate Griffin leading his team from a 14-0 deficit to a 24-14 victory over the Redskins. With Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck’s first-round playoff loss, Wilson was suddenly the last rookie quarterback left in the playoffs — something nobody would have predicted just a few months ago.
Yet, the highlight of Wilson’s rookie season was through a game his team lost. In the Divisional round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons, Wilson managed to put on a magnificent performance. He led a near-miracle comeback as Seattle rallied from a 20-0 deficit at halftime, scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a 28-27 lead with 31 seconds left. A more seasoned Atlanta team managed to pull out a win by hitting a 49-yard, game-winning field goal.
Someone once told me that it is not in victory that we can see the measure of a man, but in defeat.
Russell Wilson looked defeat in the face and showed his teammates and the nation the measure of himself.
Although Wilson probably won’t win the Rookie of the Year Award, because Griffin was considered more popular, he certainly deserves it. Wilson’s rookie story is more compelling because he wasn’t a pre-scripted NFL darling. He wasn’t picked high in the draft nor did he receive enormous media attention. Wilson quietly worked hard during training camp and earned his starting spot.
The 2012 NFL season will be remembered for many things, but for Russell Wilson, it will be remembered for breaking records and proving the doubters wrong.
