RENTON — For three seasons, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has continually amazed the NFL with his ability to escape pressure, run around, then find an open receiver downfield for a big play.
Those plays, which look chaotic, are actually a big part of Seattle’s offense, something the Seahawks practice regularly with receivers having “scramble rules” that dictate where they’re supposed to go once the play breaks down.
But as exciting as those plays are, as game-changing as they can be, some of the most important throws Wilson has made in the past couple games have been the simple ones.
Take, for example, the Seahawks’ third-quarter touchdown drive Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Facing third-and-10, Wilson took the snap from the shotgun, then quickly drilled a pass to Paul Richardson, who had run a perfect 11-yard curl route. There was no chaos, no improvisation, just simple pitch and catch for a first down that kept alive an eventual touchdown drive.
“I thought we did a real nice job with the rhythm part of our passing game, I thought we got the ball out real quick,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said, noting the progress in that area of the offense was noticeable starting in the second-half of the win in Philadelphia. “We’re really focusing on it and just trying to make sure we’re taking advantage of the full spectrum of the passing game.
“We’ve got a lot of different things that we do. That’s one aspect of it that we’ve kind of put some focus on and think we can improve, so we’re going to try and keep pushing it. That’s just part of it, but it’s really exciting to see it when it’s really sharp and crisp and the ball is out, guys are making their plays. Third-and-10 didn’t look so hard when you step up and rip one of those curl routes in there, so we’ll try to keep that going.”
Wilson didn’t put up huge numbers against the 49ers, and he threw one of his worst interceptions of the year — then again, there aren’t many to choose from. But one of the more encouraging signs of that victory were the throws like that third-and-10 completion to Richardson, or the third-and-six throw to Doug Baldwin on a field-goal drive, or the very next play, a quick slant to Richardson. Then on Richardson’s fourth-quarter touchdown, Wilson again made a quick, decisive throw into a tight window to hit Richardson for a 10-yard score.
“That’s where my biggest focus is right now,” Wilson said when asked about the more structured part of the passing game. “For me personally, it is just to continue to grow as a quarterback, continue to develop, work on my craft — before practice and after practice. When I’m watching film and understanding what I can do better, always getting the ball out on time and in rhythm. It makes it tough for a defense when you can get the ball out of your hands, but then also you also have the ability to escape as a factor and those guys wear down and get tired. Hopefully, I’m able to get the ball out and make some completions, stay on the field, and capitalize in the red zone.”
“I do try to pride myself to continue to try and learn as much as I can about what can I eliminate as quickly as possible and how can I get the ball out — the quicker the better.”
The Seahawks aren’t about to abandon the part of the playbook that calls for Wilson to move around; that’s part of what makes Wilson so good, and part of what makes Seattle’s offense so explosive. But as Carroll notes, third-and-long is a lot easier when the quarterback is comfortable making a quick read and decisive throw.
At this point, only people who aren’t paying attention or don’t know much about football think Wilson isn’t a very good, if not great, NFL quarterback, but that doesn’t make him a perfect quarterback either. He avoids numerous sacks with his athletic ability, but he also is under pressure sometimes because he didn’t get rid of the ball quickly enough when there was a throw to be made.
Asked about his durability, Wilson says one of his goals is to never miss a practice in his career. Remarkably, he has yet to show up on an injury report or miss a practice yet through almost three full seasons. Still, as elusive as Wilson is and smart as he is about avoiding contact when he does scramble, the best way for him to avoid hits throughout his career will be to get rid of the ball before opposing pass rushers have a chance to get to him.
This week’s game against Arizona is a perfect example. The Cardinals sacked Wilson seven times last month, and the Seahawks could be missing two or three starting linemen, so you can count on the Cardinals dialing up plenty of pressure. Wilson will be called upon to make things happen with his legs, to be sure, but his best defense against that pressure will be more quick throws like the ones he made against the 49ers.
“It has just shown up in the last few weeks like we’d like to see it, and hopefully we continue to get it done,” Carroll said. “Stay on rhythm, you know, and not give their rush and their stunts a chance to really formulate. We’ll see what happens, it’s real important to us. It’s an important part of our throwing game that we’d like to excel at more so than we are now.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com
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