Time for a reality check with expectations for Wilson

By Tom Wassell

Based on the feedback we received Tuesday to our interview with ESPN.com’s Jeffri Chadiha on “Brock and Danny”, I felt it was worth commenting on our audience’s reaction to a set of opinions that don’t necessarily fall in line with the prevailing wind in the northwest.

Russell Wilson is great. Not good, but great. He’s the underdog that even non-Seahawks fans can root for because of his size (or lack thereof) and the draft spot in which he was chosen. We all assumed he would be Matt Flynn’s backup last year, but by the third preseason game it was clear that we were all wrong.

But let’s not overdo it.

Yes, he led what we believed to be a great team to the divisional playoffs. Yes, he put the team on his shoulders and spearheaded wins over Green Bay, New England, Chicago, and Washington – not to mention those blowouts of Arizona and Buffalo.

But for us to simply resign ourselves to the idea that Russell is always going to perform at that level is dangerous a way of thinking. The run-first offensive mentality of this team may prevent him from throwing too much and making foolish mistakes, but let’s face it – with Percy Harvin and all the other weapons he has at his disposal, his pass attempts will increase and he will make more mistakes.

When Chadiha was on the air with us today, the Text Toy lit up with negative comments (many of them profane) from listeners who simply refuse to believe that Wilson could ever do anything wrong (see the image I posted on my Twitter page).

Yes, we love Russell Wilson. We should. But even the most diehard fan has to admit that there is obviously room for error. I love the passionate reaction, and as most of you know, I thrive on negative energy, so keep it coming. Conflict is what I believe to be the cornerstone of sports-talk radio.

But, let’s at least strive to be smart about issues that will presumably take years to resolve.

Agree? Let us know.