Ex-NFL OL Ray Roberts explains the problem with Seahawks QB Russell Wilson’s comments

Russell Wilson is not known for being outspoken in the media, but his recent comments about the Seahawks have ruffled a lot of feathers – and that’s even without knowing how his offensive line is taking everything.

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Wilson went public this week with his displeasure for getting hit so often. He’s been sacked 394 times in the regular season in 144 career games, including 47 in 2020, a league-high 48 in 2019, and at least 41 times every year since 2013, his second in the NFL.

The way Wilson framed his issue while on the syndicated Dan Patrick Show early in the week, though, left the men who do his blocking out in the cold, said former NFL offensive lineman Ray Roberts.

“Sometimes you hold onto (the ball) a little bit just because you’re looking for that play and you find those guys. But also so many times those turn into touchdowns, too,” Wilson told Patrick. “You never want to be sacked that many times – 400 times basically is too many. … I think that’s a big thing that’s gotta be fixed.”

Roberts, who serves as an analyst for the Seahawks Radio Network, joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Wyman and Bob and shared his reaction to what Wilson said, which took up for Seattle’s linemen.

“He talks about, ‘Well, you know, I do hold onto the ball a little bit, but sometimes it turns into touchdowns,’ so it’s kind of minimizing his role in getting hit by then trying to emphasize that sometimes that leads to touchdowns,” Roberts said, “but then you’re maximizing the times when the offensive line gives up a sack. … It’s like he’s trying to call out everybody but then sugarcoat with, ‘Sometimes I do it, but when I do it, it has great returns.’ That part frustrates me a little bit.”

There was more from Wilson’s conversation with Patrick where he went into his “legacy,” explaining that he wants to play another 10 or 15 years, that Roberts said further minimized Wilson’s teammates.

“Well, it would be my legacy too (if I’m your offensive lineman),” Roberts said. “Just because you make more money doesn’t mean your legacy is more important to you than mine is to me. To me, that sounds really selfish to think of it that way. ‘Hey, I got my legacy to look after.’ Well, you do know the offensive linemen hit on every single play.”

Ultimately, Roberts feels Wilson’s manner of voicing his issues is misguided.

“This, to me, is so out of character for how Russ tends to go about things and communicate,” he said. “To me, there’s a bigger thing at play here than him just trying to make sure that the offensive line is better, that he’s better protected. … There’s nothing about this that feels good, there’s nothing about this that sounds good, there’s nothing about this that looks good, and I don’t think anything good is going to come from it. I have no idea why someone thought that this was a good idea to do, and just because you have a smile on your face when you say it doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.”

You can hear Roberts’ full segment with Wyman and Bob in the podcast at this link or in the player below.

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