2213456, Almost identical on-the-field setups; Russell had it better off the field.
Posted by Jayson Willyams, Fri Jul-26-13 11:36 AM
>His rookie year the Jets had the best running game in the
>league, the best defense, and a top 5 ST. How do you think
>they were able to make the playoffs and overcome his 20
>interceptions despite him being in a run first offense?
The talent level of their surrounding teams is very close--maybe you give the edge to Sanchez's rookie-year Jets (don't discount the home-field advantage, though, or the fact that the Seahawks run game was only #2 b/c Adrian Peterson went ham). But the "intangibles," imo, give Russell the sweeter situation.
He was a 3rd round pick, and the second-most-hyped QB Seattle brought in THAT OFFSEASON. He plays in the pacific northwest, a region which tends to get lost in the national conversation. He plays for the Seahawks, a team that has always been pretty easy to ignore (sorry guys).
Meanwhile, Sanchez was a Top-10 pick, anointed as the starter the moment he put on his draft cap. He plays for the Jets, one of the most visible franchises in the league, located in THE biggest media market. Everything the Jets do is basically cluster-fuck status, and he had to deal with more off-the-field distractions in his first 2 seasons than Russell is likely to see in his entire career. NYC is a pressure cooker, and you could argue (I won't, but you could) that there isn't a more scrutinized position in sports than Starting QB for an NYC Team.
Point is, Sanchez has been my gold standard for "Rookie QB who had everything set up for success." But all the things that were golden for Sanchez existed ON the field. Russell has maybe 95% of the same golden set-up on the field, and a MUCH more favorable one off of it. Nobody's telling the Post that Russell Wilson brought a 17-year-old back to his hotel room, you know?
You're not wrong--the 2009 Jets were an amazing landing spot for a rookie QB. I just think Wilson found an even better one, and to prove my point, NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT. Meanwhile, people constantly discredit Sanchez for merely keeping the wheel straight while his team drove the bus (I should know--I'm one of those people).
|