Sports
Sports Editor: Jeff Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu
Hot Take Jake: Russell Wilson is the best player to start an NFL franchise JAKE TAYLOR Staff Writer J.M.Taylor8@iup.edu @JakeTaylor8726
A true face of a franchise in the NFL is hard to come by. Many teams have never had a player that not only defines a team's values but carries them into championship heaven. The few franchises that have experienced this are lucky enough to have seen a level of success needed to win the Super Bowl. For instance, Tom Brady in New England, Joe Montana to Steve Young in San Francisco or John Elway in the Mile-High City. These players are the true faces of the franchise. What current NFL player would you choose to start a franchise around? My answer may seem obvious now, but it has been my answer to this question for years now: Russell Wilson. He is finally making his push for MVP, but that is solely due to the media attention surrounding him. He has been the most consistent and reliable quarterback in the NFL for the last eight seasons. The man has never missed a game in his career. Only playing eight full seasons, Wilson has 31,624 yards, 249 passing TD’s and a 64.9 completion percentage. By the looks of it, Wilson is hitting his prime now. These numbers will only go up. He has led his team to the postseason seven out of eight seasons, holds the 2nd highest passer rating in league history, and he is the fastest quarterback to 86 wins in NFL history. He
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owns the 2nd highest touchdown percentage in the Super Bowl era with 6.0 percent, and he has the highest 4th-quarter passer rating since 1991 with 109.6. Wilson has a 31-7 record following an in-season loss, which ranks best amongst QBs since 1970. Since 2012, he leads the NFL with 21 games with at least a 130.0 passer rating. He has 51 career games with multiple TD passes and no INTs, the most such games in NFL history by a QB in his first eight seasons. Wilson joined Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history to pass for 3,000 yards and have 20-plus touchdowns in their first eight seasons. He also became the first QB in NFL history with a winning record in each of his first eight seasons. Wilson has been surrounded with talent on both sides of the ball for three years of his NFL career. Seattle went to back-to-back Super Bowls, winning one and tragically losing (ESPN) the other. The man knows how to carry a team through a post season campaign. If you have been watching the NFL the last 10 years, you know that Wilson is the man that will lead his team down the field for a game-winning drive. He has 23 fourth quarter comebacks and 32 game-winning drives. Since 2012, Seattle has a +269 4th quarter difference that is best in the NFL. However, Josh Nist (senior, communications media) said he would pick Patrick “magic” Mahomes to start a franchise with. “The young superstar already built a resume most QBs aren’t capable of achieving in their entire career, let alone in just
four seasons,” he said. “The man is such a boss in every sense of the word that he already has part ownership of Kansas City Royals.” Personally, I am not arguing against Mahomes. I am only emphasizing Wilson. In 2017, the only year Wilson missed the postseason, he scored 37 of the offense's 38 total touchdowns. Seattle finished 9-7 that year. The definition of MVP is exactly that statistic. He owned a 134.8 fourth quarter passer rating that season. Wilson is the most valuable player to his team yet has no MVP votes ever. I find that stat astonishingly ignorant. People know me for hot takes, but geez Louise, that is the hottest take of all time. Wilson remains humble yet hungry. I want a franchise QB to pass deep balls, throw on the run, rush for first downs when the play breaks down and lead the locker room. Wilson checks these boxes and then some. He is the complete player, short, sweet and to the point. Wilson has led a franchise to the highest heights that an NFL team can achieve. Throughout his young career, he has established a winning culture in Seattle. Wilson’s career is far from over. He is only 31 and could have up to another decade of football ahead of him. With players like Tom Brady playing into their 40s, it is entirely possible that Wilson could finish his career with top three stats in every category. Wilson is already a Hall-ofFamer in most people’s eyes. With what he has already done, and what he is going to do, Wilson is an automatic lock to start a franchise. You can’t convince me otherwise. Get ready to sit down, shut-up, and drink a beer. Russell Wilson is going to break records.
November 4, 2020
(Teddy Jeanette/The Penn) In Wilson’s short career, he has already put up legendary stats.
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