Russell Wilson Addresses Missing Wide-Open Receivers Criticism
One of the many baffling elements of Russell Wilson's ice-cold start with the Denver Broncos is how often he's whiffed on open receivers. In Week 5, Wilson missed KJ Hamler in the end zone, who was free as a bird on the game’s final play.
In Week 6, Wilson ignored wide-open tight end Greg Dulcich over the middle on a pivotal third down, even though he appeared to be staring him down. Both case studies are damning. These are massive missed opportunities, and they’re all adding up to the Broncos' dismal 2-4 record.
If the Broncos are going to pull themselves out of their current three-game tailspin, Wilson needs to settle down in the pocket and start seeing what's right at the end of his nose. On Wednesday, Wilson addressed another elephant in the room, insisting that regaining his vision requires the entire offense to click as a group.
“I’ve been playing this game for a long time and kind of know what's coming and what’s happening. [I’m] seeing the game well," Wilson said. "I think ultimately, it’s just all of us meshing together, all of us still learning together. I mean, that's the part that you work at every day. That's the magic of it all."
It's not that hard to offer a counterargument to Wilson's explanations at this stage because his most obvious missed throws have looked like backyard pitch-and-catches. In his defense, there have also been consistent timing issues between him and his receivers.
"I’ve been watching a lot of football this year," Wilson said. "There's been some great teams and great players and everything else. Not everything meshes all at the same time right away. That doesn't mean it's not going to. When it does, it's going to be a great thing.”
Of course, putting it all on Wilson for the errors is the low-hanging fruit for the critics at the moment, but sooner or later, he has to hit the open man in stride. Clearly, Wilson's ultra-competitive nature makes it nearly impossible for him to blame his own shoulder and hamstring injuries for the crippling inability to cash in on his opportunities.
One pervading theory is that perhaps giving Wilson some time to heal might save him from himself, but with the season slipping away, the Broncos are hardly in a position to risk giving the stewardship of the offense over to Brett Rypien. The truth is, giving Wilson a cleaner pocket to work with should afford his receivers the extra time for him to lock onto them and make the connection.
Affording the QB decent pass protection has been a missing ingredient to Denver's offense, and Wilson is savvy enough to know it. But in order to protect the currently fragile locker room dynamic, Wilson opted to keep pulling for his guys — rather than to call them out for their failings in pass pro.
“I think that for us, the line has been fighting their butts off every play and every moment," Wilson said. "We've been battling some injuries up front; big guys have been moving around and everything else and they’ve stepped up a lot of ways. Like I said, the games are right there. The games are for us to win... That's what we need to do—win.”
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL.
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
