Russell Wilson Casts Doubt on Broncos' Motivation to Sit Him
The Denver Broncos have made the trip to London and are making preparations to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. At 2-5, the Broncos are reeling, and head coach Nathaniel Hackett is under fire.
The only hope to pull out of this tailspin? A quarterback rescue.
What more likely quarterback to save the day than Russell Wilson — the guy Denver invested nearly a quarter-billion dollars into before he ever took a snap as a Bronco? Wilson's return to the field, combined with a (hopefully) return to Pro Bowl form, feels like Hackett's only real shot at turning this listing ship around.
But Wilson missed last week's loss to the New York Jets with a hamstring injury, according to the team. He, of course, traveled with the Broncos and participated in Wednesday's practice on a 'limited' basis.
Will Hackett get Wilson back for Week 8?
“He’s trending in the right way," Hackett said following Wednesday's practice.
For his part, Wilson sounds like a return to the field is fait accompli.
“Yeah, I feel great," Wilson said Wednesday. "I’m ready to rock.”
While at the podium, Wilson, perhaps inadvertently, cast doubt on Hackett's true motivation for sitting him last week. Hackett sold it to the media and fans that Wilson didn't dress because of his hamstring and the time it needed to heal up.
Wilson, though, said he was good to go and has played through countless nicks and dings over his decorated NFL career.
“I was ready to roll," Wilson said. "I’ve played with a lot over my career. Obviously played a 150-plus games or whatever it was in a row. Any time I get out there, I take it seriously. I want to be out there. I want to help us win, get on a hot streak, and just get us rolling. We have the team that can do that."
Giving Hackett the complete benefit of the doubt, what does the Broncos' head coach want to see during practice this week to ensure his quarterback returns to the starting lineup?
“That he can protect himself," Hackett said. "We just want to be sure that as he gets out there, he can escape and he’s able to move.”
In defense of the talking points coming out of Dove Valley, Wilson could be saying that he was good to go last week because he honestly felt that way, but the Broncos' medical staff, which advises Hackett, begged to differ. In the NFL, such medical concerns often override a player's desire to play.
However, when it's such a treasured and pivotal position like quarterback, if that player vociferously asserts that he's good to go, it's pretty rare — outside of a head injury/concussion — that a coaching staff will say no. Peyton Manning and Gary Kubiak, circa 2015, are one of the exceptions that proves the rule.
Considering how badly Wilson had been struggling in the weeks leading into the Jets game, and how suddenly the decision was handed down that he wasn't going to play (day before), the tinfoil-hat theories will likely continue to be promulgated across the interwebs.
Was Wilson benched? Or was it really an injury?
I could see how Hackett and his coaching staff could talk themselves into believing that Wilson simply needed a breather and a chance to kind of re-set his mental board. Looking at the schedule, the Broncos may have felt that the Jets offered as good an opportunity to do that as any opponent this year.
If that's how the rationale played out behind closed doors at Dove Valley, it obviously blew up in Hackett's face because the Broncos lost to the Jets and he only further exacerbated his hot seat. There are no 'gimme games' on an NFL schedule.
We'll probably never know for sure whether Wilson was benched or if the Broncos truly believed he was in no position to play health-wise. Wilson certainly didn't see the upside in being sidelined.
“I don’t know if there is any benefit," Wilson said. "Maybe it’s easy to be on the sidelines and see everything, but you want to be on the field. That’s why I’m always working my butt off to be out there.”
For now, it would seem the Broncos plan to play Wilson this week. He's certainly saying and doing everything on his part to ensure that happens.
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