Former Seahawk Touts a Russell Wilson Comeback: 'He's Very Upset'
Many well-respected NFL figures have weighed in on how Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson can get his career back on track. Opinions abound, but by and large, the consensus is that Wilson has to empower himself to improve.
Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright spent a decade sharing a locker room with Wilson, so if anybody knows what makes the nine-time Pro Bowler tick, it's the gritty former fourth-round draft pick. Wright differs greatly from some of Wilson's principle detractors in that he has complete faith that his former teammate has too many competitive instincts to go away meekly.
"I know his makeup. Playing with him all those years, there are not too many people as competitive as Russell Wilson,” Wright told Denver7's Troy Renck. “I know he’s very upset about what he put on film last year. He’s gotta get it right this year. He will get it right. This is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business. And Russell understands that."
The levels of disconnect between former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett and Wilson were fairly obvious last season. The duo wasn't fated for success by the Football Gods.
Wright believes that new head coach Sean Payton will tailor an offense to fit Wilson's skill set, and by doing so, it will free the Broncos' quarterback from the restrictions that previously held him back.
"He’s a phenomenal quarterback. He’s a phenomenal player, and I know that with Sean Payton, that they gotta go back and say, ‘Russ you are not a pocket quarterback. We are not going to be do a bunch of three-step drops and dicing people up. That's not your style,” Wright told Renck. “We are going to use skills that maximize this offense, and that’s running the ball and chucking the ball downfield.'"
Not that orchestrating such a dramatic turnaround will be easy, especially because the Broncos have fallen so far behind in a division that boasts the current Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
However, should Wilson rediscover his sea legs under Payton’s fresh leadership, Wright feels that the Broncos could sneak into the playoffs as an AFC Wildcard team.
"It's going to be really hard. I say a wild-card spot. They will be right around that seventh and eighth spot all year," Wright told Renck. "It's always hard beating the Chiefs and (coach) Andy Reid, and the Chargers have a really good team. The Broncos, though, they have some guys. A good head coach. Russ is a on a mission to come back. I do believe they are going to sneak a playoff spot."
Payton's winning formula, developed over so many glorious years spent with the New Orleans Saints, puts the Broncos in a position to break their depressingly long playoff drought. In Wright's opinion, the wholesale changes Denver made will provide the key to success because Payton will offer up an entirely new way of looking at things for his quarterback.
That will be facilitated by mixing in plenty of the running game to open up better shots downfield for Wilson to exploit. Of course, it was a blueprint that worked for Payton previously with Drew Brees at the helm in New Orleans, and Wright insists that it can work again in the Mile High City with Wilson under center.
“He did a great job of keeping you off balance. The run game complemented the pass game really well. Facing Drew Brees, (tight end) Jimmy Graham, (receiver) Marques Colston, there was never one guy you could dial in on," Wright told Renck. "Payton will be creative and explosive. He’s going to have a run game that will open up stuff down field. He is innovative. It won’t be what we saw with Drew Brees. It will be a new offense with Russell Wilson, and I can’t wait to see it.”
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