Explaining the Otherworldly Greatness of Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner
Early in the first quarter of Sunday's win over the Falcons, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner tackled running back Devonta Freeman to record his 985th career tackle, passing former iconic Seahawks safety Eugene Robinson as the franchise's all-time leader.
For what it’s worth, Robinson played in 170 games for Seattle while Wagner passed him in just 111 contests. It's a remarkable feat in such a short amount of time.
Through eight games, Wagner ranks third in the NFL with 75 tackles. A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All Pro selections, he led the league in combined tackles with 168 in 2016 and has produced 130 or more tackles in all but one of his seven prior seasons.
What explains Wagner's dominance? You must look no further than the stars, as well as Hollywood, to discover the truth.
Matthew McConaughey had to come face to face with a black hole they called “Gargantua” in the 2014 movie Interstellar. Fearing Gargantua would soon suck all life and matter from the planets they were exploring, he and his crew used the force of gravity to slingshot themselves back home due to concerns they'd be lost in space without fuel.
While it's not a literal comparison, Wagner performs like Gargantua on the football field, pulling in and wrapping up helpless ball carriers at an alarming rate. Once they're in his sights, running backs, receivers, tight ends, and even quarterbacks (okay, except Lamar Jackson) have no choice but to succumb to his gravitational pull. It's game over.
There's a reason you rarely ever see the best linebacker in the galaxy miss a tackle, which explains how he was able to surpass Robinson in such quick fashion.
"He is a true pro. He is going to be a Hall of Famer." quarterback Russell Wilson said. "He is a great player, a great friend, and a great captain. I am just glad I get to do it with him. We were talking in the locker room about how it is just the beginning for him, and we are all really excited about his accomplishments.”
The scary thing? This black hole isn't close to collapsing. Fresh off signing a new three-year, $54 million contract, the 29-year old Utah State product still has a lot of gas in the tank. Coach Pete Carroll agrees.
“He's got plenty of years left. I don't know how anybody could ever break that record. I think he's going to own that forever. That's amazing that he's there already. It’s just a tribute to the unbelievable player that he is and his discipline, his toughness, his work ethic, everything. That's an incredible number.”
While Wagner continues to be a force with other-worldly powers that seem to come from outside of this galaxy, he leaves most ball carriers feeling worse than McConaughey realizing his daughter’s life is passing him by.
