Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks QB
A third round draft pick out of Wisconsin, Russell Wilson has been one of the most talked about success stories of training camp and the preseason. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has named Wilson his starting quarterback come opening day, despite the fact that the team put up good money to grab Matt Flynn from the Packers during the off-season. As you might remember, Flynn filled in for Aaron Rodgers in the Pack’s final regular season game last year and delivered an amazing performance – 480 yards passing and six touchdowns in a shootout win over the Lions. Many thought he’d be able to ride that to a starting job on another team, but thus far, Wilson has defied the odds and denied him.
Wilson was a preseason stud, completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 536 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception, while also rushing 10 times for 150 yards and another score. These numbers come from all four of Seattle’s preseason games, and realize that he didn’t play any of them in full (and very little in the fourth). Wilson has always been a smart, efficient quarterback with an ability to run when need be – in his last college season he threw for 33 TDs and rushed for six more while only getting picked off four times. That level of patience and cool under pressure should serve him well in the NFL season.
