ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Not once since March has a Bronco been interviewed without getting asked about Russell Wilson. At least not a Bronco getting interviewed in Denver.
There were seven Broncos interviewed during the opening week of OTA press conferences last week: Head coach Nathaniel Hackett, Wilson himself, and five of Wilson teammates. They all got questions about Wilson, the Broncos new superstar, jet-setting quarterback.
"He’s exactly who I thought he was," said defensive lineman D.J. Jones, who went up against Wilson twice a year the past five seasons when Jones was with the 49ers and Wilson was the leader of the Seattle Seahawks. "He did something in practice the other day, and everyone was like, ‘That isn’t real.’
"Yes, it is. That’s what he does. He makes time and he gives the offense time. He’s going to make a beautiful throw, and it’ll probably be a touchdown."
>>Video above: 1-on-1 with Russell Wilson: New Broncos QB talks about why he chose Denver
Wilson may be a bit jet-lagged for OTAs week 2 that begins Tuesday. He and his wife Ciara attended the Monaco Grand Prix over the holiday weekend. Have private jet. Will travel.
The media watched a red-zone heavy practice for OTA No. 1 last Monday. Much of the ensuing discussion revolved around Wilson’s ability to pivot out of trouble, escape, look, throw and complete for a first down, a touchdown.
"He’s very dynamic," said cornerback Pat Surtain II. "His second-play mentality where he’s making something out of nothing with his scrambling ability—that’s something that defenses may fear."
"He’s definitely preparing us for that with having a mobile quarterback," Jones said. "It’s not like he’s just standing in the pocket. He’s doing what he does. He’s out there scrambling around and making plays, so that will definitely prepare us."
"They say, ‘Another play begins,’ as we say in the offense," said receiver Courtland Sutton. "It’s a real thing. When he escapes the pocket and he’s scrambling around and looking for somebody, no one is going to say after we get a 25-yard gain on a scramble, ‘Oh, it was off a scramble.’ We got 25 yards and we’re going to keep it moving. I think that it presents more of a challenge to the defense than it does for us. Like I said, for us, it’s just more opportunities to go make a play. The defense—they have that initial four seconds of guarding, plus however long the scramble lasts. Russ can extend the play for quite some time."
"It’s great for us, honestly," said safety Justin Simmons. "We’re going to see that with (Chiefs’ QB Patrick) Mahomes twice a year. We’re going to see that with (Chargers’ QB Justin) Herbert. (Raiders’ QB Derek) Carr has the ability to extend plays. I’m just thinking in our division. I can go down the list of teams that we’re going to play.
"It seems like the game each and every year is just elevating more and more to quarterbacks that are more mobile and can extend plays with their legs, and that’s great. Especially in the red zone because it’s not about the length, but the width and you can get open. All you need is separation and with a guy like Russ who can extend plays like that. We’ve seen time and time again throughout his tenure. Defensively for us, it’s great reps because you’re always like, ‘Oh, that was a sack,’ but in real life, he can probably make some people miss right there and keep the play going."
But just because Wilson is shorter than most quarterbacks at 5-foot-11, and more elusive than most quarterbacks doesn’t mean he’s an option-type quarterback or anything. He can deliver from the pocket and sees himself first as a pocket quarterback with the ability to scramble, rather than a scrambling quarterback who can hit the impact pass. He’s a 65 percent passer in his 10-year career and completed 69 percent in 2020, his last full healthy season with the Seahawks.
"I think everything starts from the pocket, to be able to have control of the game through the pocket, but also outside of the pocket," Wilson said.
"He throws the ball, it’s beautiful," Hackett said last Monday. "He’s what we call a natural thrower. The guy just can spin it. Then watching him today make some of the plays he did with his feet and dodging and moving, it was like me when I was in flag football back when I was younger.
Wilson brings other aspects to the quarterback position. Intangibles like smarts, intensity, work ethic and leadership.
"Just him being like a coach on the field," said running back Javonte Williams. "There are no questions that I’ve asked Russ that he doesn’t know the answers to. If I forget a play or something, I’ll be like, ‘Hey Russ, what do I have? And he’ll tell me really quick. Just someone like that who can correct you when you have a mistake or anything like that is always good."
"I would say one of the things for him is that winning football is his—he bleeds football," Hackett said. "Saying that, he watches the film, and he prepares himself to be able to be in the right place at the right time and at all times to give himself an A, B, C in whatever the situation may be. All off of his preparation.
"I think that’s the thing that allows us to be able to gain that connection with him. He’s prepping, but he’s also bringing us along with the prep. He’ll say, ‘Hey, what do you guys have going on right now? Come up and watch this,’ so I can see what he sees. I can explain to him what I may see in that, and then boom, on the field the next day or same day, you work on it.
"It’s those daily deposits. You know that I’m huge on the daily deposits."
Tuesday is another day. Another day to ask, "How about that Russell Wilson?"
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