The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476803
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ■ 33 2022 NFL PREVIEW BY MATT HERB hile it's true that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, it's also true that first impres- sions can be wildly d e ce p t ive . C a se i n point: Russell Wilson. Wilson's first start at NC State was nightmarish. After completing just 1 of 5 passes for 12 yards, the redshirt freshman was knocked out of the Wolfpack's 2008 season opener against South Carolina in the second quarter, leaving the game on a stretcher after suffering a concussion. Four years later, in his first start as a rookie quarterback with the Seattle Se- ahawks, Wilson made it through the game unscathed, but he completed only 18 of 34 passes for 153 yards in a 20-16 loss to Arizona. Those were two inauspicious debuts, but did they impact his legacy? Not even a little. Over time, Wilson firmly estab- lished himself as one of the greatest play- ers in the history of both of those teams. Now, he'll try to do it again. After 10 seasons with the Seahawks, during which he won a Super Bowl and was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times, he's set to take charge of the Denver Broncos' offense. The blockbuster trade that delivered him to Denver in March in exchange for five draft picks and three players, sent shockwaves rippling through the NFL, even though Wilson's future in Seattle had been cloudy following the team's fourth-place finish in the NFC West last year. Wilson didn't play in the Broncos' pre- season opener against Dallas on Aug. 13, and his first regular-season appearance is still a few weeks away. Yet, he did make a splashy debut in late July. On the opening day of training camp, Wilson showed up in an oversized pickup truck encrusted with aftermar- ket off-roading gear. A photo of the vet- eran quarterback wearing shades and his orange No. 3 jersey, striding away from the truck as if posing for an action movie poster, quickly went viral, as did a video of Wilson reciting his "Let's ride" catch phrase while doing a promo for the team. Wilson had previously been the subject of a video in which he showed off a pair of orange cleats bearing an image of the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the right heel next to the words "4th coming soon." The bravado is perhaps best read as an indication of how energized Wilson feels now that he's with a new team for the first time in a decade. "I think newness is always great," he told Denver media in July. "Any time you go into something new, you have two ways of looking at it. You can look at it with fear, nerves and thinking, 'What is this going to be? What is this going to mean?' "Or you can own it and take care of it yourself and do it with a bunch of great guys. That's what we're doing. We're all in this thing together. We're pumped and excited to do it and hopefully bring a championship to Denver again." Seven years removed from the last of their three Super Bowl titles, the Broncos are eager to get back to the NFL's biggest stage and are hoping that the acquisition of Wilson will give them the kind of elite quarterback play they haven't had since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season. Wilson is one of the main reasons why the Broncos don't already have a fourth Super Bowl title. He threw for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Seahawks' 43-8 romp over the Manning-led Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII nine seasons ago. The trade that brought the 33-year-old Wilson to Denver could end up reshaping the balance of power in both conferences. Seattle, which got two first-round and two second-round draft picks in the ex- change, looks to be in a rebuilding mode. Meanwhile, the Broncos are poised to take a big step forward after finish- ing 7-10 last season. NFL.com colum- nist Adam Schein recently ranked their offense ninth in the league, thanks pri- marily to the arrival of Wilson, whom he described as "a Hall of Fame lock." "He provides Denver with the elite quarterback this franchise has been lack- ing since Manning's arm completely gave out," Schein wrote. With the Broncos under the leader- ship of first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett, previously the offensive coor- dinator for Green Bay, Wilson sees plenty of potential. "We've got a championship kind of football team," he said. "We're excited about that. Now it's time to go show up and prove it." Wilson has a number of playmak- ers alongside him, including receiv- ers Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler, the latter having returned from a season-ending knee injury last year. Denver did suffer a setback in pre- season camp when receiver Tim Patrick, last year's team leader with 5 touchdown catches, tore his right ACL in practice, an injury that will force him to miss the season. Nevertheless, Wilson is excited about the Broncos' point-scoring poten- tial this fall. "Our offense is exactly where I thought it would be — honestly, probably further," he said. "We're really far along. It's im- pressive to see how much. "I give credit to the guys. The invest- ment they've put into it every day, every moment, it's all about them and what they've done. It's been a joy to work with them every day and just put in the extra work." Denver is set to open its 2022 season with a Monday night game in Seattle on Sept. 12. Seahawks fans, still smarting from his abrupt departure, will no doubt do everything in their power to ensure that Wilson makes another middling de- but. Even if he does, though, history sug- gests this acquisition is going to pay off for the Broncos. In all of his previous career stops, time has been on Wilson's side. ■ After throwing for 37,059 yards in his 10 seasons in Seattle, Wilson is looking to revive a Denver offense that last year averaged 19.7 points per game to rank 23rd in the NFL. PHOTO COURTESY DENVER BRONCOS Into Thin Air After A Sudden Departure From Seattle, Russell Wilson Is Eager For A Fresh Start In The Mile High City W