The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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158 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ PACK PROS 1. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks — Only 20 quarterbacks in NFL history have started multiple Super Bowls. Despite being in just his third year in the league, Wilson joined the exclusive club by leading his Seattle Seahawks to their second straight appearance. He is just the 10th ever to quarterback his squad to consecu - tive Super Bowls and the only one besides Tom Brady to do so since 1993. With Wilson at the helm, the Seahawks became the first defending Super Bowl champs to win a playoff game since the 2005 Patriots. Wilson, whose season passer rating dipped below 100 in 2014 for the first time, still faces plenty of critics, but it is tough to argue with his league-leading 42 wins since being drafted in the third round. Despite working with pint-sized Doug Baldwin — who entered 2014 with just 14 career starts — as his top receiver, Wilson set a career-best with 3,475 passing yards and tallied 20 touchdown throws against seven interceptions. He ranked 10th in the NFL in passer rating (95.0) and 15th in passing yards, and added 849 rushing yards — which led all signal-callers. He ranked 16th in the league in ground yards and his average of 7.2 yards per carry led qualified rushers by more than a full yard, plus he scored six touchdowns. Wilson was good in the postseason, but did not meet the incredibly high standard he has set for himself, com - pleting 56.9 percent of his throws (41 of 72) for 724 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions. In ad- dition to his passer rating of 90.3, he gained 86 yards on the ground with a touchdown. Still, the future is bright. Heading into the 2015 cam- paign, Wilson was named a consensus top-seven signal- caller by the NFL.com experts. Analyst Bucky Brooks listed him as the league's fourth-best quarterback. "People mistakenly see him as a 'game manager' for a team that is overly reliant on a dominant defense and a strong running game," he wrote. "But it's hard to dispute his [regular-season] record (36-12) and history of suc - cess since entering the NFL. Considering Wilson's clutch production (15 game-winning drives, including 10 fourth- quarter comebacks over his career) and the addition of a dominant middle of the field target in new tight end Jimmy Graham, the two-time Pro Bowler might cement himself as a no-doubt member of the quarterbacking up - per echelon in 2015." 2. Mario Williams, DE, Buffalo Bills — In the last five seasons, Williams has played under five different defensive coordinators. With new head coach Rex Ryan at the helm in Buffalo, 2015 will make it six coordinators in as many years for the star defender, but one look at his statistics would not reveal such an obstacle. The former No. 1 overall pick leads the AFC with 91 sacks since entering the league while playing both defensive end and linebacker (depending upon which scheme the coordinator employs), but last fall might have been his best individual season yet. Williams was the ringleader on the NFL's most feared defensive line — the group made history by having all four starters named to the NFL Network's top 100 play - ers list — and set a career high with 14.5 sacks. That gave him his third straight campaign with double-digit quar- terback takedowns for the first time in his career, and paved the way for another first — a spot on the Associ- ated Press' All-Pro first team. He had previously earned a pair of second-team laurels (2007 and 2013), and was awarded a spot on the top team by Sporting News in 2007 and 2008, but the AP squad is held in the highest regard. He is the first NCSU alum to be named to the AP first team since Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson in 2009. Williams also totaled 42 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal en route to his fourth Pro Bowl selection. He will be a pass-rushing linebacker in new defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman's hybrid 3-4 attack this fall. He had 13 sacks in 2013 while playing under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, a Ryan disciple. 3. Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers — Life was not easy for the 11-year veteran in 2014. Although he got off to an outstanding start — during weeks two through six, he became the first in league history to post a passer rating of better than 120 in five straight games — injuries eventually derailed the campaign. The Char - gers were the first team since the 1970 league merger to start five centers, and health concerns were not limited to that one position, while Rivers was sacked 36 times — tied for the 10th most in the league. Despite battling injured ribs and a bulging disc in his back, the wily quarterback had his team in position to make the playoffs in their season finale. They didn't get it done in the final game, but it showed what the signal- caller is still capable of doing. Rivers was named a Pro Bowl alternate and team MVP after he completed 66.5 percent of his throws (379 of 570) for 4,286 yards with 31 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He finished the regular season fourth in the NFL in completion percentage, and eighth in pass - ing yards and touchdown throws. It marked his second straight and sixth overall campaign with 4,000 passing yards. 4. J.R. Sweezy, OL, Seattle Seahawks — It's hard to quantify the impact that an individual offensive lineman makes on a team, especially because the front is normally graded as a group. However, Sweezy was the only Se - ahawk to start all 19 games up front, while he helped pave the way for the NFL's top rushing attack. Any fan that attended the Seahawks' Town Hall event in early June knows just how much offensive line coach Tom Cable thinks of the converted defensive lineman. "At the very core of what Coach wants this program to be about and what we all believe, I think J.R. demon - strates that," he said during a six-minute film breakdown where he raved exclusively about Sweezy. "It's all about your effort, your enthusiasm, how hard you can play, how smart you can play and the finish. "What's really cool about J.R. is he has that unique skill set we talk about — he's sudden, he's quick, he's power - ful, he's smart and he has a tremendous amount of finish to him. You're going to see him [pancake guys] over and over. I don't like to label guys as the best this or the best that, but I think he's one of the very, very fine guards in pro football." The coach went on to say the former Wolfpack player was, "just as physical and probably just about as damn ornery" as seven-time All-Pro Steve Hutchinson, one of Seattle's all-time best. 5. Steven Hauschka, K, Seattle Seahawks — The third Seahawk on our list also played a key role in help- ing the team become the first back-to-back Super Bowl entrant since the 2004 Patriots. On the year, he went 31 of 37 on field goals with a career-long boot of 58 yards, which tied for the league's longest of the year. He also made all 41 point after tries and recorded touchbacks on more than half of his kickoffs (46 in 88 attempts). During the regular season, he tied for fourth in the NFL with 134 points and ranked fifth in field goals made. Hauschka was perfect in the playoffs, making two field goals and nine extra points, and also executed an onsides kick that was crucial in the comeback win over the Pack - ers in the NFC Championship Game. He currently ranks ninth in NFL history in career field goal percentage (.8543). ■ Top Five Seasons In 2014 Last season, Seahawks star Russell Wilson became the 20th quarterback in the NFL history to start multiple Super Bowls and just the 10th to make consecutive appearances. PHOTO COURTESY SEATTLE SEAHAWKS