The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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158 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ PACK PROS What They're Saying "Wilson's rare combination of athleticism and arm talent make him a nightmare to defend. … As effective as Wilson can be in the open field [as a runner], he remains capable of functioning as a more traditional passer. His range of attributes make him one of the best in the game. Wilson is one of the top quarterbacks in terms of accuracy, ranking in the top three in accuracy percentage, deep accuracy and accuracy under pressure last season." — Pro Football Focus' John Breitenbach on why Russell Wilson is a top- five quarterback in the NFL • "As my coach told me when I was in Arizona … 'He doesn't throw passes, he throws handoffs' because his accuracy [is so good] — it just always seems to end up in his receivers' hands. If you give him enough time, he'll pick you apart." — Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Dan Williams on San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers during the NFL Net - work's countdown of the top 100 players of 2016, where Rivers checked in at No. 46 (Wilson was later revealed at No. 17) • "I'm on record saying that I think Mike Glennon is a starter in the NFL. I'm a huge Mike Glennon fan. So I'd love to have Mike Glennon on our football team." — Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter before the NFL Draft on persistent trade ru - mors about the team looking to move the quarterback (TBO.com) • "He's a Curtis Martin, Willie McGinest, Troy Brown type player. … Those kinds, those Tedy Br- uschi types, those players who've been successful — he's very similar in his personal life to those kind of guys. … I think he's going to the absolute perfect place for him." — Legendary NFL head coach Bill Parcells on Jacoby Brissett (Boston Herald) NC State Is Quarterback U There are only two schools — USC and Michigan State — that have more active NFL quarterbacks than NC State's quartet of Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Mike Glennon and Jacoby Brissett as of late June, when many teams are carrying four quarterbacks before cutting one or two by the time the regular season starts. NCSU and USC are the only two with a pair of former field generals expected to start in 2016. All four Wolfpackers are locks to make final rosters, something not likely for either the Trojans' six or Spartans' five currently on rosters. Michigan is also likely to have four former signal-callers make final rosters, but one is Ryan Mal- lett, who played just one season for the Wolverines. The Pack is unique in that each professional field general started multiple years for them. A look at the combined production each college totaled in the professional ranks from its signal-callers last year: School Passing Passing Rushing Rushing Reg.-Season Playoff (QBs who played in 2015) Yards TD Yards TD Wins* Wins* NC State (2) 8,816 63 581 1 14 1 Michigan State (4) 8,928 55 99 6 18 0 USC (3) 6,562 44 124 1 14 1 Michigan (2) 6,106 41 68 4 14 1 * Only counting games where the QB started Numbers To Know 2 Schools — NC State and Michigan State — have had three quarterbacks selected in the last five NFL Drafts. Only eight programs have more than one during that span, and MSU's total includes Nick Foles, who appeared in only one game before transferring to Arizona. 7 Percent of Russell Wilson's throws last year resulted in a touchdown (second in the NFL), while just 1.7 per- cent were intercepted (sixth). After a slow start, he threw a NFL-best 25 touchdown passes in the second half of the season — on 249 attempts (one TD every 10 passes) — and against just two picks. 18, 20 Are where Wilson ($41.8 million in salary and endorsements) and Philip Rivers ($38 million) check in, respectively, on Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes. They ranked fifth and sixth among NFL players. 47 Was where ESPN.com ranked Wilson in its countdown of the top 50 players in Super Bowl history. Ac- cording to the website, his 117.39 passer rating in the big game ranks third all time, while noting "he could move up this list by the time his career is over." 100,000 Estimated dollars that Jacoby Brissett saved by negotiating his rookie deal without an agent, according to TheMMQB.com. He was the only player in the 2016 draft class to handle his own negotiations. Only two colleges are projected to have a pair of starting NFL quarterbacks in 2016 — NC State and USC. In 2015, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wil- son became the only player in NFL history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 30 scores and rush for 500 or more yards in the same season. PHOTO BY ROD MAR/COURTESY SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Pack Supplies Parts For The Perfect QB In May, NFL.com's Gil Brandt wrote a piece about building the ideal NFL signal-caller. It re- quired two components of former Wolfpackers: The leadership ability of Philip Rivers "Rivers is a quiet leader off the field, but he's very vocal on it. The Chargers' quarterback simply puts it all on the line. He is not timid. Even when he gets knocked down, he comes up fighting, so to speak, ready to challenge guys on the other team. I think that kind of spark elevates the play of his teammates." The running ability of Russell Wilson "Plenty of quarterbacks can run, but Wilson is an exceptional athlete who moves like a halfback and can make people miss. This ability can mean so much to an offense. Where a rock-footed signal- caller will suffer a momentum-killing sack, a fleet- footed guy like Wilson will take off and pick up a crucial first down (and then some)." Last year, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers ranked second in the league in passing yards (4,792), seventh in completion percentage (66.1), and 12th in touchdown throws (29) and passer rating (93.8). PHOTO COURTESY SAN DIEGO CHARGERS