The Draw Play

Couldn’t let the origin of my entire Tiny QB running gag get out the door without at least one last zinger.

The 24th comic I ever made was about Russell Wilson. The first time (I’m pretty sure) that I ever drew him as a tiny guy was on comic 126. Here we are at comic #1700 and we sit at the retirement of Russell Wilson. The Draw Play has now officially lasted longer than his NFL career. What a weird career it was.

Russ was an outstanding college QB who got overlooked by everyone prior to the draft as he stood below their sightline. While we all got smitten by Andrew Luck or RGIII, here was this little guy from Wisconsin who went in the third round. His girlfriend at the time made a funny face when he got the call. He was a different kind of corny then. He wore baggy Hawaiian shirts and had extreme Dad-core energy. It would be a little while before he went celebrity Russ and became a fashionista married to a singer. I miss the more openly dorky Russ. It always felt like that was closer to who he actually is as a person. The stylish celebrity Russ has always felt like kind of a brand management persona. He is extremely aware of how he wants to be perceived and it can come across as phony.

The Hawks had given Matt Flynn an absurd contract from his one good game in Green Bay, and Flynn couldn’t even outplay Russ in training camp/Preseason. Pete Carroll deserves credit for recognizing who he had right from the get go. Russ was an immediate sensation. Peak Russ in those early years was one of the most exciting players I’d ever watched. It was absolutely infuriating how he could slip out of sacks like a chicken covered in baby oil. Then he’d run around for another ten seconds, chuck a moonball that appeared to hang in the air for 10 minutes, and yet somehow come down exactly where it needed to go. Russell Wilson breaking free of the pocket felt like a death sentence for the other team.

Russ broke the mold for tiny guys. Drew Brees (who was slightly taller) had been an exception to the rule, but Russ ironically broke through the ceiling. Without Russ, we likely don’t have Kyler Murray/Bryce Young going first overall. Russ proved smaller guys could do the job just fine, even be elite.

He rode those skills to a Super Bowl win, multiple classic playoff games, and a ton of regular-season wins. Yeah, he was deeply corny, saying “Go Hawks” constantly like he was a spokesman in a commercial. Russ was probably on track to be a hall of famer in those first 5-6 years. But things would degrade over time.

His early career success seemed to be bolstered by a strong running game, and when Seattle’s run game evaporated and the o-line deteriorated, Russ was not able to cook as well as expected. The other problem was injuries began to mount up, and as they did, the limits of his game started to become more obvious.

His height really is a factor. Russ was able to compensate for that with his athleticism. If he couldn’t see a passing lane over his 6’5 school bus lineman, he’d make one. He’d buy himself time. But as his mobility worsened and his protection broke down quicker, he took more sacks. He fumbled more. He couldn’t get out of danger. He was questionable at mid-range and his ability to read a defense wasn’t improving. His game devolved pretty much entirely to moonballs and dumpoffs, and you need Randy Moss to make that a sustainable offense. He didn’t seem to realize it either, as he seemed to be more into doing whatever it is he wanted to do rather than what the offense required of him. Heroball.

By 2021, when he broke his finger, DangeRuss was more like CautionRuss. There was a contingent of Seattle fans who understood he was declining and they wanted to move on. Most of us could see the flaws, but ignored them. Russ won a Super Bowl. He was still good. Right? Well, Denver decided to test that idea.

In what would end up being one of the worst trades and contracts of all time, Denver traded for Russ and they proceeded to have an absolute disaster of a season. That first year finally saw Russ start to genuinely face the critics that had been popping up, but still most of the blame went to Nathaniel Hackett. Russ took more sacks and hurt his knee that season just to top it all off. By this point, his corniness had also become a meme, and people relentlessly mocked his “Lets Ride” crap and his woefully cringe attempt to brand himself as “Mr Unlimited”. He also had a shitty subway sandwich, although that really isn’t his fault, Subway is bad. He also did high-knees on the plane, because people who actually perform the Grindset Mindset are dweebs. Richard Sherman and a few other teammates publicly complained about him too, but Sherman beefs with everyone so take it with a grain of salt.

Any goodwill/benefit of the doubt Russ had left vanished under Sean Payton. Payton is a good coach, with a good offensive system. Russ couldn’t do it. Russ was so bad the Broncos bit down on an entire magazine of bullets and cut him, record-breaking dead money be damned. He would go to Pittsburgh, where he did nothing of value. Then he would go to a Giants team desperate for a QB and make it three disappointing games before getting benched for the rookie. Every single team got better at QB after he left. Seattle briefly found success under Geno with a worse roster than with late Russ. The Broncos, despite half their salary cap being tied up to a guy who wasn’t on the team, managed to build a playoff contender and then a Super Bowl contender with Bo Nix. The Steelers made it slightly farther with washed-up Aaron Rodgers. The Giants offense became watchable once Dart went in.

It appears he ran out of potential suitors. It probably took him till now to retire because he was trying to find any team to kick his tires and none bit. Thus ends the NFL career of Russell Wilson. He faded out as most former stars do.

He’s going to be great on TV. He’s good on camera, and CBS isn’t the internet, where authenticity matters as much. He can slot into a talking head role and do wonderfully. He was a guest on the first Manningcast and I remember being genuinely impressed at how good he was at just casually talking ball. I’m actually interested to see what he brings to the table.

Does Russ belong in the Hall of Fame? Probably not. Despite a lot of Pro Bowls, one Super Bowl, a Walter Payton award, and some good stats during the Seattle years, I think he played himself out of it. At this stage, half of his career is mid at best, and he’s spent the last few seasons as a joke no one respects. I think he’s a guy who will always skirt around the outside, flirting with making the final cuts, but never do it.

I will miss Russ. He made the NFL more fun. His weird cringe dad vibe was a needed contrast to some of the other typical NFL personality types. Russ was never anything but professional: he took all his lumps and benchings without any outcry. He was John Cena levels of generous with his time visiting sick kids in the hospital everywhere he went. His efforts there really should not go unappreciated; he’s a saint for how much time he spends supporting folks in the hospital, and I don’t think that is a brand management act. I think he genuinely cares; his mother was a nurse. Russ is a corny man, but he’s not a bad one.

Godspeed on TV you slippery little bugger. Thanks for the years of chaos you brought to the league.