Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long saw Russell Wilson play before many of us did. Long coached high school football in Virginia for eight years. While there, he coached against Wilson.
Coaching against Wilson, Long learned a lesson that NFL defensive coordinators and head coaches have been learning for the last five years.
“Russell was 20 when he was 10 years old,” Long said on The Dan Patrick Show. “He’s been mature, he’s been smart, he’s been poised, he’s been a leader. We couldn’t beat him. I drew everything up. Both side blitzes, spies, four-man front, three-man front, man coverage, zone coverage, you name it. We tried everything that you could possibly do. Right now, he’s doing everything that he’d do then.”
Indeed, this has been apparent to NFL fans ever since Wilson joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. He obviously has tremendous physical skills. But more than that, Wilson’s poise is his biggest asset.
He’s led the Seahawks on many comebacks or near comebacks from seemingly insurmountable deficits in big games. That’s not something a quarterback can do if he’s not poised and can’t get his team to believe.
Given how quickly Wilson has risen, it’s not surprising that his poise and leadership skills have been apparent since at least high school.