An NFL writer has a bone to pick with the new lead Bronco and isn’t letting him off the hook for last year’s transgressions either. He isn’t buying into the Russell Wilson hype, and this might be something fans will have to bookmark for the upcoming season.
Russell Wilson is undoubtedly one of the best signal-callers in our game, and the Denver Broncos have a natural-born leader with him at the helm. But according to The Athletic’s Larry Holder, there’s something broken inside of Wilson, but he can’t place his finger on it.
Holder thinks there’s something so wrong with Russ that it will keep the Super Bowl champion from being the leader that the Broncos spent multiple first and second-round picks on.
In Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos have seemingly found their ace in the hole at QB, finally answering their question of who would lead this Broncos offense. John Elway seems to have found his guy. The signal caller that the Broncos have been searching for since Peyton Manning retired after their Super Bowl-winning 2015 season.
While speaking on the Athletic’s “Playmaker Podcast,” Holder spoke about his reason for concern regarding Wilson, and why he isn’t going to write them in for a playoff spot just yet.
“Russell Wilson — sure he has the cachet — but I do think that something is off with him,” Holder said on The Athletic’s Playmaker Podcast. “And I’m wondering if a change of venue will help. Maybe it will help. But I do think that he’s a different style of quarterback — he’s a guy that’s always got to improvise. I’m not totally sold on Denver just because Russell Wilson is there. I think that they’ve got question marks. There’s a reason why you’re moving on from Russell Wilson. You don’t move on from a guy if you’re not ready to do it. I know there was a burned bridge between Seattle and Russell Wilson at that point, so you move on, but still, I’m not totally buying in that Russell Wilson is going to bring Denver to the promised land.”
"I'm not sold on Denver, just because Russell is there. You don't move on from a guy if you're not ready to do it"@LarryHolder joined @lindseybrown35 & @AdrianRadio93 to talk about the AFC West.
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📺: https://t.co/2eXhvQN1bS@AudacySports | #NFL pic.twitter.com/XRBHtyIBXB— The BET Las Vegas (@thebetlasvegas) July 19, 2022
Wilson did spend multiple games sidelined after sustaining a broken finger injury, which required surgery. After returning from that injury, Wilson couldn’t make any miracles happen for Seattle, resulting in them ending the season at 7-10.
According to teammates in Seattle, Wilson mentally “checked out” midseason. While Wilson assured fans and media the Seahawks’ decision to trade Wilson was mutual for both parties, Seattle chair Jody Allen told the fans and media via statement that Wilson had initiated the trade himself.
Holder wouldn’t be the first to doubt Wilson’s potential impact.
The former Wisconsin Badger has spent 10 years in the NFL, and with the help of one of the greatest defenses of all time, led Seattle to a Super Bowl victory in 2013. But the longtime Seahawk recently orchestrated his own trade to the Denver Broncos after a turbulent 2021 campaign in Seattle, and a disastrous offseason as well.
The Broncos have a great defense, a versatile arsenal of offensive weapons, and a new head coach in Nathaniel Hacket to pair with Wilson. Denver seems destined for a turnaround season after going 7-10 the previous year. This goes without saying, but this team’s success will rely heavily on Russ’ cooking, and Holder isn’t buying into the hype for Wilson.
While there were plenty of factors that played into Wilson’s departure, the main reasons were that he disapproved of the dismissal of multiple coaches and wanted more input in changes being made by the front office. He also felt like Seattle didn’t do a good enough job of surrounding Wilson with players that could complement his skillset.
Holder may be on to something with his concerns about Wilson. Dangeruss has looked stellar in his offseason workouts and has done an excellent job of working with his new group of receivers as well. But none of that matters if he can’t piece it all together on the field, and if Holder is right about Wilson, this may be the case when the season starts. In the toughest division in football, there will be no room for error, and Wilson will have to put his best foot forward.
