Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson predicted to win MVP

CARSON, CA – AUGUST 18: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts as a touchdown is called back after a Seahawk penalty during the first quarter of a presseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on August 18, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Why do people continue to sleep on Russell Wilson? What more must the young Seattle Seahawks QB do in order to get the respect he deserves?

Sure he’s viewed by many among the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL. That’s fine, but it’s high time that status was elevated to among the true elite of this league. He certainly has the accolades to prove it. Four Pro Bowls since being drafted in 2012. Two Super Bowl appearances. A Super Bowl ring. Some men are heralded as better than him who have done significantly less. How much longer before he gets his day in the sun?

Well, that could be approaching. There is no longer any pretense of how the Seahawks will win or lose in 2018. Their once-vaunted Legion of Boom defense is gone. Richard Sherman is in San Francisco. Michael Bennett is in Philadelphia. Earl Thomas is on a couch at home. Kam Chancellor won’t play this year. Marshawn Lynch is long gone. The focal points of that great era from 2012 to 2016 are done. This is truly the dawn of the Wilson era.

This team’s hopes and dreams flow through his right arm. Franchise quarterbacks are expected to carry teams through transition periods. This will be his first real test. Wilson was superb in 2017. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com thinks he can take it even a step further.

Wilson in line for MVP honors if he gets Seahawks to the playoffs

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Brooks believes that Wilson likely would’ve been MVP last season if his team had reached the postseason. Now he’s certain that if the quarterback can meet or even surpass those numbers in 2018, then it’s all but a lock that he’ll earn the one notable honor he’s yet to achieve as a professional.

"“While there are only a handful of quarterbacks in the league capable of shouldering such a heavy load (Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford and a few others), Wilson has proven that he is an MVP-caliber player over the past three seasons, when the team gradually shifted from a run-first, defensive-oriented squad to a QB-centric team that increasingly relied on the talents of the quarterback to create big plays on the perimeter……With an A1 quarterback capable of elevating a pass catcher with pinpoint throws to every area of the field, the Seahawks’ passing game could be dynamic with Wilson at the helm. The improvisational wizard can extend plays and make magic happen outside of the pocket when he has a group of receivers capable of uncovering on scrambles and broken plays.Considering how Aaron Rodgers has won games and earned “G.O.A.T” accolades as a run-around playmaker, Wilson could also earn another acronym (MVP) if he is able to win games and spark another playoff run with uncertainty and change on each side of the ball.”"

Wilson is already locking up the honor of being the greatest quarterback in Seahawks history. The numbers are almost there. Now the focus for him is on whether he can reach the true mountaintop of a bust in Canton. He’s on his way but there’s a lot of work left to do. Winning a Super Bowl was a huge boost towards that goal but he has to show everybody that he is a true franchise quarterback. That he can put a team on his back and carry them further than they would normally go.

He showed flashes of it last year. Now it’s time to stop the pretenses and get down to business. It comes down to whether he can get enough protection up front to do what he has to do.

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