Russell Wilson is a Super Bowl champion. Russell Wilson is early in his development as a pro quarterback.
These two statements undeniably are true, and yet create a natural tension. Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carrollwants to be careful not to assume Wilson has "arrived."
"He needs all the attention that everyone else needs, and he's gonna get it," Carroll told TheMMQB.com's Peter King. "Russell's just a young guy figuring it out. Of course, he applies himself so well that you think that he's OK. I think that would be a tragic mistake. He's just developing. He's just coming on. He needs work fundamentally. He needs work on the principles of what we're doing."
These quotes stuck out because they mirrored a conversation we had with a number of people in Orlando, Fla., last week at the NFL Annual Meeting. There is a wide range of opinions regarding Wilson around the league and among the media. Some folks believe he's already a top-eight quarterback, on his way to the top five.
Others believe Wilson is not even in the top 15 yet, and they'd rather have some of his young competition like Colin Kaepernick, Andrew Luck and Cam Newton.
The conversation speaks to the larger question of whether a quarterback gets too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses. Throughout Wilson's 2013 season, the second-year player didn't seem to be reading the entire field. He didn't throw the ball much, but he was very efficient when he did throw and is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the league.
Could Newton or Kaepernick have won a Super Bowl with Seattle's roster? We tend to think the answer is yes.
As Carroll said, Wilson still has a long way to go in his development. But there is nothing in his makeup to suggest he won't continue to get better.
Wilson has enjoyed one of the most successful starts to a quarterback's career in a long time. He might not be a top-shelf signal-caller yet, but there's every reason to believe he'll get there. He's just getting started.
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