Getty Russell Wilson received an NBA comparison from one NFL coach.
Russell Wilson has been described in a lot of ways, but Ravens defensive coordinator Dan Martindale borrowed from the NBA to find a good comparison for the Seahawks quarterback. Martindale sees some similarities between Wilson and Warriors guard Steph Curry.
“It’s just like all the other quarterbacks we’ve played before,” Martindale explained, per NBC Sports. “You can say, ‘Keep him in the pocket.’ There’s times you think you have him in the pocket and he shakes you and he gets out of the pocket. He’s extending plays better than he ever has…It’s sort of like playing against Steph Curry in basketball, if you will. You can pick him halfcourt and he’s going to try to drive by you or you can slack off and he’s going to pull up and hit a three.”
Turns out Martindale may be onto something as Curry is one of Wilson’s favorite players to watch. After the Rams-Seahawks game this season, Wilson admitted that he tries to pull some things Curry does onto the football field.
“I think about Steph Curry and how he shoots a basketball—that’s how I want to throw a football,” Wilson noted, per Bleacher Report. “Put it on the money, make some crazy throws, make some crazy plays. I love watching sports, and he’s one of my favorite guys to watch with how he shoots a basketball.”
Russell Wilson Will Square Off With Former Seahawks Teammate Earl Thomas in Week 7
Very few defenders are as familiar with Wilson’s game as Earl Thomas. The Pro Bowl safety practiced against Wilson for years until he signed with the Ravens this offseason. Thomas noted that the key to containing Wilson is limiting the Seahawks’ run game.
“Everything is predicated off the run game, and we also know that Russell can extend plays,” Thomas said, per NBC Sports. “That’s when he kind of works his magic — when he plays backyard football. And his receivers do a great job of just melding with him and creating space, boxing guys out and creating leverages and coming up with big catches.”
Wilson Is the New NFL MVP Favorite
Russell Wilson this year:
➖ No. 1 in passer rating
➖ T-No. 1 in total TDs
➖ T-No. 1 in game-winning drives
➖ No. 2 in completion %
➖ 0 interceptions
➖ Seahawks 5-1
Coming for that MVP? 👁 @brgridiron
After Week 6, Vegas moved Wilson ahead of Patrick Mahomes as the NFL MVP favorite in the odds at +200, per ESPN’s Ben Fawkes. Mahomes was listed at +250 in second prior to his recent injury, while Watson rounds out the top three at +400.
McCaffrey (10 to 1), Brady (12 to 1) and Aaron Rodgers (14 to 1) are the other players listed with the best chance to win. Earlier this month, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll noted that Wilson is off to the best start of his career.
“I think he’s off to his best start ever,” Carroll told CBS Sports. “I don’t know what it looks like numbers wise, but I think it is. I don’t think he’s ever been more accurate than he’s been, and more consistent, and in command of everything. I think he’s off to a great start. I don’t care how big the numbers are, I’m not talking about how many yards or whatever, just his play has been really, really sharp.”
