Russell Wilson 4, Eli Manning 0.
“Come on, Chad Powers?” Wilson laughed when I mentioned the youngest Manning brother’s comments Wednesday, a reference to the character he just played at a Penn State tryout for the Manning brothers’ Omaha Productions.
“Yeah, you know, Chad Powers? I’m 3-0 against Chad Powers.”
(Checks Wilson’s game logs. Yep. 3-0.)
“Listen, I think that it’s part of the game, man,” the Broncos’ quarterback continued. “It’s just those (Mannings) having fun, and everything else. I have a lot of respect for Peyton and Eli and those guys … I’ve always looked up to those guys. So I’m not stressed about it.”
Yeah, but this anti-Russ stuff is getting — well, kinda personal.
Forget Broncos-killer Maxx Crosby and his new Raiders running mate, Chandler Jones. Wilson’s been taking heat from all corners lately. The youngest Manning bro got the party started Monday night during the Cowboys-Giants ManningCast on ESPN2 when he quipped:
“They should’ve paid that punter (Corliss Waitman) $235 million instead of Russell.”
Three things. One, heck yeah — with six punts inside the 49ers’ 20-yard line this past Sunday, Waitman was great. Second, the Broncos actually gave Russ $245 million.
Third, ouch.
It gets worse. Bleacher Report posted an animated skit this week which featured Russ and coach Nathaniel Hackett as the cartoon protagonists on a cooking reality show, only the kitchen looked more like Lucy and Ethel than Julia Child.
On Wednesday, The Ringer posted its weekly NFL QB Rankings. DangeRuss checked in at No. 8, third in the AFC West behind the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (No. 1) and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert (No. 4).
No shame there, given the company. Right? Well, that’s until you get to the fine print. The second of two icons listed on Wilson’s scouting breakdown was a tiny icon that resembled the late actor Wilford “Quaker Oats” Brimley in a green football helmet, glowering next to two scary words:
WASHED WATCH.
As in, washed up.
“You know, anytime you’re in something that’s so new, whether it be him, (or anyone) on this team, with all these new players with new coaching staff, it’s going to take a little time,” Hackett said Monday when asked about the Russ-bashing.
“It’s not just going to get up there and roll right away. And that’s just the reality of it. There (have been) some great moments. We just need those to be more consistent. And that starts with me being able to get (Wilson) in a rhythm and understanding him because I can help him with the play-calls that make him get into that flow, get him into the rhythm, with the different players that he has around him. So we’ve just got to continually grow and continue to get better. It’s early in the season.”
Thankfully, though, not too early to stick a fork in Josh McDaniels and his 0-3 Las Vegas Raiders Sunday. Over the next 14 days, the 33-year-old quarterback with the rookie head coach and 83.2 passer rating draws Las Vegas this weekend; Indianapolis (1-1-1) at home for Thursday Night Football and a Monday night visit to the wounded Chargers (1-2) on Oct. 17.
Two more prime-time games. Two more chances to make America forget about Seattle in Week 1 and San Francisco in Week 3, to forget an offense that managed just 27 points and two touchdowns, combined, against the Seahawks and Niners.
Two more chances to change the narrative. And the cartoons.
“To win the Super Bowl, a lot of times, it’s on the road,” Wilson said Monday. “(To) win the whole thing, to be successful, you’ve got to win on the road.”
While the Broncos (2-1) are finding their feet, the Raiders are running out of time. Since the playoffs expanded in 1979, only one NFL team, the ’92 Chargers, started a season 0-4 and reached the postseason. Conversely, according to NFL.com data compiled last year, a franchise that starts 3-1 has a 67% chance of reaching the playoffs and a 40% chance of winning its division.
“Not every game is going to be perfect,” Wilson said. “Not every game is going to be just right. But I do believe that we were on that pursuit. I believe we’re right … there’s a special feeling in this locker room. A special feeling about where we’re going, where we’re headed. And we believe in that.”
Is Russ cooked? Like Grandpa Wilford used to say on those oatmeal commercials, he’s on his own now. When it comes to the “washed-up” whispers, the second-best revenge is living well. The best revenge is on the scoreboard, gleaming in the autumn night, branded with a hot iron into the backside of history.
