The Seattle Seahawks are still battling it out against the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Pittsburg Steelers for the Wild Card spot. However, Russell Wilson is engaged in yet another fight - this time against the Cleveland Browns. Given the inconsistent performance of the Seattle Seahawks this NFL season, the leadership of the quarterback is questioned. With the hopes of a playoff spot still uncertain, Wilson has to prove his mettle in the field. While the outspoken Christian quarterback impressed some, he reportedly failed to amaze Mike Pettine.
"Would you put him put there with the guys that can transcend their supporting cast?" asked Pettine of Wilson's capacity to stand beside great quarterbacks in the NFL, according to Seattle Times. The Cleveland Browns head coach added, "The (Tom) Bradys whether it's Aaron Rodgers, (Drew) Brees,(Ben) Roethlisberger, the ones that you would consider the two, three, four elite guys? No. But he's certainly played himself into that next tier."
While Pettine applauds Wilson, he believes that the Seattle Seahawks quarterback is just not at the same level as the likes of the leaders of the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and the Denver Broncos. According to the Cleveland Browns' coach, Wilson has yet to exhibit better performances to gain such accolade from the NFL community.
He said, "Just I was in the AFC East and went against Tom Brady for years, I just don't, and I know Peyton (Manning) people talk about where he is now and I have gone against him for a bunch of years, this is my 14th year in the league. But it's hard to put anybody else, Aaron Rodgers, it's hard to put anybody else in that category. But he's [Wilson] getting pretty darn close to it. You just go by results, this is a guy that you can tell he's not as concerned about the numbers but the most important number is winning and he's been one of the winningest quarterbacks in the league since he took over as a starter and that carries a lot of weight.
Pettine also commended the Seattle Seahawks' efforts to choose Wilson as the center of the football team. He shared that the quarterback can "play great defense" as well as put together "one of the elite defenses in the league." Despite these strengths, Pettine wants to see more from Wilson. He said, "But he is certainly one of the best in the league, but it's just I've been around some darn good ones and haven't gone against Russell that many times. But if you had to rank them, he's doing an outstanding job but I would probably put him right in that next tier right outside the best."
The NFL playoffs this year could feature the following teams as the possible winners: Cam Newton's Carolina Panthers as the NFC South champions and the Houston Texans as the AFC South champs. The Denver Broncos might emerge as the AFC West champs, with the New England Patriots as the AFC East winners. Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins could be the NFC East champs, and the Arizona Cardinals could be the No. 1 in the NFC West. The Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals are projected as the NFC North and AFC North champs, respectively.
