Defensive coordinators around the league are in agreement about one thing: Scrambling quarterbacks keep them up at night. The perfect plan, the perfect coverage can be trashed in an instant by a mobile man taking the snaps.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson took the Redskins’ defensive gameplan and ran all over it Monday night.
Wilson ran for 122 yards on 11 carries in the Redskins’ 27-17 loss to the defending Super Bowl champions Monday night. Wilson’s rushing yards were a Monday Night Football record for a quarterback.
Aware of Wilson’s ability to move — not just upfield, but also his pirouettes to leave trouble in a collapsing pocket — the Redskins studied film of his tendencies. What they saw was a tendency for Wilson to hand the ball off when he had an option to keep it or give it to a back. That changed in the first half Monday.
Wilson has always used running ability to escape trouble. In college at both North Carolina State and Wisconsin, he ran. His first season with the Seahawks he ran for 489 yards. Last year on the way to the Super Bowl, he gained 539 yards on the ground. Monday’s display was a career-high in rushing yards and the second time Wilson ran for more than 100 yards in his pro career.
Thing is, he’ll say he’s loathe to run. Wilson, ever the diplomat, will rattle off the name of teammates from star wide receiver Percy Harvin to the third-string tight end as players he would like to get the ball to instead of run it.
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He decided to keep it against the aggressive edge pressure from the Redskins, leaving them with a better shot at containing a squirrel with a fever.
“We practiced it,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “I think some of the keepers, you know — they faked the outside zone, and I think he was reading the backside pursuit and he was keeping it.
“That’s where he hit us on a couple of them — just true blue, not a zone read. It was just true-blue fakes, outside zone, and he just kept it on his own — which, they haven’t done a whole lot of that. But Russell’s a hell of a player.”
Wilson had 89 rushing yards at the half. His 122 yards were the most rushing yards the Redskins have allowed to an individual player this season.
More frustrating for a defense, than the scripted plays is when Wilson is able to defy what appears to be a sure tackle.
Take second-and-20 in the fourth quarter, which came during a 12-play drive that ended with the Seahawks’ final touchdown of the evening. Wilson ran toward the line of scrimmage after being pushed up in the pocket. He stalled his body just long enough for not all of it to pass the line of scrimmage, allowing him to remain eligible to pass. Back Wilson came, then he went right. When he looked up, tight end Luke Willson was open. A disaster had become a 19-yard gain to set up third-and-short.
The Redskins defense uses the term “plaster” when talking about coverage after a quarterback starts maneuvering around in the pocket. Once the quarterback is improvising, defenders are told to stay on anyone in their zone.
The Seahawks have designed scramble routes when Wilson is on the loose. His intention is often to peel out to the back side of a play before heading upfield.
In those situations, Wilson is so unpredictable, he becomes nearly impossible to stop.
“That was the thing that kind of bit us a little bit,” Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo said.
Amid disappointment in the Redskins’ lockerroom was a discussion between two defensive backs. They were rehashing the way Wilson became loose and punished them. One contended Wilson was rattled — an opinion defied by both the rushing numbers and his 18-for-24 passing night — and the other countered with the simple argument, “But, he’s so smooth.”
Which is the case. Wilson is progressing toward unflappable star status in the league in just his third season. At Super Bowl XLVIII, Wilson talked of reaching Peyton Manning’s status not just with on-field success, but also with off-field persona. The guy every brand wants selling their non-controversial goods.
Games like Monday’s, a masterful display on national television, only bolster Wilson’s pursuit of superiority. He has reached a point where he doesn’t need to pump his talents. Others will do it for him.
“It’s no secret what Russell can do,” Redskins left tackle Trent Williams said. “It’s so tough with trying to bottle up a guy like that. Especially with the weapons they have downfield. It’s extremely tough. Any time we were able to force them to punt was kind of a victory in itself. He’s so smart.
“He’s a great player. When it’s all said and done. He’ll go down as the one of the best.”
He was that on Monday night.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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