Careers are made and waylaid by twists of fate and circumstance.
Russell Wilson nearly was a Jet.
It has been documented that current senior director of college scouting Terry Bradway was pounding the table so hard in the Jets’ war room in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft for Russell Wilson that they began calling him Russell Bradway.
The Jets had the 77th pick in the third round. They had selected Quinton Coples in the first round and Stephen Hill in the second. What if the Seahawks hadn’t picked Wilson two spots ahead of the Jets?
“He would have been in the discussion,” then-Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said.
Tannenbaum, now spearheading the growth of Priority Sports & Entertainment, and the Jets had kicked the tires on Peyton Manning, then gave Mark Sanchez $8.25 million guaranteed for the 2013 season, then signed Tim Tebow. So quarterback was not a priority. And Wilson had played baseball at North Carolina State before quarterbacking Wisconsin for one season.
Bradway didn’t care. He didn’t care that Wilson was 5-foot-10 5/8. He loved Wilson’s intangibles. He saw a quarterback who could make all the throws.
But so did the Seahawks.
The Jets made no attempt to trade up. They drafted Demario Davis, the linebacker who replaced Bart Scott and has a chance to be a 10-year starter and leader.
But imagine how everything would have changed if the Jets drafted Wilson.
If given the opportunity — a big if because of Sanchez’s contract and Rex Ryan’s loyalty to his incumbent QB — Wilson would have won the job, if not at the start of the season, then let’s say by midseason. It wouldn’t have been Greg McElroy stepping in for Sanchez, it would have been Wilson. There would have been no buttfumble.
Tannenbaum might have kept his job. Tony Sparano might have kept his job. Geno Smith would not have been a Jet. The 2013 summer quarterback competition would have been between Wilson and Sanchez, and Ryan would not have thrown Wilson to the wolves to win the Snoopy Bowl. And there is at least a reasonable chance Ryan would not find himself on the hot seat today.
Of course, Wilson could not possibly have become the kind of star he is today here with the lack of weapons that would have served as his supporting cast. But from the evidence to date, he would have stood tall — not very tall, of course — as a symbol of hope.
“I’m surprised he’s this good this quick,” Tannenbaum said.
Everyone is. Even the Seahawks — who had signed Matt Flynn to a three-year, $19.5 million deal to be their 2012 starter — were surprised. Wilson was The Natural, and beat out Flynn as Opening Day starter. His command of the huddle, his footwork and pocket presence, his gym rat preparation, his maturity and charisma, his assimilation of the offense, made it a no-brainier.
“The more competitive situation we put him in, the better he was,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said when he made the announcement. “He just has a real knack for playing the game of football.”
And now? After 22 TDs and six INTs, a 64.9 completion mark, 456 rushing yards with eight TDs and an 11-1 record heading to San Francisco for another grudge match with the hated 49ers? Now he’s in the MVP conversation alongside Peyton Manning.
According to Pro Football Focus, no quarterback uses play-action more than Wilson (34.3 percent of his pass attempts). His play-action quarterback rating is 120.9 (11 TDs, two INTs). His deep ball accuracy (60 percent) tops all quarterbacks. Blitz him at your own peril. Ask the Saints and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
“I think the game’s really slowed down for him,” Tannenbaum said. “He’s just a great processor of information.”
How big has Wilson become? Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett was told by a local restaurant when he called for a reservation that there was a 45-minute or longer wait. When he called back asking for a reservation, this time pretending to be Russell Wilson, the woman who answered the phone said: “Of course, of course, of course.”
Wilson meets with team psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais virtually every Monday to train his mind.
“When I’m in the zone, I always say, ‘Laser focused,’ ” Wilson said. “So for me, I want to be laser focused when I’m out on the field, and for that three hours of that time period, I want to be the most focused person out on the field that I can possibly be. …That gives me a better chance to be successful.”
When he is in that zone, he makes the game look ridiculously easy. Think Drew Brees with mobility. He has a sixth sense when to take off with the ball and when to get out of bounds. His football IQ and field awareness are way up there. He is mentally and physically tough. Granted, it helps having a beast like Marshawn Lynch and a pair of Pro Bowl offensive linemen, but remember, too, Wilson has made his receiving corps better — even without Percy Harvin.
The 49ers have handled him better than anyone. Wilson was just 8-of-19 passing for 142 yards with one TD and one INT with 10 rushes totaling 33 yards in a 29-3 Seahawks romp in September. And the 49ers will be the more desperate team Sunday, and their 12th Man, given a primer this week by the club, will be howling.
And the unflappable Wilson will love every second of it.
Big players play big in big games. The 49ers better not sell Russell Wilson short.