Don’t Let Russell Wilson’s Success Distract From How To Build A Winning Franchise in the NFLBy Leo Howell - Feb 3rd, 2014 at 2:18 pm 
Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ. Michael Strahan, left, looks on as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports The day after the Super Bowl is commonly a day for fans to figure out how their team can best emulate the style of the lucky franchise that got the chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy the night before. Last season, fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were thrilled at the thought of a decent defense with a versatile running back and a deep ball quarterback winning the Super Bowl when the Ravens won it all, only to find that both the Buccaneers and Ravens had letdown seasons in 2013. This season, following a victory by the Seattle Seahawks, a primary topic of discussion among fans is how the Buccaneers can get the mobile, creative quarterback like Russell Wilson under center and emulate the Seahawks’ success. The problem with that is simple: The Seahawks didn’t win BECAUSE of their quarterback. They won WITH him. Much like the Ravens, who had a balanced offense and an opportunistic defense, the Seahawks’ dominant defense and complimentary offense provided them with a perfect balance on both sides of the ball, and helped them make a run to the Super Bowl. Both teams also featured key special teams plays, something often overlooked when considering the keys to a team’s success. Russell Wilson is a fantastic quarterback, and he’s only getting better. He’s poised in the pocket, has incredible arm strength and accuracy on the run, and has the mobility to extend plays and pick up big gains on the ground. But before Wilson, it was Joe Flacco winning a Super Bowl, with a totally different skillset. The common thread among Super Bowl teams is not their quarterback. Nor is it any other single position. The Seahawks dominated in the Super Bowl because of a total team effort from a talented, well-constructed roster. The same can be said for almost any other team that wins the Super Bowl. Quarterback is simultaneously the most important and most overrated position in football. Russell Wilson was a key member of the 2013 Seattle Seahawks, but he was not the lone reason they won the Super Bowl. A quarterback with a skillset like Wilson’s may not have even made the playoffs without the suffocating defense, powerful rushing attack, and nearly perfect special teams play. The Buccaneers are poised to make a quick turnaround and contend for a Super Bowl with the right additions and the right coaching. But simply trying to copycat the Seahawks, or any other team, would be foolish. Building the right roster with the right players is more than just following a blueprint, which is why the Buccaneers made a change at GM as well as head coach. The owners want the team headed in the right direction, and they know that means building the right roster to be coached by the right head coach. That’s what happened in New York, Baltimore, and Seattle, with vastly different quarterbacks, and that’s what will happen in Tampa if Jason Licht and Lovie Smith can get the right pieces in place. http://thepewterplank.com/2014/02/03/dont-let-russell-wilsons-success-distract-build-winning-franchise-nfl/ It's good to be Russell Wilson right now......[FoxSports]The QB had a big night in Seattle's win over Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday. What'd he do Monday? First he appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in NYC:Then he later sat courtside with Jay Z and Beyonce at the Sixers-Nets game in Brooklyn:
A spot on article. Wilson was a cog in a well oiled machine, he did his job and others did theirs. The result was a good team win.
A spot on article. Wilson was a cog in a well oiled machine, he did his job and others did theirs. The result was a good team win.
again, the problem with that "with not because" is it is wrong. You can remove any other player from the Hawks and they likely still win the SB, remove Wilson and that team might not make the playoffs. QB is the one irreducible element on your team.
A spot on article. Wilson was a cog in a well oiled machine, he did his job and others did theirs. The result was a good team win.
again, the problem with that "with not because" is it is wrong. You can remove any other player from the Hawks and they likely still win the SB, remove Wilson and that team might not make the playoffs. QB is the one irreducible element on your team.
Depends who you replace him with.
The better the team around the QB is the less he has to do to win. Not taking anything away from the kid, he's still a good QB but he wouldn't have won a super bowl with the Bucs or 95% of the other teams in the league.
Don't know who their backup QB is, but many teams have won significant games with their backup. Most of the Dolphins' perfect 17-0 season was played by their backup QB Earl Morrall, as starter Bob Griese broke his leg early in the season. He didn't return until after halftime in the AFC Championship. The article is spot-on; it's all about EVERYONE on the team doing their job, and I would add, the coaching staff having an intelligent game plan BASED on coaches knowing what his players are CAPABLE of in game-by-game matchups vs each opponent.
A spot on article. Wilson was a cog in a well oiled machine, he did his job and others did theirs. The result was a good team win.
again, the problem with that "with not because" is it is wrong. You can remove any other player from the Hawks and they likely still win the SB, remove Wilson and that team might not make the playoffs. QB is the one irreducible element on your team.
Depends who you replace him with.
Well yes take him out and insert Andrew Luck and they win. Again, Wilson is among those guys who can win games. You could replace him with Romo, Roth, Smith, Foles and so forth and be ok. You replace him with Campbell, Henne, Geno, or Glennon and you aren't a playoff team anymore. It remains the one factor you can't work around and it is why most of the teams picking at the top of the draft in any given year have lousy QB's.
This is stupid. Of course every team that wins the Super Bowl does it because of the total team. News flash: Almost every team that makes the playoffs has a good QB. It's not like Seattle won the Super Bowl by beating Chad Henne, Luke McCown, and Derek Anderson. They did it by beating Drew Brees, Colin Kaepernick, and Peyton Manning. When you get together twelve teams that all have good QBs, of course you're going to need players at other positions to step up to win.
A spot on article. Wilson was a cog in a well oiled machine, he did his job and others did theirs. The result was a good team win.
again, the problem with that "with not because" is it is wrong. You can remove any other player from the Hawks and they likely still win the SB, remove Wilson and that team might not make the playoffs. QB is the one irreducible element on your team.
Depends who you replace him with.
Well yes take him out and insert Andrew Luck and they win. Again, Wilson is among those guys who can win games. You could replace him with Romo, Roth, Smith, Foles and so forth and be ok. You replace him with Campbell, Henne, Geno, or Glennon and you aren't a playoff team anymore. It remains the one factor you can't work around and it is why most of the teams picking at the top of the draft in any given year have lousy QB's.
But what if those QBs are lousy because of the situation they were put in? It's easy to look at Gabbert and say he sucks, but what if he had been drafted by the 49ers and had the chance to sit for a year and a half?
A spot on article. Wilson was a cog in a well oiled machine, he did his job and others did theirs. The result was a good team win.
again, the problem with that "with not because" is it is wrong. You can remove any other player from the Hawks and they likely still win the SB, remove Wilson and that team might not make the playoffs. QB is the one irreducible element on your team.
Depends who you replace him with.
Well yes take him out and insert Andrew Luck and they win. Again, Wilson is among those guys who can win games. You could replace him with Romo, Roth, Smith, Foles and so forth and be ok. You replace him with Campbell, Henne, Geno, or Glennon and you aren't a playoff team anymore. It remains the one factor you can't work around and it is why most of the teams picking at the top of the draft in any given year have lousy QB's.
But what if those QBs are lousy because of the situation they were put in? It's easy to look at Gabbert and say he sucks, but what if he had been drafted by the 49ers and had the chance to sit for a year and a half?
Blaine Gabbert 
If Kaepernick was taken 10th overall by the Jaguars you would be saying
Colin Kaepernick
A spot on article. Wilson was a cog in a well oiled machine, he did his job and others did theirs. The result was a good team win.
again, the problem with that "with not because" is it is wrong. You can remove any other player from the Hawks and they likely still win the SB, remove Wilson and that team might not make the playoffs. QB is the one irreducible element on your team.
Depends who you replace him with.
Well yes take him out and insert Andrew Luck and they win. Again, Wilson is among those guys who can win games. You could replace him with Romo, Roth, Smith, Foles and so forth and be ok. You replace him with Campbell, Henne, Geno, or Glennon and you aren't a playoff team anymore. It remains the one factor you can't work around and it is why most of the teams picking at the top of the draft in any given year have lousy QB's.
But what if those QBs are lousy because of the situation they were put in? It's easy to look at Gabbert and say he sucks, but what if he had been drafted by the 49ers and had the chance to sit for a year and a half?
He'd still suck. QBs make their teams better, they are or they aren't. It wasn't like the Pats we a great situation for Brady. The Packers aren't a great team sans Rodgers. The Cards were a disaster with Max Hall and looked competent with Palmer.
It's not that cut and dry. If Rodgers had been drafted by the expansion Texans he would have had a high bust chance. Alex Smith was benched for Troy Smith before Harbaugh came. And Kolb had a higher rating in 2012 than Palmer did in 2013 and went 3-2.
and it came down to coaching and execution. Simple.
Beyonce lookin hot as ever, I ain't diggin the blond hair though.
