Another week, another drama-filled story regarding Russell Wilson. The embattled veteran quarterback has constantly been in the news cycle during his first season in Denver, whether it’s been his play on the field (which has largely not been good) or his “Let’s ride” mantra that has been dissected and scrutinized by the masses.
The latest in the Wilson-Denver saga is whether or not he is using the right audibles. Tyler Polumbus, a former NFL offensive lineman (who played with both the Broncos and Seahawks, but never with Wilson) and current co-host on 92.5 Altitude Sports Radio in Denver, said Wilson is confusing his teammates with his verbiage choices.
“Russ is losing his mind out there,” Polumbus said, via the New York Post. “He’s using audibles from the Seahawks. The guys don’t know the audibles. He’s using codewords that the guys don’t know.”
When asked about the situation, Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett didn’t necessarily deny that Wilson is using old Seahawks audibles.
“It’s news to me,” Hackett said. “He does have freedom at the line, when he sees certain things, to be able to check to them. We’ve built this system around him. So all the words that he utilizes, I mean, some are from the past, some are from the new. … Nothing (abnormal) that I’ve heard. He’s done everything that we’ve asked, and we just need to do it at a higher level in order to get some wins.”
Wilson leaning on old verbiage — as long as he isn’t facing his former team — probably isn’t a big deal at face value. He’s playing in a new offense and probably looking for any way to minimize the complexity. However, if Wilson’s teammates aren’t on the same page with his audibles, that is obviously not an ideal situation.
This is certainly not a good look for Wilson or Hackett, who are both in their first seasons in Denver. It’s been a rough start for both men in the Mile High City, as the Broncos are just 3-6 and currently dead last in the NFL in points scored. Wilson, who is 3-5 as the Broncos’ starter this season, is on pace to set single-season career lows in completion percentage and touchdown passes.
