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Former Seahawks wide receiver Brandon Marshall poured a little more gas into the fire that suddenly came to life involving the Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson.
Wilson’s teammates backstage, and Wilson himself, have made it clear in the past few days that they are not happy with aspects of the relationship with the team he has championed over the past nine seasons. Wilson said he is tired of being hit and fired. He wants to be more involved in personnel decisions and also wanted to participate in the selection of the new offensive team coordinator. And Wilson left open the possibility that if he is not satisfied with the way things are going, he could end up elsewhere.
Marshall, for his part, indicated that the split between the two sides may be even more significant than Wilson is showing. In an appearance on First Things First on FOX Sports, Marshall said Wilson is not happy and, he believes, is trying to find a way to leave Seattle.
“Russell Wilson is beyond frustrated. I think Russell Wilson is trying to figure out how to move forward in an elegant way. That’s what I really believe in, ”said Marshall. “… He’s trying to leave the legacy that he did things the right way so that other guys can follow the same plan. So I think he has a hard time moving forward in an elegant way, in a way that people can look at him and say, you know what, he still did it the right way. Because this is important to Russ. “
Marshall spent seven games for Seattle in 2018. He took 11 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown on the final stop of his 13-year career. Although his time with the Seahawks was short, Marshall started a relationship with Wilson that makes his comments remarkable. Marshall said there are several problems at stake.
“The problem, and everyone is talking about it, is that Jason La Canfora talks about ‘Oh, they need to protect you,'” said Marshall. “Well, they recruited a guy, an offensive striker, since they had Russell Wilson. They are always trying to find out who is still there at the free agency or who is the guy who, you know, should have a year of recovery, and they never really go there and solidify that offensive line. Now, a lot of people are like Russel Wilson, you’re holding the ball a little longer. Well, Pete Carroll, the offense you put in place is that we will run first, we will run second, and if it is third and manageable, we will probably run third, and then we will take pictures. I was there. We didn’t play a quick game. There was no established game outside of Doug Baldwin, and then you had Tyler Lockett where it’s like you have an alternate route. You either break in or run away. That’s it. So Russel Wilson, if the deep ball is not there, it is clear that he will hold the ball, definitely when you have that kind of offensive line in front of you. So that’s the problem. “
Marshall’s comments are not very precise when it comes to the offensive line. In Wilson’s nine-year career, the Seahawks recruited 15 attackers from the offensive line. Five of those selections came in the first three rounds of the draft and a choice from the second round was included as part of the exchange that brought Duane Brown from the Houston Texans to Seattle. And the Seahawks were far from a team with a lot of racing in 2020. They made 1,022 offensive moves this season. Wilson had 558 passing attempts, 47 sacks and 83 rushes. Since Wilson no longer has many races planned, most of these moves were shuffled into passing moves. That leaves Seattle with a race pass ratio of 66-34 this season.
So while Marshall’s comments may not be perfectly clear about what the situation has become in Seattle, if Wilson feels these are real issues, it is still important to the state of the relationship.
Marshall said he thinks the team still doesn’t fully trust Wilson.
“But at the end of the day, you need to decide whether you believe in Russ to step back and play 30-40 times, and I don’t think they believe in Russ. Well, actually, I know they don’t believe in Russ because I was there, ”said Marshall.
“And I think Russ wants to stay there, but he knows that Pete Carroll will continue to get in the way. You know, when it comes to the offensive coordinator, did I really have a seat at the table? When it comes to how we approach our offense, will you listen? When it comes to, you know, building around the best player on our team, me, are you going to choose an offensive lineman, a pivot? Are you going to do these things? And I think it’s getting to the point where Russ just doesn’t believe it. “
There certainly seems to be a fire when it comes to Wilson’s relationship with the Seahawks. And if that fire is big enough that it cannot be put out in 2021, it could end up destroying the relationship.
“I think what he needs to do here is to tell Pete Carroll exactly what he needs and what he wants. And if the two don’t come to an agreement, it’s time for Russ to move on, ”said Marshall.