I hate it when I can't shake something out of my head at night before falling to sleep. Usually, it is an insipid Christmas song or movie this time of year, but last night it was the news that Russell Wilson had been benched for the remainder of the season so that Denver didn't risk triggering a clause that would guarantee Russ an additional $37 million if he was injured in the two remaining games. Why do I even care? I quietly shouted at myself as I didn't want to wake Daina up.
This forced marriage between Sean Payton and Russell Wilson wasn't going to work out. It was just a pleasant surprise when Denver won five games in a row and was on the cusp of staging one of the most remarkable comebacks in NFL history. All that came to a crashing halt Sunday night when the Broncos lost to the Patriots, leaving pundits to ponder what next? It didn't matter that Russ almost pulled off a Christmas miracle. His days at Denver were done. Bring in Jarrett Stidham, Sean Payton leaked to sports pundit Adam Shefter.
I wouldn't think much of it if it wasn't for the nasty comments in all the football posts on my timeline. I've been responding to a few of them, so now I'm saturated with Bleacher Report, Tall6uy, Get Up, and other football blogs. Most of these blogs have come down hard on Russ but there has been a bit of blowback with Dan Orlovsky calling the move "unprofessional and classless." News had come out earlier that Russ had been asked to drop the $37 million guarantee after the team's upset win over Kansas City. This indicated that the front office was ready to ditch Wilson this offseason. Instead, he staged what looked like a comeback for the ages until losing to Bill Belichick yet again.
A lot of these comments have racial overtones. With more black quarterbacks in the NFL than ever before, many football fans believe more strongly than ever in the white savior. Look at what Joe Flacco is doing at Cleveland! Each win comes with a $75,000 bonus and he's accrued 300 grand in route to a playoff birth for the once woeful Browns, who like Denver had gone all in on a black quarterback only to see DeShaun Watson go down with a season-ending injury in week 11. Even if Stidham is able to win the two remaining games for Denver, there is no assurance they will reach the playoffs. They have five teams to overcome for the last wildcard berth.
The black quarterback still has a hard time gaining respectability in the league. Robert Griffin III and Michael Vick discussed this on RG3's podcast. A lot of former players are really upset about this, notably Cam Newton, who tried to throw some shade on all the talk of Brock Purdy being an MVP caliber player, only to have shade thrown right back on him. Fortunately, Lamar Jackson laid those worries to rest by pummelling San Francisco last weekend and all but ensuring another MVP trophy on his mantle.
Of course the white savior group still thinks Brock is the best quarterback in the league and that he will get his redemption in the Super Bowl. I like Brock but he is not anywhere near the same level as Jackson, Mahomes or even Russell Wilson. He is only in his second year and has yet to complete a full season. The fundamentals are there but he is not Tom Brady 2.0, who had gone #199 in the draft.
However, Purdy excels where other white saviors have failed - notably Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, and Jimmy Garoppolo. Even the young white quarterbacks have had a hard time this year. Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow are both out the remainder of the season with injuries, Zach Wilson has been a bust, leaving "Mr. Irrelevant" the top of his class. No doubt he is a great story but it helps when you have a formidable team like the Niners and a coach who believes in you.
Somehow Russ takes more flack than most black quarterbacks. I suppose it is that massive contract that turns many persons off. When he signed his new contract with the Broncos last year, he became the highest paid quarterback in the league. He has since been surpassed by Mahomes, Jackson and Hurts, as well as two white boys: Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. Still, many don't think his skills match his salary. He's too small and too round to compete in the league. Ciara's little pudge ball, someone called him.
But Russ is not done yet. Denver is on the hook for $39 million next year whether they keep him or not. Rumors point to him being cut in March. That means some other team can pick him up on a veteran's minimum salary. There are plenty of quarterback strapped teams. It would be kind of sweet if the Raiders signed him. He would get two cracks at Denver next year. Russ doesn't seem the vengeful type, unlike Sean Payton.
Payton has long been a favorite among the white bros. When he was head coach at New Orleans, his defensive coordinator Gregg Williams notoriously put bounties on other quarterbacks' heads. Payton had to sit out a year. Williams was suspended indefinitely. New Orleans was never the same team again. How he ended up at Denver is anyone's guess, but he brought the same surly attitude into the locker room, singling Russ out and making him an example to the others on his team so that no one defies his orders.
A scary moment came in the game against New England when the offensive line appeared to give up on Russ, who suffered a humiliating five sacks, bringing his season total to 46. That's third worst in the league, yet the Denver offensive line is ranked ninth. As these two bloggers note, no lineman extended a hand to Russ after the sack. Once again you get the impression Sean setup Russ for the fall. If you wanted to avoid the injury clause in Russ' contract, you would think you would protect him better.
It's really too bad as this could have been a big year for Denver. They had plenty of opportunities if only there hadn't been so much animosity on the team. After each loss, Sean singled out Russ, even after the blowout in Miami of historic proportions where his defense gave up 70 points. Miami literally never had to punt. After each win, Sean just shrugged his shoulders and said we can do better. There was no attempt to reach out to Russ and so we saw what amounted to a slow-motion trainwreck that finally came to an end Sunday night.
It will be interesting to see Sean's reaction after Jarrett Stidham's first game. It should be a win as the Chargers are at rock bottom but one never knows in the NFL. The Raiders will be a bit tougher. For Russ the season is over. I would be surprised to even see him on the sidelines after what transpired this week.
Anyway, I think I finally got it out of my head and I will be able to sleep better tonight.
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