Eagles' Defense Focused on Stopping ‘special' Russell Wilson

Nobody calls Russell Wilson a game manager anymore. He’s way too talented, way too explosive, way too successful to be slapped with that tag.
 
Wilson is simply one of the most dangerous quarterbacks of his generation.
 
Sure, it helps that he’s been blessed with a world-class defense, but that doesn’t change the fact that Wilson has put up unprecedented numbers in his first 4½ NFL seasons.
 
Wilson is 52-20-1 since the Seahawks drafted him in the third round in 2012, and in NFL history only Tom Brady (53-19) has a better winning percentage after 73 games than Wilson. 
 
His 101.4 passer rating is second-best ever after 73 games behind Aaron Rodgers’ 103.5, his 65.0 percent competion percentage is sixth best and his 116 TD passes are 12th most.
 
Then there’s 2,490 rushing yards, seven playoff wins, a Super Bowl trophy.
 
He’s done all that. And he’s 27.
 
The Eagles have already defeated two All-Pro quarterbacks this year in Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan. At 4:25 p.m. Sunday, they face Wilson, who takes a 31-5 career home record into the Eagles-Seahawks matchup at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. 
 
“If you try to make him beat you with his arm, he can do that,” Malcolm Jenkins said. “It’s not like he can’t throw a football. He’s able to read defenses, he’s able to get the ball in and out of his hands and he’s got playmakers. 
 
“If you want to turn it into a timing passing game, he can do that as well. His most devastating attribute is probably his legs, but he’s very comfortable just taking a three-step drop and getting rid of it.”
 
The Seahawks, 6-2-1, are bidding for a fifth straight playoff season, and the Eagles, 5-4, are trying to return to the postseason for the first time since 2013.
 
It’s an intriguing matchup between the Eagles’ improving defense and a quarterback who's averaging 4½ losses per year in his career.
 
The Eagles are holding opposing quarterbacks to 57.5 percent accuracy (second best in the NFL), an 81.1 passer rating (fifth best) and 222 passing yards per game (seventh best). 
 
“They’re playing great football,” Wilson said. “They’re making plays left and right, they’ve got a great defensive line, great athletic linebackers, guys I have a great appreciation for.”
 
The Russell Wilson we’ve seen so far this year is a vastly different one than in his first four seasons.
 
After averaging 608 rushing yards per season from 2012 through 2015, he has just 60 this year. That’s the product both of his continued evolution as a passer and some early season knee and ankle injuries.
 
“With the injuries, I haven’t been able to do quite as much in terms of some of the extended plays or whatever but have been able to get the ball out on time and get the ball in our playmakers’ hands and we’re doing a great job of that right now,” Wilson said.
 
“As far as extending the play, I think it’s just trying to make the smart play and not force it and try to be smart always.”
 
Wilson is already fifth in NFL history among quarterbacks with 2,490 rushing yards, and he’s within 510 of second, which would trail only Michael Vick.
 
Of the 17 quarterbacks in NFL history with 1,500 or more rushing yards, Wilson has by far the highest passer rating. Daunte Culpepper is next at 93.2.
 
“We've just got to make sure he doesn’t beat us with his legs,” Brandon Graham said. “He likes to run around but he does have a powerful arm, too. He scrambles to pass. It’s not really to run, it’s really to throw the ball and that’s really when he creates more down-the-field plays, when he’s running around and throwing the deep ball.
 
“We just have to make sure we contain him. I still don’t put it past him [to run]. He’s a dynamic player. They just know how to win. We just can’t give up big plays.”
 
Wilson threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 48 yards on 10 carries when the Seahawks beat the Eagles at the Linc in 2014.
 
“Any time you get a mobile quarterback, it changes the entire approach to the game plan,” Jenkins said. “You’ve got to account for his ability to scramble, you’ve got to account for his ability to extend plays, which puts stress on your secondary and so your rush has to be disciplined. But it can’t be too reserved because you’ve still got to get pressure. 
 
“You can’t spy all the time because their receivers are good enough to get open against 1-on-1 coverage, so it presents a lot of issues. That’s what makes Russell Wilson special.”
 
Wilson is the only quarterback in NFL history with 2,000 rushing yards and a career completion percentage over 65 percent.
 
For the sake of comparison, only Rodgers (64.9), Steve Young (64.3), Culpepper (63.0) and Jeff Garcia (61.6) are also over 61 percent.
 
“I’ve been able to run since I was little so I’ve kind of understood the game and tried be smart and getting the first down and getting out of bounds and just playing the game the right way,” he said.
 
“I think that’s the smart thing to do. That’s kind of my philosophy. Get as much as you can, salvage the play and move onto the next play.”
 
Wilson’s favorite target, Doug Baldwin, has been with Wilson since 2012, and the two have an uncanny chemistry when Wilson starts to scramble.
 
“Their wide receivers are used to it,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “They run a route. If the ball isn't thrown right away, they're not standing around looking. They know right away it's a scramble drill. 
 
“He also scrambles backwards, which makes it hard to catch because he already has a little bit of cushion. Fran Tarkenton did a lot of the same things. 
 
“That scrambling backwards puts a lot of pressure on the defense.
 And scheme-wise, they do some things that help him out. When you're not as tall as other quarterbacks, they drop him a little bit deeper. It's not rare to see him 10, 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage when he throws, and the farther back you get, it evens out the height. 
 
“They open up windows. We've got to do a good job of closing windows in our pass rush, and then they get him on the edge with the boot game. All those things make him 6-foot-5, you know.”

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