Strike 3: Comparisons are inevitable in sports, and comparisons between players who play the same position are as common as wind in Wyoming.
There’s one comparison that local football fans can make that most won’t immediately see in a favorable light, but they should.
There’s a lot of Russell Wilson in Shedeur Sanders.
Before the Deion cultists lose their collective minds, it’s probably good to note right off the top that Russ is a nine-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champ and very possibly a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. A young, unproven quarterback prospect could do a lot worse. And let’s not forget how geeked up Broncos Country was to have Russ and his Super Bowl ring coming to town just a couple of short years ago. He was/is a top flight NFL QB, with a resumé that fit right in with Elway and Manning at the time. The fact that it didn’t work with Sean Payton doesn’t make the rest of what Wilson has accomplished go away.
At this point, Russ is what Sanders should aspire to be. The Colorado Buffaloes QB remains unproven. Pro scouts see a world of potential, and he could be among the top picks in next April’s NFL Draft. But it’s all projection at this point.
But there are a whole lot of similarities. Some good, others, not so much.
The comparisons at this point in time are stylistic. It’s the way they both play the position, and what Shedeur can bring to an offense that’s reminiscent of a young Russ. Along with a bit of baggage, too.
There are many of us football fans who enjoy watching QB’s who can play off script. Guys who can make plays with their feet as well as their arms. Guys who can create a positive play out of what should be a negative (like Elway.) While most (control freak) coaches prefer a sort of robot (more like Manning) taking their snaps, the ability of a QB to create something out of nothing is what keeps defensive coordinators up at night.
That was Wilson’s MO in college at both North Carolina State and in his single season at Wisconsin. It’s not just about the ability to run – if that were the case, Tim Tebow would be a standard bearer among signal callers. It’s about knowing when to buy time when things are breaking down around you, when to tuck it and run, and when to simply stand and deliver.
Russell Wilson has done all of that successfully at the highest level.
As for Shedeur, lost in all of his impressive passing stats from his single season at CU is the fact that Sanders did a ton of improvising and creating plays with his feet last fall. Part of it was by necessity of course, with the Buffs o-line play leaving a lot to be desired. But there were countless times when big plays generated by the CU offense were the direct result of Sanders improvising and extending them. For example, the Sanders-led last second comeback win over CSU featured several plays that weren’t run exactly the way they were drawn up, but still turned out pretty well.
Wilson has done that kind of thing pretty successfully for a dozen years in the NFL. It may be Shedeur’s greatest ability as well.
All the valid comparisons aren’t totally flattering. According to insiders, Sanders drove his offensive coordinator Sean Lewis nuts last fall before Lewis bolted when the season was over. Sanders had a personal QB coach he brought into meetings, and oftentimes didn’t run the exact play that was sent in from the sidelines. He didn’t fit as a “system” QB. Does any of that sound familiar, Broncos fans?
To be fair, there’s no single way to handle your business off the field or to play the position. Multiple different ways can be effective. Wilson’s way worked in Seattle and it might work in Pittsburgh. It might work even better in Boulder this year, too.
