Russell Wilson isn’t just impressed with his side of the ball. He loves his new defense too.
Russell Wilson really likes his new offense.
“There were touchdowns all over the field. That’s what I think,” the new QB answered to a question about his thoughts on the offense following Monday’s OTA work.
“I think with the offensive line up front and the guys that we have and the playmakers at the receiver position and the guys at the tight end position,” he added, pointing out rookie Greg Dulcich’s knowledge of the game while also calling Javonte Williams a “world class running back” and noting that Melvin Gordon has “a knack” for getting in the end zone. “The energy of what we’re doing is really spectacular.”
And of course he didn’t leave out his pass-catching players.
“It’s tremendous to see guys like Jerry Jeudy, and obviously Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Those guys are so brilliant,” he said, adding that Andrew Beck, Eric Saubert, Montrell Washington and Dulcich have been putting in extra work early in the day with him.
“Guys are getting open and they’re making plays. Guys were making plays all over today,” he added. “Touchdown after touchdown and making plays and great catches.”
8️⃣1️⃣ x 1️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/PEinpsAbgt
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 16, 2022
Part of that is a direct result of a strong work ethic – even before Wilson came to town. And No. 3 highlighted it when asked what has surprised him about his top three receivers.
Nothing, really. It’s been more confirmation of why they’re widely considered one of the top three wide receiver trios in the league.
“It’s actually the understanding of the game and how they sit in the front of the room, and they ask questions. They are constantly learning. ‘Hey, if I did this, what would you think about this and that?’” Wilson noted. “What I really admire is their work ethic in the weight room. It’s a little thing, but how they get there early and how they are ready to go every day.”
But he’s not just about this new offense. Wilson is pretty keen on his new defense as well.
“The defense was making good plays, too,” he said, later noting that it “looked tremendous.”
Wilson is looking to this Denver Broncos squad to be a complete and competitive team – not just offense and certainly not just the defense anymore.
“It was such a competitive practice. It felt like a championship-type week in OTA [No.] 1. That’s a good feeling,” he said. “We’re going to have a really good football team, and that’s exciting.”
Obsession over the Details.
18 years later from the first time we talked ball together. It’s in the DNA. #Legacy pic.twitter.com/xB3Y1h3bQT— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) May 14, 2022
To every Broncos’ fan’s delight, Wilson has definitely utilized the greatest QB mentor he could find down the street, who also happens to be a Hall-of-Famer.
“The thing that Peyton and I both love is football. We can spend all day watching football together,” Wilson said. “It’s fun to be able to be around arguably the world’s ‘greatest who has ever played the game’ at that position. To be able to learn and ask questions and vice versa and talk football—he’s asking me questions and vice versa. That’s the fun part. You have [Pro Football Hall of Fame QB] John Elway here, too. You have two of the greatest guys to play the game right in your midst.”
Wilson is not the first Broncos’ quarterback to pick Manning’s gargantuan football IQ since the HOFer left the NFL. But he’s certainly the only one to really take advantage of the intel.
Plus he clearly has the same mindset when it comes to just putting in the work.
“You have to set the tone every day. There is no other option,” Wilson said. “If you want to win, and if you want to win it all and be the best in the world as a team and everything else, there is no other option. That’s what we have to do.”
And just like for Manning and Elway, winning is a lifestyle to Wilson.
“It’s a wild obsession every day,” he added. “You have to enjoy the moments as well to be able to push to the edge and not fall off the edge. [It’s] the ability to work so hard that you’re gassed at the end of practice but are able to take your time and recover and just enjoy the process of being able to play this game. [It’s] the ability to get extra work before practice and after practice and get extra work in the weight room and take care of your mind and your body and your soul. It’s bigger than just the ability to compete. It’s also the ability to understand the habits of winning.”