Here is young Wilson as a rookie, playing against the Rams.
He was sacked a lot in that game but even then showed his trademark positivity
and ownership of mistakes.
I remember that game. Back then I was bemused by this sleepy-eyed quarterback who was physically
deranged several times but refused to let it derange his composure.
It was entirely appropriate for the announcers to remark on
him proving himself in his rookie season. That's what you do for any rookie. He
still had a lot to learn. It was a big deal for a relatively untested rookie to
stay focused after getting sacked several times and to win his game against a very
physical team like the Rams.
He was still proving himself to his teammates, too. They
were watching. You could see them even in the video clips, oh yes, because they
needed to find out whether this Wilson kid would start whining, or throw a
tantrum, or start making bad decisions. They didn't know him all that well yet.
Instead of doing those things, he looked for a way to improve communication and change his strategy to be more effective.
Even his coach was proud of him for his work in that game.
Until your guy is in a situation like that, you don't know what he'll do. So
that was kinda cool.
The other reason why I send this, though, is because I noted
an irritating similarity between the things said in this rookie game and the
things said about Wilson now.
After three great seasons, two NFC West championships and
one Super Bowl ring, it sounds condescending when people still say
those same things. Here is an article written just last week aboutthe Steelers game. Sadly, this isn't atypical.
While the writer did say Wilson's career was "already
stellar," they added condescendingly that "he showed it's possible
for him to be one of the main reasons his team can win against a good
squad."
So... what... they were just playing mediocre teams until
now...? Or wasn't Wilson part of why they won...? I am genuinely not sure why people still say things like this about him.
My point is that if you look at when he really was still
proving the qualities / abilities and compare that to the 2015 Wilson that his coaches, teammates, and 12s are able to rely on, it seems ludicrous
for anyone to say that he's "proving himself" today.
Constantly having to prove yourself is a necessary evil not only in day to day life but especially for athletes and even more so for professional athletes. Since individual athletes and teams rise to the top of their game by either winning championships or Olympic medals it's part of the deal to continually prove that they belong there. One aspect of athletics (team or individual) is that it takes a lot of hard work to become exceptional and that each team or person became exceptional under specific circumstances in time. Once a new season is underway, circumstances are entirely different. From team chemistry, players on the team, players/chemistry on other teams, personal life changes, salary increases and even weather. I think Wilson is getting the 'prove himself' scrutiny in part because of his major salary increase. The Hawks and Wilson started off pretty rough this season and sportscasters love to feed into the 'is he worth it' drama or is 'he going to fizzle out as fast as he came onto the scene.' Even though Wilson has had remarkable success, he still is young and probably does have plenty more to prove and should still have that attitude. Having something to prove is one of the driving forces behind successful athletes. Wilson may not need to prove the same things he did his rookie year. However, in terms of years in the NFL he is still pretty much a rookie. He does need to prove that he can win games and deliver in the face of a struggling defense and other adverse circumstances. Being an athlete takes proving yourself at each meet, match, race or game every time whether it is your debut or if you've been in the game for years with multiple titles. Athletes expect that of themselves even if sportscasters aren't putting that pressure on them. The seasoned veteran has just as much to prove as the rookie at kick-off or when the start gun goes off.
ReplyDeleteThese are good points and a broad perspective. And the "prove himself" drama-scrutiny certainly hasn't hurt him or the team. It helps them to stay hungry, to play for each other against the world.
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