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Former Seahawks wide receiver Brandon Marshall still threw gasoline on the fire that suddenly came alive through the Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson.
Wilson’s behind – the – scenes cohort, and Wilson himself, have made it clear in recent days that they are not happy with the aspects of the relationship with the team he has been in fullback for the last nine seasons. Wilson said he got tired and fired. He wants to be more involved in staff decisions and also wants to choose the new offensive coordinator of the team. And Wilson has left open the door of possibility that if he is not satisfied with the way things are going, he could end up elsewhere.
However, Marshall indicated that the gap between the two sides could be even more important than Wilson leaves. In an appearance on First Things First on FOX Sports, Marshall said Wilson is not happy and he believes he is trying to find a way to move on from Seattle.
‘Russell Wilson is also frustrated. I think Russell Wilson is trying to figure out how to proceed in a posh way. This is what I really believe. Marshall said. ‘… He’s trying to leave the legacy of doing things the right way so other guys can follow the same blueprint. So I think he’s struggling with how to move on in a posh way, in a way where people can look at him and say you know what, he still did it the right way. Because it’s important to Russ. ‘
Marshall spent seven games with Seattle in 2018. He caught 11 passes for 136 yards and a finish in the last stop of his 13-year career. While his time with the Seahawks was short, Marshall did form a relationship with Wilson that makes his comments remarkable. Marshall said there are several issues going on.
“The problem and if everyone is talking about it, you have Jason La Canfora talking about ‘Oh, they have to protect him,'” Marshall said. ‘Well, they’ve lined up one man, one offensive linebacker since they had Russell Wilson. They’re always trying to figure out who’s still in the free agency or who’s the guy who, as you know, should have a bounce year, and they never really go out there to intensify the offense. A lot of people are just like Russell Wilson now that you hold the ball a little long. Well, Pete Carroll, the offense you instituted is that we’re going to run first, we’ll run second, and if it’s third and manageable, we’ll probably run on third, and then we’ll take shots. I was there. We had no quick game. There was no established game outside of Doug Baldwin, and then you had Tyler Lockett where it was like you had an option route. You break in, or you break out. That was it. So, Russell Wilson, if the deep ball is not there, he’s going to hold the ball, of course, definitely if you have that kind of offensive line in front of you. So that’s the problem. ”
Marshall’s comments are not entirely factually accurate when it comes to the offensive line. In the nine years of Wilson’s career, the Seahawks have lined up 15 offensive lineouts. Five of these choices were presented in the first three rounds of the draft, and a second round was included as part of the trade that brought Duane Brown to the Houston Texans to Seattle. And the Seahawks were far from a heavy team in 2020. They ran 1,022 offensive plays this season. Wilson had 558 passing attempts, 47 sacks and 83 rushes. Since Wilson no longer had many designed runs, most of the plays were scrambled on said passes. That leaves Seattle about 66-34 pass-and-run ratio this season.
While Marshall’s remarks may not quite make money for the situation in Seattle, as Wilson believes, these are real issues that are still important to the state of the relationship.
Marshall said he thinks the team does not fully trust Wilson yet.
‘But at the end of the day, you have to decide if you believe in Russ to go back 30-40 times and throw it, and I do not think they believe in Russ. “Well, I actually know they do not believe in Russ because I was there,” Marshall said.
‘And I think Russ wants to stay there, but he knows Pete Carroll is still going to give him the run. You know, did I really sit at the table when it comes to the offensive coordinator? Are you going to listen when it comes down to how we approach our transgression? As for that, you know, I’m going to build the best player in our team, I’m going to set up an attacking linebacker, a center? Are you going to do those things? And I just think it’s at a point where Russ just does not believe. ‘
There certainly seems to be a fire burning when it comes to Wilson’s relationship with the Seahawks. And if the fire is strong enough to where it cannot be extinguished in 2021, it could bring the relationship to an end.
‘I think that’s what he needs to do here, to tell Pete Carroll exactly what he needs and what he wants. “And if the two can not reach an agreement, it’s time for Russ to move on,” Marshall said.