It’s well known by now that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife spend part of every Tuesday visiting patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Seriously, every Tuesday, his only day off during the season, it’s pretty cool. Anyway, before Wilson began his Thursday press conference he wanted to show off something a young patient named Allison made for him.
“Before we get started,” Wilson said. “The best part of my week, I go to Children’s Hospital every Tuesday, right? This 11-year-old girl, she made me this Seattle Seahawks wallet, so it’s one of a kind. The coolest part about it, it’s all made out of duct tape. You’ve got to check this out. It’s perfect.”
That prompted Wilson to be asked if he was concerned his beat-up O-line might be held together by duct tape this weekend.
“I think we’ll do a great job,” Wilson said. “Coach Cable has the offensive line prepared for their defense and what they’re going to do. They’re a very, very talented defense, obviously it all starts with J.J. (Watt) and his ability to get to the quarterback and make plays. It’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be one of those games where we’re going to have to play our best football. We have a lot of respect for their football team. Just watching them on film and everything and all the things they can do, it’s pretty impressive.”
Had Watt not left Wisconsin early, he and Wilson would have been teammates on the 2011 Badgers team that went to the Rose Bowl. Wilson relayed a story from the Pro Bown when Watt told him, “You know, man, too bad I didn’t stay for my senior year, we probably would have won a national championship.”
Wilson went on about Watt, saying, “He’s just a talented player. He’s very dedicated to what he does. He’s got it all, so we’re going to have to play our best football. It’s hard to stop a guy like that. The thing is, can we slow him down and make the plays when we need to.”
So what’s the key to facing the game’s best defensive end and a defense that brings as much pressure as any in the NFL.
“The biggest thing is getting the ball out quick,” Wilson said. “Being smart with the football, protecting, making sure that the communication calls are right. Then also when you’ve got the opportunity to make the plays deep down the field, you’ve got to hang in there and stay in the pocket, step up, slide and just make some plays sometimes. It’s not always going to be perfect. Sometimes when you’ve got that much heat on you, you’ve just got to make the play, and I have full confidence that we’ll be able to do that. It’s going to be a challenge, that’s for sure, and we’ll have to step up to that challenge.”
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