There was a moment in the Seahawks 58-0 massacre over the Cardinals that I missed watching the game live, but it stood out seeing the broadcast replay. The score was 31-0, and Russell Wilson tossed a strike to Zach Miller to make it 38-0. Wilson is among the most reserved players that I have witnessed. He can throw an interception, a touchdown, run 60 yards or get sacked, and his expression is generally the same. It would stand to reason that he would just jog down the field, shake his tight ends hand, and not show much emotion. That was not what he did.
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The clip above, besides having an annoying glitch, shows Wilson pumping his fist and showing more emotion than we have seen from him in more dramatic situations. This looks like a touchdown that puts his team ahead in a close match, not one that moved the lead from 31 to 38 points in the first half.
What this tells me about Wilson is that he an intense competitor. The lazy assessment of a guy like Wilson, who is so unflappable and speaks in cliches, is that he is robotic. You may even question whether he has that killer instinct. After all, nice guys tend to finish last from what we are told.
Something about this moment really mattered to Wilson. It may have been that the team capitalized on a turnover right before the half. It could have been sticking it to the team that handed it to him in his rookie debut. My read is that this guy has no setting other than full throttle. If Pete Carroll had left him in the whole game, the score may have been 70-0.
He has no remorse for the guys on the other side. He will approach every play in every situation with the same intensity. He wants to be the best quarterback on the best team in the NFL.
It was a small moment, but one I will think back to as we watch his career continue to unfold in front of us.