The Lead
It's hard to make any promises this time of year, months before the regular season and even well before the season schedule is released.
So it makes sense that Russell Wilson didn't do much of that when he joined his friend, former teammate and FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen on his “Youth Inc.” podcast. Toward the end of the wide-ranging conversation, Olsen had asked Wilson, "Are we going to see Denver now just let you be you?" — in other words, will the Broncos "let Russ cook"?
Wilson simply offered that there will be times for that when it matches the flow the game requires.
"I think what we can expect is a lot of showtime games," Wilson replied. "You'll definitely be calling them. There will be some good ones in the AFC West. … I think for me what's the most important thing is it's about winning, whatever that means to be able to do that. I think part of that is to be able to do that, right? To go and take over the game and whatever it may be. It's time for that to happen, game in and game out, and that'll definitely happen in this division, for sure.
"I'm excited just to be around some amazing guys, man. It's not all about me. It's about the people, and I had some amazing people in obviously Seattle. … And so I think now the focus is to be able to create new bonds and new connections and also just go, you know, for 2.0 of my career, to be the best version of it. The best version of me, every day, and just go for it and continue to love what I do. So hopefully I get to go put on a show and go shine for you."
Earlier, Wilson discussed the trade that brought him to Denver, and one of the factors, he said, was getting an understanding of the plan the Broncos had in place, beginning with General Manager George Paton.
"I think their focus on what the plan for was for this year and the years coming ahead, in terms of what they wanted to do and how they wanted to do it, was very clear," Wilson said. "I think that was really important to me. And just knowing that, as you know Greg, you can only play this game for so long, and so you want to maximize every moment, every second, every play, and I think that was what was really important in all [this]. If there was going to be a change, OK, well, if it's gotten to this point, I need to know that there's going to be a plan, and they had a great plan and their thought process and how they thought about it."
Now, getting settled in Denver, Wilson is eager to put in the work toward the season.
"I'm excited about what's ahead, though, and knowing that we've got a great football team in Denver, too," Wilson said. "And I'm excited about that, and the battle and the challenges ahead of us and knowing that I really believe that's going to be a great thing in Denver, as well, with some amazing players, amazing coaching staff. Coach [Nathaniel] Hackett's amazing. The GM there, George [Paton], he's great too; he has a great vision. They have a vision of what they want to do and how they want to do it. So I'm excited about it. And the players are excited about it too."
For more from the conversation — including some great memories from Wilson's youth on how he balanced baseball and football from childhood through college, his advice for parents on coaching children and more — be sure to check out the whole podcast.
Below the Fold
Finalists for three PFWA awards include Justin Simmons, the organization's PR staff and the late former quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp. Knapp, who coached in Denver from 2013-16 and helped the team to a Super Bowl 50 win, died tragically in a bike accident last summer.
