ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees

xan · 01-16-2013, 07:40 AM

Wilson was rated #4 in the traditional rating vs. Brees' #8, and in the new QBR rating, he was rated #8 to Brees' #9.

For this season only, given that:

A) he had a better statistical year, and
B) his team won a game in the playoffs and nearly won 2,

then Cowherd has a pretty defensible position.

burningmetal · 01-16-2013, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by xan

Wilson was rated #4 in the traditional rating vs. Brees' #8, and in the new QBR rating, he was rated #8 to Brees' #9.

For this season only, given that:

A) he had a better statistical year, and
B) his team won a game in the playoffs and nearly won 2,

then Cowherd has a pretty defensible position.

QB ratings don't take into account degree of difficulty. I believe Drew had a down year, but he had a much more difficult task than Wilson. Wilson has a better O-line, not just in pass protection, but in the running game aswell. As evidenced by Marshawn Lynch's huge year. That takes a lot of pressure off a quarterback.

It's true that Brees has better weapons, and those weapons certainly have something to do with him compiling some gaudy numbers. But the ratings system doesn't really go by just sheer volume of yards and TD's. It goes by completion percentage, INT's per attempt, number of times sacked, etc. Wilson didn't have huge numbers by any standards, but particularly not by today's standards of offense.

But his overall efficiency is what put him over Brees. I don't think any Rookie QB could have survived this season with the Saints, however. Russell Wilson had a good year, I'm not taking that away from him, but you can't possibly make a valid comparison between he and Brees, at this point.

xan · 01-16-2013, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by burningmetal

QB ratings don't take into account degree of difficulty. I believe Drew had a down year, but he had a much more difficult task than Wilson. Wilson has a better O-line, not just in pass protection, but in the running game aswell. As evidenced by Marshawn Lynch's huge year. That takes a lot of pressure off a quarterback.

It's true that Brees has better weapons, and those weapons certainly have something to do with him compiling some gaudy numbers. But the ratings system doesn't really go by just sheer volume of yards and TD's. It goes by completion percentage, INT's per attempt, number of times sacked, etc. Wilson didn't have huge numbers by any standards, but particularly not by today's standards of offense.

But his overall efficiency is what put him over Brees. I don't think any Rookie QB could have survived this season with the Saints, however. Russell Wilson had a good year, I'm not taking that away from him, but you can't possibly make a valid comparison between he and Brees, at this point.

I'm not looking to get into a fight over something this petty, but I'd like to point out that the Seahags and Saints had essentially the same degree of difficulty in schedule, and Wilson had, by your observation fewer weapons. He won more games, won more game in comeback situations, committed fewer turnovers, was accurate and was a consistent running threat (behind only Scam Newton in yards and efficiency).

The takeaway is that Wilson was more consistent and dangerous than Brees and it showed because he won 4 more games and made it to the playoffs.

SloMotion · 01-18-2013, 06:34 AM

Originally Posted by burningmetal

But his overall efficiency is what put him over Brees. I don't think any Rookie QB could have survived this season with the Saints, however. Russell Wilson had a good year, I'm not taking that away from him, but you can't possibly make a valid comparison between he and Brees, at this point.

... the other 500lb elephant in the room. Wilson had a great season and is a great talent, but could he have done it without his H/C? Would Drew have had such a tough season with Payton on the sidelines? Level the playing field, give Brees his H/C back, then make the comparison.

WilsonFan1 · 01-18-2013, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by SloMotion

... the other 500lb elephant in the room. Wilson had a great season and is a great talent, but could he have done it without his H/C? Would Drew have had such a tough season with Payton on the sidelines? Level the playing field, give Brees his H/C back, then make the comparison.

Granted, the Saints were a team in turmoil this year. I'm sure that Wilson would not have done as well as he did with a team that did not have it's coaching staff well established.

But Brees is a veteran QB and should be a team leader by now. Seahawks veterans credit Wilson as another coach out on the field because of all the preparation that he does even before the first practice of the week. It is a very special player who is regarded by the veterans as another coach, especially as a rookie.

WilsonFan1 · 01-18-2013, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by burningmetal

QB ratings don't take into account degree of difficulty. I believe Drew had a down year, but he had a much more difficult task than Wilson.

Are you sure of that? If you rank team defenses played by Seattle and New Orleans based on average yards per game that the opposing defense surrenders (rank 1 gives up the fewest yards/game) and then sum the team ranks over the course of the year, opposing team ranks for the Seahawks was 212. For the Saints, opposing team ranks were 282.

Let's break it down by how many games each team played against defenses ranked 1-8, 9-16, 17-24, and 25-32. We find:

Seattle:
1st 1/4: 4
2nd 1/4: 8
3rd 1/4: 3
4th 1/4: 1

New Orleans:
1st 1/4: 2
2nd 1/4: 5
3rd 1/4: 5
4th 1/4: 4

Seattle played 12 games against teams whose defenses were ranked in the top half of the league. New Orleans played against 7 teams whose defenses were ranked in the top half. So, if you look at opposing defenses, Wilson had the more difficult task.

01-16-2013, 07:40 AM	#1
xan Professor Crab and Site Donor 2014 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Princeton Posts: 3,373 Blog Entries: 34	Re: ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees Wilson was rated #4 in the traditional rating vs. Brees' #8, and in the new QBR rating, he was rated #8 to Brees' #9. For this season only, given that: A) he had a better statistical year, and B) his team won a game in the playoffs and nearly won 2, then Cowherd has a pretty defensible position.

01-16-2013, 09:56 AM	#2
burningmetal 1000 Posts + Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 3,923 Blog Entries: 3	Re: ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees Originally Posted by xan Wilson was rated #4 in the traditional rating vs. Brees' #8, and in the new QBR rating, he was rated #8 to Brees' #9. For this season only, given that: A) he had a better statistical year, and B) his team won a game in the playoffs and nearly won 2, then Cowherd has a pretty defensible position. QB ratings don't take into account degree of difficulty. I believe Drew had a down year, but he had a much more difficult task than Wilson. Wilson has a better O-line, not just in pass protection, but in the running game aswell. As evidenced by Marshawn Lynch's huge year. That takes a lot of pressure off a quarterback. It's true that Brees has better weapons, and those weapons certainly have something to do with him compiling some gaudy numbers. But the ratings system doesn't really go by just sheer volume of yards and TD's. It goes by completion percentage, INT's per attempt, number of times sacked, etc. Wilson didn't have huge numbers by any standards, but particularly not by today's standards of offense. But his overall efficiency is what put him over Brees. I don't think any Rookie QB could have survived this season with the Saints, however. Russell Wilson had a good year, I'm not taking that away from him, but you can't possibly make a valid comparison between he and Brees, at this point.
	If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

01-16-2013, 12:50 PM	#3
xan Professor Crab and Site Donor 2014 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Princeton Posts: 3,373 Blog Entries: 34	Re: ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees Originally Posted by burningmetal QB ratings don't take into account degree of difficulty. I believe Drew had a down year, but he had a much more difficult task than Wilson. Wilson has a better O-line, not just in pass protection, but in the running game aswell. As evidenced by Marshawn Lynch's huge year. That takes a lot of pressure off a quarterback. It's true that Brees has better weapons, and those weapons certainly have something to do with him compiling some gaudy numbers. But the ratings system doesn't really go by just sheer volume of yards and TD's. It goes by completion percentage, INT's per attempt, number of times sacked, etc. Wilson didn't have huge numbers by any standards, but particularly not by today's standards of offense. But his overall efficiency is what put him over Brees. I don't think any Rookie QB could have survived this season with the Saints, however. Russell Wilson had a good year, I'm not taking that away from him, but you can't possibly make a valid comparison between he and Brees, at this point. I'm not looking to get into a fight over something this petty, but I'd like to point out that the Seahags and Saints had essentially the same degree of difficulty in schedule, and Wilson had, by your observation fewer weapons. He won more games, won more game in comeback situations, committed fewer turnovers, was accurate and was a consistent running threat (behind only Scam Newton in yards and efficiency). The takeaway is that Wilson was more consistent and dangerous than Brees and it showed because he won 4 more games and made it to the playoffs.

01-18-2013, 08:27 AM	#5
WilsonFan1 Rookie Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 4	Re: ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees Originally Posted by SloMotion ... the other 500lb elephant in the room. Wilson had a great season and is a great talent, but could he have done it without his H/C? Would Drew have had such a tough season with Payton on the sidelines? Level the playing field, give Brees his H/C back, then make the comparison. Granted, the Saints were a team in turmoil this year. I'm sure that Wilson would not have done as well as he did with a team that did not have it's coaching staff well established. But Brees is a veteran QB and should be a team leader by now. Seahawks veterans credit Wilson as another coach out on the field because of all the preparation that he does even before the first practice of the week. It is a very special player who is regarded by the veterans as another coach, especially as a rookie.
WilsonFan1 Rookie Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 4

01-18-2013, 08:15 AM	#6
WilsonFan1 Rookie Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 4	Re: ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees Originally Posted by burningmetal QB ratings don't take into account degree of difficulty. I believe Drew had a down year, but he had a much more difficult task than Wilson. Are you sure of that? If you rank team defenses played by Seattle and New Orleans based on average yards per game that the opposing defense surrenders (rank 1 gives up the fewest yards/game) and then sum the team ranks over the course of the year, opposing team ranks for the Seahawks was 212. For the Saints, opposing team ranks were 282. Let's break it down by how many games each team played against defenses ranked 1-8, 9-16, 17-24, and 25-32. We find: Seattle: 1st 1/4: 4 2nd 1/4: 8 3rd 1/4: 3 4th 1/4: 1 New Orleans: 1st 1/4: 2 2nd 1/4: 5 3rd 1/4: 5 4th 1/4: 4 Seattle played 12 games against teams whose defenses were ranked in the top half of the league. New Orleans played against 7 teams whose defenses were ranked in the top half. So, if you look at opposing defenses, Wilson had the more difficult task.
WilsonFan1 Rookie Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 4

01-18-2013, 06:34 AM	#4
SloMotion 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 6,776 Blog Entries: 15	Re: ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees Originally Posted by burningmetal But his overall efficiency is what put him over Brees. I don't think any Rookie QB could have survived this season with the Saints, however. Russell Wilson had a good year, I'm not taking that away from him, but you can't possibly make a valid comparison between he and Brees, at this point. ... the other 500lb elephant in the room. Wilson had a great season and is a great talent, but could he have done it without his H/C? Would Drew have had such a tough season with Payton on the sidelines? Level the playing field, give Brees his H/C back, then make the comparison.

LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: https://blackandgold.com/saints/54628-espn-s-colin-cowherd-says-russell-wilson-top-5-qb-better-than.html
Posted By	For	Type	Date	Hits
The Latest New Orleans Saints News \| SportSpyder	This thread	Refback	01-15-2013 09:54 AM	2
ESPN’s Colin Cowherd says Russell Wilson is a Top 5 QB–Better than Drew Brees	This thread	Refback	01-15-2013 06:24 AM	6