Russell Wilson's preseason debut under new Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton didn't ease any concerns.
Russell Wilson came to the Denver Broncos last summer with an undeniable resume: nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring. He was the face of the Seattle Seahawks for a decade. It was time for him to lead Denver back to the promised land.
As we all know by now, Wilson's first season with the Broncos was a disaster. He became a punchline for his ridiculous workout gimmicks and wonky off-field brand management, all while his numbers plummeted. The Broncos went 4-11 with Wilson under center. He tossed 3,524 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His career-worst 60.5 percent completion rate was the stale cherry on top of a very sad sundae.
The Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett 15 games into the season and hired famed QB whisperer Sean Payton over the summer with one simple directive: get Wilson back to his superstar self.
Payton has been talking smack about the previous regime all summer and Denver fans hold naturally high expectations for Payton, who became one of the winningest head coaches in modern NFL history with the Saints.
The first taste of Wilson in Payton's vaunted offense, however, wasn't what fans wanted.
Russell Wilson struggles out of the gates in Denver Broncos preseason debut
Wilson opened the game 1-of-4 for 19 yards with a sack and a (recovered) fumble. He later recovered and would finish 7-of-13 for 93 yards and a touchdown, but the 34-year-old Wilson played into the second quarter of a preseason game. Payton is running a tight ship, per his reputation, but that's not the best sign.
Naturally, the Twitter mob was out in full force with a thorough takedown of Wilson and his supremely overconfident head coach.
The Cardinals kept the defensive pressure on Wilson for a quarter-plus, but the Broncos defense held even stronger in the first half. Denver is operating with a 10-0 halftime lead as of this writing, with the second unit (at long last) in control of the offense. Jarrett Stidham is doing his best Russ impression so far (1-of-4, 26 yards).
It's only preseason, so any reactions are probably overreactions. But Wilson was categorically terrible last season and his first reps under Sean Payton followed largely the same trend. His second-quarter touchdown to Jerry Jeudy is a mild positive, but it's a second-quarter touchdown for starters in a preseason game. That shouldn't exact send the Denver faithful on a nighttime frolic.
If Payton and company can't walk to walk after their summer of talk, expect the NFL fandom to hold them accountable.