What the national media are saying about Russell Wilson and the Seahawks heading into Saints game

The Seahawks had more than their first-ever tie on their minds this week as they got ready to face the Saints on Sunday.

There was discussion about Russell Wilson’s injuries and impending fatherhood, sometimes not necessarily in that order.

And Richard Sherman dressed up as Harry Potter for his weekly news conference, gaining a new fan in J.K. Rowling.

There was also plenty of chatter about the Seahawks’ offensive line issues and the need for the running game to be more physical.

As usual, the national media had plenty to say about the Seahawks (4-1-1). Below is a sampling:

Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports’ Shutdown Corner blog assessed Wilson’s injuries this season:

“Give Wilson a ton of credit for playing through injuries. The Seahawks made a big gamble in the offseason, and ended up with perhaps the worst backup quarterback situation in recent memory. Their backup was undrafted rookie Trevone Boykin. They were going through preseason with Boykin and Jake Heaps, two quarterbacks who had never even completed a pass in an NFL preseason game. You have to make budget decisions when you have a lot of stars taking up big chunks of the salary cap, and the Seahawks went as cheap as they could at quarterback after Wilson. So Wilson knew he couldn’t miss any time, and he did what he had to do to play each week.”

NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling had a suggestion for the Seahawks with the trade deadline coming up next week:

“As a national television audience witnessed last Sunday night, the Seahawks‘ offensive tackles too often resemble saloon doors in pass protection. A healthy Russell Wilson is elusive enough to compensate for poor blocking, but there’s no sign of escapability out of Seattle’s quarterback this season. If the Seahawks upgrade the offensive line, they will renew their status as the NFC’s superpower. Uncannily successful with late-round gems and undrafted rookies, general manager John Schneider has not been shy about dealing his early-round draft picks for proven veterans. It’s time to dial up the Browns‘ front office with nine-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas as the target for Wilson’s blind side.”

Jared Dubin of CBSSports.com had the same suggestion for the Seahawks to shore up their offensive line:

“Yes, Hue Jackson has publicly stated that the Browns are not trading Thomas. But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream. No team in the league needs help on the offensive line more than the Seahawks do right now. Things were already bad for them, then left tackle Bradley Sowell got injured against the Cardinals on Sunday night. Russell Wilson is hobbled and can’t make the read-option work as well as it used to, and he too often doesn’t have enough time to stand back in the pocket and show off his arm. Give him arguably the best left tackle in the NFL, and that will no longer be nearly as much of a problem.”

Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com wrote earlier this week about how the Seahawks were recovering from a draining game in Arizona:

“That starts with sports science, the department headed by director of player health and performance Sam Ramsden. … Players fill out questionnaires each morning, detailing their stress levels, soreness and sleep. They were monitors during practice that provide the team with valuable data. After last week’s game, the directions were clear: get eight to nine hours of sleep each night, hydrate and load up on carbohydrates.”

ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett asked Drew Brees about facing former teammate Jimmy Graham on Sunday:

“Brees said he and Graham haven’t talked this week, but he said, ‘We’re great friends in the offseason. He’s like a brother to me, he really is. But I know this week, he’s probably gonna be locked and loaded just like I am.'”

Richard Sherman, in his weekly installment for The Players’ Tribune, criticized the NFL for its inconsistency:

“Antonio Brown can’t twerk after a touchdown because it’s ‘sexually suggestive.’ But every Sunday, on most sidelines, there are rows of cheerleaders doing the same types of moves to entertain the crowd. The NFL doesn’t want players to do anything that might set a bad example for the kids in its audience — such as showboat, or celebrate excessively — yet it features beer ads in all of its stadiums and in almost every commercial break. Josh Norman can’t shoot an imaginary bow and arrow after a big pick because the NFL says that it depicts a ‘violent act.’ Meanwhile, the name of the team he plays for depicts Native Americans in a way that many people consider offensive.”

And in case you’re curious, fivethirtyeight.com is giving the Seahawks an 87 percent chance of making the playoffs and 13 percent chance of reaching the Super Bowl, in addition to a 70 percent chance of winning Sunday’s game. Also, even after Sunday’s tie, the Seahawks are sitting in the No. 3 playoff spot in the NFC.