I didn’t really explain it well in my last post. Basically, when he was with the Seahawks and they were doing well, there were a lot of pieces in place that made it happen. Russ’s flaws (mostly his height) weren’t an issue because defenses had to defend against pass, rush and keeper on every play. Even his best pass plays were outside the pocket where he didn’t have to see over 6’5” lineman. He has been a decent pocket passer, but that’s not what he’s best at.

Fast forward to this season. He’s older, slower, less athletic. He doesn’t have a top tier RB. He can’t scramble like he could 7 or 8 years ago. His receiver core is relatively mediocre. And because of all of this, he’s forced to try to make things happen in the pocket. But because all those things that were a threat from the Seahawks just don’t exist anymore, he’s much easier to defend against. His height is now a problem, and we’re seeing he was always just a decent pocket passer.

Add all of this to the fact that he’s pissing off and embarrassing his teammates saying stupid shit like God is testing them. It’s really no wonder he’s not playing well. The flaws he’s always had are being magnified. And it’s obvious that the Seahawks success with Russ wasn’t a case of “Russ is amazing.” It was more a case of, “Right place, right time. Perfect storm of ability across the entire team, and Russ fit in perfectly there.”