Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson already has one Mini-Camp under his belt but that one, which took place several weeks ago, involved mostly rookies and undrafted free agents that were at the VMAC on a tryout basis. This week, Wilson is due to get his first real introduction to the professional game as he squares off against the Seahawks' first-team defense and therein, some wily veterans. He'll be throwing against arguably one of the best secondaries in the league in Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, so he's got his work cut out for him.
Wilson joined KJR's Ian Furness show last week to talk about his acclimation into the pros thus far, and after the jump check out a few of the things he had to say, courtesy of SportsRadioInterviews.com.
How were OTAs and what was the speed of the NFL game like for you?:
"I definitely believe the speed of the game is a little bit faster. You've got some defensive ends coming around the edge that can run a little bit better than most guys. That's one of the things. The thing that you notice about the speed, though, is that everybody can run. ... I think more than anything, it's been a great experience for me so far. OTAs were great. I learned a lot, got a lot better. We were very, very efficient with the football. ... Just getting in the huddle and getting with the veterans and being around them."
How much of the playbook would you say you've digested?:
"All of it, to be honest with you. The key is just to continue going over it. You never know enough. You never completely have it all. One of my goals personally throughout my career here in Seattle and down the road is just to act like I'm a rookie every single day - whether it's five years from now, 10 years from now, 12 years from now. Every single day my approach needs to be that I'm the new guy, I'm a beginner. If I have that beginner mentality, that beginner approach to everything, I'll learn a lot."
Why do you think you can be the starting quarterback for the Seahawks and why do you think you should be the starter?:
"I'm not going to say I should or shouldn't be at all. It's one of those things where if I am, I'm blessed to be it and if I'm not, I'm still blessed to be on this football team. We're going to have a great team either way. My goal is to do the best I can every single opportunity I get, whether it's the starter on Day One, Day Two, Day 25 or Year Two. Whatever it is, just be ready. ... I think a great quarterback in the National Football League, he has to be a tremendous leader. He has to lead on and off the field. He has to have unbelievable attention to detail. He has to be consistent with his approach every single day. That's something I definitely think I bring to the table."
But you are confident you could be a Week 1 starter in the NFL, right?:
"No, I'm not afraid at all of being a starter at all. I'll be ready to go whenever my name is called. ... It's just like I always say, and I don't know if you follow me on Twitter at all or anything like that, but I always tell people that are close to me that there's no time to sleep. I've got no time to sleep. You've always got to be ready to go. ... I'm excited about the opportunities and we've got a great group of guys at quarterback, too. It's pretty awesome to be in this quarterback room that we're in and have the quarterback coach that we have."
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