Few teams have drawn as much heat this year as the Broncos, who paid big to land Russell Wilson during the offseason, only to field the NFL's lowest-scoring offense with him under center. Fresh off a third straight loss to fall to 3-8, however, coach Nathaniel Hackett isn't entertaining a potential quarterback switch. Asked Wednesday whether he'd consider benching Wilson amid the team's struggles, Hackett initially left the door open before telling Denver's 9 News he's firmly committed to the current QB.
"Not even a thought," Hackett said of the possibility, per Mike Klis. "Not even a question. Russ is our quarterback."
His remarks came after a public press conference in which the coach was less definitive, answering a question of whether he's considering a switch with: "Right now, no."
Hackett did spend a portion of that press conference offering different defenses of Wilson, however, particularly pertaining to questions about the QB's leadership. Days after veteran defensive lineman Mike Purcell was visibly frustrated with Wilson during the Broncos' Week 12 loss to the Panthers, Hackett told reporters there is no issue between the QB and the rest of the team.
"To me, it's all gossip," he said of the notion Wilson is losing the locker room. "I know ... this locker room. We have a fantastic locker room. When you look at a guy like Russ, he's unbelievable. He works -- I've never seen anybody work that hard. I've never seen somebody try to embrace a team like he has ... just from everything that he does, from walk-throughs to ... how he is in the community. Russ is awesome. We just need to do better as a team. It's that simple. All that stuff, it is what it is. I love Russ."
On the field is where the marriage hasn't been so pleasant, at least in terms of results. Despite a 10-year track record of success coming from the Seahawks, Wilson has managed just eight touchdown passes and five interceptions in 10 games, while completing a career-low 58.9 percent of his throws.
