Why Seahawks’ Russell Wilson says DK Metcalf is ‘the best in the world at what he does’
Anyone who has a television — or a brain — can see DK Metcalf is good at football.
Not only is he in the NFL, Metcalf is 6 feet 4, 229 pounds with next-to-no body fat and runs a 40-yard dash in about 4.3 seconds.
But Russell Wilson thinks his freakish wide receiver, at the age of 22, is far better than good.
“He’s the best in the world at what he does,” the Seahawks’ franchise quarterback said Thursday before the 4-0 Seahawks practice for their home game Sunday night against Minnesota (1-3).
But there’s reason to believe Wilson, the early favorite for this season’s NFL most valuable player award, is going to feed Metcalf more passes now that the second-year receiver is the NFL’s co-leader in yards receiving with Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs.
“I love him to death,” Wilson said. “He’s one of my closest friends on the team.”
Wilson is 31. He and his superstar wife Ciara have three young children.
Metcalf is 22, just out of college.
How has this bond accelerated so quickly into such a tight brotherhood, in just a year and and half, including through a pandemic?
Months after Metcalf’s rookie season in which he set NFL records for a first-year receiver in a playoff game in January at Philadelphia, Wilson had Metcalf come with him to train in intense heat at an El Dorado resort in Mexico. They spent the better part of a month down there this offseason.
The exact amount of time remains unclear. It was multiple weeks. Or a month. Or a “week or so.” That depends on how careful Wilson, Metcalf and coach Pete Carroll have been portraying how the QB and his best-friend receiver were training together during the coronavirus pandemic.
It was a long time.
Wilson not only threw endless passes full of every pattern in the Seahawks’ route tree. He taught Metcalf how to swim. They shot hoops.
“He trains constantly,” Wilson said.
Wilson and the Seahawks are blessed with an abundance of options for key plays. Tyler Lockett has been the team’s No. 1 and most-trusted receiver since Doug Baldwin retired following the 2018 season. David Moore showed with a toe-drag score in Week 2 against New England and again last week in a two-point game with 5-1/2 minutes left in Miami an uncanny ability to make ridiculous catches for touchdowns in key moments. Lead back Chris Carson has rushed for more than 2,600 yards with 18 touchdowns the last two seasons plus four games.
But when it’s third or fourth down with the game absolutely on the line, as it was in Atlanta in the second half of the opener, don’t be surprised when Wilson throws to Metcalf — as he did for the game-clinching touchdown against the Falcons last month.
A week later, with the NFL’s reigning defensive player of year Stephon Gilmore covering Metcalf man to man, Wilson threw a trust ball up for Metcalf to run under and dominate Gilmore for to score a key touchdown in Seattle’s win over the Patriots.
When the Seahawks target Minnesota rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler Sunday night, as they have targeted rookie cornerbacks at Atlanta and Miami for decisive plays and scores already this season, Wilson is likely to throw to Metcalf to do it.
Here’s why:
“I mean, if you guys could just see the amount of work that we were able to put in, in Mexico, when it’s 102 degrees outside. And it’s hot. And how many reps we ran. And how many times we we just kept making sure it was just perfect, and this and that,” Wilson said.
“I mean, the amount of hours, amount of focus, the amount of time that we spent on film work and talking about ball and studying each drill and each movement and each thing that we did, and us competing to push each other — and then also at the same time having fun and shootin’ hoops and hanging out and talking about life, talking about growth, talking about faith, talking about family.
“You know, he’s everything that you’d want. He’s a high-character guy. He’s a guy who’s going to leave it all on the field, every time. And that’s what I love about DK Metcalf.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 6:34 PM.
