Russell Wilson says all Seahawks voted--and applies to trademark ‘Let Russ Cook’
First, Russell Wilson confirmed he and all his Seahawks teammates did their patriotic duty this week.
“Everybody voted, to my understanding,” Wilson said, while votes were still being counted in the contentious U.S. presidential election.
The Seahawks began preparing for Election Day in August. They canceled practice late in training camp to ensure all players and coaches registered to vote.
“For us to be able to get everybody registered, first of all, that’s a thing in itself,” Wilson said. “You know I think everybody, especially for the younger guys (it’s important) to make sure they do that. And then for guys to vote is really, really cool.
“It’s been a cool process of us coming together as a team and as a community, I think, in trying to be leaders in that.”
But wait, there’s more.
There usually is with Wilson.
Seattle’s franchise quarterback has another process that is coming together. It relates to his record-setting pace of touchdown passes this season.
Wilson has applied to the U.S. government to trademark “Let Russ Cook.” The phrase has in the last year become a rallying cry and social-media hashtag demanding the Seahawks let him throw the ball more.
The filing with the United States Patent and Trademark office last month says the “Let Russ Cook” trademark would apply to cookware, cooking utensils and clothing such as chef’s hats and cooking aprons.
So among all else he is doing, Wilson made soon be a part of your backyard barbeque.
Mark Rodgers, Wilson’s agent, told The News Tribune Friday night proceeds from the Let Russ Cook trademark will go to the QB’s Why Not You Foundation.
Wilson, his wife Ciara and their foundation, among other endeavors, recently announced they were starting a public charter high school in Des Moines, south King County. The Why Not You Academy is due to open in the fall of 2021.
Wilson has 26 touchdown passes through seven games, six of those wins for Seattle. That TD passes are one short of Tom Brady’s NFL record from 2007 to begin a season. He needs four scoring throws Sunday at Buffalo (6-2) to tie Brady’s league record for most touchdown passes through the first eight games of a season.
And Wilson is indeed cookin’ more this season.
He and the Seahawks are throwing more, and earlier in drives. They have the league’s third-ranked passing offense and lead the NFL in scoring (34 points per game).
Wilson is throwing on first and 10 more than he ever has as a Seahawk. It’s 61% of the time this season. That rate of passing on first down was 52% last season. It was 38% in 2018—a rate so low it spawned the “Let Russ Cook” movement.
When they won the Super Bowl in the 2013 season, Wilson’s second year as the starter and the last time the Seahawks were 6-1, they threw it on first and 10 at a rate of 44.7%.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has said he, coach Pete Carroll and Wilson met this past offseason and planned the intent to throw more, and earlier in games, this season.
It’s worked.
“I would say, 100%, we’ve talked more about it,” Schottenheimer said in September.
“We started talking about it in the offseason, in terms of: ‘OK, hey, we’ve got a great player in Russ. We’ve got great weapons around him. ...’
“We’ve certainly had way more discussions this year about it.”
Wilson has voiced his support for a lot of the movement.
“Listen, the reality is: I want to win. That’s all I really care about, is going out there and finding ways to win, you know, and just constantly making plays,” Wilson said when asked about “Let Russ Cook” in August.
“At the end of the day, I want the ball in my hands, you know? I want to be able to make plays and give us a chance to win. That doesn’t always mean me just chuckin’ it around. But it does mean, you know, the more times … I feel like the more times I have the ball in my hands, the more things I think can happen.
“I think the defense worries about that, too.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 3:51 PM.
