After PT work ’20 hours a day,’ Russell Wilson’s back in half the time he was told he’d be
It took his personal “performance team” of more than a half-dozen specialists —including his own physical therapist in his home working with him 20 hours a day.
But Russell Wilson is back. In half the time doctors told him he’d be.
Was there any doubt he would be?
Not from Wilson.
“To be surrounded by some of the best people in the world, daily, obviously this organization of people around here and also, too, my performance team,” the 32-year-old quarterback who strives to be “the best who’s ever done it,” in anything, said Thursday.
“I even beat my own plan, by having amazing people.”
He was back in his weekly press conference as the Seahawks’ starter for their game Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Green Bay. Back to where he was for 10 years, until he got hurt enough last month to miss a game for the first time in his career.
Sunday against the Packers will be Wilson’s first start since he tore a tendon plus dislocated and suffered two fractures in the middle finger of his throwing hand Oct. 7 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams.
His doctor who performed the surgery the next day, Dr. Steve Shin, said Monday while clearing Wilson to return he’s “absolutely amazed.”
Wilson says he’s appreciative.
“To have Amy (Atmore), my PT, just the amount of time,” Seattle’s $140 million franchise cornerstone said. “I mean, we, literally, probably 20 hours a day, 19 hours a day, we are working on this hand, just trying to break records with this thing.
“It was a pretty severe injury, since how many things happened. So for me, my whole mindset was: cut the time in half.
“That’s what my mindset has been since the moment it happened.”
He did it.
When he had the surgery with Shin, a specialist in Los Angeles, on Oct. 8 Wilson was told it would be six to eight weeks before he could play again.
His first practice to start against the Packers on Monday was four weeks and three days after Shin put a pin in Wilson’s finger.
“It was pretty complicated,” Wilson said.
“I had my mallet finger (the tendon damage at the end of the digit that made it drop). I dislocated my finger, as well. And I had two little fractures, two fractures, in the finger, as well.
“So it was kind of a nasty thing. I got four or five different opinions.”
After the first three weeks Wilson can remember not throwing a football, doctors told the Seahawks, coach Pete Carroll and Wilson it would be a couple days of healing after the quarterback got the pin removed from his finger before he should or even could throw again.
Wilson said he was throwing “12 to 16 hours” after he got the pin out last week.
He said his plan that first day after the pin was out was: “I’m just going to throw three.”
“Next thing you know,” Wilson said, “it was 50.”
His throws this week have been somewhat short of speedy rookie Dee Eskridge and veteran Phillip Dorsett in the 15 minutes each day the Seahawks allow the media to watch practices. That is the reacclimation Wilson is practicing through until Sunday.
“It’s like anything else, he’s coming back into his rhythm,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said following Wilson’s latest practice. “But he’s been making all of the throws and had done a great job of doing it (Thursday).
“Each day has been better than the one before, so he’s been great.”
He has not been wearing a glove or protective device over the hand or finger. Carroll and Wilson said he doesn’t need to wear one. Wilson has been investigating many options to potentially wear Sunday in Green Bay. Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-30s with only a slight chance of snow showers. But he again said he doesn’t need to wear a glove over the repaired hand.
“It was definitely a challenge. I think adversity brings out the best in you,” he said of missing three games and the end of a fourth, his first absences after 165 consecutive regular-season and playoff spots to begin his 10-year NFL career as Seattle’s QB.
“I feel like it’s a new beginning,” Wilson said.
“I feel great. I feel really close. I’m not 100% yet. I’m pretty dang close. I would say I’m in the 90th percentile (of full health), if not higher.”
As he said: “I’ve played through some stuff before.”
“I’ve got great conviction about what I’m doing, and how I’m doing it,” Wilson said. “My mindset’s better than ever.
“Ready to roll.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 1:49 PM.
