Belichick: 'I don't really see anybody better than' Russell Wilson
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick heaped praise onto Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on Thursday ahead of the teams' Week 2 matchup.
"This guy is a tremendous player," Belichick said, according to Mass Live's Chris Mason. "Honestly, I think he's in a way, maybe underrated by the media or the fans. I don't know. But I don't really see anybody better than this player. He can do everything. He's got obviously great leadership, playmaking skills. He plays very well in the most critical situations in the game."
After pushing Lamar Jackson in the MVP race for most of last season, Wilson began his 2020 campaign with a near-flawless performance during a 38-25 win over the Atlanta Falcons, finishing with four touchdown passes and 322 yards while completing 31 of 35 attempts.
Belichick spent several minutes gushing about Wilson's talent.
"You can put him up against anybody since he’s been in the league - literally anybody - in any category really," he said. "His winning percentage is impressive. He’s there for every game. Never missed a game. He’s got a great ability to do the right thing at the right time. He has tremendous vision and sees the field extremely well. I don’t think there’s a better deep ball passer in the league in terms of decision making and accuracy.
"He attacks literally every inch of the field you have to defend with him. Deep balls. Sidelines. The scrambles. His ability to get the ball to his playmakers in space. They have a lot of good players that are hard to handle. Put them all together and it’s orchestrated by Wilson. That’s very, very hard to defend."
Belichick on Russell Wilson: "This guy's a tremendous player."
— Nick Coit (@NCoitABC6) September 17, 2020
Says he thinks Wilson may be underrated.
"He plays very well in the most critical situations in the game."@ABC6 #Patriots pic.twitter.com/z8QRCGBpiZ
Belichick was asked specifically what makes Wilson so hard to defend.
"Everything," he said.
The Patriots' offense counters with its own matchup nightmare in quarterback Cam Newton, who led his team to a Week 1 victory over the Miami Dolphins while racking up 75 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 15 carries.
The last time Wilson and Newton faced off in November 2018, the dual-threat passers combined for six touchdowns and 662 total yards.
It appears Belichick is expecting similar offensive fireworks on Sunday.