Though there’s been no mention of “hot sauce,” the Jets have specific plans to turn up the heat Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson.
“We’re going to get this guy rattled,” defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson told WFAN, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Per Mehta, Wilkerson later told reporters that Wilson’s youth makes him more likely to be affected by the pass rush.
“He’s a rookie so he’s not [as] experienced as somebody like Tom Brady or something,” Wilkerson said. “So we’ve got to just get after him. . . . [We need to] give him different looks. Get hits on him and try and put pressure on him and get him uncomfortable. They’re 4-0 at home so of course he’s going to feel like he can do it all at home. You just gotta make him feel uncomfortable.”
Wilkerson stopped short of anything that could get him in hot water with the league office, but the point is as unmistakable as it is common to the game of football at the highest level. The more you can hit the opposing quarterback, the better chance you have of winning.
While it all makes sense in theory, there’s one problem with trying to rattle Russell Wilson: The kid doesn’t get rattled.