RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The auditorium is usually reserved for coach Pete Carroll during the season and the occasional first-round draft pick being introduced in the spring.
After months of standing behind a small circular table and in front of a makeshift cereal box-shaped backdrop, Seattle rookie quarterback Russell Wilson got the auditorium on Thursday, with the big podium, the microphone stands and an entire wall adorned with the Seahawks logo.
He’s certainly earned the big stage.
Wilson posted the finest regular season in Seahawks history when he closed out the season last Sunday with a 100 passer rating. That would be the best ever for a rookie quarterback if not for Sunday’s playoff opponent — Washington QB Robert Griffin III — barely bettering Wilson’s mark.