Safety Chris Maragos is one of the few members of the 53-man roster who has firsthand experience with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Maragos spent three seasons in Seattle from 2011-13, with the 2013 season concluding with a Super Bowl championship.
Since Wilson's NFL debut in 2012, he has emerged into one of the league's top quarterbacks. Wilson is known for his scrambling abilities, allowing him to make something out of nothing. Despite Maragos' familiarity with the fast-paced quarterback, he says it won't be an advantage because Wilson "is so unique."
"The thing about Russell is he's such a smart guy," said Maragos, who signed a three-year contract extension this week. "His commitment and his attention to detail are just really great.
"I would say the thing that makes him unique is his ability to create. He's so good on the run. He's so good at being able to see the field when he's got pressure in his face, when he's scrambling, finding the open receivers, those types of things. So, I would definitely say that's one of the things that separates him. He's a tremendous player for sure."
The Seahawks are off to a strong start in 2016 with a 6-2-1 record and their most recent win coming on the road against the Patriots. Wilson is currently 203-of-304 for 2,442 passing yards, a 66.8 completion percentage and 10 touchdowns on the year.
"The biggest thing I think, especially from a D-line standpoint, you just want to try and contain him in the pocket. He's really dangerous when he gets outside the pocket, when he's on the run. Obviously it's harder as a defensive back to cover if the plays are extended and that's what he does a really good job with," Maragos explained.
"I've seen the guy get out of a lot of jams. He's really good at that. The biggest thing for Russell is he just has such a good understanding of responsibilities, but I think he really knows where he wants to go with the ball and when things do break down he's really good at creating."
For Maragos, having the opportunity to work closely with Wilson has helped shaped his career "tremendously."
"He's always fighting for every inch so it's definitely something where it just sharpens back and forth and it's definitely stretched me a lot for sure just being back there playing with those guys and really learning a lot from those guys," the safety said. "He's always a positive thinker just being around him, so he always thinks no matter how bad the situation is on the field that he can get out of it or he can make a bad situation turn into a good situation. He's just a tremendous player and a guy I have a ton of respect for."
