Mark Schlereth ticked off with the ‘awful’ play of Russell Wilson

Have the Broncos moved into the playoff race because of Russell Wilson? Or is it in spite of his play?

It’s a question worth discussing. Because by some metrics, Wilson is doing just fine — especially relative to his career-worst 2022 campaign. His passer rating is up — from 84.4 last year to 99.0 this season. So is his ESPN QBR — from 38.7 to 50.3, on a scale where 50.0 is considered average.

Wilson didn’t throw an interception during the Broncos’ five-game winning streak. But in their 22-17 loss to the Houston Texans, he threw three.

And Fox Sports game analyst — and DenverSports/104.3 The Fan host — Mark Schlereth didn’t like what he saw from his review of the game footage of the defeat.

“I could get a quarterback from Smoky Hill High School to do what Russ does,” Schlereth said.

“It just was bad. It was awful.”

.@markschlereth dissected Russell Wilson’s performance against Houston, and the @NFLonFOX and @DenverSportsCom analyst didn’t mince words.

“I could get a quarterback from Smoky Hill High School to do what Russ does. … It just was bad. It was awful.” pic.twitter.com/IjA4GnhhpW

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 6, 2023

AN ASPECT OF THE PLAY OF RUSSELL WILSON THAT SCHLERETH CALLED ‘SICKENING’

As Schlereth evaluated the game footage, he talked about the pressure under which Russel Wilson found himself — which, in Schlereth’s eyes, is sometimes created by the quarterback.

“First off, let’s talk about how many times you run yourself into trouble,” Schlereth said. “How many times do you escape out of the back of the pocket. How many times do you allow yourself to be forced out of a play, you scramble and you make a few yards, and everybody lauds you on your ability to get out of there. You’re the one who put yourself into trouble.

“It’s Tim Tebow-esque when you talk about 55 minutes of dreck, and we’re gonna praise you for the five minutes of play at the end of the game? You’re the one that started the inferno. If you start the fire and you finally douse the ashes with water, you’re not the hero for putting the fire out. When it’s burned through all the fuel and it no longer can burn anything, and it’s just ash, you’t don’t get credit for putting it out when you throw a bucket of water on ashes.

“So, the amount of times you create the pressure, you create the sack.”

Schlereth, who earned three Super Bowl rings as a starting guard with Washington and the Broncos, continued.

“I’m not saying that (Mike) McGlinchey didn’t get shoved in the backfield a couple of times. I’m not saying that they picked up every twist game, because they didn’t. They got some pressure up front. But that part — the amount of times that you put yourself and your team into harm’s way is — frankly, it’s sickening. And as a former offensive lineman, it pisses me off, because it’s just not right. They take the brunt of the criticism and it’s the quarterback. So, there’s that factor.”

One noteworthy stat on the Broncos’ pass protection is this: Pro Football Focus assesses just 9 sacks allowed by the Broncos to the team’s pass-protection scheme, encompassing offensive linemen, backs and tight ends. The rate of one sack allowed every 42.3 pass plays by the Broncos’ pass-pro scheme is fifth-best in the league, trailing only Buffalo, Kansas City, Detroit and Indianapolis. The NFL average is one sack allowed every 22.6 pass plays by pass-pro units.

Overall, PFF credits just 25 percent of the 36 sacks allowed by the Broncos to their pass protectors. That is the lowest such percentage in the NFL. The league-wide rate is 61.9 percent. The percentage of sacks allowed by the Broncos’ pass protectors is the lowest in the NFL.

THE DECISION ON FOURTH-AND-1

Much discussion in recent days revolved around a fourth-and-1 play in the second quarter. Russell Wilson scrambled and picked up the first down — but wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was open downfield.

“We had (KUSA-Ch. 9’s) Mike Klis on earlier talking about that fourth down and 1 where Russell scrambled. First off, they’re running play-pass stuff. When I think of playpass, I think of play-action. It’s not hard play-action; it’s not run play-action. It’s a play pass, meaning, ‘We’re going to keep all five offensive linemen in, most of the time two tight ends in, right?’So there’s a seven-man protection. And on that play pass or that back, he’s in search to check. Basically saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to go support the edge of the offensive tackle, the one guy that’s one-on-one, so we get a double-team there, and then I’m going to leak out.’ So you’re running a two-man route combination.

“On that fourth down and 1, he is completely protected on play pass. He is dropping at about 11 yards deep. There is literally no one within seven yards of him.

“And they’re running a deep double cross. So, Courtland (Sutton) is coming from the left side, across the formation, in a shell look — so, two high safeties — and Jerry’s coming right under him, and they’re going to cross at about 14 yards. The safety on that side — on Courtland’s side — jumps Courtland and runs with him. And Jerry Jeudy comes right underneath it. The corner’s rolled up on that left-hand side because there’s a back escaping late. So, he’s rolled up at about seven yards. He should be a lot deeper to take away and help on Jerry Jeudy. But it’s a busted coverage. They jump Courtland Sutton because of Russ’ propensity to do nothing but look at Courtland Sutton — which he was doing. So, it was the right call by the defense.

“
Jerry Jeudy was wide open, and anybody — anybody in America who’s ever thrown a football — would have thrown a touchdown there.”

Instead, Russell Wilson kept the ball. He moved the chains. But an opportunity for a touchdown was lost. Six plays later, the Broncos settled for a 34-yard Wil Lutz field goal, leaving them in a 13-3 halftime hole.

Schlereth dissected other plays as he continued. His full dissemination — which took place during Hour No. 2 of Schlereth and Evans can be found here, beginning at the 27:12 mark.