Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Raiders coordinator Patrick Graham goes way back with Russell Wilson

Graham’s defenses have stymied Denver quarterback in the past; will it continue in Las Vegas?

DangeRuss

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Denver.

Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s first full-time coaching job came as an assistant at the University of Richmond where Harry Wilson was a star wide receiver.

Harry Wilson is the oldest brother of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, who was a rising high school star at the time and the Spiders’ gameday ball boy. Graham remembers Russell Wilson making an impression all the way back then, even as the quarterback struggled to draw attention of college recruiters because of his size, with his big hands and even bigger arm.

“He threw the ball better than our quarterback,” Graham said in his weekly news conference at the Raiders’ Henderson facility. “I don’t want to say that, (then Richmond quarterback) Stacy Tutt would get mad at me if I said that. Stacy, I didn’t mean that, but (Wilson) could throw the ball pretty good when he was a young kid.”

Tutt wound up in the University of Richmond Hall of Fame and had a brief NFL career with the New York Jets, but Wilson is likely a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He had a storied 10-year career with the Seattle Seahawks, including winning a Super Bowl and reaching nine Pro Bowls, before getting traded to the Denver Broncos this offseason.

The Raiders (0-3) get their first look at Wilson as an AFC West rival at 1:25 tomorrow when they host the Broncos (2-1) in their second divisional game of the year. The 33-year-old is off to a slow start in Denver with the team ranked 31st in the NFL in scoring at 14.3 points per game, but that’s not changing Graham’s opinion of Wilson.

He’s seen too much of him over the last 20 years to believe murmurs of a decline.

“He’s truly a check-with-me quarterback, where he could call the play, get them in and out of plays at the line of scrimmage and the experience he has with that,” Graham said. “He’s no different than some of the other veteran quarterbacks — they’ve seen everything.”

Graham’s and Wilson’s paths haven’t crossed much in the NFL, but when they have, the former has mostly come out on top. Graham was a defensive assistant for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 49 when Wilson had the most infamous play of his career. He threw an interception at the goal line in the final seconds that secured victory for the Patriots.

Graham has only faced Wilson once as a defensive coordinator, in 2020 when his New York Giants went to Seattle as 10.5-point underdogs. Largely because of a coverage scheme that confused Wilson and helped produce five sacks, the Giants upset the Seahawks 17-12.

It was the undermanned Giants’ fourth straight win, putting them at the top of the NFC East and helping raise Graham’s reputation around the league.

The performance was an example of how effective Graham’s defensive gameplans can be at their best. The 43-year-old believes in shapeshifting schemes, with a different setup every week depending on the opponent.

There’s no indications of how he’ll approach Wilson and the Broncos with the Raiders, but free safety Tre’von Moehrig shared a couple keys being emphasized this week in preparation for the quarterback.

“It’s just making sure he’s contained and then he also has a big arm, very accurate passer so it’s making sure we stay deep,” he said.

Graham is not the only Raider with a colorful history against Wilson. Chandler Jones, the Raiders’ prized defensive free-agent signing, battled with Wilson for the last six years in the NFC West as a member of the Arizona Cardinals.

The edge rusher has consistently been a nuisance to the quarterback, as he has 16.5 career sacks on him. That’s the second-most of any particular defender/quarterback pairing — behind the New Orleans Saints’ Cameron Jordan and former Atlanta Falcon Matt Ryan — currently active in the NFL.

“He thought he could get away from me leaving, but I’m right here with him again, so that’s going to be fun to get after him a little bit,” Jones said of Wilson in his introductory news conference with the Raiders.

Jones has become friendly with Wilson over the years and complimented him as “a hell of a player.” Graham has long lost touch with Wilson but has marveled at the career he’s built, and the way he’s maximized the talent he hinted at dating all the way back to his childhood in Richmond, Va.

“I’m pretty sure he remembers me,” Graham said. “I just remember he could throw the ball pretty good, and I was like, 'This guy is in like eighth grade or whatever.' He was always a good player.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or

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