Russell Wilson 'Deaf Ears' Leadership Put On Blast

The quarterback position in the NFL is one of the toughest jobs in sports for a laundry list of reasons ... and most of them have to do with business other than the play on the field. Quarterbacks are to be equal parts cerebral, confident, and humble in addition to excelling in between the lines.

More than anything, a quarterback must command leadership. They must be the defining voice of the locker room and the presence their teammates look toward in times of uncertainty. This comes with experience for many QBs in the NFL, but often when a player joins another team that progression is brought back to ground zero.

This is the case for newly-signed New York Giants signal-caller Russell Wilson, whose leadership capabilities in New York are being questioned by former NFL journeyman quarterback and television analyst Chris Simms.

“I know this: his ability to lead and talk to the players, it falls on deaf ears,” Simms said via NBC.

“I told you, not only was I hearing it from people that I trust in Pittsburgh, but you could watch TV and see it, where he’d be talking to the guys on the sidelines, and they’d literally be trying to look in the opposite direction he was talking.”

New York, coming off a disastrous 3-14 season, was in the market for a winner to fit their QB1 position.

They believe Wilson can be that guy. He isn't the most winningest quarterback in the world, but he's proven that he can lead an above .500 campaign. His last stop, however, had some good and bad to form opinions about.

He won six of his first seven games played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season upon return from injury.

Then Wilson's Steelers hit a rough patch at the worst possible time, losing their last four and stumbling across the finish line with a 10-7 record. They would lose again in the first round of the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens 28-14.

Simms' remarks come as a suggestion that Wilson's leadership and upbeat positivity may only make real impact on a locker room when things are going the team's way, not amidst stretches of losses.

Similar rumors arose in his previous stops, which recently forced Wilson into a tension-filled environment that ended his one-year experiment in Pittsburgh.

Wilson now enters an eclectic quarterback room in the Big Apple. He signed as a free agent to join the boisterous personality of Jameis Winston, a fan-favorite backup in Tommy DeVito, and promising rookie first-rounder Jaxson Dart.

The majority expectation for Wilson, who is entering his 14th season in the league, is to carry the Giants' torch until Dart is ready to debut and guide the organization into the future.

Wilson's lack of leadership proof in the form of wins could make Dart's first opportunity come much sooner than normal.

It is up to Russ to demand the respect and trust of the Giants locker room if he wants to be successful in a tough NFC East. There isn't a bigger microscope for Wilson to be under than the bright lights of New York City in these pursuits.