'Never Failed': O'Brien was right and wrong about Wilson

By Joe Giglio, WRALSportsFan

Can you be right and wrong at the same time?

Given the success Russell Wilson had at Wisconsin and has had with the Seattle Seahawks, most people would say that Tom O’Brien was wrong to not only let one of the biggest stars in the NFL leave NC State but to ask him to do so.

But ultimately, time has proven O’Brien to be right. Parse the details of O’Brien’s decision, or his bedside manner, all you want but the one thing that O’Brien wanted Wilson to do more than anything else was commit.

Make a commitment to the team. Make a commitment to football.

What happened once Wilson finally gave up baseball? His football career took off. On a rocket. Wilson left NC State and never played baseball again. At least, not competitive meaningful baseball.

But here’s the catch. That was never going to happen for Wilson at NC State. He couldn’t give up baseball without knowing he had a career in the NFL. He didn’t have a career in the NFL until he went to Wisconsin — because remember, O’Brien tried to get him invited to the combine in 2011 and the NFL didn’t want him.

At Wisconsin, Wilson showed how quickly he could adapt to a new system and new locker room. He was on campus for only a few weeks before his teammates voted him a team captain.

At Wisconsin, he showed at his height, he could play behind a massive offensive line in a traditional pro-style offense.

Do you know who loves all of those things? The NFL.

Without the exposure on the bigger national stage, and without how adroitly he handled the transition to Wisconsin, you could argue Wilson wouldn’t be where he is now.

But his ascension in football truly started when he did the one thing O’Brien wanted him to do all along — give up baseball.

So in the end, O’Brien actually was right. He just went about making the right decision the wrong way.