The Seahawks have a short week coming off Sunday’s win against the Arizona Cardinals. Seattle is set to square off against the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night.
Professional football is a contact sport and with that come various bumps and bruises, regardless of whether they are serious enough to land a player on the injury report.
Quarterback Russell Wilson knows just how important a full recovery is before his next outing and does everything he can to ensure he’s ready by game time.
“I feel great by Thursday, to be honest with you,” Wilson told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a good thing the game is on Thursday. Usually Thursday comes around and I feel really, really good. You take your time to physically recover. You take your time to mentally recover, emotionally recover. Just kind of take your time to build your body back up and also, study and do all that for the next week.”
Wilson’s comments are remarkable considering the scrutiny and criticism that Thursday games have come under in recent years, including from players. Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner said Tuesday that no team should play a Thursday game after taking the field the previous Sunday.
Ahead of a game, Wilson employs a number of healing techniques throughout the week, including swimming and spending time in his hyperbaric chamber for a couple of hours at a time.
“I’ve learned the things that I can do and can’t do, what I can and can’t eat,” Wilson said. “I’m learning all these things as I’ve gone along the way. That’s a big part of it too. Nutrition. Hydration. Sleep is a big part of just getting it.”
Wilson has more than just football on his plate, including his brand, businesses and raising a family. “No time to sleep” has been his mantra, and he admits he doesn’t get much of it.
Regardless of whether players are fans of the Thursday night games, the short weeks are here to stay and Wilson is going to make the most of them.
