PITTSBURGH — There seemed no chance of Pat Freiermuth catching a ball soaring over his head on Oct. 20 at Acrisure Stadium.
But as the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end rolled down the sideline, the ball dived and came into view a few yards in front of him. Freiermuth walked an acrobatic 21 yards with his arms outstretched and his arms tilted.
That’s how Freiermuth understood the magic of the Russell Wilson moon bead.
“I really didn’t think I was going to make it,” Freiermuth told ESPN. “But he saw the defender grab my arm and he said he knew how to push a little harder.” “I think he knows about our speed and our playmaking ability. He puts us in positions where we can make plays, but our defense can’t do that.”
The throw to Freiermuth traveled 15.1 air yards, one of seven times Wilson attempted more than 10 air yards in the game, a 37-15 win over the New York Jets. In addition to completing 3 of 4 attempts between 10 and 19 air yards, he also completed 2 of 3 on throws that traveled at least 20 air yards, the first quarterback like Justin Herbert to do so in a game. That matched the total number of passes completed this season. Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco. Wilson has a 109.7 passer rating on throws of 20 or more air yards and a 35.8% completion percentage better than expected.
Meanwhile, Justin Fields has completed six of his 19 attempts on throws of 20 yards or more during six games as a starter, a minus-8.2% completion percentage than expected.
“That was Russ’ strength,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said of the deep ball. “He will be the first to tell you that we are greedy and want more. Historically, that is what has made him the player he is. He has a unique spatial awareness and touch.
“A lot of those things, you can train those things, but some people have a good feel for it. Putting it in front, knowing who you’re throwing to, knowing how much to lead, and dropping things out there. I think that’s it. I think it’s been throughout his entire athletic career.”
Wilson’s moon ball has been in the league for over a decade, but it’s new to this year’s Steelers offense. And it’s an added difference-maker that could help Wilson gain an edge over Fields with the more versatile passing attack he’ll be introducing next time. New York Giants on “Monday Night Football” (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN+).
Some of the completions were a byproduct of circus catches and efforts by skill position players on underthrow passes, but in his first start as a Steeler, Wilson showed a willingness to fire the ball deep and provide the ball, helping to start the offense. His receivers get a chance to make a play.
“Just getting that big chunk helps any offense, especially our offense,” wide receiver Calvin Austin III said. “Going from your own 20 yards to your opponent’s 20 yards eliminates every bad thing that could happen within 60 yards. If you eliminate all the errors from the big chunks you get, it puts us in a better position.”
three plays ago Freiermuth hauled in his first ball of the month, and wide receiver George Pickens hauled in his second of the night, an improbable catch as he collected a ball that bounced off a defender’s helmet.
Like a pass to Freiermuth, Wilson launched the ball into orbit beyond the defense.
The air Wilson throws to his receivers is one of the main factors that differentiates Wilson’s moon balls from other deep passes.
“It falls a little bit differently,” Pickens said. “A lot of guys throw a lot of sail balls and try to bring you down the field or block you with their back shoulder. Russ gets a good deep ball because he throws it so high that it falls into the sky.”
By putting so much air under him, Wilson gives the receiver more time to track the ball and adjust to the throw.
“Once you get it down, it almost fits into your pocket,” Austin said. “So I definitely say it makes it a little bit easier.”
What makes Wilson’s moon ball special isn’t just the loft, but the way the ball rockets down from the top of the pass. After reaching the top of the arc, the nose of the ball rotates downward to propel the pass toward the intended receiver.
Players liken catching a pass to fielding a punt.
“It’s kind of like a punt because it gets turned over,” said Austin, who is also the Steelers’ primary punt returner. “Some balls stay flat, but his nose goes down and they just land there.”
“Ahh, it’s that old MOON BALL!”
Russell Wilson gives money to George Pickens.
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— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 21, 2024
What sets Wilson apart from other deep ball pitchers is not only the trajectory of his passes, but also the consistency of his pass completions. Since being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2012, Wilson has completed 41.2% of his attempted throws beyond 20 yards, third among all quarterbacks in that span. He has also completed a league-high 330 passes of at least 20 air yards since joining the league. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has played in six fewer games, ranks second behind Wilson with 281 completed passes.
“I try to give the players a chance,” Wilson told ESPN. “They always do a great job of making me look half-decent and they have great plays. I think the biggest thing is, yeah, I’ve definitely been throwing it at the moon for a long time, and I’ve just let it happen. Put it down. Let them have a chance to make great plays. It takes a lot of reps.”
Wilson’s moon ball may be a dream for receivers, but it’s a nightmare for defenders.
Cornerback Donte Jackson, who spent six years with the Carolina Panthers before being traded to the Steelers in the offseason, remembers shooting wide receiver Josh Gordon 58 yards after encountering a deep ball from Wilson in 2019. do.
“It was like a streak,” Jackson said, shaking his head. “Josh Gordon jumped straight up three deep for us and he just said: [ball] And he ran right under it. It’s a deep ball. “It was a crazy pitch.”
All of the positive characteristics of the moon ball are for offensive skill players, but it has the opposite effect on defensive players, making interceptions more difficult. With a career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3.17, Wilson ranks second behind Aaron Rodgers among all quarterbacks with at least 1,500 pass attempts.
“It’s more of a challenge. [defensive back] “Because we don’t always catch those types of balls,” Jackson said. “It’s natural for a receiver to run with a guy who has that type of skill.” In the case of DB, it is a bit difficult to track it when it is in the air. Because this guy knows he’s going to run underneath it.”
And it’s not just the ball that’s frustrating for second-tier players. Dahl Ball also deflates the pass rush because there have been so many highlight reel throws while Wilson is moving around and extending plays.
“Every quarterback has to reset themselves when they pin them down and they make those magical throws,” defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “When you turn the field over, it makes it harder to defend.”
Atlanta Falcons quarterback and 2012 draft classmate Kirk Cousins was in awe of Wilson’s combination of play-extension scrambles and moon balls when the two faced off in college when Wilson was a member of the Wisconsin Badgers and Cousins played at Michigan State. I remember that. .
“We watched the ball go up in fourth grade and it was like, ‘A bomb explodes in Baghdad,’” Cousins said. “Sometimes when he’s not on schedule, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ So he’s always had the ability to expand, and when he expands, he’s looking for the big play.”
Wilson doesn’t remember. The first time he threw a moon ball, he thinks it was probably one of the thousands of passes he threw to his older brother Harry in the backyard of their Richmond, Virginia, home while growing up. Following his father’s instructions, Wilson began sessions with Harry, a college football player, at 5:30 a.m.
“[Harry] “He was older than me, but he could really run,” Wilson said. “I just threw down the field for him on post routes.”
As he got older, Wilson began to think of his passes like Stephen Curry’s 3-pointers, throwing the ball as high as he could while marveling at its trajectory.
He also realized that because he had larger hands for someone under 6 feet tall, he had more control over how and where he threw the football. Wilson trained his passing diligently and attended all the best football camps and passing academies, but through all his work, no one ever told him exactly how to throw a moon ball. He did just that.
“I don’t know if I was advised about that.” Wilson paused to think for a moment and said. “No one ever told me to throw a moon ball. It wasn’t like someone said, ‘Hey, let’s throw a ball.’ I just started and I don’t know. It just felt like it.”
Luckily, Wilson has further improved on his natural pitching abilities on the baseball field.
Personal quarterback coach Jake Hibbs, who has worked with Wilson since the two were Seahawks teammates in 2017, said Wilson’s ability to power the ball down the field and chart a specific trajectory comes from years of baseball training.
“He’s got a really strong lower body.” Heaps said. “He can generate very good RPMs and great spin rates on the ball, and he has tremendous feel for it.”
Heaps notes that baseball’s long toss training helped Wilson, who was selected as an infielder by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft, improve his accuracy along with his passing range.
In drills, players start by throwing toward a target 10 yards away, then gradually move back to increase the throwing distance. Once the player reaches 100 yards, they start moving again in the “pull down” phase. As range changes, players learn to adjust their release point and trajectory to maintain accuracy.
“Russell came from that background and had tremendous feeling and understanding throughout his life,” Heaps said. “If he misses a throw, he’s one of the best fixers. If he makes a mistake, the next rep corrects it. A lot of it is just a feeling. He understands, ‘OK, that wasn’t right.’ Here’s how. .I get a feel for the right pass, the right footwork, all that stuff.’ And I think a lot of that is due to his baseball background and long toss pulldowns.”
Over the years, young quarterbacks have approached Wilson asking for tips on how to throw the moon ball.
As he often does, Wilson is happy to offer them advice and encouragement.
“It just takes a lot of practice.” Wilson tells them. “It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of trust. It takes a lot of good players. It all goes together.”
But what are the exact logistics, mechanisms and secret sauce that bring it all together?
“You can’t give everything.” Wilson said with a smile.
Falcons reporter Marc Raimondi contributed to this article.
