Future Hall of Fame candidate offers searing critique of Eagles rookie Wilson

Respect the game, and it will respect you. You know what? That sounded so much better before it was typed. Nothing is promised with football, at any level. You get where we're going here though, right? There are some characters on this Philadelphia Eagles roster. What's more important is they all have character. That won't change with this new crop of rookies. They all respect the game and the guys who paved the way before them.

Take the former FSU star, Johnny Wilson. He stands at six-foot-six or six-foot-seven (he's been listed as both but claims to be the former). As tall as he is, he is still a tad shorter than Harold Carmichael. That hasn't stopped the comparisons though for obvious reasons

No one needs to school the rookie on who the legends are though. He's patterned his game after two of them and a Super Bowl hero.

See? Say it with us. That's what it means to respect the game...

Steve Smith Sr. doesn't sound like a huge Johnny Wilson fan.

Since we're tossing out cliches that no one really uses anymore (if they ever have), let's throw out another. 'Game recognizes game'. It's hard to hide NFL talent at a program like Florida State, and when someone balls out and is as tall as Wilson is, the task is doggone near impossible.

It's Wilson's game that got him drafted though. That game placed him on Philly's radar in the first place. It appears a potential Hall of Fame inductee isn't much of a fan though.

Okay, Johnny! Your game has been called into question. This is what happens in the NFL AND in Philly. Heck, sometimes, you're going to be called out by Eagles fans.

Here's what we hope happens. Use this as motivation. Let if fuel you. Strive to be better. Prove Smith wrong. That's what being a professional is all about.

What's that? What gives Steve Smith Sr credibility you ask? Why are we listening to him? Well... He owns a professional resume that most would pay to claim ownership of.

We don't mind listening to what he says about playing the wide receiver position. He was pretty good at doing so if you remember. Check out some of the highlights from a career that could earn him Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration:

16 NFL seasons, a spot on the 2001 PFWA All-Rookie Team, five Pro Bowl nods (2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011), two First-team All-Pro nominations (2001,2005), and a Second-Team All-Pro nod (2008)

He was also the NFL receptions co-leader, pro football's receiving yards leader, and the game's receiving touchdowns co-leader in 2005. Three years later, he was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2008. Did we mention the dude comes with credentials?

Again, nothing will be given to Wilson regardless of how much he respects the game. This is the kind of take you want to prove wrong though. More critiques will come. How he responds to the criticism will tell us a lot about him. Something tells us he's built for this.

We're pulling for him. He's articulate. He has the right mindset. He looks the part of a physical mismatch. If he can ball, he's going to be the toast of Philadelphia.

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