He meant it as a compliment.
New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton turned an interesting phrase when asked about what he's learned about new teammate and Big Blue starting quarterback Russell Wilson over the course of the offseason.
"I think he's disgustingly consistent," Slayton said on Monday, via the team's official transcript. "He's so consistent like it's almost nasty. It's like, how is this possible? I think that's probably the number one thing. You see somebody from afar, I feel like he's always had this persona of being a positive person, but I feel there's a lot of people that just have a good day on camera and that's kind of the perception we all walk away from them with, but at some point, every day at 7:00 am, there's somebody smiling telling you, 'Good morning,' it's like you're just wired this way.
"I think that carries over to the way he plays football and why he's so consistent with his throws and his accuracy and things like that. I think that's just his life. He's just a consistent human being."
While we can quibble over whether "disgustingly" is the right adverb, Slayton's review is ultimately positive from both a human and a starting quarterback perspective. Every signal-caller worth his salt needs to be the most consistent player in the building.
Wilson's on-field play hasn't been as consistent over recent seasons. He finished under the 3,600-yard passing mark in each of the past four years and struggled down the stretch in Pittsburgh last year, generating 193.6 passing yards per game with 3.6 sacks per tilt and an 88.9 passer rating as the Steelers went 0-5 in his final five starts.
The Giants' brass has stuck with the plan to begin the season with Wilson under center, even as rookie Jaxson Dart shined in the preseason.
If Wilson can recapture his Seahawks heyday, it could be a boon for Slayton as the field-stretching target in the Giants offense. With Wilson known for having one of the prettiest deep balls in the NFL, Slayton was asked what it was like catching a Wilson moonball compared to others.
"I'd say it's like catching a beach ball," he said. "It feels like you can't miss because wherever you're running, it doesn't feel like you're running to the ball, it feels like the ball is flying to you if that makes sense. You just run and kind of 'poof' right there so it's pretty nice."
On paper, the Giants offense should be improved after last year's quarterback debacle.
Ultimately, whether Wilson is able to keep Dart on the bench will depend on how the season unfolds. If Wilson starts hot, the Giants will allow the rookie to learn from the sideline as long as they can. With a tough opening slate -- starting with division games at Washington and Dallas before hosting the Chiefs and Chargers -- an 0-4 start could bring an early-season QB change.
