I knew a guy who played with him in high school and he said this is basically how he's always been. Maybe just related to growing up with this fixation to be a good football player and not really working on his social game.
It means hole in Hawaiian, and he is from Hawaii. The name is a nickname from his grandmother. Someone online told me the grnadmother part so I don't know if that is actually true.
He might be Samoan, but living in Hawaii puka is a hole and would have been seen that way growing up there. I know cause I have live here
I grabbed this fact from a 2019 interview he did at the Polynesian Hall of Fame Bowl where it’s mentioned that it means “hole” in Hawaiian but “chubby” in Samoan. If the grandmother angle is true, I’m not sure what a hole-y grandson means! Maybe a career in the church?
I enjoyed the Russ era in Seattle and we made good when he was traded so I hope the best for him as long as the Steelers aren’t more successful than the Seahawks.
I totally respect the Steelers for how they are run and Mike Tomlin’s leadership but I will never get over our Super Bowl loss to them (although the pain has lessened once we won).
Great callout on Fitzgerald as he was easy to like on and off the field even while playing against the Seahawks.
Don’t have a specific favorite right now but have really enjoyed watching CJ Stroud and the Texans last year and am hoping their success is continued this season.
He has been a Prima Dona for the last 5 years. Only cares about himself and his stats. His own Seahawk and Bronco teammates couldn’t stand him. He acted like he was above everybody else on the roster. Glad he is gone and I hope he fails in Pitt. He would make a great politician. Only tell you what you want to hear and then vote differently to help only himself.
I am big on what I see. I'd like to think I have a nose for who is coming on full speed. Over time, I've learned to question that initial tickle, so I watch on before finding resolve (or not). I will go with it to place a bet if it solidifies and the odds look tremendous. But then I don't bet much. So here goes: I predict we will see both Wilson and Lock do well in their new ventures. Lock impressed me a few years back while throwing for the Broncos. Russ was last year's efforts. At times, I could see Russ shaking off whatever hard times he's had, returning to the same guy we saw compete with the same energy originally. My bet is he will be moving heaven and earth to carve out wins again for the Steelers. Lock is still a big Maybe, but I won't be surprised to see him quickly become the Giant's Guy. For a non-Seahawk, I thought we'd see a lot more from Ryan Fitzpatrick. His body just ran out of time.
Russ cannot ever be again the player he was 2013-15. Time has slowed him up enough that he can’t play sandlot football at the pro level any more… and he has not been able to be the pocket passer that he might have been.
I agree, but then I was seeing him rally the guys around him, which is new for Russ and essential for true leadership. No more Hero-Ball, but still capable of pulling it out in flashes. Odds are he gets injured, but then he's one tough guy and perty smart about how far he can task his body.
I'm trying to think if I actually have liked any Steelers players. Cam Heyward. If he was a Seahawk, easy choice for fan favorite. Usually though, players just seem boring to me when they put on that uniform.
I actually soured on Russ during his last few yrs. Prob the seminal moment for me was him sitting in the boxes at the Super Bowl as NFL Man of the Year (a tremendous honor) scowling bc Brady was doing well (again), and then choosing to throw his OL under the bus as to why he wasn't the QB in the Super Bowl. Would have been a great oppty for him to be the bigger man and to be gracious given the great honor he'd received, but instead wasted the moment. Just too tied up in himself.
And then him doing exercises at 3am on the Broncos plane, Mr. No Time To Sleep. Just got tired of the whole schtick.
That said: I also remember underdog too-short Russ, and the hundreds of hours I spent every week online debating the Andrew Luck fans, proving unequivocally (in my mind anyway) that Russ was actually the better QB. And every time he "proved" it again, or Luck fell short, the fierce joy in going back in with my "I told you so!!". Some of my favorite times of all-time.
So yeah, I don't like Russ any longer (and don't want him back) but I'll still be rooting for him and honestly, would like to see him get back into the HOF conversations. Just to prove out my original point: that Russell Wilson was a fantastic QB.
I vividly remember the sour look on his face when the camera found him a few times at the Super Bowl. Feeling sorry for himself, and blaming the team for him not being in the spotlight again. I don't dislike Russ, but certainly not a guy I'd cheer for anymore. That was the beginning of the end right there.
The only thing that could hold him back from HoF is himself. As a player, I can't believe that the first 9 years of what he did wouldn't be good enough, but ultimately you still need to get the writers to vote for you. And it's become a little bit too easy to say that Russ is one of the most disliked players in the entire league. When something goes wrong for him, the media is as quick to jump on it as anyone.
I think it’s bc for so many years he was on the edge of being either credible or a total bullshitter. Now is appears he was the latter so people come down on him with a vengeance.
I’m more disappointed/embarrassed (was a HUGE Russ defender) than spiteful.
Bobby will always be a Hawk to me no matter where he plays. I don’t hate Russ anymore since he’s not on our books, and I actually respect the Steelers for their commitment to winning and their rugged black and blue play style. TJ is a Stud! I can’t be mad at them for taking what our weak defense gave them last year. If they had Geno last year, they could’ve been at least 10-7, if not 11-6 with that defense.
While I can appreciate the talent of other players, I can't bring myself to root for any non-Seahawks players. I can't do fantasy football for the same reason. RW seems a little into himself and his agenda. The whole 'let Russ cook' was the final straw for me. The Seahawks could no longer just win, we had to win through Russ and with Russ as the hero. I hope he is seen for who he is, a good , but not great, QB that played with a stacked team and got accolades due to the great team - not because he is a football god and potential hall of famer....which I do not think he is. Oh...and I wish I could have seen Gale Sayers, that dude was amazing for his time.
“If you saw Bronko Nagurski play football in real time…”
In 1950, my father and his gf (eventually his wife and my mother) saw Slingin’ Sammy Baugh at Griffith Stadium—leather helmets, H-shaped goal posts on the goal line. They had some great stories about being young in post-War D.C.
I won’t cheer for Russell but I do think he’s with the right coach at this point in his career. If he can’t restore his confidence and repair the damage he’s done to his play for the past 5 years under Tomlin then he’s done for good. Just my gut feeling.
Yes! Good pick. And you're right, this is the best opportunity for Russ to turn it around and if he doesn't, it's going to be time for his Joe Flacco era where he's a journeyman backup Super Bowl champion.
I am with Scott M...I think my love for the Seahawks precludes me from being a "fan" of a non-Seahawk. I do enjoy watching Josh Allen, Derek Henry, Mahomes, among others, as well as good football in general (and many other previously-active players). My involvement in fantasy football puts all players on "my team" as the guys I pull for secondarily to my 'Hawks, so there really isn't room for any other fandom, per se.
I have a soft-spot sort of fatherly disappointment about Russ. I always rooted for him because he went to high school a few miles from my high school and he was always a stand-up guy. I lost bits and pieces of my fandom over the years when he started to become more hypocritical. He stopped actually being the ultimate team player and became the ultimate me player without changing his rhetoric. He became a shell of his former self as he began to manipulate the "cooking" in a passive-aggressive way. It just makes me disappointed and sad to see how a great guy turned into a dude who becamse what everybody accused him of being all along.... phony.
Also, I will never root for the 49ers or Steelers. I couldn't stand Ben Roethlisberger. That dude had a rape charge from a college bar night in Swainsboro get tossed because of victim's "lack of credibility". I heard about it from friends at the school that were familiar with the situation, even though it was mainstream news for a second. THEN they got the zebra-aided Super Bowl victory against us. I just can't abide (movie quote). Similar feelings about Ray Lewis.
Not related to your topic today but your article triggered a memory. Before Marshawn Lynch there was Norman Bulaich who played fullback. A great name and even better nickname “The Human Bowling Ball”.
Russ is a huge weirdo even playing a position notorious for having more than its share of huge weirdos.
And I’ll never root for the Steelers.
Both of these statements are true.
I knew a guy who played with him in high school and he said this is basically how he's always been. Maybe just related to growing up with this fixation to be a good football player and not really working on his social game.
Puka Nacua. Puka is a nickname and it means “fat” or “chubby” in Samoan. Quite a fast “chubby” kid!
GOOD PICK!
It means hole in Hawaiian, and he is from Hawaii. The name is a nickname from his grandmother. Someone online told me the grnadmother part so I don't know if that is actually true.
He might be Samoan, but living in Hawaii puka is a hole and would have been seen that way growing up there. I know cause I have live here
Cool name, Puka Nacua.
... yes, your's too, Cold Steel and Sunshine.
I grabbed this fact from a 2019 interview he did at the Polynesian Hall of Fame Bowl where it’s mentioned that it means “hole” in Hawaiian but “chubby” in Samoan. If the grandmother angle is true, I’m not sure what a hole-y grandson means! Maybe a career in the church?
Lol
I love this pick. He's one of the most fun players to watch and root for, unfortunately just on the wrong team.
I enjoyed the Russ era in Seattle and we made good when he was traded so I hope the best for him as long as the Steelers aren’t more successful than the Seahawks.
I totally respect the Steelers for how they are run and Mike Tomlin’s leadership but I will never get over our Super Bowl loss to them (although the pain has lessened once we won).
Great callout on Fitzgerald as he was easy to like on and off the field even while playing against the Seahawks.
Don’t have a specific favorite right now but have really enjoyed watching CJ Stroud and the Texans last year and am hoping their success is continued this season.
CJ Stroud and the Texans is my answer as well...
Yeah, he's a good pick too.
He has been a Prima Dona for the last 5 years. Only cares about himself and his stats. His own Seahawk and Bronco teammates couldn’t stand him. He acted like he was above everybody else on the roster. Glad he is gone and I hope he fails in Pitt. He would make a great politician. Only tell you what you want to hear and then vote differently to help only himself.
I am big on what I see. I'd like to think I have a nose for who is coming on full speed. Over time, I've learned to question that initial tickle, so I watch on before finding resolve (or not). I will go with it to place a bet if it solidifies and the odds look tremendous. But then I don't bet much. So here goes: I predict we will see both Wilson and Lock do well in their new ventures. Lock impressed me a few years back while throwing for the Broncos. Russ was last year's efforts. At times, I could see Russ shaking off whatever hard times he's had, returning to the same guy we saw compete with the same energy originally. My bet is he will be moving heaven and earth to carve out wins again for the Steelers. Lock is still a big Maybe, but I won't be surprised to see him quickly become the Giant's Guy. For a non-Seahawk, I thought we'd see a lot more from Ryan Fitzpatrick. His body just ran out of time.
Russ cannot ever be again the player he was 2013-15. Time has slowed him up enough that he can’t play sandlot football at the pro level any more… and he has not been able to be the pocket passer that he might have been.
I agree, but then I was seeing him rally the guys around him, which is new for Russ and essential for true leadership. No more Hero-Ball, but still capable of pulling it out in flashes. Odds are he gets injured, but then he's one tough guy and perty smart about how far he can task his body.
I forgot about Drew Lock being on the Giants. I'd like to see him succeed as well.
I can never root for the Steelers nor any of their players. Thbbbt!
I'm trying to think if I actually have liked any Steelers players. Cam Heyward. If he was a Seahawk, easy choice for fan favorite. Usually though, players just seem boring to me when they put on that uniform.
Troy Polamalu was pretty badass...
Great player, hated him as a Steeler, and now those f'n hair commercials drive me crazy...
I actually soured on Russ during his last few yrs. Prob the seminal moment for me was him sitting in the boxes at the Super Bowl as NFL Man of the Year (a tremendous honor) scowling bc Brady was doing well (again), and then choosing to throw his OL under the bus as to why he wasn't the QB in the Super Bowl. Would have been a great oppty for him to be the bigger man and to be gracious given the great honor he'd received, but instead wasted the moment. Just too tied up in himself.
And then him doing exercises at 3am on the Broncos plane, Mr. No Time To Sleep. Just got tired of the whole schtick.
That said: I also remember underdog too-short Russ, and the hundreds of hours I spent every week online debating the Andrew Luck fans, proving unequivocally (in my mind anyway) that Russ was actually the better QB. And every time he "proved" it again, or Luck fell short, the fierce joy in going back in with my "I told you so!!". Some of my favorite times of all-time.
So yeah, I don't like Russ any longer (and don't want him back) but I'll still be rooting for him and honestly, would like to see him get back into the HOF conversations. Just to prove out my original point: that Russell Wilson was a fantastic QB.
I vividly remember the sour look on his face when the camera found him a few times at the Super Bowl. Feeling sorry for himself, and blaming the team for him not being in the spotlight again. I don't dislike Russ, but certainly not a guy I'd cheer for anymore. That was the beginning of the end right there.
The only thing that could hold him back from HoF is himself. As a player, I can't believe that the first 9 years of what he did wouldn't be good enough, but ultimately you still need to get the writers to vote for you. And it's become a little bit too easy to say that Russ is one of the most disliked players in the entire league. When something goes wrong for him, the media is as quick to jump on it as anyone.
I think if he had just embraced what he was, and stopped wishing he was something else, he’d have been a sure fire HoF’er.
I think it’s bc for so many years he was on the edge of being either credible or a total bullshitter. Now is appears he was the latter so people come down on him with a vengeance.
I’m more disappointed/embarrassed (was a HUGE Russ defender) than spiteful.
Do have a favorite non-Seahawk albeit he's on the team I hate the most:
Christian McCaffrey. What a player.
That’s my choice too. A bitter sweet choice, but he’s a fantastic player.
Did I post the video that OLine Committee recently did on McCaffrey? What a baller.
https://youtu.be/hJGNjoMX868?si=N8JSGgZDirPwgq6w
Bobby will always be a Hawk to me no matter where he plays. I don’t hate Russ anymore since he’s not on our books, and I actually respect the Steelers for their commitment to winning and their rugged black and blue play style. TJ is a Stud! I can’t be mad at them for taking what our weak defense gave them last year. If they had Geno last year, they could’ve been at least 10-7, if not 11-6 with that defense.
Good point. Now the Seahawks just need the Steelers defense and hopefully have hired a coach who will be as respected as Tomlin.
Earl Campbell. Nothing more needs to be said
Earl Campbell. Nothing more needs to be said.
Saying Earl Campbell twice was kind of funny.
While I can appreciate the talent of other players, I can't bring myself to root for any non-Seahawks players. I can't do fantasy football for the same reason. RW seems a little into himself and his agenda. The whole 'let Russ cook' was the final straw for me. The Seahawks could no longer just win, we had to win through Russ and with Russ as the hero. I hope he is seen for who he is, a good , but not great, QB that played with a stacked team and got accolades due to the great team - not because he is a football god and potential hall of famer....which I do not think he is. Oh...and I wish I could have seen Gale Sayers, that dude was amazing for his time.
I could say that Russ had nothing to do with Let Russ Cook. But then he decided to steal it and put out a line of cookware. Not good.
“If you saw Bronko Nagurski play football in real time…”
In 1950, my father and his gf (eventually his wife and my mother) saw Slingin’ Sammy Baugh at Griffith Stadium—leather helmets, H-shaped goal posts on the goal line. They had some great stories about being young in post-War D.C.
That's awesome!
Joe Burrow is my favorite non-Seahawk to watch.
I won’t cheer for Russell but I do think he’s with the right coach at this point in his career. If he can’t restore his confidence and repair the damage he’s done to his play for the past 5 years under Tomlin then he’s done for good. Just my gut feeling.
Burrow is my pick too, with CJ Stroud coming in behind him.
Yes! Good pick. And you're right, this is the best opportunity for Russ to turn it around and if he doesn't, it's going to be time for his Joe Flacco era where he's a journeyman backup Super Bowl champion.
I am with Scott M...I think my love for the Seahawks precludes me from being a "fan" of a non-Seahawk. I do enjoy watching Josh Allen, Derek Henry, Mahomes, among others, as well as good football in general (and many other previously-active players). My involvement in fantasy football puts all players on "my team" as the guys I pull for secondarily to my 'Hawks, so there really isn't room for any other fandom, per se.
I have a soft-spot sort of fatherly disappointment about Russ. I always rooted for him because he went to high school a few miles from my high school and he was always a stand-up guy. I lost bits and pieces of my fandom over the years when he started to become more hypocritical. He stopped actually being the ultimate team player and became the ultimate me player without changing his rhetoric. He became a shell of his former self as he began to manipulate the "cooking" in a passive-aggressive way. It just makes me disappointed and sad to see how a great guy turned into a dude who becamse what everybody accused him of being all along.... phony.
Also, I will never root for the 49ers or Steelers. I couldn't stand Ben Roethlisberger. That dude had a rape charge from a college bar night in Swainsboro get tossed because of victim's "lack of credibility". I heard about it from friends at the school that were familiar with the situation, even though it was mainstream news for a second. THEN they got the zebra-aided Super Bowl victory against us. I just can't abide (movie quote). Similar feelings about Ray Lewis.
Not related to your topic today but your article triggered a memory. Before Marshawn Lynch there was Norman Bulaich who played fullback. A great name and even better nickname “The Human Bowling Ball”.