Bill Belichick compares Russell Wilson to Cowboys great Roger Staubach

New England Patriots coach Bill Bellichick feels that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson compares favorably to Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame signal caller Roger Staubach.

More from Dallas Cowboys

Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s father coached at the Naval Academy when Roger Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963, which also allowed him to see the future Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback up close when the younger Belichick attended Midshipmen practices.

Five decades later, Belichick feels the second coming of “Captain America” has arrived in the form of the player he must contain in Super Bowl 49 next Sunday, Seahawks field general Russell Wilson.

“He kind of reminds me of watching Staubach,” Belichick said during a Tuesday morning conference call. “I remember a lot of Staubach’s spectacular running plays where it looked like he was about to get tackled by three or four guys, and he would Houdini it out of there somehow. You see Wilson doing some of the same things.”

Wilson’s path to Canton still has miles to go, yet there are comparisons to Staubach that go beyond their innate ability to avoid defenders.

Like Wilson, Staubach had a Super Bowl ring, having led the Cowboys to a victory over the Dolphins after the 1971 season. Both also were members of two Super Bowl teams in their first three seasons, although Staubach did not appear in Dallas’ loss to the then-Baltimore Colts in an error-filled title game the previous season.

Each were considered “game managers” early in their careers, as both Staubach and Wilson benefited from solid running games (Staubach had Walt Garrison, Calvin Hill and Duane Thomas, while Wilson has a one-man ground assault in the form of Marshawn Lynch) and defenses with cool, intimidating nicknames (Dallas’ Doomsday Defense and Seattle’s Legion of Boom).

While Wilson’s heroics over the Packers in the NFC title game comes in his third season, Staubach’s first postseason miracle came in his fourth, when he came off the bench and rallied the Cowboys from a 28-13 deficit to defeat the 49ers in a 1972 NFC Divisional Round contest (unlike Wilson, Staubach didn’t have a two-point play, as he needed three possessions to pull off the win).

Belichick’s comparison isn’t a quick praise; in fact, it should be considered very high praise. Staubach remains one of Belichick’s heroes, and to mention Wilson in Staubach’s neighborhood should give fans a strong indication of how Belichick views Wilson’s future.

Praise, yes, yet there’s no question Belichick will spend the next 12 days making sure Wilson doesn’t pull off another postseason magic act that would make Staubach proud.

More from FanSided