Now in Super Bowl XLVIII, Russell Wilson learned from Peyton Manning as a ...

Is the 25-year-old Wilson ready, too? As great as the Seahawks defense has been this season, there may be no more important question than that because one way or another Super Bowls almost always come down to the quarterbacks. Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News

It wasn't all that long ago that Russell Wilson was a sophomore in high school as wide-eyed as you imagine he would be when Peyton Manning stepped onto the field. He was a promising young quarterback taking part in the prestigious Manning Passing Academy, and one of about a dozen kids in Peyton's group.

There had to be a sense of awe as he listened to Peyton, then still young himself, talk about 'how much of a perfectionist he was,' as Wilson recalled, and the 'tons of notes' he takes. Wilson wanted to emulate everything about Manning, from 'the knowledge that he has for the game,' to his off-field branding, to the way 'he wants to do everything right.'

There was no way Wilson could have even dreamed that a mere decade later he'd face Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII. Yet here he is, in just his second NFL season, trying to defeat a man he knows is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time.

And as the two teams arrived in New Jersey on Sunday night, there was no doubt the 38-year-old Manning was ready. The bigger question: Is the 25-year-old Wilson ready, too?

As great as the Seahawks defense has been this season, there may be no more important question than that because one way or another Super Bowls almost always come down to the quarterbacks. Yes, defenses can win championships - just ask the 2000 Ravens. But for every Trent Dilfer or Jim McMahon who rode the coattails of a great defense to a title, there's a Joe Montana finding John Taylor in the end zone, a Tom Brady playing so cool in fourth quarters, or an Eli Manning leading a game-winning drive (twice).

At some point on Sunday night at the Meadowlands, the game will undoubtedly be in Wilson's hands.

'The best way to be sure you're ready for this moment is to prepare the right way,' Wilson said at Seattle's team hotel in Jersey City. 'It's no different. We've been doing it all year.'

'He's ready for this opportunity,' added Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. 'He's been readying himself throughout his playing career.'

Wilson has been readying himself for this moment since last winter when he made a point to go to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. He took in the hype, arrived at the Superdome about five hours early on game day, and watched everything unfold as if he was a scout.

He took note, he said, of 'the rhythm of the game, the rhythm of the national anthem and halftime and all the things that happen.' He focused on the timing - the longer warmups, the extended halftime - and how players on the Ravens and 49ers dealt with it. He didn't go there to party. He went 'to observe and watch.

'My main objective in all that was to prepare for this situation,' he said. 'Just in case.'

It's one thing to watch, of course, and another to play - and that's where the uncertainty with Wilson comes in. On his biggest stage yet, he had a near disastrous fourth quarter in the NFC Championship Game, fumbling twice - including one he lost at the San Francisco 1-yard line. Even his coaches thought they noticed some nerves.

'Yeah there was definitely something,' Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said last week. 'I don't know if it was nerves, but obviously we didn't function well in those situations. We fumbled on the fourth-and-1, and then we fumbled another snap, then we came out the wrong way. There were a number of things late in about the last 10, 15 plays where we didn't function as well as we needed to.'

The defense bailed Wilson out, which is fine. But that only highlighted the big difference between the quarterbacks. Manning doesn't need the Broncos defense to rescue him. He's carried teams on his back for most of his 16 NFL seasons. The Seahawks aren't built to have Wilson carry them. In fact, he threw for 300 yards just twice this season and in December averaged only 199 passing yards per game.

Yet the Seahawks remain believers in their young leader. When receiver Doug Baldwin was asked why he thought Wilson was ready for this stage, he said, 'Because he's done it all season. He's done it the season prior. He's been preparing for this opportunity ever since he got to the NFL.'

Baldwin also said he's never seen Wilson nervous. 'Not at all,' he said. 'He's one of those guys that stays level the entire time, whether we're in a situation where we're down or we're up by 20 points. He stays the same.'

T he key to that, Wilson said, is something he learned from Manning: be prepared.

Only then can he be sure he's ready to keep the moment from slipping away.

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