Can you imagine how bad this board would be if Fields (the other option that spilt the fanbase here) was any good? Holy smokes it would be bad. This is nothing!
This is where I’m at I’m not buying all of the excuses being made for him…I’ve just had it. Three other guys have shown that the problem is at QB…and two of them don’t have more game experience than Wilson, so I’m not buying that excuse. If he would hit a receiver in stride then we wouldn’t be leading the league in drops. I don’t even ask for 300 yards with 3 TD and no picks…jeez at this point I’m looking for Don’t play like Shit. I’m just looking to see something we can build on … I hope he turns it around, I really do. But I want to see it on the field…I’ll be the first to say Yay…I was wrong.
White had less GAME experience, true, but he's been part of a professional team and its environment, practices, and had been exposed to the speed of the pro game more than Wilson. Johnson has been with a bunch of teams and been around, so again, more experience in the pros than Zach. And of course Flacco has way more experience. And by the time White came in for Zach, the OL had some games to gel, and the CS had learned more than they had when Zach was in there. This isn't to say Zach gets a free pass, but everyone who's saying that he's a bust and terrible are either ignoring these aspects, or seriously downplaying them.
Yes, he's struggled with his accuracy, but I attribute that to him having to adjust to the speed and complexity of the pros. But the reality is that he was extremely accurate in college - unlike Allen and Darnold - and so the capability is there so he just needs to settle down and not overthink or overreact. And it's not like every throw he attempts is bad - he's made some great passes that many QBs would be hard pressed to make. I think those judging him as a bust are way overreacting. He's played 9 games for a rookie CS on a team with a deficit of talent. I think the Jets should've signed a decent vet for him to sit behind for at least half a season or a year, but they threw him into the fire. Considering all of that, I think he's done pretty well. And, no I don't take any offense...it's just opinions after all.
He didn't have any issues with accuracy in college. Yes, he played a cupcake schedule at BYU and yes, he had fantastic pass protection, but that kind of stuff wouldn't impact bouncing a swing pass. The fact of the matter is that there really is no pattern to Zach's inconsistent accuracy. One moment he bounces a swing pass, the next he is throwing a beautiful piss missile to Berrios on a 4th & 7. He is fully capable of being an accurate QB, he was that guy in college. I believe there's a lot going on in between his ears right now, mainly his timing is drastically thrown off right now and that's most likely the biggest factor, with some inconsistent footwork mixed in. I believe once he gets more reps, he will figure it out. He's already showing improved decision making ability in both passing and his decisions to run. It'd great if we could give the kid some patience, but with how bad this franchise has been over the last 11 years, patience is hard to find. EDIT: I'm going to add some clips from Tim Jenkins and Dan Orvlovsky here just showing some weird mechanical things he's got going on. This one from Jenkins shows Zach has this weird hop before he takes his drop, which is throwing off timing. Not sure where that came from but I've noticed it in previous games too. The first one was a swing pass to Berrios (not the bounce pass) but his entire back foot is sliding back and not on the ground. The second one is a pass that was behind the receiver and again, Zach's back foot isn't on the ground. Let's not act like Zach is this unfixable bust already please (not directed at you Colorado)
Thanks for these. Excellent analysis by these guys, and I could see how these issues with how he's handling his footwork could be a big part of his accuracy issue right now. Along that line, I wonder if the injury to his right knee is having an effect in that he's not planting it as firmly as he should? IDK. But I do think his accuracy problems are fixable.
And yesterday I ate ramen noodles and today I ate some pizza. You’re just diverting. I didn’t say Wilson was a great prospect. I didn’t say Allen was a good prospect. I never said anything about it. You just made a nonsensical statement about how low recruitment equals not being talented which is obviously not true. Aside from that, I can’t imagine how you don’t see a boatload of talent in Wilson. I can’t see how anyone doesn’t. I’m not going to claim he will put it all together, who the hell knows. But acting like he doesn’t ooze talent really puts into perspective how intent you are to trash the team, for legitimate reasons or otherwise. From this point on I’ll leave you to your own devices, but it’s clear at this point you’re not looking at the team in a remotely objective way.
I have no idea why people see Wilson as very talented. His ability to throw the ball deep is offset by his inability to do the routine stuff. His ability to run is offset by his fragility. To be really talented you have to be able to do a lot of things very well. Wilson on the other hand does a few things really well. To expect him to get from doing a few things really well to doing a lot of things really well is just insane. That's the crux of the argument. Even if he fixes a few things he has a long list to work on to get enough things up to the level that he is a good NFL QB. Maybe if he'd been drafted by somebody who knew how to develop QB's things would be different. Maybe if he'd been drafted by a team that could support him well things would be different (although Mark Sanchez and Jared Goff are cautionary tales here.) The facts are that he was drafted by a clueless organization and supported very poorly and the odds that he can get enough of his necessary skills up to par in those circumstances are vanishingly small. However we clearly can waste a year or two trying. This is year one.
Just my opinion, but the best thing Zach has going for him is that all the QB's drafted this year minus Mac has looked like ass
Eight highly subjective opinions do not a quarterback make. Performance does. We'll wait - we're used to it.
I thought we were getting a guy with a strong arm. When Wilson is throwing off his back foot, and he does that a lot, the ball is coming out pretty weak if you have to take 10 whole seconds to get a good grip, get a running start and THEN show off your strong arm, what good is that in an actual NFL game?
As much as I didn’t want Fields, I believe he will surpass Wilson next year, unless the Bears fire Nagy and make Fields learn a new system. I have watched some of the Bears games, while he does make rookie mistakes, staring down receiver too long, not going through progressions quickly, or not reading defense correctly, he has shown things that Wilson has gone away from. Fields stays in the pocket, and moves up into the pocket, he has incredible touch on short throws, doesn’t get rattled, guy gets hit a lot and is tough as nails. He’s fundamentally sound and has not developed bad habits by going away from the fundamentals of having a solid base and throwing off front foot. If you get a chance watch some of his highlights and you will see that he’s stayed the course regardless of what happens to him. I wasn’t a Fields fan but I’m glad he’s getting better and hope he has a good career. It’s better for the NFL.
I watch a lot of Bears games. He stays in the pocket? You could have fooled me. He has a tendency to take off with the ball when his first option is covered or he hangs onto it forever and takes a sack. He does throw a nice ball, but his 57.6 completion percentage, 10 interceptions and 144 yards per game are not very impressive.
I guess my question would be where is the disconnect? I know he’s a rookie, but if Mike White can move the offense then why does the offense come to a sudden stop with Wilson behind center? Same plays are being called, majority of time same personnel, Lafleur is in the booth where he is comfortable, the oline is playing much better and giving him time. Wilson is tangibly more talented than White, that would be my question, what is causing the offense to sputter when Wilson is the QB?
It’s why I said he will surpass Wilson next year, he makes rookie mistakes, his ability to extend the play is not a knock on him, he is developing better than Wilson right now. If I remember correctly the Bears oline is still one of the worst in the NFL, worst than what jets started the season with, I’m not sure if they will address that but we saw first hand what a bad oline does to a QB. My evaluation of him has not changed, even with a bad offensive line he has not gone away from his fundamentals as a QB, he is still playing relaxed football no matter what happens. I’m not going to kill him or Wilson for what they have done in their short professional careers, both guys will get 2 or 3 years to hone their skills. I have only watched a handful of games, obviously not as much as you have, so you may have a better sense of Fields. However from what I have seen, not looking at stats, just on the field, he’s calm and fundamentally sound, makes accurate throws with great touch. If he can learn to make the throws with better anticipation, he will be a good NFL QB.
I think if you want to still be bullish on Zach at this point that is your best case. Is that all of a sudden if he cleaned up these bad throws that we all know he's capable of making you'd more or less instantly be looking at a lot more palatable outcomes and maybe even better than average NFL QB production once the virtuous momentum all gets headed in the right direction (more completed passes, more yards, more first downs, less pressure on defense etc, etc etc ) But game after game not only does this never seem to happen, it seems to get farther and farther away from happening. The one burst of exception being the first half of the Eagles game. I'm just not sure what to think about Zach anymore. Just gotta sit back and hope basically. There is that saying that hope is not a plan but I'm not sure I see any other viable option than hope and patience at this point.
