Once upon a time a very highly touted QB was selected 1st overall. He came into the league with great fanfare. He was expected to a great success from day 1. Instead, he played in just 11 games. He threw for twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. He completed 53% of his passes for a meager 1,749 yards with a QB rating of 55. Zach Wilson came in to the league just last year to pretty much the same situation. He also fell on his face. He was statistically the very worst starting QB in the league. His numbers were slightly better than exhibit A but he was very bad in his own right. Who was exhibit A? And can we draw any similarities between Zach and exhibit A? Are they both going to get cut within two years and get labeled as one of the worst busts in NFL history?
This is what you said: "He also fell on his face. He was statistically the very worst starting QB in the league. His numbers were slightly better than exhibit A but he was very bad in his own right." Again, you're doing what every person who is knocking Wilson does: you look at his stats and that's all you're looking at. But those stats are affected by much more than just Zach - OL, CS, skill position performance - all of these were sub-par for almost all the games he started. And then you add into the mix that he was a rookie and ALL rookies have learning curves and hiccups. What you completely ignore is his demonstrated work ethic going back to high school, his commitment to improving at every level, and of course his great arm talent and knack for making WOW plays. Was he perfect? Hell no! Did he make mistakes? Of course! Does he need to step up big time this season? Yes! But your "comparison" is very one dimensional. If you're serious about wanting an answer to your question, I'd suggest watching some tape, not just from this past season, but of his play at BYU and see that natural ability he possesses. Given some new weapons, and an improved OL and more experienced coaching, I find it impossible to imagine that he won't be MUCH better this year.
How about another comparison? Zach Wilson's rookie stats are every so slightly better than a QB who became an all-pro in his third year and repeated that performance in his fourth year. That same QB has led his team to the playoffs three years in a row now. Do you know who that QB is???
Sarcasm aside, I think it is a good threat. It hasn't exactly gotten traction yet, but we'll see.....
I personally don't think Aikman is a good comparison to Zach. For one Troy played on a national Champ. contender with the associated tough division schedule. I think I'd focus on a qb coming out of the same level competition as Zach for a decent 1st year comparison.
It's easy to project on Zach Wilson because very little of the reporting around him prior to the draft was accurate. An accurate discussion would have included the fact that he had one season that projected maybe to the NFL and that season was a very strange one against lesser competition. Instead we got "Wow! Look at that season Zach Wilson just put together! He must be a high draft pick." Everything that followed reinforced that point although the totality of the evidence suggested that he was just one of many QB's over the years to do a big fish in the small pond impersonation before disappearing from the collective consciousness. Maybe he will raise his game to an NFL level over the next year or two. We can hope.
Well I assume you mean, "Do you realize that I'm actually a Zach Wilson supporter?". I thought that's what you were up until this thread, which when I read it I assumed you were referring to Ryan Leaf actually. My bad for assuming and for not searching the NFL archives for a match on your "mystery QB".
For those who remember, Aikman's rookie year was very unusual coaching wise. After they took Aikman 1st overall they drafted Steve Walsh with the second overall pick in the supplamental draft. Walsh was the QB new coach Jimmy Johnson coached at Miami. Even though they took Aikman first overall, they made him win a QB competition that lasted into the season. Aikman played the first half of each game and Walsh played the second half. This lasted their first 3 games before Aikman narrowly beat him out, even though Walsh led them to their only win after Aikman went down later that year. The next season they traded Walsh to the Saints where, starting for Bobby Herbert, who held out the whole season over a contract dispute, he led the Saints to the final wildcard spot, just edging out the Cowboys in week 16. During Aikmans first 2 years Johnson built one of the best rosters in NFL history, and in year 3 Aikman and the Cowboys started a dynasty. The irony is that Zach's style looks more like Steve Walsh than Troy AIkman. One interesting comparison to our situation though, is after Aikman's rookie year they drafted a RB that would become a HOFer. Either way, Aikman existing doesn't have any bearing on future QBs success or failure.