its not really about this season though its about seeing if ZW can be the future of the franchise - we need him to be a top tier QB not a game manager and to see that they need to let him play
With Breece out (our home run threat in the running game), Zach needs to step up out of necessity. Everyone knows it. He's not going to throw it 40 times, but he's going to have to shoulder more of the load. That's exponentially harder if Davis and Moore are both out next week. Let's hope Moore gets an attitude adjustment and Davis' injury is minor.
Why are people still pumping the short throw inaccuracy issue? I think he is the most improved in this area. It's the mid range throws that are becoming an issue now. He missed some open receivers, starting with the first pass of the game.
Is the bold really what's most important? Agreed that Zach hasn't had that "breakout" game yet, but he's shown flashes of what he's capable of, and he's also shown that he still has things to improve on to reach that full potential and become a guy who can carry team on his back like the top QBs do. Josh Allen is very lucky that the Jets didn't draft him, not just because Bowles and Gase would've never developed him, but because of the lack of patience of this fan base. After yesterday's game Zach has now played a full season's worth of pro football. Some perspective is needed. In the meantime, enjoy the wins and try to trust that Douglas and Saleh know more than most of us do - it's working so far.
This is an unnecessary thread, @Brook! Zach is (4-0). He has done what the team asked him to do so far and won every game. This thread would make sense if the Jets were (1-3) or something in that stretch. I am just going to assume Elijah Moore hacked into your account and made this. Bad news: The Patriots and Bills have tough defenses too. It won't be easy for Zach. This is a tough stretch of defenses. Robert Saleh has preached complimentary football and that is what the Jets have done in recent weeks. Zach will have to do more now with Hall out, and he will, but I have been more than happy with their approach so far.
You need to re-watch that game because he had a bunch of bad throws, late decisions, and hits that he did not need to take.
Spot on! The "formula" is obviously to play conservative as long as possible, and then if necessary let Zach have more freedom in the later stages of the game. It's worked so far. Someone mentioned that Rypien looked better - "more poised" - and yet he threw the interception that killed their chances, and a couple of deep balls that could've been intercepted and one where the only players near the ball were Jet players. So much for "poise". The Jets are taking the "slow and steady" approach with Zach, giving him time to develop his talent, like the Bills did with Allen. I'm okay with that, especially since they're winning and looking the best they have in over a decade.
I saw a clip this morning on Twitter and I can't find it now, but it addresses your point to a tee. They are saying his stride when he steps into a throw is so long it's forcing the balls high to all the receivers. He needs to shorten that front step and the accuracy to those throws will come back. I think it was the first series of the game where he airmailed a throw and if he hit the WR in stride it would have been a huge play, maybe even a house call if the WR had the angle on the DBs.
Look around the NFL. It is tough to play QB. Brady and Rodgers are getting destroyed on a weekly basis. Most of the other QB's are up and down. It is hard to play consistently great week to week. Zach is coming off injury and over a month lay off. He has played pretty well. His team is (4-0). Most knowledgeable fans knew the Broncos D would be tough and it would be a 16-9 kind of game, especially with Russell Wilson out. Factor in how great Breece Hall had looked, and it is no wonder the Jets were focusing on the run. Now they will have to open it up a little more. The negativity around Zach blows my mind though. Some fans are truly embarrassing, like to the point where I would encourage them to find another team to cheer for.
His progression is not where it should be but we have been winning... Just enjoy the ride and reassess in the summer.
I agree, he hit on a few really good short throws, which allowed the receiver to reach forward for the ball and thus propel themselves upfield rather than have to check to make the catch. His mid-range throws were really iffy, and often high, which is begging for interceptions. I thought yesterday was one of his poorest games for a while and at times he looked like an excitable rookie. Then at other times he showed great escapability, but too often held on for too long, again inviting disaster plays, one of which nearly happened with that near-fumble. He needs to calm down again because he had been making steady progress.
We’ll find out what Wilson is regardless, but the team around him, even with Breece out, should be competitive all year. If Wilson can be league average the Jets will make the playoffs.
If he's waiting, it's likely because he's been told to not take any unnecessary risks. Why do I say that? There are a number of throws where he's threaded the needle, even in tighter windows than most QBs would try. Throwing behind his receivers is due more to mechanics and simply getting used to throwing to these guys - except for Berrios - who either weren't on the team or were injured when he was playing last year. I need to see the rear angle view of that Conklin throw but I thought at the time (and still do) that he was trying to avoid throwing into the outstretched arms of a rusher like what happened last week. The deep scrambles are alarming, but if the OL were doing a better job they wouldn't be happening - he's shown an ability to stay in the pocket when it's there, it's not like he takes off at the first sign of pressure - Denver's rush was in his face constantly, not one or two guys, but 3 and 4. It's difficult to coach someone to know exactly when to scramble and try to make a play, vs just killing the play, it's not scientific, it's gut feel and can't be judged except with hindsight. To say "The line wasn't great" is an understatement. It was struggling before AVT went out, and then got worse. As good as they played the last few games, it's not like they've cured all their issues and they were exposed by Denver yesterday. Again, we're 5-2 when most people had us at 0-7, 0r at best 2-7. Perspective.
Let the team carry him as he gets his experience. Reps and consistency around him is what develops qbs. The rush to cut him loose to sink or swim is not going to help.
That's exactly the point I was making before. So far Zach has been below average, but he improved from the dreadful performance of last year. We need to see him continue to improve, no doubt about it, and when you see stinkers like last night it certainly does not help. He does not need to be Mahomes this year, but an average NFL QB by year end would mimic Allen like trajectory. Right now he improved, but not enough. Given he missed 7 weeks, faced top two defenses, the data we have so far needs to be expanded. I would not proclaim he is our Josh Allen nor bench him just yet. I do expect him to do better this week at home against Patriots, who also have a good defense, but not as good as last two we faced on the road.
