The hell they don't. Last two super bowl runs the Chiefs needed their backup QB to step up in crucial moments in the playoffs and he did. He retired and they are concerned about Bortles
I think this is where I’m at… He’s a backup at best right now. That’s pretty much it. Sure, he has improved in two things so far in preseason from his first two years. First, he is making more of the layup throws that he struggled so much with before, so his completion rate is not League worst 53%, but a respectable 66%. Ok that’s pretty good. Second, he hasn’t thrown stupid picks in panic mode like he did so often, most notably against the Pats. Granted there hasn’t been any really stressful moments in preseason games, so take it with a grain of salt since Hackett is giving him a ton of quick throws and easy plays, but still it’s a positive. So sure, objectively there has been improvement and if we set our expectations as such, basically saying forget the 2nd overall pick, forget him being a franchise QB, just let him be a viable backup QB this year, I guess he fits that ok. All that being said, he isn’t very good. The stats his first two years matched the eye test perfectly. He was bottom 3 (if not THE worst) rated QB in most categories, but notably in completion rate and QB rating. And that’s what we all saw. A QB who struggled to see the field, who was wildly inaccurate, who panicked under pressure, and who had trouble managing the game. It is what it is. Any amount of stupid excuses like blame the OL, blame the drops, blame the OC, etc. are just that…excuses. Fast forward to now, and some things are improved. The stats are better. 66% completion. No picks. All very good. However, the eye test still shows a QB who is not yet there. He started 3 preseason games and I watched them, most were against backups for most of what he’s played. And I think it’s fair to expect a highly drafted QB to show better against backups. I watched the games. Yes he had two drops that really would’ve made a great difference to the Giants game. However, for the most part, it’s still been hard watching his offense play. Every first down is a struggle. Can’t find the end zone. So yah, he’s better, but I wouldn’t say he’s good yet. But again, if expectations are for him to be a decent backup, then sure I guess he fits that, and if this preseason is all about Hackett basically treating him like a rookie QB to develop by keeping it quick and simple then I’m fine with that. Let’s see if he can learn. He’s young. He’s physically talented. We’ll see…
That is your comeback great one. Yeah, football is easy and he should be driving down with ease. Brilliant assessment.
He completed 66% of passes and didn't turn the ball over vs backup fringe players. He played fine (like I said multiple times already). I expected more from the #2 overall pick in his 3rd year-- I think he should be the best player on the field. My bad that I don't want to get on my hands and knees and blow him for being fine against backups and fringe players
it was a very 'meh' preseason from Wilson. The 66% stuff is for the nerds, nearly all of his drives stalled which is not good. Best performance was Carolina, worst was the Giants where he was outplayed by Boyle
The bold is where your - and other people who don't think Zach can be more than a backup - is a clear dividing line between you and those of us who still think he can become a good starting QB. First, let's be clear: he's just nor entering his 3rd year, he hasn't played 3 years. Second, given the crap coaching he received, the poor OL and skill position play he had around him for much of those 2 years, leading to the realization even by the Jets that they were going to have to remake him almost from scratch, he's not much more than a rookie. That said, yes, he's had the opportunity to learn on the job, even if much of it was counter productive, and therefore should have at least adjusted to the speed of the game On that measure I see some improvement, but he still needs to improve more. IMO he's still struggling with second guessing himself sometimes which I blame on MLF's insistence on trying to suppress his natural "gunslinger" mentality and stress conservative, make no mistakes ever, mentality. I understand why you and others may doubt he'll ever become more than a backup. He hasn't proven beyond a doubt he do that. You think he never will, I believe that it's still possible. And I feel justified in that belief, not just on what I've seen of him, but by what Douglas & Co. think of him. But consider this: at the end of last season, you're POV was probably the odds on outcome, and I even admitted as such back then. But then the Jets got rid of LaFleur, admitted they had mishandled him, hired Hackett, and eventually got Rodgers, as well as improved the quality of players on offense. Since then Zach has shown measurable improvement, even if it hasn't been demonstrated in regular season games. It shows that he can improve, and that his confidence has rebounded which is key to him being able to play without thinking, as any good athlete does. We were told "Wait until OTAs to see if there's any improvement" and there was. Then we were told: "Wait until T.C." and there was. And then we were told "Wait until P.S. live action", and there was yet more improvement. Now we have to see how he'll do in the regular season. Based on what he's done with the previous milestones I believe he'll demonstrate that continued growth. You may still be doubtful until you see it. That's fair. I hope you're wrong, and I'm right.
I love how you justify your belief that Wilson is a scrub using stats, but then when he shows improved stats you dismiss them as (for the nerds). This is called "moving the goal posts". As to his drives stalling, IDK how you can lay this entirely on Wilson. How much of that was conservative play calling by Hackett because it's P.S. and they're not opening the whole playbook, or the failure of other players - there were more than one or two big plays that failed because a receiver didn't do what they should have. There were at least two in the Giants game that would've turned his decent performance into a very good/great one. Boyle did look better, but let's not overlook the fact that he was going against 3rd and 4th team players. All that said, would I have liked Zach to run the offense more crisply like Rodgers did? Yes, of course, but Rodgers is going to the HOF and even he stalled in his first drive. And it's clear that he commands total respect and belief from the players, whereas Zach has to earn that. But yes, that's where Zach needs to get to, but he's not going to get there in one off season no matter how much we want him to. However Douglas and Saleh believe he will get there, and given his improvement even from last year I think that's possible.
I guess I dont really care about Wilson's long term development, so the tiny strides like 66% in weak preseason performances dont excite me. I dont think he has much of a future. I am just worried about the backup QB position in 2023 and I hope they upgrade like an other backup position that is weak
He proved that he could run MLF's offense, not Hackett's. He also proved that he could throw a lot of interceptions and that he wasn't very good. Plus after what happened with the T-shirt thing last year, they'd be fools to bring him back. I'd rather keep Boyle.
Let them waste a roster spot. IMO it doesn't matter that anyone we keep over Boyle might not play this year. That player could wind up becoming a starter or a key backup in the future and be here another 5-10 years. Boyle almost certainly won't be here next year, or at least in 2025. The player the Jets are able to keep could very well be Yeboah, Dean, Tanzel Smart, Chaz Surratt, or someone else who would most likely see playing time.
My friend, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to discuss Zach with you any further. IMO you are blind and don't want to see or understand what is happening with him. You have all these predetermined notions on how he should look or play, and dismiss where he was coming from and what he didn't get the last two years from the Jets. He was not set up to succeed, but rather to fail. With lesser-talented players, and those who are less resilient, that would have been the end of them. There would have been no coming back, but Zach is coming back. He may never be a superstar, but at the very least he can become a quality starting QB in the NFL, if not a FQB.
NO, he shouldn't have been the best player on the field. That's a totally unrealistic expectation. Under normal circumstances, I'd agree that the #2 pick in the draft should be the best player on the field, because when most teams draft a QB that high, they do everything they can to ensure that he develops, but with the way the Jets screwed the pooch on how they handled him, they screwed him up rather than developed him. They came very close to ruining him, like David Carr was ruined. It's a tribute to Zach's heart, resilience, love for the game, and his talent that it didn't and he is fighting his way back. You guys with your all or nothing thinking are killing me. You are all totally off base.
This is a more reasonable post. You're a smart guy, knowledgeable fan, and great poster, but you have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to Zach. You admit that the Jets screwed up, and yet you hold him to some high standard as if the Jets hadn't screwed him up and damaged him. What sense does that make? How is he supposed to move the ball up and down the field, when he's gone back to square one in his development? I'm sorry, that just isn't reality. You've also clearly made up your mind about him, and that biases you, and colors the way in which you see him play. If he's going to be nothing more than a backup, how is he supposed to be able to move the ball up and down the field at will? That makes zero sense as well. The Jets clearly don't see Zach as just a backup. If they did, Hackett would be calling more aggressive plays like he does for Boyle. Instead, they see Zach as still their potential future QB, so they are being smart, taking his development one step at a time, and making sure that the foundation is well built and solid before moving on to more advanced play. It feels hard because that's where it is for him in his present development. Hackett clearly has a plan for how he developing Zach. He's taking things one step at a time, not just throwing him back out there and sink or swim. He's limiting Zach in what he can do at this point. He's building the foundation, and that is not conducive to moving the ball up and down the field.
The only thing that I possibly disagree with is that Zach needs to push the ball more when he gets into the red zone. You could be right, but I think that Hackett has Zach strictly controlled. His play calling with Zach is less aggressive with Zach than it is with Boyle, and that is because he's trying to develop Zach one step at the time. He's working on building a solid foundation of reading the D, making good, quick decisions, mostly staying in the pocket, stepping up when necessary, throwing the ball on time and getting it out quickly, and his accuracy. He's not only rebuilding the way Zach plays, but his confidence, and is also teaching him how to play the WCO, which is very different from the offense that Zach played in at BYU.
If we had been watching some new, young, minor division QB called Will Zachson out there the last few games then I'd probably look at that guy as a bubble QB3 who I'd probably not hope to see in real games.
There is no other reasonable way to anyalyze that pass to Gibson. It was right there on his hands and he missed. The fact that you would even possibly blame Zach for that shows that you are biased against Zach, your mind is closed and already made up about who Zach is as a player.
From just the pure visual, DeVito, but we don't know what Zach as being asked to do. Personally, I think he was told to play safe and work on his basics, but none of us know for sure.
good way to look at it for sure. We'd think he has decent legs but not much in the way of passing acumen and the battle between him and Boyle would be close
