I have been very critical of Zach Wilson this year. And deservedly so. Its been a rough season for him. I thought he was very good last night. That was the guy the Jets drafted second overall. It looked like the game slowed down for him. He wasn't panicking at all. I don't know what clicked for him, but something clearly did. The fumble was brutal, but mistakes happen. I was pretty confident if refs didn't gift Mahomes a first downs, Zach ties the game up. Having said that, it was one game. This game means nothing if he goes into Denver and gets smacked around. Maybe its the eternal optimist in me, but for the first time in a while, I'm very excited to see what Zach does in Denver. I'm truly rooting for him.
I ate crow once on Zach because at the beginning I loved the pick and supported his potential for almost two seasons. Then I saw enough and flipped. Is Zach gonna actually play a few good games in a row and make me somersault back into his corner ??? One can only hope ............................. But this is the Jets..................only two possibilities...............either he reverts to bad Zach or he will get hurt.
As I pointed out in my updated post, Denver is historically a very difficult place for the Jets to play in. I'm not trying to make excuse before the fact, but if he - and the Jets - struggle there, it wouldn't necessarily signal a step backwards, more like a hiccup. But hopefully, he adds more proof that he has turned the corner and is becoming what the Jets drafted.
Struggle is one thing. Bad games happen. I was impressed with him last night, but my expectations are tempered. If he goes out and plays like he did in NE, that would be unacceptable and undo all the praise he received from me last night. This Denver team gave up a ton of points to Sam Howell and Justin Fields. They are one of the worst defenses in the league. This is a game Zach needs to perform in IMO.
I don't think they've forgotten that this is just his 3rd season. They expected him to be great from the get-go or they wanted him to fail because they never wanted the Jets to draft him. Never mind that this is a VERY complex offense. I've never liked Chris Collingsworth until this season because he was always over the top nasty and critical of everything Jets. He worked an earlier Jets game this season and made some positive comments regarding Zach. Last night he said numerous times how the light is coming on for Zach, how he is starting to "feel" how this offense is supposed to work, and that people don't realize how complex this offense is. If he is so positive about Zach, everyone should sit up and take notice, but I'm certain that many Jets fans won't. Their minds are hermetically sealed/made up. All along NFL players and former NFL players have said that Zach has great talent/ability and that people just needed to be patient, but no, Jets fans know more than anyone and have said things like "Zach is NOT an NFL QB", "he's dumb, and can't read a D", "he's horribly inaccurate," "He sucks," and "He should be traded or cut."
Agreed. It would be really discouraging if he reverts to the version who plays scared and goes into a shell. I'm hopeful, not confident, that he's finally overcome that hurdle. Of course a key part of that will be Hackett not reverting to chickenshit play calling. Fingers crossed.
You hit the nail on the head with the bold. The Jets fans that have been killing Zach and saying that he isn't an NFL QB and can't improve say that because THEY are incapable of improving or aren't willing to put in the work to get better, so they don't think that others can or will. With them it's quick, easy judging of players. If they're not great from the first snap, they suck and are hopeless. Everything you have said in this thread about Zach's working his ass off, his humility, his maturity, his enduring all the insults, criticism and negativity is totally true. Even if he never develops any further, he totally deserves everyone's respect for being a man, for going out there on national TV and trying his best to help the team. Every Jets fan should support him and root for him, but of course they won't. People are assholes.
Zach played stellar. Ball placement was phenomenal. I never thought this kid would get it. But he’s definitely the future. I’m full 180 on him now. Crazy to say.
Phenomonal Post Burf. I saw 3 things different. 1) OL gave Zach time. Zach has been consistently good when he has a clean pocket. 2) Aggressive Playcalling. Even in the "Jax Disaster" he was 4/5 on first down. And in last week's NE disaster he was 8/11 on first down. 3) He hit a rhythm. We've seen this a few times. It was nice seeing it against the #6 ranked defense. PS - once the game was tied, they ran on first 66% of the time. Saleh / Hackett need to stay aggressive with the game plan and playcalling. And yes. Forget about your confirmation biases on the "spoiled rich kid." Or "MILF hunter." Or "Underperforming #2 pick." Or whatever confirmation biases make you hate him. If you can't respect his work ethic and mental fortitude in performing like this after being ridiculed publicly and questioned in his own locker room, then please take a long hard look in the mirror.
Great posts and thread. Thanks! You deserve kudos for being open minded and willing to change your mind, and also for being able to recognize the improvement and growth in Zach.
It was great to see what seems like the light turn on and him operate a NFL offense. We haven’t seen that in what seems like an eternity. I’ll draw some negativity into the light though. He played above average but the NFL sees tons of these games every year. It’s just the truth whether people want to admit it or not. We need 5 or 6 of these from Wilson to feel good about it IMO.
Does anyone have a clip of the throw he missed to GW before half that seems like it would be a long walk in TD? I'm trying to find it and I can't find it anywhere. The broadcast didn't show it again
It was great to see Zach play like a normal NFL QB. IMO he is maturing as a person as much as a QB and that will help him all around. I look forward to seeing him against Denver.
No I am serious. Namath put the spotlight on these bums and it seems that they may have risen to the challenge.
