Even the best of the best stumble out of the gate. I want to see how Zach recovers. I think he was trying to put on a show in front of the home crowd in stead of playing safe ball at times....He'll learn. He did have a few real nice throws....he definitely shows flashes, just needs more experience. Almost all rookie quarterbacks bounce up and down off rock bottom during their rookie year. Even the great ones, like John Elway, who went 1-for-8 for 14 yards with an interception and a lost fumble in his first game. When it was over, he would say later, “I wanted to click my heels together and say, 'Auntie Em, bring me home.” Or Troy Aikman, who threw two interceptions in each of his first three games and completed just 6-of-21 passes for 83 yards in his third. “It was unlike anything,” he said years later. “I couldn’t have prepared myself.” Joe Montana was 5-of-12 for 36 yards and got benched in his first NFL start as a rookie. Peyton Manning threw three interceptions in three of his first four starts, all losses, on his way to throwing 28 as a rookie. Even Dan Marino, who had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever for a quarterback, had 14-for-37, 141-yard, one-interception stinker six starts into his career. And who could forget Eli Manning’s rock bottom in his fourth start and third in a string of three disasters. He went 4-for-18 for 27 yards and threw two interceptions in Baltimore before the Giants mercifully pulled him in a 37-14 loss. His passer rating that day was 0.0 and he was as rattled as he ever was in his career. He admitted to looking at his teammates that day wondering, 'Are they going to quit on you? What are they saying?' One anonymous teammate called him “shell-shocked.” “I hate saying it,” Manning would say later, “but I was just kind of lost.” Lets Give Zach some time!
I consider myself lucky as I watched Zach’s 4 INT game live at the stadium. This game will be remembered a long time. I still have zero doubt about him. I think he is smart enough to learn from his mistakes and a good student of the game. One day we will look at this game and see with our own eyes how much he progressed overall.
Comparing quarterbacks from bygone eras is silly. Always, Marino and Montana were also drafted into the era of football where you stuck with the quarterback you drafted in the first round for 5-6 years at a minimum and let them figure it out even if the team sucks. Even Peyton was going to be given a lot of latitude and Eli was because of his name. Not to mention if you listened to the radio or read the NY media, including most of the regular season when they won the Super Bowl, the pitchforks were out for Eli as he lead the league in interceptions. Wilson has plenty of time to develop. But we're going to react to how good or bad this team plays every week or else there will be one thread titled "patience" and no one will talk about anything but cliches.
Am I surprised it happened? NOPE. Do I wish we could get by with a brand new franchise QB without a 4 INT game? I sure do. It's just part of being a Jet at this point--4 INT games are a prerequisite.
LOVE this post! Puts a macro view on the rookie QB position. I posted it somewhere the other day, but when comparing Zach to Lawrence right now through two games, their stats are almost identical. The only difference is Lawrence has 2 more TD's. Lawrence's first game he threw 3 TD's but he also threw 3 INTs. Patience is key for a rookie QB. I fully expect him to recover from this game and settle in nicely.
Week 2 PFF Rookie QB grades. https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-grades-all-32-first-round-nfl-rookies-week-2-2021
Didn't Geno Smith have a nice 4+ interception stinker? Like as many INTs as completions or close to it?
I vaguely remember a game when he was headed down that path but then he got benched. He didn’t get the opportunity to get all the way up to 4.
Hey, Darnold was in good company too, aamof, so was Sanchez, Geno , Petty and every damn QB the JETS have ever drafted. This thread comes up EVERY rookie season on here...
