Wilson Should Take “Play It My Way” Attitude Upon Return As Jets Starting QB

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Was it a real Jets headline or something from “The Onion”?

That’s what has become of this joke of a franchise. For a few hours on Monday, the buzz from One Jets Drive, initiated by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, was about how the organization wanted Zach Wilson to return to the starting quarterback role for Sunday’s home tilt versus the Texans, only he was “reluctant” out of fear of getting hurt. Was this bizarre story true, or did it come from a parody account? With this team, you never know.

Head Coach Robert Saleh attempted to pour cold water on the report during his delayed Monday press conference, saying Wilson “wants the ball.” But the damage was done.

There isn’t any question that Wilson has been the league’s worst QB since he was selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. It is measurable, specifically his ranking in rbsdm.com’s expected points added per play/completion percentage over expected metric (400 dropback minimum). He has been benched three times in the last two seasons, most recently in mid-game of New York’s 32-6 drubbing in Buffalo on November 19 when he passed for a grand total of 81 yards through three quarters. He was then demoted all the way down to emergency QB3.  

The team has looked even more inept in the two games since, with the stale Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian combo unable to reach the end zone in an embarrassing 13-8 home loss to Atlanta on Sunday. No wonder Saleh couldn’t make up his mind in advance of Monday’s press conference as to who will start on Sunday in front of a fed-up crowd at MetLife Stadium.  

Now that the team is 4-8, we’re back in “Just End The Season” mode. As I wrote after Sunday’s debacle, the season may have gone off the rails when Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles on the fourth snap of the opener against Buffalo, but it should also be clear to everyone by now that the Jets’ so-called championship roster was a bunch of smoke and mirrors. The defense is very good, but it wasn’t good enough to offset such a dysfunctional offense, with or without Rodgers.

For the past three season, Wilson’s awfulness played a huge part of that dysfunction. The Jets went 11-20 in his 31 starts. To paraphrase the immortal manager Joe Riggins in the baseball film “Bull Durham”, “How’d they ever win 11? It’s a miracle.”

Not that it was all Wilson’s fault. He was saddled with a wretched offensive line and often had few, if any, weapons at his disposal. More importantly, he has been conditioned to play against the style that made him so highly-regarded at BYU. Saleh believes in conservative concepts such as how every possession should end with a kick. Notice how Boyle wasn’t removed for Siemian on Sunday because he sailed balls on easy throws or missed seeing big-play opportunities to wide-open receiver Garrett Wilson when they were presented. Nope, he threw an ugly pick--yank.

Saleh made a big deal over the 11 interceptions Wilson threw in 13 games as a rookie, including the four in a home loss to New England in his second pro game. You might call it Saleh’s Original Sin. Ever since, he’s had to become “Game Manager Zach”, not a guy the team would develop to actually win games with passing. You know, like every other franchise does with talented young QBs.

By the way, Trevor Lawrence, whom the AFC West leading Jaguars were able to snatch at No. 1 because the Jets won two meaningless games late in 2020, threw 17 picks as a rookie. Buffalo’s Josh Allen had 12 in 12 games. Wilson’s rookie interception percentage was also in line with those of Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa in their first seasons as full-time starters.

And, of course, there’s the story of a Colts rookie who tossed an ungodly 28 picks, with a 4.9 interception percentage, in 1998. Did Indianapolis care? No, I was told that the organization actually encouraged Peyton Manning to keep throwing to what he was seeing on the field, and then learn from his mistakes. The NFL is a passing offense league. Either Manning would be able to figure it out, or he wouldn’t. The Colts didn’t hedge by telling him, “Just don’t lose us the games.” I think they were fine with how things turned out.

This isn’t to say that Wilson could have matched the results of the above names, or even come close. Besides having to deal with all the non-controllable issues (pass protection horrors, receivers not getting open, etc.) on the team, he was far from a finished product when it came to things like footwork, accuracy, and processing. Would he have gotten there in a different program? That’s impossible to say and easy to doubt.

However, if you watched Wilson’s college tape, he made a bunch of plays after rolling out and “off schedule.” The Jets like to say they run a “West Coast offense”, but there isn’t a whole lot of moving pockets or play action. It’s mostly Wilson in the shotgun, where he’s expected to read the defense quickly and get the ball out. The times when he’s been on the move have typically been when he’s had to run for his life. Those didn’t end well more often than not.

Allegedly, Rodgers had a chat with Wilson to convince him to give it another go if so ordered. As much as Wilson may want to be done with this Jets gig, it’s the right thing, both as a professional and as an opportunity to put better reps on tape for prospective employers.  

Only, if it were me, I’d take the ball and play the Texans my way. Sling it around, Zach, and let the chips fall where they may.