An In-Depth Look at the Zach Wilson Situation

The talk about Zach Wilson now is about whether he ever play QB for the Jets again. The team benched him last week and inserted Mike White into the lineup against the Chicago Bears. Benching a young QB is not always a bad move. You might want him to refocus on certain aspects of his game so hopefully the shock of being benched will motivate him to work on some of the weaker parts of his game. It sometimes works. Obviously Mike White played great against Chicago. Wilson’s long-term status with the team is still worth discussion.

Some of the concern about Zach is warranted. He has a tendency to lose technique which often results in a bad play. He needs to focus better on every play. He needs to be a harder critic of his own play, looking to fix a lack of attention. Some of the game’s greatest players were their own harshest critics. If Zach wants to be truly great he must look at every play he makes, good or bad to see where he can improve. Then and only then he will improve. He has to develop. He can’t stay the way he is now.

Yet the blame for the situation reaching this point should not be all on Zach Wilson. If I were him I would be defensive too. Rewatch the game against the Patriots (if you could stomach it) and tell me this horrible mess was all Zach’s fault.

Let me tell you the real story of that game besides Zach’s sometimes poor play.

1) Why isn’t the blame landing on the shoulders of MIke LaFleur?

LaFleur had two weeks to devise a game plan against a team he just faced a couple of weeks ago. They played pretty much the same defense. The game plan was horrific. The wind was blowing a gale at times. He had few pass plays called in the middle of the field where the wind would be mitigated. One of the first passes went inside on a slant to Denzel Mims that hit him in the hands which he dropped. Not much after that.

There was constant pressure from the Patriots on every pass attempt which resulted in numerous thrown away pass by Zach plus 4 sacks. Despite that, he called zero screen passes that could have slowed some of the extreme pressure.

Yes, Mike White played great against the Bears. That doesn’t necessarily mean LaFleur’s game plan against the Patriots in Zach’s last start was good.

2) Why don’t the Jets have a more experienced position coach?

Zach makes bonehead plays at times which can cost games. Why do the Jets have a QB coach (Rob Calabrese) who has little experience? He was the offensive coordinator of Wagner College only 4 years ago. Why don’t the Jets have an established QB coach for a young QB? We have an inexperienced coach here who is coaching an inexperienced player. Is this smart? The only time that Calabrese was a QB coach was after he left college; he was the QB coach for the Oviedo High School team. His only prior NFL coaching experience was as a offensive quality control coach for the Broncos for two years. He then became the QB coach of the Jets in 2021. Why doesn’t Zach Wilson has a bona fide NFL QB coach instead of a guy who is basically learning on the job?

An experienced QB coach will understand the dilemma of playing QB in the NFL better than a younger, inexperienced coach. A young coach frequently sees the game as a young QB does in many ways. He could be a whiz at Xs &Os but can easily miss more nuanced and detailed issues.

An older coach understands there is a cerebral and a human component to football. One would better understand that Zach Wilson has certainly been the most talented player on his Pop Warner, high school and college team. It probably wasn’t close. He is used to receiving accolades but perhaps hasn’t experienced a pronounced poor performances or questions about his abilities. That coach would understand the personal anguish that Zach is going through right now. The more Zach tries to do something spectacular, the worse it gets so the mental agony gets more profound.

Zach is only 23 years old, from a town near the mountains of Utah with under 52,000 residents. Heck, he went to Corner Canyon High School. He is currently being overwhelmed by the New York media so he gets defensive. Where he might publicly take ownership of his foibles he is now (being overwhelmed) defensive. Being defensive about his play sounds like he is putting himself first over his team to the media. Then that message is conveyed to the players. Now there is discord in the locker room. People take sides which is never a good thing.

An experienced coach would be able to set Zach straight and get him to understand how things look to people outside his small group of friends. He could get him saying the right things, mending fences, and getting focused on being an NFL QB and not some kid with a live arm and a teen vogue smile.

3) Why didn’t the offensive line come under fire?

The Patriots had all that pressure on Zach which caused him to either run for his life, take a sack, or throw the ball away. The Jets had 23 rushing attempts for 59 yards for a 2.6 average which was no help to the passing game. Oh wait. Zach Wilson had three early scrambles for 26 yards so the Jets vaunted running game was actually 20 attempts for 33 yards a measly 1.65 yards per attempt. After that the Patriots used a spy on Zach which didn’t seem to hurt their defense and stopped Zach’s future runs. So why did the offensive line get a pass on their poor play?

The Patriots had 99 yards rushing with only 3 by Mac Jones so they had a much better rushing attack against a superior defensive line.

4) Zach stunk while Mac Jones was 23/27 for 236 yards passing.

Zach was 9/22 for 77 yards but threw the ball away numerous times.

If you watch the film, 11 of Mac Jones completions were of the short variety that gained 41 total yards or a 3.7 yard gain per pass. The other 13 completions went as so...

Myers gains 13 yards on pass 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage, numerous missed tackles

Stevenson gains 8 yards on screen pass from behind the line of scrimmage

Myers is wide open on a reception across the middle for 13 yards (zone coverage)

27 yard gain by Jonnu Smith on 10 yard pass (wide open) on blown coverage by Kwon Alexander who got sucked up on a play fake forgetting his coverage responsibilities.

19 yards to Stevenson on a 2 yard pass (on a 3rd and 16 play) with 7 missed tackles by the Jets defensive back 7.

16 yards on a 3 yard pass to a wide open Myers for a 1st down (zone coverage)

9 yard pass to a wide open receiver on a 3rd and 22

20 yard pas to a wide open Parker over the middle against zone coverage

4 yard pass on a bootleg to a wide open Hunter Henry that goes for 20 yards.

13 yard gain for Harris on a 5 yard pass over the middle (wide open)

Stevenson 17 yards on a 5 yard pass (wide open) on a 1st and 20 play. He probably would have made the 1st down if he didn’t accidently step out of bounds.

3 yard pass to a wide open Nelson Agholor for 11 yards on zone coverage.

9 yard pass to Myers on first and 10 (wide open) zone coverage

Those account for 13 receptions for 195 of the 236 yards passing that a high school kid could do. Most of these passes were very short or behind the line of scrimmage. Why didn’t the Jets play more man coverage? The defense they played limited the deep pass which never would have been called since the wind made throwing deep nearly impossible. What it did was leave receivers wide open for easy receptions which turned into larger gain because of shoddy tackling.

So where is the outrage over Jeff Ulbrich? Why did he play so much zone when the wind made it near impossible to throw downfield? He had better coverage corners than the Patriots, but they played nearly exclusive man to man coverage. That coverage (with the Jets receivers inability to separate) gave Zach very few options in the passing game. Also the Jets linebackers were not good as they allowed too much room in the passing game and missed numerous tackles allowing huge plays on short passes. Kwon Alexander was just awful in this game in coverage and tackling.

The saving grace of the defense and actually the whole team was the play of the defensive line. The line literally kept the Jets in the game all day. The Jets defensive line was so outstanding that I can’t remember such a great performance even from the vaunted Sack Exchange. They were truly awesome on the day and gave the Jets a chance to win. It was the only reason the Jets were in the game. The Jets back 7 missed too many tackles to count, they allowed the Patriots to move the ball on rudimentary plays all day.

5) Where were the wide receivers?

The Jets have done a good job of bringing in quality receivers in the Draft. Receivers like QBs need to develop as well. All the talent in the world is useless unless you can teach them how to get separation and how to catch a ball. WR coach Miles Austin had a distinguished 10 year NFL career but is a neophyte as a coach. He was a (like Rob Calabrese) an offensive control coach for the 49ers before becoming the Jets WR coach. I was hoping the Jets would have retained Shawn Jefferson as WR coach because he has been an excellent WR coach for years. Jefferson was the coach who taught Calvin Johnson in Detroit he is now in the Hall of Fame. When I watched his son (Van Jefferson) play at Florida I thought he was one of the best route runners in college. He is an average talent but gains separation because he works hard plus knows how to get open which is a prerequisite to becoming a great receiver. Garrett Wilson and Denzel Mims prefer to cradle catch (against their body) instead of. catching with their hands. Mims dropped a perfect pass against the Patriots. You will never become a great receiver if you cradle catch. It’s Austin’s job to teach his receivers. It takes time and effort. I don’t see the Jets receivers developing like they should. This is a problem. They don’t get open, and they drop an inordinate amount of passes.

Development

When it comes to Zach Wilson you have to remember he has played like 20 games over two years with injuries that have hurt his development. They talk about Zach like he is Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. I understand that they are all NFL starting QBs with fans who expect greatness from but come on. Zach is a kid learning a grown man’s game. Give him some time to grow.

I question the knowledge of his mentors at this time. I think that Zach needs a quality QB coach who not only has great knowledge but the ability to instruct a young QB. It is not an easy task to give nuanced information to a young player, but Zach needs to be challenged by some grizzled veteran. Zach is a super hard worker, but if the work is not beneficial to his growth all the work in the world won’t help his development.

Heck, Brady and Rodgers both are first ballot Hall of Fame players who probably already already have busts carved in their image ready to go at Canton. Zach is a kid just learning the game with a young team. He currently has a better record currently than either one of those players.

In reality you can’t judge players like Zach Wilson for a few more years. Young quarterbacks have to learn how to use their new offense while they learn how to play against NFL defenses. I tell people all the time that college football is checkers while pro football is chess; it ain’t the same.

So what you want to see with a young QB is growth and some understanding of what the NFL game is all about. Everyone learns things at different rates. They can also learn some things faster than other things. Some never learn enough to be a viable NFL QB.

It’s not like NFL QBs grow on trees. They are hard to find. The Jets have a superior talent in Zach Wilson. They just need to develop him. In the last 5 years I have been high on only three prospects other than Zach. One was Joe Burrow. The other two were Justin Herbert and Josh Allen.

I can tell you now that Zach Wilson has the talent, intelligence, work ethic and the desire to be a great player. How great I don’t know., but if he develops he will become a top 15 QB in this league without question in my mind. He talent along with great confidence that boarders on hubris. He has to understand that this is not college. He is not Aaron Rodgers, and he needs to be (not perfect) but functional on every play.

Zach has come very far already, but he has a long way to go. He will make great plays like a grizzled veteran, but then make a bonehead play like a 7th round rookie. Let’s look at the first New England game to see what I am trying to describe. This was a game that put the good and the bad on display.

We are going to call this Good Zach vs Bad Zach; it’s a whirlwind. In many cases the bad Zach is awful, but the good Zach is awesome. Keep in mind that Zach had to throw away 9 passes in this game because no receiver was open. That can get frustrating for a QB.

Bad pass 1

This is the second play in the game. It’s a poor read and poor technique on the throw. Zach predetermines where he is going with the ball which is not a bad thing if you know what you are seeing. In this case the man on the end of the line that Zach though would rush him actually dropped into coverage on his predetermined target. If he had more experience against this defense he would have looked for the TE over the middle. Since he wrongly predetermined the pass he threw into coverage plus he had his pass deflected on the way. He had the TE or the quick slant for an easy reception but misread the play.

Also he has poor technique as he tends to throw flat footed when he looks to make a quick throw. This is not unheard of, but you lose accuracy when you don’t throw with good technique. Here the DE deflects the pass because Zach didn’t look at any other receiver or the player who was in the passing window. Not getting your passes batted down is a skill you learn when you understand the defense. Zach had three or four passes batted down during this game. That is troubling.

Good pass 1

This next clip is on a third and 5 play where Zach shows his ability to avoid pressure and make a play. Zach is considered in the bottom of passer rating against pressure, but that is a absurd statistic considering how much he is pressured. If you view each play you see how frequently Zach escapes from near certain sacks to continue the play but often must throw the pass away with no viable outlet. He saves the sacks but loses completion percentage.

This was a third and 5 so the Jets kept the drive alive with a nice completion despite the blitz that Zach had to face. It also got the Jets out of a hole of their 13 yard line. Zach here avoids the rush but also makes an accurate pass on the run for a first down. This is an area where he has excelled. He avoids pressure extraordinary well for a young player. Zach saved at least 5 sacks in this game. At times the announcers are astonished on how well Zach avoids pressure. He has quick feet which he uses to out maneuver larger players.

Good pass 2

Zach uses his escapeability on this play to avoid the rush then moves towards the sideline. By doing so he gives himself a clear window to throw in while making the defense react to his movement. Anytime you can get a defense to react to a threat you make it easier for receivers to uncover.

The route Zach is looking for is a double move which takes time to develop, Zach rolling out gives the receiver that needed time to get open. Zach is still learning how to throw on the run; it’s a learned ability that Zach’s hero Aaron Rodgers has mastered. Here Zach does an excellent job of setting himself for the throw.

The throw is near perfect as he leads the receiver away from the defender into open field. Zach moving to the edge is a potential splash play every time he does so. It increases his vision, forcing defenders to choose whether they want to stay in their zone or come up to force his hand. This leads to holes in the defense or a possible race down the sideline for an easy firsst down. The Jets should scheme to get Zach on the edge as much as they can.

Good pass 3

This next play is a very nice pass on a 3rd down near the goal line. Zach has a very quick release but he needs to maintain his technique to maintain his accuracy. He is getting rushed quickly, but in this case he is able to maintain his technique and step towards the receiver as he makes the pass.

The receiver is tightly covered, and only a perfect pass will make it home. Zach delivers a perfect pass just before he is hit for a TD. This ball is near perfect as it is outside and high. Even though there is tight coverage the defender has no chance at the ball.

Bad pass 2

Just as you think that Zach is learning how to be an NFL QB, he reverts to a college signal callerwith poor technique. The mistake earlier was a misread where he didn’t understand the defense he was throwing against. Here he just uses lazy, poor technique that turns an easy 1st down into an INT.

This pass is a horrific play, but it is also a teaching moment. There are times where a QB will use different launch points or advanced techniques to deliver a football on time to a receiver. Here Zach doesn’t do that. He is lazy. He doesn’t get on his front foot. He retreats then throws off his back foot which will always make the ball float high.

Whenever you throw while backing up the ball will sail. You can use that to your advantage in certain situations, but in this situation over the middle it’s a plan for utter destruction of your offense. You have to be sure of your launch points if you want to be accurate with your passes. This was just laziness with Zach trying to emulate his hero Aaron Rodgers. Zach must learn that he is not Aaron Rodgers. He is a neophyte compared to Rodgers. He needs to develop his own techniques that work for him. This is the hubris I spoke of earlier, Zach has such great confidence in his ability that at times he thinks he can just sling the ball around willy-nilly.

Again this is a teaching moment, a hard lesson but a lesson none the less. You need to use proper technique when throwing the football. It’s something Zach only learned a few years ago. This was not a mistake because he misread the defense or he threw into coverage. This was a mistake because he flippantly slung a pass like he was in his backyard, not on an NFL field. He needs to stop being a foolish kid and learn to be an NFL pro. He needs a stronger coach who will call him out in the meeting room to stop playing like he is on a Pop Warner team.

Good pass 4

This is a play with zone read elements as Zach can hand the ball off or hit the slant if it’s open. The preferred selection is the slant pass as it has a high probability of gaining the most yards. You can see the left side of the offensive line blocks as if this is a stretch zone run while the interior line is pass blocking; thus the zone read.

Zach executes this play flawlessly as he can see through his periphery that his slant pattern is open. He pulls the ball back from Michael Carter, takes a short step then rifles the ball on the money to Garrett Wilson. These type plays keep the defense on their heels. It gains the Jets a quick 17 yards. The only problem I see is Garrett Wilson not using his hands to catch the ball but instead cradling it to his body. You are very prone to drops when you catch a ball like this. He needs to build strength in his hands by catching ball after practice. The more he catches with his hands the better a receiver he will be. His position coach should be working with him every day on this; it’s the only way to improve.

Good pass 5

This is a pass that is harder than it looks. Tyler Conklin is running a seam pass, but the defense is in a zone coverage scheme. Conklin needs to find a space in the zone without running into the next zone above. He also has to hope that Zach Wilson is reading the same coverage as him.

Zach has Mims open on the sideline, but his first read on the play is the seam route. With Conklin slowing to not run into coverage, it is a nice throw by Zach to get the ball to him quick. These are two players who each read the defense correctly to make the connection.

Bad [ass 3

As soon as Zach makes a very nice read he follows it up with a with a reckless play to put the Jets defense in a difficult position. Zach has no one open when he sprints to the outside, but he needs to learn where his players are and their responsibilities. He has C.J. Uzomah blocking on the edge for him which gives him some time. Yet he doesn’t see Uzomah release which makes him wide open This is an easy completion for a few yards but instead he lazily tosses the pass outside where it is intercepted.

This is just what I was talking about earlier. This is not a misreading of the defense or a poor throw. This is an inability to know where your outlets are on every play and a lazy, poor pass out of bounds. He obviously never saw the defender on the sideline. As he matures he will understand where ever defender is on every play. This is another play he must be called out in meeting rooms. It’s just a horrible play.

Good pass 6

This next play is a tight window throw that Zach anticipates and makes the right read. There is a blitz on with tight coverage, but the stacked receiver alignment gave Garrett enough room to get separation allowing the completion.

This is a 3rd and 6 play so Zach is looking to make a first down. He has stacked receivers to the right which causes no difficulties to the defense especially when the defender on the outside receiver (Moore) knocks him down 10 yards from the line of scrimmage without a call. Denzel Mims flashes open from the opposite side with space to get a pass in, but he is short of the line to gain so Zach goes to Garrett at the sticks.

Bad pass 4

This is a story of a young QB looking to make something happen knowing he is two scores down. This is also the exact situation that Bill Belichick relishes. This is also frustration by a QB trying to find an open receiver. The Patriots don’t have exceptional coverage talent. They are smart and well coached but lack the ability of a Sauce Gardner or even a DJ Reed. Yet they cover the Jets receivers in two games like a blanket because the Jet receivers don’t know how to separate from coverage. This pass is probably the worst decision Zach Wilson has made. It’s a throw and a hope which in fact is no hope at all.

This is desperation. It’s an insanely stupid play which should be a teaching moment for a QB coach. If the message is directed in the correct way, this play will never happen again in Wilson’s career. There were more than 12 minutes left in the game with the Patriots struggling on offense.

The offensive line has some hand in this play as well. You have to at least give enough time for the play to develop before the pressure gets to your QB. Wilson has to bail from the pocket almost immediately when he gets the snap Wilson had Jeff Smith open on a crossing pattern but he can’t get him the ball because he is instantly forced to flee the pocket to continue the play. Wilson could have maybe gotten the ball the Smith if he slowed down, but he continues running until he foolishly just runs out of bounds. Why didn’t he just stop to give his QB an open target?

Good pass 7

The Jets are now down 12 points after the field goal they made from the gift INT from Wilson. The Patriots are now playing a matchup zone scheme they use to keep the Jets from getting a deep completion. This is a really nice read by Wilson as he sees #3 Jabrill Peppers come up as he bites on the route of Ty Johnson leaving his zone uncovered.

By doing so he leaves an opening for Zach to get the ball to C.J. Uzomah on an out cutting route which results in a 27 yard gain. This ball is thrown with pace from a solid base with good technique. He has to throw the pass back towards the middle of the field and not towards the sideline. If Zach leads Uzomah to the sideline the pass is probably intercepted by Peppers who has dropped back on the pass. This pass is on the money for a big play through a tight window.

Bad pass 5

This next play was designed to get the pass to Denzel Mims on a quick slant but Mims does a poor job as he slows into the coverage. He needs to read this play and run past Peppers which will make him open on the opposite side of Peppers. He eventually does so, but the pressure on Wilson doesn’t allow him to stay with the play.

Wilson just gets spooked. He is rushed, but he has the ability to roll to his right. Lawrence Guy is the edge player, Wilson could easily outrun him to the edge giving himself a load of options. Young QBs need to learn who is playing around him. Take your time before the snap to survey the defense. You have to understand the defense, who you are playing against, where the pressure might come from, and your escape options. It’s a lot to surmise in a few seconds, but great QBs do it on every play; Wilson needs to learn how to do just that. It has to become second nature to him.

This was an opportunity missed. The throw is just slung while backing up with no pace. It’s just basically in the general direction of the outlet receiver. This is not good enough. At least Wilson could have gained some yards with his legs or maybe made a play downfield in scramble mode. The defense gets disconnected when a QB gets to the edge. You can also see that Garrett Wilson just runs himself into coverage. He needs to read his coverage to get open. He runs routes like he is in practice. This is the NFL not Ohio State. Garrett needs to uncover every play. Speed will not always get you open. You have to get into and out of breaks with a purpose. He needs to learn how to separate and catch the ball with his hands.

The Jets here are at the Patriots 35 yard line with over nine minutes left in the game. They eventually gave the ball up on downs. Receivers need to get open, and Wilson needs to get them the ball or find a way into the end zone.

Good pass 8

This next play epitomizes why the Jets drafted Zach Wilson in the first place. This is a laser beam of a throw, thrown from a stable foundation with great hip rotation to get maximum velocity on the pass. This is a window (between 3 defenders) thrown 25 yards in the air that few QBs could make. This is deep zone coverage as you can see every Jets receiver is open (short) on the play. The defenders didn’t believe Wilson could make this throw between the three defenders, but he did.

This throw has to become the norm, not the perfect throw to a well covered receiver but a confident throw from a stable foundation with a purpose. This needs to be drilled into Zach’s head ad nauseum. This is the NFL. You don’t flip passes off you back foot or lazily side arm a pass. There are times you will need to make an off platform throw, but they should be few and not the norm. This should be the way every pass is made, not just when you are down by two scores late in a game.

Zach is a young kid who thinks his talent can make him great on every play. The Jets need to get the light bulb to go off in Zach’s head to understand that your technique allows you to be successful in the NFL. There have been QBs in the NFL with greater talent than Zach that never became anything. Football is a game, but it has to be played intelligently and with passion if you want to succeed. Half hearted flip passes don’t get the job done.

Good pass 9

This is another superior pass from Zach Wilson. If you notice it came when he actually got enough protection for 2 ¹⁄₂ seconds. It’s amazing what you can do with 2 ¹⁄₂ seconds of protection in the NFL. It allows Jeff Smith to run a deep cross and Wilson puts the throw on the money with authority.

This is another throw with great technique, great hip turn, and superior pace. Notice the super quick release. The ball gets there so quick that the safety can’t get in position to make a play even though he starts before the ball is thrown by reading the eyes of Zach.

Also the Jets should be starting Jeff Smith as a receiver. Watch him on this play as he forces the defender to retreat backwards then makes a sharp cut with speed to gain separation. All the Jet receivers need to work on gaining separation. Jeff Smith shows how it’s done right here. Why the Jets coaches don’t see this I don’t know.

Good pass 10

On this last play the Jets run a low/high route combination where the outside receiver (Berrios) runs behind the slot receiver (Conklin) to gain immediate separation from his defender. This also has the effect of pulling a defender from underneath the primary target in Conklin in the back of the end zone. Conklin gives a little shimmy at the top of the route to give the impression he is running a corner route which is used quite a bit in this situation.

The shimmy works as the defender believes the route is headed into the corner of the end zone so he loses contact with Conklin which leaves him alone near the end line. Zach does a nice job of waiting for him to clear, not rushing the throw while he takes a little off of the pass. By doing so he gives Conklin an easy, catchable pass even though it is above his head. A ball above the eye line can sometimes be dropped because the helmet obscures the view of the ball before it hits the hands. By throwing a softer pass, Zach reduces the chance of a dropped ball.

As you can see here the superior talent of Zach Wilson is unmistakable. The problem lies between the ears as Zach often will nonchalant a play or use poor technique for no reason. His confidence in his abilities is a strength but also his biggest weakness. Zach needs to play each play like he did his last drive, with solid technique and precision.

Like many young talented players I think Zach needs a task master of a position coach who will not coddle him but force him to play at a high level each play. It is time for Zach to grow up and realize he is not some seasoned veteran but a fledgling rookie who is has had too much slack in the rope to this point. If he wants to become what he thinks he can become, he needs to buckle down and realize he is running out of chances.

I think the team should look to get Zach a better QB coach, one with more experience and someone who will hold him accountable on every play. If Zach is not making progress then why do you hold onto the same coach who is not progressing his student? If the team has to bench Zach Wilson then why do they need a coach who failed to make him a viable QB? The talent is there for all to see but the results are not there.

Summary

The Jets last game loss to the Patriots falls on Zach’s shoulders because the offense was horrible, and Zach is the QB; it’s his job to make it work. Yet the second Patriot game was lost by the Jets as a team. Without the outstanding play of the defensive line the Jets would have been blown out instead of losing on a punt return.

I can see why Zach doesn’t think he let the defense down. There were many players who underperformed in that game. In his press conference he seemed unaffected by the loss. He should have been upset with himself for not playing better. He also needs to work on being the leader of this team. Leadership takes strength of character, but it also takes humility. ou have to put the team first. When the team doesn’t win or do as well as it could you have to let that fall on your shoulders. You have to take one for the team. I know things didn’t go well. Other players didn’t play well enough, but you still take the blame. When you are winning you may get too much credit. When you lose you may get too much of the blame. That’s the way the game is.

In the first game against the Patriots where Zach had to throw away 9 passes because he had no one to throw to. He can get frustrated about that. Still you have to play with a positive attitude like everyone on the next play will be open.

Like it or not Zach Wilson will be the future of this team for at least another year or more depending on how things go. The Jets need to get this fixed. Like I said getting benched can be beneficial, but eventually the Jets need Zach to play at a high level to succeed. The Jets aren’t winning a high number of games with Mike White or Joe Flacco at QB no matter what happened against the Bears. Heck the reason Flacco isn’t starting now is because with the Jets offensive line he might get put in the hospital.

I don’t care who is the QB for the Jets as long as that player has the ability to give the team a chance at a title along with continued success. I think Zach Wilson has the highest upside to do that. Of course he would need a lot more development to do that. First Zach has to learn that no matter how many great throws you make, a few bad throws will get you beat. The faster he learns that, taking it to heart the better he will become.