Zach Wilson's struggles with play action

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3 changes Mike LaFleur must make to save Zach Wilson

New York Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur can get Zach Wilson on track by making these three simple philosophical changes.

By

 Michael Nania

 -

 10/11/2021

 

Zach Wilson, Mike LaFleur, NY Jets, Getty Images, Jet X Graphic

How can Mike LaFleur alter his offense to aid Zach Wilson?

As the 1-4 New York Jets head into their early bye week, the coaching staff is afforded a chance to look back on a five-game body of work and figure out what changed could be made to turn things around going forward

Mike LaFleur‘s offense has shown signs of progress over the past two weeks, scoring 47 points against the Titans and Falcons, but his unit remains 32nd in scoring with 13.4 points per game.

Most importantly, LaFleur is overseeing the ghastly struggles of rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, whose 62.9 passer rating is the worst among qualified passers.

There are a few changes LaFleur can make to his core offensive philosophies that would set Wilson up to enjoy more success after the week off.

Less play-action passing

Wilson has struggled mightily with throwing off of play-action to begin his rookie season. He ranks second-worst out of 35 qualified quarterbacks with an average of 5.0 yards per attempt on play-action passes, beating out only fellow rookie Davis Mills.

On non-play-action passes, Wilson is averaging a much more respectable 7.1 yards per attempt, ranking 20th out of 35.

The minus-2.1 margin between Wilson’s yards-per-attempt average off of play-action and his yards-per-attempt average without play-action is the second-largest in the league (again beating only Mills).

It seems that Wilson is doing a better job when getting the chance to drop back and read the defense from the get-go rather than when he has to fake the handoff and miss out on valuable fractions of a second to see what the defense does post-snap. Slicing Wilson’s play-action usage could make sense.

Wilson currently ranks in the middle of the pack when it comes to play-action usage. He is placed 17th out of 35 passers with 27.3% of his dropbacks involving play-action.

The Jets should try to get that number down into the low-20s range, placing him somewhere from 26th to 30th. That may not be what LaFleur hoped for his offense to look like when he planned to bring over the core principles of Kyle Shanahan’s play-action-heavy San Francisco offense, but it’s a change that would suit the strengths and weaknesses of the quarterback under center.

None of Wilson’s first five games exemplified his play-action struggles more than his London disaster against the Falcons in Week 5.

Against Atlanta, Wilson went 7-for-13 with 51 yards (3.9 Y/A), zero touchdowns, and one interception (31.6 rating) off of play-action. He was 12-of-19 for 141 yards (7.4 Y/A), zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions (85.2 rating) without play-action.

This was the Jets’ most play-action-heavy game of the season, as Wilson led all quarterbacks with a 42.9% play-action rate.

Wilson threw for a better Y/A average without play-action than with it in four of his five games this season. The only exception is Week 3 against Denver, when he threw a season-low four passes (12.5% of dropbacks) off of play-action.

The play-action game should become more effective if the Jets utilize it less often.About Bing A Je

More quick passes

It has been well-documented that Wilson is struggling mightily with his short-to-intermediate passing this season. He has been quite good as a deep passer but is missing an alarming number of routine throws under 20 yards downfield.

Those issues can be mitigated if the Jets call for Wilson to get the ball out quicker. Wilson’s accuracy issues have primarily come on long-developing plays. He has actually been extremely accurate on quick throws.

Wilson has an adjusted completion percentage (which accounts for drops, batted passes, throwaways, etc.) of 89.5% on throws that were released under 2.5 seconds after the snap. That ranks fourth-best in the NFL.

Conversely, he has an awful adjusted completion percentage of 60.2% on throws that were released after 2.5 seconds, ranking 30th out of 35 qualifiers.

Wilson obviously needs to significantly improve his passing on those longer-developing plays, but the Jets can do a better job of playing to Wilson’s current strengths. When it comes to release speed, the Jets are minimizing Wilson’s strength and emphasizing his weakness.

The Jets are not dialing up enough quick passes for Wilson. He has tossed only 32.0% of his pass attempts in under 2.5 seconds, the second-lowest rate in the league ahead of only Lamar Jackson.

This topic correlates with the play-action topic. Play-action passes are long-developing. In 2021, the average play-action pass has been released in 3.04 seconds, while the average non-play-action pass has been released in 2.60 seconds.

Wilson has struggled with both play-action and long-developing throws while doing much better on non-play-action throws and quick throws. Two birds can be killed with one stone here.

When Wilson has been asked to make short throws off of a quick drop and without running a play fake, he has generally gotten the job done. The trouble has occurred when he has had to hold the ball for a long time. Wilson’s ugly misses tend to come off of play action, when he gets to one of the later reads in a concept, looks for his check-down option, or a combination of those three things.

Getting Wilson’s quick-throw rate up is a must. If the Jets do that, Wilson should have a much better time finding his rhythm on the routine throws.

I would like to see the Jets get Wilson up to throwing around 48% of his passes in under 2.5 seconds, which is right at the current 2021 league average of 47.8%. A mark of 48% would place Wilson 19th out of 35 qualifiers at the moment, nestling him between Matthew Stafford (48.6%) and Kyler Murray (47.6%).

Now, the Jets do not want to get this number too high and turn him into a game manager. Wilson’s magic is built around his deep passing, his mobility, and his ability to create off-schedule plays. They should still feature those traits.

But to make the most of Wilson’s current skill-set and help him build confidence, they need to make the quick game a priority. Decrease the play-action usage, decrease the long-developing plays, and increase the quick passing.

More passing in the first quarter

The Jets have been notoriously bad in the first quarter this season. They have scored zero points and gained 79 yards of offense. Opponents are outscoring them 30-0 in the opening frame.

Wilson’s slow starts are a big part of those struggles. In the first quarter this season, Wilson has completed 5 of 18 passes for 34 yards, one first down, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. That’s a passer rating of 0.0. He has also taken two sacks for a loss of 23 yards, giving the Jets a grand total of 11 first-quarter passing yards.

Yes, those are real numbers.

It has to be noted that Wilson’s first-quarter stats are hindered by big-time drops. Elijah Moore let a bomb for 50+ yards sail through his hands against the Panthers. Corey Davis had a potential first down fly between his mitts for an interception against New England. Davis dropped another chain-mover against the Titans.

However, even when accounting for those plays, Wilson has still been quite awful in the first quarter.

LaFleur can help Wilson get off to better starts by putting a greater emphasis on getting him into an early rhythm. The Jets have not been trusting Wilson early in games. They constantly allow themselves to get into a hole before asking him to carry the offense later in the game.

New York has been exceedingly reliant on its run game in the first quarter. The Jets have run the ball on 52.4% of their first-quarter plays, ranking fourth-highest in the league.

Even worse than that number is the method to how the Jets arrive at it. LaFleur has been incredibly predictable in the first quarter, operating with a heavy run-run-pass tendency.

 

The Jets have run the ball on 70.6% of their first-down plays in the first quarter, which leads the NFL.

Wilson has thrown a measly five passes on first down in the first quarter this season. Those yielded only 16 yards, but he was on-target on four of them (he had 11 and 9-yard completions, a screen for a loss of four yards, and a pass that went through Davis’ hands for an interception).

Continuing their predictability and lack of reliance on Wilson, New York also ranks eighth in run percentage on second-down plays in the first quarter at 50.0%.

On third downs in the first quarter, LaFleur goes pass-heavy, throwing 72.7% of the time.

That rate is actually fairly normal, ranking 22nd, but the problem is the difficulty of those situations. The Jets have faced an average of 9.3 yards to go on third-down passing plays in the first quarter, ranking fifth-highest in the NFL.

 

This is a recipe for disaster. Run on first down, run on second down, throw from third-and-long. With a plan like that, it is no surprise that Wilson has been so bad in the first quarter.

Unless you have an elite run game – which the Jets do not – it makes little sense to be so run-heavy in the first quarter, especially in such a predictable fashion on first and second down.

LaFleur needs to pump up the first-quarter passing attempts for Wilson. It will allow Wilson to establish confidence early in the game while decreasing the offense’s predictability.

The league-average pass-play rate on first-down plays in the first quarter this season is 55.1%. Let’s get Wilson up to that number and away from his current mark of 47.6%.

Get his second-down attempts up, too. The league average pass-play rate on second-down plays in the first quarter is at 56.6% this year. Wilson should be around there, not at 50-50 as he currently is.

The first quarter is the perfect time to toss in the quick passes we were discussing earlier. Have him throw some screens. Call some read-options. Run some three-step drops. Draw up some short curls and slants.

Watch the tape of the opponent and identify their greatest weaknesses through the air. Concoct passing plays that exploit those weaknesses and build the first-quarter game-plan around those, allowing Wilson to settle into the game smoothly with a plan that he is ready to execute.

Do not keep trying to force the run and then ask Wilson to establish his early-game rhythm by pulling the team out of difficult third-and-long situations.

The perfect recipe for making Zach Wilson’s life easier

It’s clear what the plan is for LaFleur to help Wilson out: get his play-action attempts down, get his quick-passing attempts up, and get his first-quarter attempts up.

All of these things can be accomplished in unison to help Wilson get enjoy confidence-boosting starts that set him on a path to thrive for four quarters. Come into the game with an opening script that emphasizes quick passing without play-action. Allow Wilson to rack up early completions to get into a groove.

Don’t limit that approach to the first quarter, either. So far, Wilson has shown a massive disparity in accuracy and productivity when it comes to play-action usage and release time. Play into that. Make it a point to call more dropback passes and fewer play-action passes. Increase the offense’s reliance on quick passing.

These are just a few simple changes that Mike LaFleur can make to build an offense that is better suited to the strengths and weaknesses that Zach Wilson has displayed early in his New York Jets career.

 Learn More About Becoming A Jet X Film Breakdown Of Zach Wilson's Struggles Wit

[shuler82]

All seems so simple and obvious and yet…

[Uncle Nicco]

“Ghastly” struggles? Ok

But I agree, Wilson likes reading the defense pre snap and then reacting to whet it does. 
 

I am not sure what we are trying to do off play play action but that first read doesn’t seem to be open enough 

[Daddy Wang Doodle]

This isn't surprising, or at least shouldn't be. Feel like a lot of rookie qbs struggle with turning their back to the defense

[Nixhead]

One major problem is that the Jets don't create any mismatches - that I can see anyway. I guess that might be because they don't have any. You need Mims on the field maybe even in the slot to create an advantage. Our tight ends are so bad that the defense has a mismatch against our offense. This offense is pretty much a disaster and I blame LaFluer - should never have a rookie OC teamed with a rookie QB - not a recipe for success.

[Jet Nut]

51 minutes ago, Bronx said:

Wilson has struggled mightily with throwing off of play-action to begin his rookie season. He ranks second-worst out of 35 qualified quarterbacks with an average of 5.0 yards per attempt on play-action passes, beating out only fellow rookie Davis Mills.

Call me crazy but this may be because you cant run play action without a run game.  Wilson hasnt struggled with it, its useless no matter who the QB is without the treat of the run.  This is just plain  dumb to say Zach has struggled with it

[jgb]

Thread title only needed to be the first 3 words 

[Bronx]

2 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Call me crazy but this may be because you cant run play action without a run game.  Wilson hasnt struggled with it, its useless no matter who the QB is without the treat of the run.  This is just plain  dumb to say Zach has struggled with it

Numbers don't lie in addition to his mechanical flaws and decision making process. Sorry to say this, but yeah crazy.

[Jet Nut]

7 minutes ago, Bronx said:

Numbers don't lie in addition to his mechanical flaws and decision making process. Sorry to say this, but yeah crazy.

Then you dont understand how play action works.  You can be great at hiding the ball going through the motion of play action like Chad was and Peyton was but without a running game it doesn't work. It totally relies on a team reacting to an effective running game.  Something this team isnt close to showing at this point, no one is scared of our run attack 

Blaming it on Zach kind of shows you dont understand how it works

[derp]

Good article, thanks for posting. The passing rate on first down in the first quarter versus later in the game probably correlates with the early game struggles and playing better in the second half. And the success on quick throws matches what things look like and is mildly encouraging.

Get him quick throws on first down early in the game to build momentum. Seems obvious  and the stats appear to back that up. Hopefully an adjustment they can make after the bye.

[JustInFudge]

1 hour ago, Bronx said:

Wilson has an adjusted completion percentage (which accounts for drops, batted passes, throwaways, etc.) of 89.5% on throws that were released under 2.5 seconds after the snap. That ranks fourth-best in the NFL.

I love when I say sh*t and get laughed at and then data comes out to support me.

This is the only thing that he's not struggling with.  3 steps drops, 1 read, get the ball out.  He's literally struggling with every other aspect of QB'ing the Football, especially if the drop back requires more than 3 steps.  He's basically atrocious.  

The play action stuff?  Hard to run when you have no threat of running the ball but I have noticed, his drop backs on play action seem way longer and deeper than any other NFL QB's I've watched this year.  He tends to fade with all his drop backs (other than 3 steps) so I'm not sure if it's him or design but it's very blatant when they do use play action.  He's further away from the LOS than what seems normal. 

[Bronx]

Just now, Jet Nut said:

Then you dont understand how play action works.  You can be great at hiding the ball going through the motion of play action like Chad was and Peyton was but without a running game it doesn't work. It totally relies on a team reacting to an effective running game.  Something this team isnt close to showing at this point, no one is scared of our run attack 

Blaming it on Zach kind of shows you dont understand how it works

Lol. Never blamed him entirely, anyways, I guess you don't agree with his struggles, good for you.

[JustInFudge]

6 minutes ago, derp said:

Good article, thanks for posting. The passing rate on first down in the first quarter versus later in the game probably correlates with the early game struggles and playing better in the second half. And the success on quick throws matches what things look like and is mildly encouraging.

Get him quick throws on first down early in the game to build momentum. Seems obvious  and the stats appear to back that up. Hopefully an adjustment they can make after the bye.

The 1st half vs. 2nd half stuff is all about him playing soft defense who have a lead and he is therefore, padding his stats.

Take for example the Falcons games.  That last drive, he went 6-9 for 60 yards when literally Atlanta wasnt even trying to defend, take that away and he was 12-19 for 130 yards.  Same thing can be done with Carolina and New England.

[JustInFudge]

2 minutes ago, Bronx said:

Lol. Never blamed him entirely, anyways, I guess you don't agree with his struggles, good for you.

You dont know Football, bro! Like, did you ever play, broseph?   

Dont question Jet Nut, he was the QB of his Pop Warner team and listens to Tony Romo!  He knows everything there is to know about Football! 

[derp]

2 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

The 1st half vs. 2nd half stuff is all about him playing soft defense who have a lead and he is therefore, padding his stats.

Take for example the Falcons games.  That last drive, he went 6-9 for 60 yards when literally Atlanta wasnt even trying to defend, take that away and he was 12-19 for 130 yards.  Same thing can be done with Carolina and New England.

So I agree that’s absolutely a large factor but I also think - to oversimplify - not going run-run-pass in the first half would help. First down throws are good. I don’t think it magically fixes everything, but I still think it’s better play calling in general and especially for a rookie QB. Get him some easy throws on downs that it’s easier to pass.

[Jets Voice of Reason]

4 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

I love when I say sh*t and get laughed at and then data comes out to support me.

This is the only thing that he's not struggling with.  3 steps drops, 1 read, get the ball out.  He's literally struggling with every other aspect of QB'ing the Football, especially if the drop back requires more than 3 steps.  He's basically atrocious.  

The play action stuff?  Hard to run when you have no threat of running the ball but I have noticed, his drop backs on play action seem way longer and deeper than any other NFL QB's I've watched this year.  He tends to fade with all his drop backs (other than 3 steps) so I'm not sure if it's him or design but it's very blatant when they do use play action.  He's further away from the LOS than what seems normal. 

I don't know the breakdown, but if feels like he holds onto the ball forever off play action.

He was a risky draft pick, plain and simple. But he's here and the Jets are going to roll with him for at least 3 seasons in all likelihood so they better be working on his mechanics, timing, and decision-making relentlessly. He seems to have a strong work ethic and is coachable, so if they're not getting through to him, I blame the coaching staff, honestly.

In regards to the original article, I'd be shocked if the Jets ran less play action. That is basically the offensive system. They're not just going to abandon that and nothing about their press conferences indicate they are even thinking about it.

[More Cowbell]

For play action to work, you need a rb the other teams respect. Nobody respects our rb's. Play action should used only when we can establish the run. 

[Bleedin Green]

While I agree with many of the points made here, the concept about the quick passing game is very far from being solely on the coaches shoulders.  There have been tons of quick underneath options on plays that Wilson simply refused to look at, as he preferred to try to find the big play down the field.  It's kind of just the player that he is, so I'm not sure that's something to be particularly upset about, but there's very little others can do about that short of trying to force him to change how he plays the game.  That's the one part far more in his control than in others, unless the team goes to the extreme of having absolutely no deep options available for him to even consider, which would not go over particularly well either.

In the meantime however, there are a number of those other areas that the team can look to help him out, and they should do whatever they can.  It still doesn't make him some innocent victim in all of this though.

[JustInFudge]

11 minutes ago, derp said:

So I agree that’s absolutely a large factor but I also think - to oversimplify - not going run-run-pass in the first half would help. First down throws are good. I don’t think it magically fixes everything, but I still think it’s better play calling in general and especially for a rookie QB. Get him some easy throws on downs that it’s easier to pass.

Fwiw, I think this is a huge common misconception, I see Maxman and other saying the same thing.  Make it easy, get him short throws, etc.  Well, that's what they are trying to do to get him going to start the game.  He's just, bad.  Flat out. 

To start the Falcons game they went; Carter for 5 yards, next 2 plays?  Short easy passes that Zach didnt make on 2nd for some reason and tucked it and ran and then or the on 3rd down, Crowder dropped a short pass to the sidelines.

Next drive, 1st down, Zach Wilson passes short for an incompletion, 2nd down run for loss, 3rd down was a short pass to Ty Johnson short of the line to gain.

Next drive, 1st down, Zach Wilson pass short for an incompletion, following play he stares down Cory Davis, screams at the top his lungs he's throwing to him and he gets picked.  

Following drive, great return and then they commit to the run and pick up their first, 1st down of the game, Wilson attempts 1 pass but they score a TD.

Following drive, 2 short passes to open the drive.  They loss yardage and then commit a penalty on 3rd down.

They're trying to get him going, he's just, terrible.  It sucks but it is what is right now.  We just have to hope he figures it out because I really dont think they can coddle him more than they already are.

 

[Uncle Nicco]

26 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

The 1st half vs. 2nd half stuff is all about him playing soft defense who have a lead and he is therefore, padding his stats.

Take for example the Falcons games.  That last drive, he went 6-9 for 60 yards when literally Atlanta wasnt even trying to defend, take that away and he was 12-19 for 130 yards.  Same thing can be done with Carolina and New England.

Why are other QBs not benefiting from this? Look at TLs splits 

[sec101row23]

4 minutes ago, derp said:

So I agree that’s absolutely a large factor but I also think - to oversimplify - not going run-run-pass in the first half would help. First down throws are good. I don’t think it magically fixes everything, but I still think it’s better play calling in general and especially for a rookie QB. Get him some easy throws on downs that it’s easier to pass.

Agreed.  I’ve mentioned this in other threads previously, that LaFleur needs to call the game “backwards”, meaning use the pass to set up the run.   I’d also spread things out some, go with 10 personnel and go a little uptempo.  Aside from creating some more space, it also spreads out the defense and makes it a little easier read.   With all of these bunch and tight formations I think there is too much traffic in spaces and Zach isn’t processing well and it’s causing him to hold the ball and make poor decisions.  
 

 

[JustInFudge]

8 minutes ago, Jets Voice of Reason said:

I don't know the breakdown, but if feels like he holds onto the ball forever off play action.

He was a risky draft pick, plain and simple. But he's here and the Jets are going to roll with him for at least 3 seasons in all likelihood so they better be working on his mechanics, timing, and decision-making relentlessly. He seems to have a strong work ethic and is coachable, so if they're not getting through to him, I blame the coaching staff, honestly.

In regards to the original article, I'd be shocked if the Jets ran less play action. That is basically the offensive system. They're not just going to abandon that and nothing about their press conferences indicate they are even thinking about it.

Holds the ball too long and drops too far...it's all the same thing and it's a huge issue with the offense working correctly.  If the drop requires 5 steps and you take 7-9, you're already holding the ball too long and the entire timing of the play, is off.  It's crazy to me this isnt more of a talking point.

[JustInFudge]

2 minutes ago, Pichula said:

Why are other QBs benefiting from this? Look at TLs splits 

Sorry, not following you here...

[The Crusher]

53 minutes ago, jgb said:

Thread title only needed to be the first 3 words 

Figured I wasn’t the only one who opens this thread thinking,” what the hell doesn’t he struggle with?” 

[KRL]

Every young QB benefits from a productive running game, so I'm not buying the play action criticism.
If anything, Wilson's play action numbers probably stink because we've run the ball so poorly
therefore the defense doesn't have to respect that part of our offense.  Easy "pitch & catch" play
action windows are now closed because the LB's don't bite on our fakes

[Uncle Nicco]

6 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

Sorry, not following you here...

Sorry meant not benefiting. Look at TLs first and second half splits, he’s playing from behind too. 
 

look at Darnolds splits last year playing in blowouts every week. He was worse in the second half 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/splits/_/id/3912547/type/nfl/year/2020

we haven’t been in true garbage time this year, and I general the garbage time thing doesn’t hold water 

there is more to this, how about the fact that Wilson had one passing attempt in the first quarter last week (a drop)

[The Crusher]

22 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

Holds the ball too long and drops too far...it's all the same thing and it's a huge issue with the offense working correctly.  If the drop requires 5 steps and you take 7-9, you're already holding the ball too long and the entire timing of the play, is off.  It's crazy to me this isnt more of a talking point.

The most mind blowing  thing is this is exactly what these scouts and coaches saw on tape at BYU and don’t seem like they are addressing it. Obviously it worked at BYU do to the talent disparity but damn! They had to know it wasn’t going to translate to the NFL.
 

Unless they thought Corey Davis was going to be Megatron, Cole was going to be Randy Moss, Carter was going to be LT, a random awful TE was morphing into Gronkowski and the O line was turning into Denver back in the day because of the offense and zone blocking scheme? Just weird. 

[JustInFudge]

1 minute ago, Pichula said:

Sorry meant not benefiting. Look at TLs first and second half splits, he’s playing from behind too. 
 

look at Darnolds splits last year playing in blowouts every week. He was worse in the second half 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/splits/_/id/3912547/type/nfl/year/2020

we haven’t been in true garbage time this year, and I general the garbage time thing doesn’t hold water 

there is more to this, how about the fact that Wilson had one passing attempt in the first quarter last week (a drop)

None of this is accurate regarding ZW and TL. 

The Jags had the lead vs. both the Cardinals and the Bengals going into the 2nd half (the Bengals into the 4th) and the Broncos game they were only down 3 at the half.  They've been in more games than the Jets. 

The Jets havent been in a single game this year, other than the Titans.  They've had garbage time being down at least 2 scores in the 4th quarter in 4 out of 5 games.  Vs. the Falcons, they called passing plays on 4 of their first 6 plays....all in the 1st quarter.  

 

 

[JustInFudge]

8 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

The most kind blowing  thing is this is exactly what these scouts and coaches saw on tape at BYU and don’t seem like they are addressing it. Obviously it worked at BYU do to the talent disparity but damn! They had to know it wasn’t going to translate to the NFL.
 

Unless they thought Corey Davis was going to be Megatron, Cole was going to be Randy Moss, Carter was going to be LT, a random awful TE was morphing into Gronkowski and the O line was turning into Denver back in the day because of the offense and zone blocking scheme? Just weird. 

I'm just hoping they take the buy week to address this stuff.  They can call the best plays in the world at the perfect time but it doesnt matter if the play is off schedule the second the Center snaps it to the QB.  Honestly, it should be the only thing they work on in this next 2 weeks because nothing else matters. 

[Uncle Nicco]

4 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

None of this is accurate regarding ZW and TL. 

The Jags had the lead vs. both the Cardinals and the Bengals going into the 2nd half (the Bengals into the 4th) and the Broncos game they were only down 3 at the half.  They've been in more games than the Jets. 

The Jets havent been in a single game this year, other than the Titans.  They've had garbage time being down at least 2 scores in the 4th quarter in 4 out of 5 games.  Vs. the Falcons, they called passing plays on 4 of their first 6 plays....all in the 1st quarter.  

 

 

ZW had one pass attempt until like 30 seconds left in the first

How is the half time score relevant? I thought we were talking about 4th Q garbage time? 

[viffer]

1 hour ago, Nixhead said:

One major problem is that the Jets don't create any mismatches - that I can see anyway. I guess that might be because they don't have any. You need Mims on the field maybe even in the slot to create an advantage. Our tight ends are so bad that the defense has a mismatch against our offense. This offense is pretty much a disaster and I blame LaFluer - should never have a rookie OC teamed with a rookie QB - not a recipe for success.

It wasn't the recipe. No one could have predicted the tragic death of Greg Knapp. He was supposed to be the veteran coach on the offense. I think this team would have looked a lot different had Knapp not been killed.

[JustInFudge]

2 minutes ago, Pichula said:

ZW had one pass attempt until like 30 seconds left in the first

How is the half time score relevant? I thought we were talking about 4th Q garbage time? 

You brought up 2nd half splits...Idk, figured you were talking about the 2nd half.

The Jets rans 6 plays in the 1st quarter, 4 of those plays were passes.  Zach just ran it on the 1st pass call instead of throwing it to wide open Carter.  

1	8:51	4	11	NYJ 13	Younghoe Koo 31 yard field goal good	0	3	2.570	3.000
1	8:46			ATL 35	Younghoe Koo kicks off 65 yards, touchback.	0	3	0.000	0.610
1	8:46	1	10	NYJ 25	Michael Carter left guard for 5 yards (tackle by Jonathan Bullard)	0	3	0.610	0.740
1	8:08	2	5	NYJ 30	Zach Wilson scrambles right end for 3 yards (tackle by AJ Terrell)	0	3	0.740	0.430
1	7:18	3	2	NYJ 33	Zach Wilson pass incomplete short left intended for Jamison Crowder (defended by Richie Grant) Penalty on NYJ: Illegal Shift, 5 yards (declined)	0	3	0.430	-1.180
1	7:10	4	2	NYJ 33	Thomas Morstead punts 59 yards	0	3	-1.180	0.380
1	6:58	1	10	ATL 8	Mike Davis right tackle for 3 yards (tackle by Jamien Sherwood). Penalty on Nathan Shepherd: Defensive Holding, 5 yards (accepted)	0	3	-0.380	-0.140
1	6:29	1	10	ATL 16	Matt Ryan pass incomplete short right intended for Mike Davis	0	3	-0.140	-0.660
1	6:25	2	10	ATL 16	Cordarrelle Patterson right tackle for 9 yards (tackle by Tim Ward)	0	3	-0.660	-0.200
1	5:58	3	1	ATL 25	Matt Ryan pass complete short left to Tajae Sharpe for 14 yards (tackle by Brandin Echols)	0	3	-0.200	1.530
1	5:14	1	10	ATL 39	Cordarrelle Patterson left tackle for no gain (tackle by Quinnen Williams and Bryce Huff)	0	3	1.530	0.990
1	4:33	2	10	ATL 39	Matt Ryan pass complete short right to Kyle Pitts for 18 yards (tackle by Ashtyn Davis)	0	3	0.990	2.720
1	3:55	1	10	NYJ 43	Cordarrelle Patterson left guard for 3 yards (tackle by Quincy Williams)	0	3	2.720	2.580
1	3:15	2	7	NYJ 40	Matt Ryan pass complete short right to Lee Smith for 22 yards (tackle by Ashtyn Davis)	0	3	2.580	4.370
1	2:31	1	10	NYJ 18	Matt Ryan pass complete short middle to Cordarrelle Patterson for 16 yards (tackle by Bryce Hall)	0	3	4.370	6.740
1	1:47	1	2	NYJ 2	Matt Ryan pass complete short middle to Kyle Pitts for 2 yards, touchdown	0	9	6.740	7.000
1	1:42			NYJ 15	Younghoe Koo kicks extra point good	0	10	0.000	0.000
1	1:42			ATL 35	Younghoe Koo kicks off 64 yards, returned by Tevin Coleman for 27 yards (tackle by Younghoe Koo)	0	10	0.000	0.810
1	1:35	1	10	NYJ 28	Zach Wilson pass incomplete short middle intended for Corey Davis (defended by Fabian Moreau)	0	10	0.810	0.260
1	1:29	2	10	NYJ 28	Michael Carter right tackle for -3 yards (tackle by Tyeler Davison)	0	10	0.260	-0.820
1	0:51	3	13	NYJ 25	Zach Wilson pass complete short left to Ty Johnson for 11 yards (tackle by Duron Harmon and Deion Jones)	0	10	-0.820	-0.980
1	0:09	4	2	NYJ 36	Thomas Morstead punts 56 yards, returned by Olamide Zaccheaus for 15 yards (tackle by Trevon Wesco)	0	10	-0.980	-0.480
Quarter	Time	Down	ToGo	Location	Detail	NYJ	ATL	EPB	EPA
2nd Quarter
2

[The Crusher]

42 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

I'm just hoping they take the buy week to address this stuff.  They can call the best plays in the world at the perfect time but it doesnt matter if the play is off schedule the second the Center snaps it to the QB.  Honestly, it should be the only thing they work on in this next 2 weeks because nothing else matters. 

I remember after preseason I said,” kid can handle the speed of the game!” Damn I was wrong, but it’s ok because I’m a fat guy typing on his phone and I don’t do it for a living. 

I know he was in shorts at home but all his throws were dead on at his pro day and I don’t mean just that silly thanksgiving day pick up toss 50 yards down field one. His short stuff and intermediate stuff seemed spot on. 

It started to go in camp and we got the,” he’s trying to see what he could get away with line!” Well? How’s that working for you?

I am 100% convinced the short stuff and intermediate stuff was there at one time. So what happen? I’m guessing it’s the speed of the game along with lack of support (RIP Knapp), system being installed crappy and Zach just simply not being ready for the game. No shame in that except the coaching staff never seem to think it’s possible he wouldn’t be ready. Now that’s scary .

Even worse? These are the same guys that are supposedly going to fix this? Wow, I honestly think it’s possible to fix but got to be straight  I don’t think the staff is capable of it. Nothing they’ve showed from their judgement to the execution suggest that. 
 

Well will be looking for a new QB in two to three years. Very possibly HC, GM and rest of coaching staff as well. It’s hard to fathom why anybody, like at all, would think this would work without at least a soft plan B.. mind blowing.

Let’s  get a guy that’s never been a head coach, a OC that never did the job, draft a raw rookie from a small school combine them with the worst roster in the NFL and let them have at it with no back up  plan.

 

 

[Lith]

36 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

Holds the ball too long and drops too far...it's all the same thing and it's a huge issue with the offense working correctly.  If the drop requires 5 steps and you take 7-9, you're already holding the ball too long and the entire timing of the play, is off.  It's crazy to me this isnt more of a talking point.

Not only that, but as he drifts back he drfits right into the pass rush.  Last night, we saw numerous examples of Lamar Jackson stepping up into the pocket to avoid the rush that was being blocked behind him.  Zack does not step up. he drifts back to the rush.

The woe is Zach, the OL is awful excuse just does not hold water this year -- last two games, protection was good, he had plenty of clean pockets.  And missed plenty of throws.  We lost to Atlanta, imo, because Ryan was way better than Zach.  No shame in that as Ryan is an above average 10+ year vet and Zach has 5 games experience.  But he needs to be better -- much better over the next 12. 

[munchmemory]

2 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

Let’s  get a guy that’s never been a head coach, a OC that never did the job, draft a raw rookie from a small school combine them with the worst roster in the NFL and let them have at it with no back up  plan.

 

 

A while back, I wrote nearly the exact words.   These moves are about as quintessentially Jets as even Jehovah could imagine.  

After Zack's "illustrious" preseason performance, I asked folks here to pump the brakes as he had not faced a live fire, regular season, defense.  It was almost like I shot a puppy.    The problem with our fanbase is that we have been mired in anguish/disappointment for so long that any glimmer of hope results in screams on finding our savior or going to the Super Bowl.

After five games, Wilson looks lost and will continue to look worse as DCs review our game videos.   Even more lost is our OC who never should have been put in charge of the offense and Wilson's development.