SI: Zach Wilson is making progress

[Mogglez]

4 hours ago, Spoot-Face said:

Trillson?

It’s like Chill…but more Trill.

[Larz]

57 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

 

It took years but we've finally upgraded our tight ends.

[jetspenguin]

I thought when we drafted Darnold, it was like oh sht, the Jets finally got lucky. We did it. It’s our time. 
Didn’t feel that way with Zach but my confidence this year is higher then it ever was with Sam because of well he’s set up right now.  

This.

Zack wasn't my first choice but if ever a qb was going to succeed here this kid has the best chance of any we have had in quite some time. It is truly a case of ...if he doesn't succeed then there is no excuse about the talent around him.

That alone gives me a half-stiffy.

Sent from the NY Jets /Zack Wilson Suicide Watch desk.

[Spoot-Face]

1 hour ago, Mogglez said:

It’s like Chill…but more Trill.

Oh. I totally know what that means. I'm a hip cat.

[Mavericknyc1980]

Let’s ho-e he continues to work to master the little things.

[LionelRichie]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:15 AM, HawkeyeJet said:

This next question is a completely honest question.  Not trolling, baiting etc etc.

For those who are/have been down or worried about Wilson, do you ever have fleeting moments where you think “maybe there is a real chance here with him”?

I’ll I get those feelings.  I was not a fan of Wilson prior to the draft.  I think I used the phrase “would not touch with a 10 foot pole”.  But as is my personality, as soon as he was a Jet, I tried to see the positive.  And for a lot of the year last year, there weren’t many positives.  That said, I do feel relatively hopeful about him, but that just may be my default setting.

I am pulling hard for the kid, he can definitely sling it and hopefully makes a jump this year.   While I would love for this kid to be the fqb we’ve been waiting a lifetime for I honestly don’t know that it matters.   Other than LB this is finally a reasonably talented team and when these rookies hit year 2 if Zach can’t play then we’ll roll with Jimmy G or Tannehill and compete for the AFCE.  
 

we are becoming a plug and play offense and we can find a vet to run this team if Zach fails.   I would love to see him ball out but it really doesn’t matter, JD has built a legit roster     

 

[jNYC1]

I think it's important for Zach to play like MOST FQB's play in their second season.  It seems like there are still low expectations for Zach heading into this season (both from the media and many fans.)

It seems that some fans would be comfortable with a Josh Allen type 2nd season.  The media seems to discount the Jets in 2022 based on a lack of confidence that Zach reaches FQB levels (as evidenced by win total projections and level of concern about strength of schedule.)

I want Dak/Herbert/Murray/Mahomes/Jackson/Burrow/Goff*/ Wentz* level production from Zach in second year.  Most FQBs show it in a big way in their second season.  Most of the young guns are doing it in their second year.  Even Goff and Wentz who haven't quite proven themselves FQBs did it. 

In the past 10 years, its only the non-FQBs that didn't ascend in year 2 - with Josh Allen being the one exception...

[maury77]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:15 AM, HawkeyeJet said:

This next question is a completely honest question.  Not trolling, baiting etc etc.

For those who are/have been down or worried about Wilson, do you ever have fleeting moments where you think “maybe there is a real chance here with him”?

I’ll I get those feelings.  I was not a fan of Wilson prior to the draft.  I think I used the phrase “would not touch with a 10 foot pole”.  But as is my personality, as soon as he was a Jet, I tried to see the positive.  And for a lot of the year last year, there weren’t many positives.  That said, I do feel relatively hopeful about him, but that just may be my default setting.

Definitely. Wilson has some aesthetically beautiful qualities to his game. The release, the arm strength, the ability to throw the fastball and the touch pass, the torque he can generate on his throws, his quick twitch mobility. I understand the appeal for a lot of the fans, I really do. 

[JoeNamathsFurCoat]

Saleh sure likes saying “in a good headspace”

one of those things that sound positive and complimentary and at the same time totally vague and meaningless 

it’s already one of the go-to cliches of his coaching vernacular 

[win4ever]

On 5/29/2022 at 7:15 AM, HawkeyeJet said:

This next question is a completely honest question.  Not trolling, baiting etc etc.

For those who are/have been down or worried about Wilson, do you ever have fleeting moments where you think “maybe there is a real chance here with him”?

I’ll I get those feelings.  I was not a fan of Wilson prior to the draft.  I think I used the phrase “would not touch with a 10 foot pole”.  But as is my personality, as soon as he was a Jet, I tried to see the positive.  And for a lot of the year last year, there weren’t many positives.  That said, I do feel relatively hopeful about him, but that just may be my default setting.

This is actually a pretty interesting question.  

I wasn't a fan of the Wilson pick (I had Fields higher) and thought both Lance/Wilson were talent picks.  The talent is amazing, but you aren't picking them on production/tape against Fields.  Now the caveat is that none of us have access to the mental/leadership side of the puzzle.  I don't know if Wilson killed the whiteboards and Fields drew geometric shapes, so that is the great unknown to keyboard scouting.  

I'm coming around on Wilson, because my big reasoning was that Wilson is a middle of the first round type pick.  My comparison was Jordan Love/Ryan Fitzpatrick, but a guy that needs to sit a year and learn the system.  He had way too many issues to come in right away and start.  The 49ers followed that plan with Lance, we didn't.  I wasn't a fan of taking a guy at 2, who would essentially have to waste 1 year of the cheap contract period as a rebuilding year.

However, as with any talent pick, you look for improvements, and adjustments to NFL defenses.  Wilson started to make progress as the year went on, showed that the game was slowing down for him, and his mechanics started to get in order.  

Now with the given progression, I think Lawrence/Wilson/Fields/Jones are extremely close.  

Lawrence:  I'm a little worried about him, because talent wise, he went to a place that actually had people around him.  Marvin Jones/Chark/Shenault/Robinson isn't a bad combination, albeit Chark got injured early.  That offense was very simple to operate because it was just an extension of the Clemson scheme, but Lawrence didn't seem to adjust.  Pederson is a better offensive coach, but he runs a vertical system, and that's a big adjustment for Lawrence.

Fields, I still love the talent.  Last year, Simms was down on him, and now he has him right behind Wilson (ahead of Lawrence) because his deep passing is quite underrated.  Unfortunately, they are giving him the Mike McCagnan QB development plan, of just totaling ignoring any possible help.  

Jones:  He gives me a lot of Pennington vibes after last year.  He's not going to carry you against an elite defense, but he limits mistakes and is very good at making reads.  Ceiling is higher than initially anticipated, but also has the most physical limits.  

Right now, I would flip a coin between Wilson/Fields at No. 1, and then really think about Lawrence/Jones.  I have no idea what to think of Lance.  

[bitonti]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:15 AM, HawkeyeJet said:

This next question is a completely honest question.  Not trolling, baiting etc etc.

For those who are/have been down or worried about Wilson, do you ever have fleeting moments where you think “maybe there is a real chance here with him”?

I’ll I get those feelings.  I was not a fan of Wilson prior to the draft.  I think I used the phrase “would not touch with a 10 foot pole”.  But as is my personality, as soon as he was a Jet, I tried to see the positive.  And for a lot of the year last year, there weren’t many positives.  That said, I do feel relatively hopeful about him, but that just may be my default setting.

i like that he has a live arm 

that's about all i like

his footwork his garbage, his ability to read a defense undetermined. his ball placement is overrated (not as accurate as his reputation). he runs backward under pressure. He's not durable (missed a month last year)

everyone's so focused on getting him all the weaponz and linemen and everything he needs to be comfortable 

meanwhile we all missed the fact that 2 overall pick doesn't need everything to be perfect

that's Trent Dilfer "manager" type talk. that's Sanchito talk. 

Zach Wilson should be making everyone around him better. He should have this team believing they can win a game, even down 20 points at half time.

That's what a franchise QB does. Zach wilson received the biggest signing bonus in franchise history last year. But he needs everything to be just right 

the Jets drafted a guy they hope becomes a franchise QB and we'll be lucky if he makes it to manager. 

[jNYC1]

8 minutes ago, bitonti said:

i like that he has a live arm 

that's about all i like

his footwork his garbage, his ability to read a defense undetermined. his ball placement is overrated (not as accurate as his reputation). he runs backward under pressure. He's not durable (missed a month last year)

everyone's so focused on getting him all the weaponz and linemen and everything he needs to be comfortable 

meanwhile we all missed the fact that 2 overall pick doesn't need everything to be perfect

that's Trent Dilfer "manager" type talk. that's Sanchito talk. 

Zach Wilson should be making everyone around him better. He should have this team believing they can win a game, even down 20 points at half time.

That's what a franchise QB does. Zach wilson received the biggest signing bonus in franchise history last year. But he needs everything to be just right 

the Jets drafted a guy they hope becomes a franchise QB and we'll be lucky if he makes it to manager. 

I think Zach still has a shot to be a FQB.  I’d argue the expectations need to be aligned with that.  

No one should be satisfied if he is a game manager this year… just because he was soo bad as a rookie that it would be a big improvement. 

Joe Burrow was a FQB his rookie year playing behind a crap o-line and without Chase.  We need to see that from Wilson in year 2 surrounded by strong talent. 

[Claymation]

15 hours ago, jNYC1 said:

I think Zach still has a shot to be a FQB.  I’d argue the expectations need to be aligned with that.  

No one should be satisfied if he is a game manager this year… just because he was soo bad as a rookie that it would be a big improvement. 

Joe Burrow was a FQB his rookie year playing behind a crap o-line and without Chase.  We need to see that from Wilson in year 2 surrounded by strong talent. 

How well did Joe Burrow know the offense?

[Jimmy 2 Times]

Wilson is more physically talented than Burrow, he’s just missing the swag.

By all accounts he’s a film junkie and OCD with learning his job.  Hopefully it translates sooner rather than later. 

[Ghost420]

16 hours ago, bitonti said:

i like that he has a live arm 

that's about all i like

his footwork his garbage, his ability to read a defense undetermined. his ball placement is overrated (not as accurate as his reputation). he runs backward under pressure. He's not durable (missed a month last year)

everyone's so focused on getting him all the weaponz and linemen and everything he needs to be comfortable 

meanwhile we all missed the fact that 2 overall pick doesn't need everything to be perfect

that's Trent Dilfer "manager" type talk. that's Sanchito talk. 

Zach Wilson should be making everyone around him better. He should have this team believing they can win a game, even down 20 points at half time.

That's what a franchise QB does. Zach wilson received the biggest signing bonus in franchise history last year. But he needs everything to be just right 

the Jets drafted a guy they hope becomes a franchise QB and we'll be lucky if he makes it to manager. 

QB with the Highest % of dropped passes by wrs last yr was Zach Wilson but ya he should he able to win with anyone as a rookie/2nd yr player.  

[slats]

16 hours ago, jNYC1 said:

I think Zach still has a shot to be a FQB.  I’d argue the expectations need to be aligned with that.  

No one should be satisfied if he is a game manager this year… just because he was soo bad as a rookie that it would be a big improvement. 

Joe Burrow was a FQB his rookie year playing behind a crap o-line and without Chase.  We need to see that from Wilson in year 2 surrounded by strong talent. 

I stay away from “needing to see,” certain stuff or things, “having to happen,” because the reality is that barring a total collapse this year, Zach is pretty much already assured a year three as the starting QB. 
 
That said, I agree with you. I don’t want marginal improvement, I want significant improvement. I don’t expect gaudy passing numbers because I expect the Jets to be a run-first team this year. So 3500 yards, 23 TDs and 12 ints, or something like that will be just fine for me as long as the comp% and ypa are up around 63% and 7.2, respectively. I’ve forever been one bitching about the weapinz quality on this team with their young QBs and am amazed that Joe Douglas actually seems to have an understanding of their importance. The Jets don’t just have solid starters at the skill positions now, they have some genuine depth to wallow thru the minefield of injuries. Zach has had a year in the offense, and looks like he may’ve added 15-20 pounds of muscle, too. Last year was obviously disappointing on a lot of levels, but it’s encouraging to see both Zach and the team doing everything they can to get him on the FQB track. 

[TuscanyTile2]

Ever notice how we never see "Mike White is making progress" type articles. 

Takeaway: You can't improve on perfection.

[The Crusher]

If I look at my phone above where I’m supposed to through my transitional lenses the thread title reads St. Zach Wilson is making progress. 

[Flightattendant]

7 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

If I look at my phone above where I’m supposed to through my transitional lenses the thread title reads St. Zach Wilson is making progress. 

How old are you lol

[GreenFish]

On 5/30/2022 at 6:21 PM, jNYC1 said:

I think it's important for Zach to play like MOST FQB's play in their second season.  It seems like there are still low expectations for Zach heading into this season (both from the media and many fans.)

It seems that some fans would be comfortable with a Josh Allen type 2nd season.  The media seems to discount the Jets in 2022 based on a lack of confidence that Zach reaches FQB levels (as evidenced by win total projections and level of concern about strength of schedule.)

I want Dak/Herbert/Murray/Mahomes/Jackson/Burrow/Goff*/ Wentz* level production from Zach in second year.  Most FQBs show it in a big way in their second season.  Most of the young guns are doing it in their second year.  Even Goff and Wentz who haven't quite proven themselves FQBs did it. 

In the past 10 years, its only the non-FQBs that didn't ascend in year 2 - with Josh Allen being the one exception...

Completely agree. Raise the bar.

Comp% 65%, 4,000 yards, 2/1 TD-INT should be the threshold. Needs to st least get close to that.

I think he will.

[Claymation]

32 minutes ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

Ever notice how we never see "Mike White is making progress" type articles. 

Takeaway: You can't improve on perfection.

Still looking to complete a ball over 20 yards, when he does, there will be fluff pieces about his arm strength.

[More Cowbell]

On 5/29/2022 at 8:32 AM, T0mShane said:

Zach Wilson Is Making Progress

It's only OTAs, but the Jets’ QB looks set up to improve in his second season.

CONOR ORR

https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/05/27/new-york-jets-zach-wilson-second-year

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson straddled a line of red pads and faced quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese, awaiting instruction on which way to shuffle his feet. Diagonally, about seven yards away on either side of the field, someone was waiting to catch a pass.

The drill is meant to have your brain and body processing on different levels and is a version of a workout utilized by some of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. Your feet are shuffling. Your head and your eyes are taking in the instructions (move left, move right) and the relationship between those two needs to coincide at a split second when you are told which direction to throw. While no drill is perfect, it simulates the idea that, in the NFL, nothing is going to look perfectly, your feet won’t always be set and all synapses must fire regardless at the first glimpse of pretty good. Wilson can, like most quarterbacks now, finish a throw with the now standard no-look flourish, beelining a pass over his left shoulder while keeping his eyes toward the receiver on the right-hand side. 

A few moments before his first OTA workout, Wilson’s coach, Robert Saleh, had admiringly called him “thick” before laughing at his word choice. He said that Wilson is in the right headspace. That he sounds like an NFL quarterback. That he acts like an NFL quarterback. That he hangs out with people conducive to making him a better NFL quarterback. Much has been made about the second-year quarterback’s offseason training regimen, which has him looking more like an NFL quarterback and less like a brand ambassador for Hollister. Understanding full well that this is a process (Saleh noted a few minutes earlier that Year 2 into Year 3 is when we often see the growth in a player), what the Jets have for now are these little moments. These drills. Padless, seven-on-seven football to gauge the status of a player who will be largely, but not singularly, responsible for buoying the team’s targeted rebuilding process.

A year ago, looking back on his first OTA practice as a rookie, Wilson had shown the moments that made him the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft. He can float out of the pocket and let loose a one-legged, sidearm-looking circus pass that lands beautifully in the arms of his wide receiver. You’ll remember the one to Keelan Cole in the Jets’ win over the Titans. But if you were to place an optometrist’s patch over your eye, obscuring all the numbers, and ask who was the high pick in the draft a few weeks before, the answer would have clearly been backup Mike White. In the moments when Wilson wasn’t asked to be spectacular, he was behind his backup in terms of hitting the short- and medium-range routes with consistent, leading accuracy. On a quick slant, the ball might have forced a receiver to turn backward and reach away from his momentum. Neither quarterback had much experience with the current set of wide receivers, but White was more efficient when the final step of the assigned drop back hit the turf, and the ball immediately discharged in the location it was supposed to.

Now, though, Wilson appears to have closed that gap. His first throw in a seven-on-seven drill fired the moment his back foot touched the ground on the third step of a three-step drop. The ball drilled Corey Davis right in the chest, just enough ahead of him that he could run without adjusting his stride. Still existing are those plays when Wilson will hit the fifth step in his drop, double pump-fake, slide out of the pocket and loft a ball to running back Michael Carter for a 30-ish yard gain. Wilson, to at least one untrained eye, seems to be getting into his drops faster. His footwork looks a little smoother and more economical.

It is not all perfect. Wilson uncorked a loftless fastball to a running back trying to execute a wheel route, which typically requires more touch. There were a handful of balls that landed behind wide receivers, though not nearly as frequently as this time in 2021 (again, we stress, this may be the first time the quarterback was even meeting the person, so take this comparison with a massive grain of salt). 

But if the opening drill is at all a metaphor for this process, the goal is to make the most of pretty good, which Wilson seems to have accomplished this offseason. His opportunities to be the kind of mobile, game-breaking quarterback we fawned over during the predraft process will exist, especially with an improved running game and an increased number of clean boot-action reps. His ability to be immediate and process will win New York more games. 

Toward the end of the drill, it seemed the Jets’ quarterbacks coach was forcing Wilson to react more and more quickly. Where one quarterback may have had several beats between a directional change, Wilson had to shuffle left, then right immediately, back left, then deliver the football. 

Baked into Saleh’s approach has been the player-friendly idea that this was the kind of undertaking that couldn’t be microwaved. Indeed, Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas had so much stabilization to create. Before their arrival, the Jets under Mike Maccagnan were crafted a bit like a beach house on stilts, susceptible to toppling under a moderate wave. So if this counts as a Wilson hype piece—that he seems incrementally more accurate and efficient—so be it. By design, we are not going to hear any clamoring statements or proclamations. We are going to have to look at the thing under a microscope. Right now, what we see looks better than the year before

Did he save this from last season?

We all know Wilson looked good in OTA's and camp. 

[The Crusher]

1 hour ago, Flightattendant said:

How old are you lol

57. What are you wearing? 

[Flightattendant]

34 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

57. What are you wearing? 

Kahkis and suspenders. Does that turn you on?

[The Crusher]

10 minutes ago, Flightattendant said:

Kahkis and suspenders. Does that turn you on?

Yes, that means we can go out to all we can eat and you don’t have to worry about your loosening your belt! So hot! 

[Flightattendant]

6 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

Yes, that means we can go out to all we can eat and you don’t have to worry about your loosening your belt! So hot! 

The belt loosening happens later 

[The Crusher]

16 minutes ago, Flightattendant said:

The belt loosening happens later 

Nice ! HAHA

[bitonti]

3 hours ago, Ghost420 said:

QB with the Highest % of dropped passes by wrs last yr was Zach Wilson but ya he should he able to win with anyone as a rookie/2nd yr player.  

I saw that stat too but when Mike white outplays the starter that's not ideal 

That Bengals game proved MLF knows how to call an offense. Before that week we all wondered if he was a competent OC 

Now the onus is on Zach to make this great leap forward. I'll say it another way he's the highest draft pick since Keyshawn there's no room for excuses 

 

[bitonti]

2 hours ago, GreenFish said:

Completely agree. Raise the bar.

Comp% 65%, 4,000 yards, 2/1 TD-INT should be the threshold. Needs to st least get close to that.

I think he will.

Josh Allen went from 52 to 58 to 69 percent comp in year 3

That was a best case scenario for a raw big armed guy who played similar competition as BYU. 

To expect ZW to go from 55 to 65 with this schedule feels like asking too much. Even with all the weapons. 

If he gets to 60 that's acceptable progress. If he gets to 65 that's like hitting the lottery 

 

[Hal N of Provo]

3 hours ago, bitonti said:

Josh Allen went from 52 to 58 to 69 percent comp in year 3

That was a best case scenario for a raw big armed guy who played similar competition as BYU. 

To expect ZW to go from 55 to 65 with this schedule feels like asking too much. Even with all the weapons. 

If he gets to 60 that's acceptable progress. If he gets to 65 that's like hitting the lottery 

 

Jet Blue will be happy with 57.5% and that’s all that matters 

[Jetsfan80]

On 5/29/2022 at 9:18 AM, RedBeardedSavage said:

Bullish on Wilson this year, but this article is more crypto rug pull than Jets news.

Christ, Connor Orr had no story here.

Pick a drill, force a metaphor, remind us you have an 'untrained eye' and give me nothing of substance while trying to appear substantive.

The rare Zach Wilson-related post where @T0mShane and @Gastineau Lives are both in full agreement.  Quick, everyone, make a wish!  Pigs are flying and hell hath frozen over!

 

[Jetsfan80]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:15 AM, HawkeyeJet said:

For those who are/have been down or worried about Wilson, do you ever have fleeting moments where you think “maybe there is a real chance here with him”?

Yes but I also had plenty of those thoughts with Sam Darnold, right up until Week 1 of his 3rd season. 

I'm done with "flashes".  Produce or GTFO.  Maybe that's unfair to dump all those other QB failures on Wilson's shoulders, but it's not like he reads my posts.  At least I sure hope he doesn't....

[Jetsfan80]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:49 AM, The Crusher said:

I can almost see my toes, progress! 

 

[Jetsfan80]

On 5/29/2022 at 12:59 PM, Mogglez said:

Zach Wilson is gone folks.

Zach Trillson has taken his place.

Braxton Berrios has trained him in the ways of the pro athlete like Sidious trained Anakin in the ways of the dark side.

 

1. Girl on far right
2. Brunette 3rd from left
3. Braxton
4. Girl on far left
5. Girl next to Zach
6. 2nd from left
7. 2nd from right 

Tough calls though.

@munchmemory

[Jetsfan80]

On 5/29/2022 at 6:17 PM, Mogglez said:

It’s like Chill…but more Trill.