Wilson's Bad Footwork (My Theory)

[KRL]

Let's remember Wilson's prep for the season, about two weeks into camp in
the first pre-season game (8/12) he injures his knee.  He then loses four
weeks (season started 9/11) of camp reps and technique work as he gets
operated on and rehabs.  Wilson then gets back on the practice field and
starts his first game on 10/2, I believe he focused so much on rehabbing and
playing that he let his footwork go into the toilet.  Even though Saleh said
he wants to get him back onto the field before the season ends, I wonder if
there's enough practice time to correct his flaws

[Beaver]

Only problem is Ian Rappaport wa saying there were rumblings during OTAs about Zach still having the yips and missing easy throws

 

 

[Augustiniak]

I have a hunch that ZW believes he can still succeed with his raw physical talents.  And even though he misses on some screens, we see he prefers to run around and use his athleticism to try and make plays rather than the ‘boring’ play to throw the ball away.  Unless and until ZW embraces the pro game he’ll remain a college qb.  I believe he can succeed, he’s got to want it. 

[Sonny Werblin]

Actually, it turns out the scouts and doctors missed something….

 

[SuicidalSince98]

It has to do with his grip and how much he spins, side arms the ball on short throws

[SickJetFan]

11 minutes ago, Beaver said:

Only problem is Ian Rappaport wa saying there were rumblings during OTAs about Zach still having the yips and missing easy throws

 

 

seems to me Ian has someone talking to him from locker room...this didnt happen last season I do not think even though they probably had more to complain about

[Lith]

I am beginning to think Zach is the Stephen Hill of QBs.  Looks great in shorts and shells, has the physical tools to succeed, but once live bullets start flying, he loses it.  When he can't be hit, he probably looks great.  What makes it worse is he is a QB, so he can't be hit in practice and probably looks like a different guy during the week.  But once the game starts, and the defense can hit him, forgets his fundamentals, doesn't see the field because he is only looking at the pass rush, and panics and can't make basic plays.

Long winded way of saying, yes, I agree, he has got the yips.

[TuscanyTile2]

6 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Actually, it turns out the scouts and doctors missed something….

 

 

 

[GreenFish]

I think you’re giving him too much credit. He did this stuff last year. Lazy is the word I always go back to. He doesn't think or want to throw properly because he believes he doesn't have to.

How hard is it to align your body in the direction of the player you want to throw to? If he were a 7 year old, I could understand not grasping the concept. 

[Big_Slick]

It's not the footwork, although that's poor, it's that Zach chokes on simple throws. This doesn't go away, some guys just can't perform under pressure.

Ian Rappaport this morning again reported that in the spring people watching ZW thru OTA & mini camp said something was wrong - the belief was that he had the yips - couldn't make the simple throws - couldn't have base mechanics - something was just wrong.

https://nypost.com/2022/11/23/zach-wilsons-jets-struggles-could-be-case-of-dreaded-yips/

[y2k8]

 

If the Rapoport report is accurate, I would not expect to see ZW on the field again until August.

You can't fix that quickly. It may not even be fixable.

[Jetsplayer21]

27 minutes ago, KRL said:

Let's remember Wilson's prep for the season, about two weeks into camp in
the first pre-season game (8/12) he injures his knee.  He then loses four
weeks (season started 9/11) of camp reps and technique work as he gets
operated on and rehabs.  Wilson then gets back on the practice field and
starts his first game on 10/2, I believe he focused so much on rehabbing and
playing that he let his footwork go into the toilet.  Even though Saleh said
he wants to get him back onto the field before the season ends, I wonder if
there's enough practice time to correct his flaws

It’s a common thing among young qbs not yet ready. He was a project, didn’t come from a polished program. I’m sure they taught him a lot, and he got it down. Doesn’t mean he retained it, and once he started learning more and more, the “ little stuff “ fundamentals got more and more forgotten. And when the pressure in on during games, that’s when the little things are forgotten. 
 

Not sure if there is enough time either and it’s hard to tell until he is back in game. If jets are winning, even if white isn’t playing great like Wilson wasnt, they are not going to bring Wilson back this yr. Not going to have a zack “ test it out “ while jets in battle to make playoffs.

[CanadaSteve]

25 minutes ago, Beaver said:

Only problem is Ian Rappaport wa saying there were rumblings during OTAs about Zach still having the yips and missing easy throws

 

 

So....MAYBE it would be best that Zach sits for the rest of the year.  Let the fire build to want to play.  Let those knees get stronger and better.  Watch from the side lines.  PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.  We sink or swim now with Mike White.  We need to see if he can be anything other than a one-game wonder.

Then, next year bring in a REAL QB to compete with Zach.  MAKE him earn the starter spot.  There are lots of guys available.  Here is a short list (and lets just drop the idea of Tom Brady):

Gardner Minshew / Cooper Rush / Daniel Jones (will probably be resigned) / Lamar Jackson (same as Jones) / Geno Smith / Jacoby Brissett / Jimmy Garoppolo / Case Keenum / Teddy Bridgewater 

I think Brissett would be the most intriguing.  He has played well for Cleveland, and after starting for so long, he knows that won't be a possibility in Cleveland, so he may want to go somewhere where he gets a shot.

But I think Zach could use a long nap now.  He is on his last strike.  He only gets one more shot to turn around one of the worst starts to an NFL starting QB career.  

[GreenFish]

43 minutes ago, Beaver said:

Only problem is Ian Rappaport wa saying there were rumblings during OTAs about Zach still having the yips and missing easy throws

 

 

Both could be true. Some of his missed throws come with no pressure in his face. But his feet on those throws are always opened where his lead foot is 45 or so degrees to the left. This is mechanical and can be fixed if he wants to.

Can’t deny his buckles under pressure. Stats prove that without a doubt. This probably isn't being fixed any time soon if ever. 

[JustInFudge]

He's had glaring footwork and fundamental problems since college.  Like blatant but everyone excused it away because Chris Simms compared him to Mahomes so everyone fell in love w/ off platform off script rocket arm nonsense.  So this isnt new or just suddenly happened.  This has been his #1 issue since entering the league.  He literally struggles w/ just dropping back properly.  He needed to be broken down and built up on whatever traits you saw in him and he was not ready to play last year.   My biggest issue w/ this regime his how they've handled the QB position and this was all very predictable.

 

[Wit]

He has to drill drill drill until his footwork is so second nature that it doesn't matter what he does when the bullets start flying. 

[JTJet]

3 hours ago, KRL said:

Let's remember Wilson's prep for the season, about two weeks into camp in
the first pre-season game (8/12) he injures his knee.  He then loses four
weeks (season started 9/11) of camp reps and technique work as he gets
operated on and rehabs.  Wilson then gets back on the practice field and
starts his first game on 10/2, I believe he focused so much on rehabbing and
playing that he let his footwork go into the toilet.  Even though Saleh said
he wants to get him back onto the field before the season ends, I wonder if
there's enough practice time to correct his flaws

Nonsense. 

This kid has had a personal QB coach since he was born, played all through college, and is in year 2 of his NFL career. 

If missing 4 weeks blows up your footwork that badly, then you ain't the guy. 

[Larz]

?   No. 
 

he gets away with bad footwork from early days to college because of his immense natural talent, but the NFL is a wake-up call and he doesn’t get proper coaching to correct it. 
 

 

[Mike russo]

So you draft Zach number 2 overall for his tremendous arm talent than you tell him to be boring and  to be a game manager why the hell did you draft him for let  Zach cook hope if he ever gets another chance he lets it rip and his 1st pass is a bullet ridge into Elijah moores earhole

[RJIII]

Should have drafted MAHOMES II at 6

[kevinc855]

Yips. Been saying this through 20 games. It can’t be coached out which is why I think he’s toast here 

[FidelioJet]

It all comes down to his inability to handle pressure.  All of it.  I believe his problems begin and end there.

He looks at the rush, takes his eyes off of the routes, screws up the timing and his feet.  So he's behind on his reads, loses sight of the coverage, and his feet or off enough that his accuracy pays a big price.

If he can somehow learn to trust his OL, be willing to take big hits and get a feel for the rush from the outside - he can be a very good NFL QB.

I just don't see this type of thing as fixable.  I surely hope I'm wrong.

 

[ElBarrioJets]

Zach also threw a pick and looked like crap before injuring his knee, so this seems to be a long-standing issue.

[bostonmajet]

I think he does fine under pressure most of the time; he seems (or seemed) to rise to the occasion. I think instead of letting him play to his strengths and getting confidence and a grove, they are focusing on the short pass which is not his strength - he is also so focussed on not throwing INTs (which is good to a point) he is just thinking too much. He looks like Sanchez did in his first 2 years where Rex was ground and pound, don't make mistakes, and great D.

The problem is that ZW isn't that mold. It doesn't mean he can't get there, but it is hard enough to transition to the NFL as a QB without playing with your strengths. If this is the offense they wanted to run, they would have been better off drafting Mac Jones.

Saleh said that the O is plug and play with QBs - ZW and White are completely different QBs - so instead of gearing the O to the strength of the QB he is trying to gear the QB to the offense. Just remember, ZW looked like crap last year too - once he got his QB coach who knew his strengths he was able to clean a lot up.

Not making excuses for ZW and he has to grow the F up. But, this coaching staff isn't doing him any favors.

[Ecuadorian Jet]

11 minutes ago, FidelioJet said:

It all comes down to his inability to handle pressure.  All of it.  I believe his problems begin and end there.

He looks at the rush, takes his eyes off of the routes, screws up the timing and his feet.  So he's behind on his reads, loses sight of the coverage, and his feet or off enough that his accuracy pays a big price.

If he can somehow learn to trust his OL, be willing to take big hits and get a feel for the rush from the outside - he can be a very good NFL QB.

I just don't see this type of thing as fixable.  I surely hope I'm wrong.

Plus he doesnt understand coverages yet. If Wilson was adequately drafted on the 3rd or 4th round, he would have lived as a backup and have two or three quiet years to figure it out. 

[Jet2020]

1 hour ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Actually, it turns out the scouts and doctors missed something….

 

So he’s double left footed, even though he’s a righty. Great. 

[Hael]

Mahomes doesnt always have great footwork, and yet he produces ridiculous and creative throws time and time again.

To me the fundamental problem is that ZW is currently very limited in his repertoire of NFL moves/plays that he has confidence in.  

Much has been made of the spin out move to the right which he does at the earliest sign of pressure. Whats less appreciated is that the throws he hits on are more or less the same ones over and over again. I don’t know if thats more LaFleur forcing him to only throw on a few selected and practiced plays or if thats just ZWs comfort level.

But what this does is make it easy for savvy defenses to zero in on the tendencies and shut them down.  During the NE games, teh second they took those plays away from him, he reverts into the same ‘oh sh*t’ pattern, and NE knows what he will do and put a midrange safety that took away his safety valve on the right side..  At this point he’s got nothing left to fall back on, starts seeing ghosts on even the simplest plays and everything goes to @$@!.

Basically he needs to learn into muscle memory, a few counters (and counters to the counter) to the stuff that NFL Ds are currently doing against him and our offense.  If he can learn  that, his confidence will slowly come back, and I think you will see some of the errant throws decrease in frequency (even with bad footwork).

[Matt39]

Wilson should have been playing every preseason game last year for at least 2 quarters. Saleh rested everyone for the Eagles game because it was raining which drove me crazy. Wilson just hasn’t played enough football. He played sandlot in college. 

[JetPotato]

2 hours ago, Lith said:

I am beginning to think Zach is the Stephen Hill of QBs.  Looks great in shorts and shells, has the physical tools to succeed, but once live bullets start flying, he loses it.  When he can't be hit, he probably looks great.  What makes it worse is he is a QB, so he can't be hit in practice and probably looks like a different guy during the week.  But once the game starts, and the defense can hit him, forgets his fundamentals, doesn't see the field because he is only looking at the pass rush, and panics and can't make basic plays.

Long winded way of saying, yes, I agree, he has got the yips.

This.

I'd buy KRL's idea if Zach had previously exhibited good footwork. He never has. It's an existing issue that has regressed further rather than improving. 

Everything I have seen from Zach, be it on the field or off, tells me that his biggest flaw is that he is just simply dumb, compounded by a lack of emotional intelligence. He has physical ability. He isn't a bad person. He puts in the effort. He wants it. But he's limited by the fact that's he's about as smart as a fence post.

I think the odds of him ever turning it around are very close to zero.

[THE BARON]

On 11/24/2022 at 8:48 AM, KRL said:

Let's remember Wilson's prep for the season, about two weeks into camp in
the first pre-season game (8/12) he injures his knee.  He then loses four
weeks (season started 9/11) of camp reps and technique work as he gets
operated on and rehabs.  Wilson then gets back on the practice field and
starts his first game on 10/2, I believe he focused so much on rehabbing and
playing that he let his footwork go into the toilet.  Even though Saleh said
he wants to get him back onto the field before the season ends, I wonder if
there's enough practice time to correct his flaws

Wilson's problem is classic.  He is the guy/gal that never had to study much in high school and or college because he had the tools.  When those types transition to real life, what worked before no longer works.  They go from the fish-bowl to the ocean.  One full of big, fast sharks.  Many people don't really learn how to work or "own" their job/career until they are in their 30's.  They get older and the lightbulb goes off.  They see what they have to do and they become fanatical about doing everything it takes to be a top performer. 

Wilson is the guy with the tools that hasn't had the epiphany yet.  Because of the thickness of his persona, he wasn't recognizing realities.  It probably never would have happened on its own.  They had to drop a piano on his head.  IMHO, this benching was the only way to possibly get him to reflect, admit and commit. 

That process of admitting and committing is hard for most but even harder for a guy/gal that has plenty of resources.  

Let's see what Zach is made of here.  

 

[Chrebetfan80]

2 hours ago, Augustiniak said:

I have a hunch that ZW believes he can still succeed with his raw physical talents.  And even though he misses on some screens, we see he prefers to run around and use his athleticism to try and make plays rather than the ‘boring’ play to throw the ball away.  Unless and until ZW embraces the pro game he’ll remain a college qb.  I believe he can succeed, he’s got to want it. 

I respectfully disagree, however i have nothing but conjecture to counter your argument with so take it for what its worth. Having worked with some really high end QB coaches before, and coached some D1 talent I can say that very rarely is the situation someone that does not work hard, or believes that their technique is secondary to their raw talent.  When you get guys at that level, they dont get there by accident most of the time.  That has been my experience, you can argue the opposite to be more true, but at least in terms of QB's, I have not found that to be the usual assessment. 

I believe Zach is an extremely hard worker, and places a lot of time and effort into his craft.  HOWEVER, I do believe that currently the game is too much for him to put everything together.  What happens in these situations is that even though the footwork is worked on and fundamentals drilled, His eyes and brain are trying to catch up to the environment around him in game, and with all of that mental aptitude going towards that, there is a trade off in the grounded fundamentals.  He simply cannot currently walk and chew gum at the same time.  This does not mean he will never be able to, I have seen guys in this particular situation before and then finally it all clicks and things work out.  While his footwork needs to be drilled extensively to build a stronger working base, he also has to fix his eyes and understanding of what defenses are doing to him.  Once that is accomplished he will be able to settle himself on every play and play at a level where his mind and body can work as one.  Right now he is too disjointed in this manner. 

[Sonny Werblin]

52 minutes ago, Jet2020 said:

So he’s double left footed, even though he’s a righty. Great. 

Yes it is. He can step and plant with either foot. Maybe his hesitation is that he can’t decide which left foot to step with when throwing.

[GreenReaper]

2 hours ago, KRL said:

Let's remember Wilson's prep for the season, about two weeks into camp in
the first pre-season game (8/12) he injures his knee.  He then loses four
weeks (season started 9/11) of camp reps and technique work as he gets
operated on and rehabs.  Wilson then gets back on the practice field and
starts his first game on 10/2, I believe he focused so much on rehabbing and
playing that he let his footwork go into the toilet.  Even though Saleh said
he wants to get him back onto the field before the season ends, I wonder if
there's enough practice time to correct his flaws

His footwork is in the toilet.  And I don't see him ridding his footwork problem soon...maybe never.  It effects his accuracy...and velocity too.  His read-processing isn't quick enough right now either. Add that to the fact that he needs to make a lot more timing throws in a WCO. 

 He excelled with his bad footwork in college.  But can't get away with it in the NFL where coverages are too good.

I didn't expect this from Zach this year.  The team has developed faster then Zach has.  He's holding them back.

 Very disappointed...cause this team has a championship caliber defense and good enough offensive skill players to compete with anybody.  But a "next man up" chaotic OL and shaky QB play is holding Jets back.

It's a mess.  He may not be FQB ready next year either.

Again...very disappointed.

 

 

[Larz]

23 minutes ago, JetPotato said:

This.

I'd buy KRL's idea if Zach had previously exhibited good footwork. He never has. It's an existing issue that has regressed further rather than improving. 

Everything I have seen from Zach, be it on the field or off, tells me that his biggest flaw is that he is just simply dumb, compounded by a lack of emotional intelligence. He has physical ability. He isn't a bad person. He puts in the effort. He wants it. But he's limited by the fact that's he's about as smart as a fence post.

I think the odds of him ever turning it around are very close to zero.

The yips have nothing to do with intelligence. 
 

my god people settle down he didn’t murder baby yoda 

[JetPotato]

14 minutes ago, Larz said:

The yips have nothing to do with intelligence. 
 

my god people settle down he didn’t murder baby yoda 

The "yips" isn't an official diagnosis, an actual explanation, nor is it Wilson's only issue, nor would it explain the stupid things he says and does on and off the field. 

I clearly stated it doesn't make him a bad person. He's just not a very smart one. It's not an insult, no more than saying a guy who is 5' 4" isn't tall. Half the population is below average. He's in good company with a world full of idiots, but it does limit his ability to be an effective NFL QB.