Jets standing by QB Zach Wilson 'through hell or high water'

[Bronx]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35378674/jets-standing-qb-zach-wilson-hell-high-water

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets won't give up on quarterback Zach Wilson after only two seasons, according to coach Robert Saleh, who insisted Wednesday the organization will do everything "through hell or high water" to maximize his potential.

This was the Jets' strongest endorsement of Wilson, whose future has been the subject of intense speculation because of two benchings. Saleh said Wilson, who will be a healthy scratch Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, can begin his turnaround with a mental break from football as soon as the season is over.

"Go read a book, go do something, get away from this game, just reset," Saleh said. "I think the greatest gift you can give yourself as a human is to figure out what's important to you. What do you value and how can you stick to those values day in and day out?

"That is the greatest gift you can give yourself, is to discover yourself. I think Zach needs to get away, read a book and figure that out."

Saleh noted that Wilson is only 23 years old, an age when many players still are maturing. This has been a difficult year for the former BYU star, drafted second overall in 2021. He missed the first three games with a knee injury and got benched for the first time when the team was 6-4.

"Zach has all the talent in the world, and we have all the confidence in the world in him," Saleh said. "It's just, like I said, a reset. We're going to grind with him. We are. Through hell or high water, we're going to figure how to get him to where we know he can be."

The Jets (7-9), losers of five straight and mathematically eliminated last Sunday, haven't committed to Wilson as their 2023 starter. His rookie contract runs through 2024; he's due to make a total of $9.3 million (fully guaranteed) over the final two seasons.

The other two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, Mike White and Joe Flacco, will be free agents. White, who will start the finale against the Dolphins, has displayed some promise in four starts this season (1-3), but the Jets might opt for a more proven commodity in 2023. Chances are, they will acquire a veteran from the off-season market.

"[He needs to] keep working," offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. "He's a New York Jet and that's not changing. That's the way my mindset is."

Both the coaches and Wilson himself have acknowledged that his fundamentals have slipped -- specifically, his footwork and balance. The plan after the first benching was to have him focus on his fundamentals, but he returned to action after only three weeks of inactivity due to White's rib injury.

Saleh said it's not a talent issue with Wilson, who sparked a firestorm by refusing to take accountability for a poor performance in a Nov. 20 loss to the New England Patriots -- the precursor to his first benching. An emotional Wilson later apologized to the team.

"We want to make sure we reconnect with Zach and regain his confidence -- regain his confidence in himself and us, and us and him, all of us," he said. "Just to make sure he's back on track, make sure his footwork is right, mechanics right, his mind right. It's not a talent thing for Zach. I believe that. We're going to work our tails off to help him, and we're committed to him."

 

It's rare for a team to move on from a highly drafted quarterback after only two seasons. Since 1998, only two top-10 quarterbacks lasted less than three years with the team that drafted them: Ryan Leaf (San Diego Chargers, No. 2 pick in 1998) and Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals, No. 10 pick in 2018).

In two seasons, Wilson has a 15-18 record as a starter, with 15 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, a 55% completion rate and only 4,022 passing yards. His QBR for the two seasons is 35.0, the lowest among 35 qualified passers.

 

[JoeNamathsFurCoat]

4 minutes ago, Bronx said:

"I think the greatest gift you can give yourself as a human is to figure out what's important to you. What do you value and how can you stick to those values day in and day out?”

They should replace the ubiquitous “AGNB”’s at MetLife and 1JD with this.

Awe-inspiring stuff.

Just wondering where the winning football games aspect factors into all of this.

Saleh is a politician / motivational speaker masking as an NFL head coach.

[Bronx]

My head is spinning!

[WhartonJet]

7 minutes ago, Bronx said:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35378674/jets-standing-qb-zach-wilson-hell-high-water

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets won't give up on quarterback Zach Wilson after only two seasons, according to coach Robert Saleh, who insisted Wednesday the organization will do everything "through hell or high water" to maximize his potential.

This was the Jets' strongest endorsement of Wilson, whose future has been the subject of intense speculation because of two benchings. Saleh said Wilson, who will be a healthy scratch Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, can begin his turnaround with a mental break from football as soon as the season is over.

"Go read a book, go do something, get away from this game, just reset," Saleh said. "I think the greatest gift you can give yourself as a human is to figure out what's important to you. What do you value and how can you stick to those values day in and day out?

"That is the greatest gift you can give yourself, is to discover yourself. I think Zach needs to get away, read a book and figure that out."

Saleh noted that Wilson is only 23 years old, an age when many players still are maturing. This has been a difficult year for the former BYU star, drafted second overall in 2021. He missed the first three games with a knee injury and got benched for the first time when the team was 6-4.

"Zach has all the talent in the world, and we have all the confidence in the world in him," Saleh said. "It's just, like I said, a reset. We're going to grind with him. We are. Through hell or high water, we're going to figure how to get him to where we know he can be."

The Jets (7-9), losers of five straight and mathematically eliminated last Sunday, haven't committed to Wilson as their 2023 starter. His rookie contract runs through 2024; he's due to make a total of $9.3 million (fully guaranteed) over the final two seasons.

The other two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, Mike White and Joe Flacco, will be free agents. White, who will start the finale against the Dolphins, has displayed some promise in four starts this season (1-3), but the Jets might opt for a more proven commodity in 2023. Chances are, they will acquire a veteran from the off-season market.

"[He needs to] keep working," offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. "He's a New York Jet and that's not changing. That's the way my mindset is."

Both the coaches and Wilson himself have acknowledged that his fundamentals have slipped -- specifically, his footwork and balance. The plan after the first benching was to have him focus on his fundamentals, but he returned to action after only three weeks of inactivity due to White's rib injury.

Saleh said it's not a talent issue with Wilson, who sparked a firestorm by refusing to take accountability for a poor performance in a Nov. 20 loss to the New England Patriots -- the precursor to his first benching. An emotional Wilson later apologized to the team.

"We want to make sure we reconnect with Zach and regain his confidence -- regain his confidence in himself and us, and us and him, all of us," he said. "Just to make sure he's back on track, make sure his footwork is right, mechanics right, his mind right. It's not a talent thing for Zach. I believe that. We're going to work our tails off to help him, and we're committed to him."

 

It's rare for a team to move on from a highly drafted quarterback after only two seasons. Since 1998, only two top-10 quarterbacks lasted less than three years with the team that drafted them: Ryan Leaf (San Diego Chargers, No. 2 pick in 1998) and Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals, No. 10 pick in 2018).

In two seasons, Wilson has a 15-18 record as a starter, with 15 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, a 55% completion rate and only 4,022 passing yards. His QBR for the two seasons is 35.0, the lowest among 35 qualified passers.

 

[JoeNamathsFurCoat]

5 minutes ago, Bronx said:

We want to make sure we reconnect with Zach

“Reconnect?”

He’s been in your freaking building where you’ve seen him every day for the last 5 months.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Saleh looks to be in over his head. These quotes are not helping his cause at all.

And if the team really believes in continuing to build around Zach Wilson, they should all be fired. 

[Larz]

Yup. They are replacing Flacco and Calabrese.  
 

who is excited to debate Zach and Mike for another year?

?

[Augustiniak]

The precursor to a trade.  

[ChewyandtheJets]

What they say and what they think...

the organization will do everything "through hell or high water" to maximize his potential. ("because we are stuck with him and his contract anyway")

"[He needs to] keep working," offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. "He's a New York Jet and that's not changing. ("No matter how much I pray it were different")

Zach has all the talent in the world, and we have all the confidence in the world in him (sucking)

Through hell or high water, we're going to figure how to get him to where we know he can be." ("though it will be a challenge figuring out how we can get him to 6' 5" and 240 lbs by the start of next season")

 

 

[slimjasi]

Just now, Augustiniak said:

The precursor to a trade.  

could be!

[jbt]

 

[GangGreened]

5 minutes ago, Saul Goodman said:

Saleh looks to be in over his head. These quotes are not helping his cause at all.

And if the team really believes in continuing to build around Zach Wilson, they should all be fired. 

I honestly hope they do.

Let’s see this thing all the way through. If it gets Saleh/Douglas fired, oh well. 

[JoeNamathsFurCoat]

This is all Braden Mann's fault.

All he had to do was fail to tackle the Rams returner here in LA 2 years ago.

[slimjasi]

2 minutes ago, JoeNamathsFurCoat said:

This is all Braden Mann's fault.

All he had to do was fail to tackle the Rams returner here in LA 2 years ago.

Sure, until the Jets beat the Browns (who were missing all of their WRs because of COVID protocols, I believe) at home the following week, anyway. The Jets will always win the meaningless game they shouldn't. 

[The Green Dude]

Saleh wtf are you doing? You're really making it hard to like you

[dbatesman]

28 minutes ago, Bronx said:

"Go read a book, go do something, get away from this game, just reset," Saleh said. "I think the greatest gift you can give yourself as a human is to figure out what's important to you. What do you value and how can you stick to those values day in and day out?

"That is the greatest gift you can give yourself, is to discover yourself. I think Zach needs to get away, read a book and figure that out."

How exactly are we supposed to read this other than “Zach needs to figure out if he actually likes football or not”? Like, I doubt Saleh meant it that way (or maybe not? ?),  and maybe it was different in context than it looks in an article, but honestly, what else could we be meant to take from that?

[dbatesman]

31 minutes ago, Bronx said:

"[He needs to] keep working," offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. "He's a New York Jet and that's not changing. That's the way my mindset is."

also: lmao. If you handed LaFleur a gun with two bullets and put him in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Wilson, he would shoot Wilson twice

[slimjasi]

1 minute ago, dbatesman said:

How exactly are we supposed to read this other than “Zach needs to figure out if he actually likes football or not”? Like, I doubt Saleh meant it that way (or maybe not? ?),  and maybe it was different in context than it looks in an article, but honestly, what else could we be meant to take from that?

Haha, after listening to it, I actually DO think he meant it that way. 

[Darnold's Forehead]

And that, as we saw this year, is how you ruin a team.

[Lurker89]

[Jets Voice of Reason]

1 minute ago, dbatesman said:

also: lmao. If you handed LaFleur a gun with two bullets and put him in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Wilson, he would shoot Wilson twice

This also screams that JD has told the staff that they're not trading him away after he completely shattered his trade value this past season. Just feels dysfunctional. Crazy that the Jets may have been better off this season in a macro perspective if he just tore his ACL in the preseason.

[bonkertons]

I mean, this makes sense.  I don't think this means they plan on rolling with him as the #1 to start next year, but why wouldn't they try to salvage their 2nd overall investment?  

[bonkertons]

4 minutes ago, dbatesman said:

How exactly are we supposed to read this other than “Zach needs to figure out if he actually likes football or not”? Like, I doubt Saleh meant it that way (or maybe not? ?),  and maybe it was different in context than it looks in an article, but honestly, what else could we be meant to take from that?

I think it means the boos and the media got to him, and when you start to question your ability, it's easy for things to spiral.  Get away, reset, then come back and get to work.  At least, that's how I interpreted it.  

[Jet Nut]

Just now, bonkertons said:

I mean, this makes sense.  I don't think this means they plan on rolling with him as the #1 to start next year, but why wouldn't they try to salvage their 2nd overall investment?  

Because hes hated now and it’s too late.  

[T0mShane]

37 minutes ago, Bronx said:

We want to make sure we reconnect with Zach and regain his confidence -- regain his confidence in himself and us, and us and him, all of us," he said. "Just to make sure he's back on track, make sure his footwork is right, mechanics right, his mind right. It's not a talent thing for Zach. I believe that. We're going to work our tails off to help him, and we're committed to him."

You cannot expend this much time and energy on this player. It’s simply not worth the investment.

 

[Fantasy Island]

Goodbye cue balls.  Sure 2023 will suck, but you both will be gone at the end of next season.

I can wait.

[dbatesman]

15 minutes ago, Jets Voice of Reason said:

This also screams that JD has told the staff that they're not trading him away after he completely shattered his trade value this past season. Just feels dysfunctional. Crazy that the Jets may have been better off this season in a macro perspective if he just tore his ACL in the preseason.

I’d be fascinated to hear a breakdown of the camps/factions re: Zach between Douglas, Saleh, and LaFleur, and what Woody makes of all of it. Any team that whiffs this hard on a QB at 2OA is going to be chaotic, I guess, but between not just benching but deactivating Wilson, all the comments to the media…something about all this is really weird. I can’t wait for Cimini’s 2,000-word writeup in spring 2028.

Choosing to ignore your last sentence because it’s just too sad.

[freestater]

[Rob Moore]

24 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Because hes hated now and it’s too late.  

Also if you haven’t noticed, everything Saleh says now is wrong.  Every single thing.  

[THE BARON]

1 hour ago, Bronx said:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35378674/jets-standing-qb-zach-wilson-hell-high-water

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets won't give up on quarterback Zach Wilson after only two seasons, according to coach Robert Saleh, who insisted Wednesday the organization will do everything "through hell or high water" to maximize his potential.

This was the Jets' strongest endorsement of Wilson, whose future has been the subject of intense speculation because of two benchings. Saleh said Wilson, who will be a healthy scratch Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, can begin his turnaround with a mental break from football as soon as the season is over.

"Go read a book, go do something, get away from this game, just reset," Saleh said. "I think the greatest gift you can give yourself as a human is to figure out what's important to you. What do you value and how can you stick to those values day in and day out?

"That is the greatest gift you can give yourself, is to discover yourself. I think Zach needs to get away, read a book and figure that out."

Saleh noted that Wilson is only 23 years old, an age when many players still are maturing. This has been a difficult year for the former BYU star, drafted second overall in 2021. He missed the first three games with a knee injury and got benched for the first time when the team was 6-4.

"Zach has all the talent in the world, and we have all the confidence in the world in him," Saleh said. "It's just, like I said, a reset. We're going to grind with him. We are. Through hell or high water, we're going to figure how to get him to where we know he can be."

The Jets (7-9), losers of five straight and mathematically eliminated last Sunday, haven't committed to Wilson as their 2023 starter. His rookie contract runs through 2024; he's due to make a total of $9.3 million (fully guaranteed) over the final two seasons.

The other two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, Mike White and Joe Flacco, will be free agents. White, who will start the finale against the Dolphins, has displayed some promise in four starts this season (1-3), but the Jets might opt for a more proven commodity in 2023. Chances are, they will acquire a veteran from the off-season market.

"[He needs to] keep working," offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. "He's a New York Jet and that's not changing. That's the way my mindset is."

Both the coaches and Wilson himself have acknowledged that his fundamentals have slipped -- specifically, his footwork and balance. The plan after the first benching was to have him focus on his fundamentals, but he returned to action after only three weeks of inactivity due to White's rib injury.

Saleh said it's not a talent issue with Wilson, who sparked a firestorm by refusing to take accountability for a poor performance in a Nov. 20 loss to the New England Patriots -- the precursor to his first benching. An emotional Wilson later apologized to the team.

"We want to make sure we reconnect with Zach and regain his confidence -- regain his confidence in himself and us, and us and him, all of us," he said. "Just to make sure he's back on track, make sure his footwork is right, mechanics right, his mind right. It's not a talent thing for Zach. I believe that. We're going to work our tails off to help him, and we're committed to him."

 

It's rare for a team to move on from a highly drafted quarterback after only two seasons. Since 1998, only two top-10 quarterbacks lasted less than three years with the team that drafted them: Ryan Leaf (San Diego Chargers, No. 2 pick in 1998) and Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals, No. 10 pick in 2018).

In two seasons, Wilson has a 15-18 record as a starter, with 15 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, a 55% completion rate and only 4,022 passing yards. His QBR for the two seasons is 35.0, the lowest among 35 qualified passers.

 

nice.  just like putting a sign that reads "cream puff" on a used jalopy that "fair deal dan" wants to sell you.  he's getting traded even if all they get is a set of steak knives.  

[Jimmy 2 Times]

It's going to be glorious when all this time and effort comes to fruition. 

[JoeNamathsFurCoat]

32 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

You cannot expend this much time and energy on this player. It’s simply not worth the investment.

 

The individual has done nothing to merit this kind of commitment.  Nothing.  One pro day throw.

He hasn't put in the work.  He's been a bad teammate, dodged accountability.

The difference between previous situations and now is this team is ready to compete now.  There is enough talent across the board to at least make the playoffs with non-trash QB play.

[Green Ghost]

No way I’m going through another season of Zach Wilson.

I’ve been following this team for 55 years, but I took a break Sam’s last year. I’ll do it again before I watch this kid.

Living outside the NY market makes it fairly easy to do. It gets old having to go to a sports bar or deal with streams that fail as often as they work.

I’ll pick a “second team” again like I did in ‘20. I’ll get my Jets fix here, I just won’t ruin my Sunday watching them.

[chirorob]

Saleh is becoming the worst thing you can be as a head coach.

A Talker.  A guy whose, "Gonna do this, and gonna do that."

But never actually does.  

Put that in your receipt book ya bald bastid.

[Claymation]

42 minutes ago, dbatesman said:

also: lmao. If you handed LaFleur a gun with two bullets and put him in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Wilson, he would shoot Wilson twice

Really, something tells me he would create a plan that would take too long to execute and he would miss all three as they walked out the door.