Jets wait until week 14, then tell Zach to “Let it rip”! What took so long?

[freestater]

16 hours ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

"I can't refute facts, so I'll post a meme". Solid. You are a valuable member of this community.

[Larz]

Cimini 

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Benched three times in his career and dismissed by fans and media as a first-round bust, New York Jetsquarterback Zach Wilson delivered the kind of performance Sunday that was envisioned for him as the No. 2 pick in 2021.

"Zach was unbelievable," coach Robert Saleh said after the Jets snapped a five-game losing streak with a 30-6 rout of the Houston Texans at a rainswept MetLife Stadium.

Back in the lineup after a two-game benching, Wilson passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns, posting career bests for passer rating (117.9) and completion percentage (75%). It was his third 300-yard passing day in 32 starts, but his first in a victory. Saleh called it the best game of Wilson's career, and it left teammates buzzing about his resilience.

 

They described an unburdened Wilson, who, frustrated by the way he has been treated by the organization, vowed to teammates that he'd play with a chip on his shoulder and for the team. That resonated in the locker room.

"He told me, 'I'm playing for y'all. I've got nothing to lose,'" cornerback D.J. Reed said. "He said, 'What's the worst that can happen, I get benched again?' That's what he said and that's the way he played. It showed."

Guard Laken Tomlinson said, "He said it early this week: F it. Go out there and have some fun. Leave it all out there."

Wilson was Aaron Rodgers-esque over the final 30 minutes in tough conditions. After throwing for only 92 yards in the first half -- the score was 0-0 at halftime -- Wilson was 18-for-21 for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, his highest yardage in any half of his career.

Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett opened up the game plan, allowing Wilson to come out throwing. Wilson led touchdown drives on the team's first two second-half possessions, no small feat for the Jets.

Before Sunday, they had gone eight straight games without scoring more than one offensive touchdown. The team snapped a streak of 18 straight games without three offensive touchdowns, tied for the longest such streak since 2000, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

It came out of nowhere for the Jets (5-8), and it came out of nowhere for Wilson, who had struggled in his previous nine starts.

"The flow of just playing football today was there, and I can't say it's been like that a lot, unfortunately, in my career here," said Wilson, who completed 27 of 36 passes with no interceptions. His only blemish was a lost fumble on a scramble.

Wilson, replaced by Rodgers in the offseason, was pressed into action in Week 1, when the four-time MVP tore his left Achilles tendon. The Jets got off to a 4-3 start, but the offense was sputtering under Wilson. After a Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Saleh benched Wilson in favor of career journeyman Tim Boyle -- a move that backfired with two ugly losses.

Publicly, Wilson said he understood the demotion, but privately he stewed, teammates said. When it became clear that Boyle was getting benched, Wilson expressed reluctance about the prospect of retaking the reins, The Athletic reported. Wilson said the report was "absolutely" false.

On Sunday, he played with a purpose, and teammates said he took more risks than usual. His most daring moment came early in the third quarter. On a third-and-12, he was flushed to his left and threw against his body to the middle of the field, finding wide receiver Garrett Wilson for a 25-yard gain. That set up the first touchdown, a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Randall Cobb.

During the run-up to the game, the coaches implored Zach Wilson to play with a let-it-rip mentality. He did on that play.

"As a coach, you're always like, 'Don't throw those,'" Wilson said. "Sometimes they go the other way. So, for me, it's throw it when you believe it's there, trust in it. Sometimes bad plays are going to happen, but you're going to have to trust in those and let it rip. It's part of football."

 

Later, Wilson made it 21-6 with a 3-yard touchdown pass to running back Breece Hall. He did a terrific job of getting the ball to the top playmakers, as Hall finished with eight receptions for 86 yards and Garrett Wilson made nine catches for 108 yards.

"He balled," Garrett Wilson said of his quarterback. "He put it all out there, throwing dots in the rain."

The game plan helped. After a relatively conservative first half, the coaches finally showed trust in Zach Wilson. They called passes on the first five first-down plays in the third quarter. He rewarded their confidence by making a handful of tight-window throws, using his arm strength instead of checking down.

"From what I've seen, that's the best he's played," Cobb said. "He just went out and played his brand of ball, without feeling constrained. The pressure he's faced over the past two or three years -- he just went out there and put it aside and played phenomenal tonight."

[Hex]

39 minutes ago, fullblast said:

“As a coach you are always like, don’t throw those. For me, it’s throw it when it is there. Trust in it…sometimes bad plays are gonna happen, but that’s football.”

That quote is pretty damning on the coaching staff.

 

 

 

I'm kinda surprised he actually said that to the public.

[rex-n-effect]

20 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

I see people say this crap all the time when talking about smaller windows when I know it isn't true so I'm questioning whether it's true over the entire season. If you have no data to back it up I'll just assume you're imagining things.

edit: to be clear, I am not even saying you are wrong, I just don't know that you're right. And without the data, I am not taking your word for it.

The Jets are second lowest in the league for passing plays on first down across the season:

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-passing-first-down-pct

I didn't bother to look for data on second downs.

I agree there is an ebb and flow to how run heavy they have been across the season and a lot of that has to do with the lack of production out of the run game, which makes it all the more bizarre that there are so many early run calls. The team ends up calling a lot of pass plays but so many of those plays are short to mid pass designs, which isn't exactly "let[ting] it rip" for a QB who is at his best chucking it up long and letting the receivers fight for the ball.

[Barry McCockinner]

1 hour ago, rex-n-effect said:

The Jets are second lowest in the league for passing plays on first down across the season:

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-passing-first-down-pct

I didn't bother to look for data on second downs.

I agree there is an ebb and flow to how run heavy they have been across the season and a lot of that has to do with the lack of production out of the run game, which makes it all the more bizarre that there are so many early run calls. The team ends up calling a lot of pass plays but so many of those plays are short to mid pass designs, which isn't exactly "let[ting] it rip" for a QB who is at his best chucking it up long and letting the receivers fight for the ball.

that's opponent first down passing

Only 5 teams in the league have passed more frequently on first down than the Jets this year.

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/passing-first-down-pct

 

[fullblast]

48 minutes ago, Hex said:

I'm kinda surprised he actually said that to the public.

Bridges have already been burned, he's got nothing to lose.

[FidelioJet]

3 hours ago, Barry McCockinner said:

Do you think the fan base would be toxic if Zach Wilson played like CJ Stroud?

Well, Zach didn't get a chance to play before he was treated horribly by the toxic fan base.  It started long before he was drafted.

The thing is Zach didn't play as well as CJ Stroud did - Zach isn't CJ Stroud.  Zach struggled early and the toxicity made things worse.  Just go back to this board - there were people genuinely excited to see him play poorly.  Gloating about it.  Piling on.  It was ugly.  

Or did you mean CJ Stroud last week?  Funny what happens to a QB when he doesn't have the pieces around him to succeed.  

[Claymation]

14 hours ago, Claymation said:

The Stadium cheered loudly when he took the field on the 1st drive. And for a stadium that was 25% capacity it was loud.

 

[Barry McCockinner]

4 minutes ago, FidelioJet said:

Well, Zach didn't get a chance to play before he was treated horribly by the toxic fan base.  It started long before he was drafted.

The thing is Zach didn't play as well as CJ Stroud did - Zach isn't CJ Stroud.  Zach struggled early and the toxicity made things worse.  Just go back to this board - there were people genuinely excited to see him play poorly.  Gloating about it.  Piling on.  It was ugly.  

Or did you mean CJ Stroud last week?  Funny what happens to a QB when he doesn't have the pieces around him to succeed.  

My point is that the fans would not have bothered Zach if he played well like he did yesterday. The fans love Stroud because he's been very good right out of the gate. I agree with you that fans can have an impact on the players but I doubt the small volume of haters (compared to now) before he even played ever got to him.

[FidelioJet]

2 hours ago, Larz said:

Nania did a piece on this.   Says the play calling didn’t change, it was Zachs attitude, relative to what Saleh said 

 

 

The problem is the quote where he credited the Jets with letting him actually try and win.  I know this seems to have been the problem.  The Jets have been playing not to lose instead of trying to win.   And with that comes a lot of ugly football.

[FidelioJet]

10 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

My point is that the fans would not have bothered Zach if he played well like he did yesterday. The fans love Stroud because he's been very good right out of the gate. I agree with you that fans can have an impact on the players but I doubt the small volume of haters (compared to now) before he even played ever got to him.

Yes.  I get it.  But he didn't play like Stroud.  Stroud in an anomaly, not the norm.  Most QB's struggle in their first season.  Not all, but most.  

Moreover, what I'm saying is Zach clearly isn't built for that type of criticism.  Had the fan base not been toxic we might have seen a different player emerge in year 2 or 3.

[Jetsfan80]

1 hour ago, Claymation said:

 

@FidelioJet

[jamesr]

13 hours ago, Hex said:

I'm kinda surprised he actually said that to the public.

What was the context ... don't throw "those". Throw what, exactly? The off balance, back across his body, into double coverage throws? Most coaches will say, "don't throw those".

 

[August]

It’s not like they don’t tell him to throw. Passing downs are an adventure with Zach at times. 

[Hex]

7 hours ago, jamesr said:

What was the context ... don't throw "those". Throw what, exactly? The off balance, back across his body, into double coverage throws? Most coaches will say, "don't throw those".

 

Probably dangerous throws. The ones normally only elite players can make consistently. It makes sense if the coach says not to throw those types of passes, because Zach is not even close to elite. However, I have a feeling the types of throws Saleh was saying no to branched out further than that.

[playtowinthegame]

On 12/10/2023 at 4:14 PM, extmenace said:

I honestly think this has more to do with the pressure being off. It’s always been a mental struggle with him. He’s no longer, at least in his mind, fighting to save his roster place. The team is out of playoffs. It’s probably the first time in his career where he played a game where there was no pressure. Some of the throws he completed today, I’ve never seen him even attempt. We saw a Zach Wilson today that no longer had the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Hearkens me back to Geno Smith on the road in the last game of the season vs the Dolphins. Best of times. 

[jamesr]

6 minutes ago, Hex said:

Probably dangerous throws. The ones normally only elite players can make consistently. It makes sense if the coach says not to throw those types of passes, because Zach is not even close to elite. However, I have a feeling the types of throws Saleh was saying no to branched out further than that.

That was what I wondered ... all coaches will start off by discouraging rookie QBs from making those high-risk plays, because even if they make one or two they will cause more net negative plays over the course of a season. Once a QB has shown they can play "within the system" they may be more willing to let them go "off script" that bit more. It's give and take.

What will be interesting to see in the next few weeks is - does Zach now get over-confident, make those risky throws and get burned by them (as he has many times in the past). If you get too aggressive / confident / cocky too soon you will crash back down to earth with a thump. And then the wheels come off because it's all "oh no not again".

 

[Prodigal Syndicate]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:37 PM, Prodigal Syndicate said:

All these threads are gonna be funny if he sucks next week.

 

But Wilson truthers seem to have a humiliation kink.

Damn who could have seen this coming.

 

RIP Wilsonsanity era Dec 10, 2023 - Dec 17, 2023