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Let them focus on their own jobs . . .
Every time you turn around, somebody is asking a Jets player – “What difference do you see in Zach Wilson entering his second season?”
Or, “How improved is Zach Wilson this off-season?”
I was watching an interview with a Jets linebacker and he was asked about Wilson and his progress in Year Two.
It’s not the linebacker’s job to evaluate the QB.
The linebackers have enough to focus on their side of the ball after the Jets’ defense finished 32nd in the NFL last year.
They need to farm their own land.
And these questions, whether from the mainstream media, or in-house media, are answered with praise, lauding the QB for his progress.
What are they supposed to say, “He’s not making any progress.”
Or, “He really needs to improve his accuracy.”
Nobody is going to say that.
These are rhetorical questions and they mostly get the same kind of answers.
The only really blunt answer to a Wilson question this off-season was from Robert Saleh at the owner’s meeting when he said he would, “Love to see Zach own the playbook at a faster clip.”
The rest of the answers are exactly what you would expect.
How much has Wilson improved in his second year?
I will let you know starting on September 11th when they start their regular season.
All this other talk about improvement means very little.
You can’t tell if a QB has improved in OTAs or minicamps because it’s not real football. The pass rushers can’t touch the QB, and since you can’t touch the QB, the QB often throws passes way after a normal tackle football play would be over.
Spring practices mean very little, and to ask teammates to evaluate him, c’mon now. It’s not their jobs.
Let them focus on their own jobs, not be quarterback evaluators.
And all these quotes you see in so many articles with teammates raving about the QB’s progress this spring, I don’t see much value in them.
I stay away from these quotes.
It will be fascinating to see what Wilson does in his second year, and to see if he can take a big leap this season.
Some quarterbacks do, some quarterbacks don’t. Which category will he be in?
He absolutely must improve his completition percentage. That will be huge. It’s hard for an offense to be consistently successful with the quarterback completing 55.6 percent of his passes. He needs to get that into the 60s. Improved accuracy and decision-making should help.
But one thing the Jets can’t do is write off the season with the attitude that this is another developmental year for a young QB.
They have done that four years in a row, three with Sam Darnold, and then last year with Wilson.
It would be unfair to their season ticket holders to view this season as just one for their QB to take the next step of his maturation process.
After 11 straight years out of the playoffs, it would be unfair to their fans if they take that approach.
It’s also unfair to Wilson’s teammates to keep asking them for progress reports on the QB.
They have their own jobs to focus on.
July 5, 2022
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