Sunday’s performance against New England showed a QB both literally and figuratively moving backward
The time has come for a serious reckoning on New York Jets‘ QB Zach Wilson.
You can be the biggest Wilson lover in the world. You can have the No. 2 jersey in every uniform combination possible. You can have your eye paint and sweatband on weekly to mimic his every move.
But you cannot deny what is in front of your eyes: the Jets’ QB is looking more and more like a first-round bust.
Even if Sunday’s game against New England was technically the first game of his second season (after all, it was the 18th start of his career), the performance Wilson put up is unacceptable for a second-year QB.
I’m sure that I’ll get all the Wilson lovers in the comments calling me a hater, someone who looked to see Wilson fail and was blind to the fact that his offensive line is killing him. That could not be further from the truth, but saying it won’t convince anyone.
What I’m going to try to do is detail, by the numbers, why Wilson’s performance against the Patriots caps the legitimate red flags in Zach Wilson’s game that are now flashing in neon colors. Wilson is not only failing to progress; he is going in retrograde.
The argument: Zach Wilson can progress like Josh Allen or other QBs who struggled earlier in their careers.
The facts: any QB who struggled early and then went on to succeed in some way reduced their turnover-worthy play rate in Year 2.
Josh Allen is the poster boy for a QB early-failure, late-success story. Right now, every single first-round QB from the 2021 draft is being compared to Allen by desperate fan bases in whatever way possible, no matter how big of a stretch it is.
Interestingly, other than Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson probably has the most in common with Allen among all of those QBs. His arm strength, while not quite as impressive as Allen’s, is superior. He has strong escapability and throws well on the move. However, besides the ludicrousness of comparing a 6’5″, 237-pound QB to a 6’2.5″, 221-pound-soaking-wet guy, the numbers don’t support that argument.
In 2018, Allen’s rookie season, his turnover-worthy play rate was 5.1%, the third-highest among 37 QBs with at least 200 dropbacks. In 2019, he reduced it to 4.0%. While that was still the eighth-highest among 35 qualified QBs and above the league average of 3.3%, it represented noticeable progress.
Zach Wilson, on the other hand, has actually increased his turnover-worthy play rate from his rookie season.
Fans had pointed to Wilson’s lack of interceptions over the past three weeks as proof that he was protecting the ball better, but even before the three-interception debacle on Sunday, he had been lucky not to turn the ball over in the previous games. His near-fumble and near-interception against Denver and his ill-advised lob to Corey Davis in the end zone against Green Bay are three clear turnover-worthy plays that come to mind.
In Wilson’s rookie season, his turnover-worthy play rate was 3.8%, above the league average of 3.3%. Still, he seemed to have shown improvement following a return from injury: from Weeks 1-6, his TWP rate was 5.0%, while from Weeks 12-18, it was 2.8%. That was something to build on for this season.
However, after five games in 2022, Wilson’s TWP rate is a whopping 6.0%, the highest mark among all QBs by a significant margin. Even in Weeks 5-7, when he didn’t actually have any turnovers, Wilson had a 3.7% TWP rate, above league average. In Weeks 6-7, it was 5.4%. Against the Patriots, we saw the actualization of the turnover potential that Wilson had in the previous weeks (albeit worse, as his TWP rate against New England was 7.0%).
Let’s look at the TWP rates of some other young QBs who have struggled early on.
- Jalen Hurts: 2020 – 4.6%; 2021 – 3.3%; 2022 (to this point) – 1.5%
- Daniel Jones: 2019 – 5.5%; 2020 – 3.1%; 2021 – 2.5%
- Jared Goff: 2016 – 4.7%; 2017 – 3.1%
- Derek Carr: 2014 – 3.9%; 2015 – 3.8%; 2016 – 2.6%
- Lamar Jackson: 2018 – 4.6%; 2019 – 1.8%; 2020 – 3.6%
Obviously, this is not the only number that matters. Tua Tagovailoa has actually increased his turnover-worthy play rate this season, but he’s playing by far the best ball of his career. Lamar Jackson’s TWP rate went back up in 2020 after his MVP season in 2019, and he was still a good quarterback.
But for a QB who’s not putting up big stats, the TWP rate is one way to see whether a quarterback is improving. We’re not seeing that at all with Zach Wilson.
The facts: Zach Wilson doesn’t have the big plays to offset his turnovers, unlike other QBs who went on to improve.
Good quarterbacks whose turnover numbers tick up are usually taking risks. The classic example of a “struggling rookie QB” is Peyton Manning, whose 28 picks from 1998 remain a rookie record.
However, what’s forgotten is that Manning also threw 26 touchdowns that season and had 3,739 passing yards. Manning made big plays. Yes, that was not enough to coronate him the next great QB, but it showed that he could become great if he could limit the turnovers. Indeed, Manning did just that.
Josh Allen is a different animal than most other quarterbacks. After his second season, questions still abounded about his ability to develop as a quarterback. What was undeniable, though? His running ability, which allowed him to help the Bills make the playoffs despite mediocre-to-poor passing numbers and lackluster skill position players. Allen had a 20:9 TD:INT ratio in 2019 with 510 rushing yards and nine rushing TDs. 29 total TDs from a second-year QB is something to build on.
Derek Carr, meanwhile, always had some big plays to fall back upon. Carr threw 21 touchdowns against 13 picks in 2014 and then improved to 32 TDs vs. 13 INTs in 2015. Jared Goff went from 5:7 to 28:7.
It’s difficult to find a quarterback who had a 3:5 TD:INT ratio five games into their second season and then suddenly flipped the switch, especially with a 6% turnover-worthy play rate. You can cherry-pick other numbers, and it was okay to give Wilson the benefit of the doubt coming into this season, but his chances are quickly running thin.
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The argument: the lack of continuity and below-average play along the offensive line has completely removed Wilson’s ability to gain rhythm.
The facts: quarterbacks who are going to develop into solid NFL players manage to overcome their line by taking the plays that are there, gaining time to make plays, and making quick decisions.
Zach Wilson is hardly the first highly-drafted quarterback to have a bad offensive line. Why do you think he was drafted that high? Rarely does a quarterback get the luxury of a line like Patrick Mahomes, Trey Lance, or Carson Wentz have played behind early in their careers.
Quarterbacks who are going to develop still show their ability to work around their offensive lines. They do so by taking opportunities on plays that they are not pressured and getting the ball out quickly. Alternatively, they make plays with their legs to keep the plays alive and then make off-schedule big-time plays.
Joe Burrow is the poster boy for sacks: He had a 7% sack rate in his rookie season that increased to 8.6% in his second year. He was pressured on 32.2% of his dropbacks in 2020 and 33.3% in 2021. Despite those numbers, Burrow managed to show some potential by getting the ball out quickly: his time-to-throw (TTT) of 2.60 and 2.63 in his first two seasons were both quicker than average, and this season, he’s getting it out quicker than ever at 2.47 seconds.
Last year, you could argue that Wilson’s offensive line was worse, as his 10.1% sack rate and 38.5% pressure rate would seemingly indicate. Those numbers are at 6.2% and 37.5% this season, which means his pressure rates are somewhat higher than Burrow’s, but his sack rates are lower. On the surface, that would indicate that Wilson evades sacks better than Burrow, but their pressure-to-sack rates are comparable (26.3%/25.9% last season). Furthermore, Wilson’s 3.05 TTT as a rookie and 3.19 this season indicate that some of his sacks, at least, come from holding the ball too long.
You can blame Mike LaFleur for running longer-developing routes, but we haven’t seen that over the last few games. Wilson has simply missed his receivers or run around like he’s playing backyard football to try to evade rushers and make a play. His indecisiveness is leading to pressure.
In Wilson’s rookie season, he was to blame for 19.7% of the pressure he faced, the sixth-highest number among 40 QBs, and 38% of the sacks he took. This season, He’s responsible for 18.9% of the pressures and 50% of the sacks. In Burrow’s rookie season, he was responsible for 15.3% of his pressures (14th-highest) and 28% of the sacks, and that went all the way down to 9.0% and 15.7% in his second year.
Besides the actual pressure and sack numbers, though, what’s far more revealing is the actual stats when the quarterback is under pressure. Last season, when under pressure, Zach Wilson had a 29.3% completion percentage (worst among 40 QBs), 5.0 YPA (33rd), a 5.5% TWP rate (28th), 48.6 passer rating (34th), and a 3.97 average time to throw (third-highest).
This season, he’s gotten even worse. Under pressure, Wilson is completing just 19.1% of his passes (40th out of 40 QBs) with 3.0 YPA (40th), 1 TD, 5 INT (second-worst despite missing three games), a 14.3% TWP rate (40th), a 7.1 passer rating (that’s not a typo – 40th), and a whopping 4.39 seconds to throw (tied for highest).
Compare that to Burrow’s numbers from his rookie season: 37.3% (36th), 4.2 YPA (37th), 4.6% TWP rate (18th), 52.3 passer rating (29th), and 3.31 TTT (22nd). None of these numbers are great, but the lower TWP rate and time-to-throw made all the difference. Burrow wasn’t putting the ball in harm’s way as often as Wilson does while under pressure.
By his second season, Burrow drastically improved his performance under pressure despite facing a lot of it. In 2021, Burrow had a 60.9% completion percentage (1st among 40 QBs), 8.6 YPA (1st), 9 TDs (2nd), 4.1% TWP rate (16th), 3.32 seconds to throw (15th), and a 92.4 passer rating (1st).
That mirrors the pressure numbers of other young starting QBs who played behind porous lines and developed into solid-to-great starters:
| Deshaun Watson (2018) | Russell Wilson (2013) | Jalen Hurts (2021) | Alex Smith (2006) | Aaron Rodgers (2009) | Joe Flacco (2009) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of dropbacks pressured (ranked highest to lowest) | 44.9% (1st) | 43.8% (4th) | 36.9% (13th) | 36.9% (11th) | 30.9% (16th) | 28.7% (26th) |
| Completion percentage | 57.9% (5th) | 49.3% (11th) | 43.1% (30th) | 47.4% (22nd) | 54.3% (2nd) | 52.1% (4th) |
| Yards per attempt | 7.9 (3rd) | 6.6 (8th) | 6.8 (8th) | 4.9 (31st) | 8.0 (3rd) | 6.4 (11th) |
| Touchdowns | 9 (2nd) | 10 (1st) | 6 (15th) | 4 (13th) | 7 (3rd) | 6 (5th) |
| Turnover-worthy play rate (used in place of interceptions) | 5.2% (18th) | 5.0% (23rd) | 3.4% (7th) | 4.1% (13th) | 3.8% (15th) | 1.7% (4th) |
| Average time to throw (seconds) | 3.84 (35th) | 3.91 (39th) | 4.02 (39th) | 3.40 (32nd) | (not tracked) | (not tracked) |
| Passer rating | 88.2 (2nd) | 79.1 (6th) | 74.7 (13th) | 62.6 (19th) | 95.8 (1st) | 78.8 (2nd) |
| Pressure-to-sack percentage | 21.6% (29th) | 20.0% (31st) | 13.3% (5th) | 18.9% (23rd) | 25.9% (37th) | 23.4% (11th) |
| Sacks (highest to lowest) | 61 (1st) | 44 (3rd) | 25 (28th) | 35 (10th) | 50 (1st) | 37 (6th) |
All of these QBs were either pressured or sacked (or both) pretty often. They had different ways of overcoming the pressure, and each one was not necessarily elite in every single category. But most of them took care of the ball at an above-average or even excellent rate when under pressure, and almost all had a good passer rating in that situation.
Additionally, the ones who have longer times to throw are running QBs whose elusiveness enables them to make plays. While Zach Wilson has that elusiveness, he has not made the plays with his legs, making his extended time-to-throw unacceptable. He needs to get the ball out.
The argument: Mike LaFleur has not utilized Zach Wilson’s strengths in passing concepts.
The facts: Zach Wilson has not allowed his strengths to be utilized by missing the opportunities that are there.
I reviewed Mike LaFleur’s play-calling from last week’s game and showed how Zach Wilson did not take the opportunities in front of him. The All-22 film is not publicly available in the tristate area yet, but a thorough review of this game will be forthcoming.
However, there were opportunities for Wilson to make plays using his legs (including the fourth down miss to Tyler Conklin late in the game, in which he had at least 20 yards of open space while needing only five) and his arm (think: Garrett Wilson jumping up and down in dismay, wide open).
While I agree that the Jets could and should have run the ball more this week a la the Pittsburgh game, the fact remains that Wilson still has a tendency to short-arm short passes (see: Ty Johnson INT), double-clutch, and bail the pocket at the first sign of a defender beating a block instead of stepping up in the pocket.
Just want to see the kid, step up into the pocket, this isn't a beat Zach up session. pic.twitter.com/c1VpswMrsy
— Leger Douzable (@LegerDouzable) October 31, 2022
Those tendencies limit what Mike LaFleur can actually do with Wilson. Rolling Wilson out gives him a half-field read, and if his receivers don’t get open immediately, that’s where Wilson gets into big trouble. Here are Wilson’s stats on designed rollouts this season: 4-for-11, 70 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 35th in QB rating (21.0), 34th in EPA (Expected Points Added)/play (-0.85).
Should the Jets really be running more of these plays?
I agree that LaFleur can improve his play-calling at certain times; he’s only a second-year play-caller. I don’t agree that it’s his fault Wilson has struggled.
For those who bring up the work Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka have done with Daniel Jones, one of Jones’s biggest traits this season is that he steps up in the pocket. Wilson does not do that, and unless the coaches have not tried to work on that (which is hard to imagine), it’s difficult to work with a QB who’s constantly running backward.
The argument: Zach Wilson’s escapability is a big strength.
The facts: the minute Zach Wilson turns his back to the play, he reduces the chances of a positive play to near zero.
Speaking of running backward, all talk of the positive aspect of Wilson’s maneuverability and elusiveness needs to take into account the results of such plays. It’s great to be able to avoid sacks, but if you’re going to throw picks or near-picks on such plays, is it really better?
Wilson’s default is to turn his back to the play when he runs around a la Patrick Mahomes. Besides the fact that Mahomes has gotten himself into trouble at times when doing that, Wilson is no Mahomes, as is abundantly clear by now. Turning his back to the play means he’s losing track of his receivers and space on the field and allows defenders to catch up both to him and his receivers.
Wilson’s stats in various metrics of quarterback scrambling and elusiveness are all near the bottom of the NFL, per Next Gen Stats (all out of 35 qualifiers):
- Scrambling: 3-for-24, 85 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 7.1 QB rating (33rd), -0.87 EPA/play (28th)
- Running 8+ MPH: 7-for-25, 143 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 34.3 rating (34th), -0.42 EPA/play (23rd)
- Outside the tackle box: 6-for-31, 140 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 19.0 rating (34th), -0.85 EPA/play (31st)
In other words, the Jets may be better off with Wilson taking the sack than rolling around and around in circles, looking to make a play that isn’t there. What’s even more worrisome is that Wilson doesn’t seem to understand this.
Zach Wilson: “It just gets frustrating to throw the ball away.”
Knows he has to be better. Said he was trying to throw the ball away on the second interception. #Jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 30, 2022
If Wilson had just thrown the ball away against New England, the Jets may well have come out on top. Besides his three inexcusable picks, including two on balls that should have been thrown away, he also nearly took a safety while running around the end zone instead of unloading the ball.
The Jets were tantalized by Wilson’s escapability when they drafted him. Little did they know that it would end up as one of the focal points of a QB whose play is in tatters.
Zach Wilson has been a polarizing figure since the Jets drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick last season. However, that polarization is rapidly moving to the side of “he can’t play.” While Robert Saleh insists that Wilson will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season (and that makes sense given what the Jets have behind him), barring a dramatic turnaround, the Jets may need to look at other options come the offseason.
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Wow, all those stats, the math teacher really shines through in this article.
What I concluded with my fans’ eyes was that Zach was hesitant in the pocket, almost like he didn’t trust what he was seeing. Or maybe the evil genius Belichick got in his head. Or maybe he was thinking he was about to be hit and was seeking a pocket exit.
I’m still willing to give Zach until the end of 2023 to develop into the QB the Jets thought they were getting. You make valid points about this year’s Jets team. They are competitive this season, they are willing games which previous Jets teams would find a way to lose. they have legitimate talent on the roster. And they are playing as a team. It would be unfortunate for bad QB play to blow the season. But I still want to give Zach a fair shot to prove he can be the guy.
I see you do pay attention. 🙂 Yes, I’m channeling my inner geek here.
We’ve seen Zach mistrust his eyes the last two weeks, but more than that, there were many times where he didn’t even look at what should have been his primary read. I don’t know if it was Belichick, even, because receivers were open all day.
I think that the debate about whether to give Wilson another year will depend on how he finishes this season. If he has more Patriots games, it’ll be hard to justify; if he plays more like he did against Pittsburgh and Miami, you can live with it.
Another article that I can find no disagreement.
Dreading being in another “draft a QB” situation. It’s such a crap shoot.
I don’t think the Jets will be in a position to draft another QB next season. It’s far more likely that they’d try to pick someone up, but the options aren’t likely to be all that great. Lamar Jackson will almost certainly be tagged. The only guy who might be available is Derek Carr. Personally, I like him a lot and would try to sign him if the Raiders cut him.
I never seen a quarterback trashed so much than zach. He didn’t make the rough the passer penalty. He didn’t missed a field goal. or couldn’t stop the new england running backs. Gimme me a break. Okay Rivka what qb do you want the jets to get. It worked out for the colts hasn’t it?
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league. When the QB throws three picks and you lose, the game is going to be blamed on the QB. That is especially the case when the picks were as bad and inexcusable as the ones Zach threw.
Obviously, Lamar Jackson is going to be the name thrown out there, but I find it highly implausible that he’ll be available. Derek Carr might be out there, and I’d go for him, personally. With the way Geno Smith is playing, the Seahawks will likely re-sign him, but he’s another guy I might target with the talent the Jets have. At the bare minimum, though, I’d like to see the Jets bring someone like Jared Goff, Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater, Gardner Minshew, or Jimmy Garoppolo to push Zach a bit. He would have been benched against the Patriots if the Jets had anyone half-decent as a backup.
Excellent article. The thing I see about Zach is that he’s not tough. If he were, he’d step up and take a hit or throw it away thinking “I’ll get them on the next play,” but I never get the impression that he has that type of confidence. I used to get this same feeling out of Sanchez and Darnold, unfortunately.
I agree, unfortunately. He came into the league looking fragile. Even though he’s beefed up a bit, that doesn’t seem to have helped his aversion to stepping up.
The honeymoon is over! Even Namath knew turnovers hurt the team and his were at the other end of the field like a punt! Love to watch this young man play, watch tapes of Marino, and count to three, next down. Coach him up, guys! See you next week, just win baby! Just extend This season!
See, if he were making enough big plays downfield, you could live with the turnovers. But Zach is not.
Wonderful article Rivka.
I remain optimistic. His challenges are so extreme that I believe a turnaround, if there is one, would have to be equally extreme. Sometimes we like to add “easier said than done” when describing a solution, but in this instance the solution is not that hard. He needs to step up and deliver the ball as it was drawn up. As you point out, the chaos that surrounds you is a distraction. Fear of getting hit or sacked is a distraction. Even taking care of the ball is a distraction…or perhaps more extreme, deciding to throw away the ball is a distraction.
Zach is Ralph Cramden trying to hit a golf ball right now. The Jets coaching staff has to give him a singular focus: execute the play as designed, regardless of the results. Keep doing that until it’s the default behavior.
He has to master that. He does it very well when there is no pressure, so, if he works on it, he can do it when there is, too. Once he masters that you can start talking about when to run, when to throw the ball away, and even when to back out of pressure.
To me, the only way he turns around is if he does Josh Allen-like work on his mechanics. His fundamentals and footwork are worse than a Pop Warner QB’s right now.
Even when there’s a decent pocket, he often backs off and brings the pressure upon himself. As I said in the article, 20% of the pressure and 50% of the sacks he’s taken this year are his own fault according to Pro Football Focus. That means he’s not necessarily doing well when he has time; he’s manufacturing pressure on his own.
Excellent factually detailed article that ranks with your receiver column from yesterday.
Zach needs to step up and take a hit if need be to deliver an accurate pass. The enforced rules of today protect the QB to the point of absurdity so Zach should not be afraid of stepping up and running downfield and sliding when the situation presents itself. Right now he appears cowardly as he runs backwards and sidewards at the first hint of pressure or the sight of an opponent within 3 feet of him. Repeatedly and most times unnecessarily running backwards or cutting the field in half is neither heroic or intelligent and usually only extends a play to a disastrous result.
His short pass accuracy to RBs and wideouts has improved from last year per eye test but is still below average as last year he was disgraceful on such throws. His touch has improved somewhat but is still below par. He unnecessarily rocketed two short completions to Mims and Wilson who both made the catch without apparent damage to their fingers.
His immature attitude in the post game press conference was equally concerning as his 3 interceptions were complete Mark Sanchez butt fumbles. Own up to them. You blew the game so man up. (JFM also needs to man up as well in light of some of his disconcerting comments.) Contending that he was not upset with the sideline interception was sad to hear.
The 3 interceptions were so amateurishly idiotic that such mistakes should be easily correctable. Unfortunately such similar dimwitted mistakes that were made in season 1 should not be repetitive in the 18th start. It more than offsets the positives Zach has shown. A team only gets 7 to 8 drives a game and no Patriotic made a semblance of a great or even good play when catching a floater with no green jerseys in the proximity regardless of where the sideline may be.
Hopefully he will grow up mentally which should help his toughness, accuracy and touch. He will play every down the rest of season if healthy regardless of performance as the GM and coaching staff are currently married to Zach so don’t even bother with the Mike White chants this season. However always keep in mind the divorce rate as to NFL QBs is a lot higher than the 50% rate in the real world.
I agree 100% about his inability to step into a throw. It does look like he’s afraid to get hit. As you pointed out, the rules protect the QB, so he shouldn’t be that scared. Perhaps he’s gun-shy about his injury last season, but that was from his own lineman.
I do agree that his short passing accuracy is better than last year but still not where it needs to be. That throw to Ty Johnson was terrible. It all goes back to the mechanics, regardless of the depth of target. He didn’t set his feet and his front foot was not pointed towards his target. A 5-year-old could surmise that if your foot isn’t pointing where you want to throw a ball, it probably won’t reach its target. I also agree about those throws to Mims and Wilson, who both bailed him out.
I also agree about his immaturity, although I’ll probably get flak for saying that. He’s not owning up to his mistakes, as you said.
Wilson beat himself. These were unforced errors. As you said, again, the Patriots did not do anything special. Wilson just lobbed it right to them – and that’s exactly how they set up their defensive gameplan. They knew that if they just waited, Wilson would give it to them, and he did.
I agree about his playing the rest of the season. The point of this article wasn’t to say he shouldn’t (which I know you understood, but some other fans may not). The question is if he deserves another season if we continue to see this kind of play.
Brilliant article and work! Zach can’t handle pressure, makes poor decisions, and doesn’t have enough big time plays as a passer or runner to overcome the first two points. The indecisiveness makes the schemed up plays and good play calls moot. MLF doesn’t have a lot to work with given the terrible QB execution.
Precisely.
Please stop with the faulty stats. You can’t compare Josh Allen’s full second season to 5 games of Zach Wilson. It’s cherry picking and inaccurate. Allen was awful his first 4 games of his sophomore season. His 4th game of 2019, he had a 24 QB rating and everyone was completely out on him.
Good point. Daniel Jones also started his 2nd season with 2 TDs and 5 picks after 5 games. Everyone acknowledges that Zach needs more game experience in order to get better, but no one wants to give him the experience before dumping him. Not every QB gets it right away. Look at Alex Smith’s career. After his first 36 starts he was at 19TDs and 31 picks, but he eventually turned it around and had several great seasons. Zach needs more time.
The way the NFL is structured nowadays with rookie contracts, QBs do not have as long as they used to. Aaron Rodgers might not have become Aaron Rodgers had he played Day 1. Alex Smith might have been better off sitting for a couple of seasons before taking the reins. That’s like the case with Zach Wilson. If he had been drafted into a situation where he could take a year to work on his mechanics, we could be seeing a totally different QB.
Alas, that is not the case in today’s NFL. Daniel Jones’s 5th-year option was declined because the Giants did not expect to want to re-sign him. They simply were not in the position to draft a QB this offseason, so they waited, figuring that they would bottom out in 2022. For better or worse, they’re 6-2 and Jones has played reasonably well, so they’ll need to figure out what they want to do with him next year. He’s not a star by any means, but he’s managed to achieve a Ryan Tannehill-esque level of play, which the Jets would kill for right now.
Alex Smith is also a relatively rare example of a QB who figured it out later on. The Sam Darnolds and Baker Mayfields of the world are far more common. Can Zach figure it out if he works on his mechanics? Yes. Will he do it along the Jets’ timeline? Color me skeptical.
I think the point of the stats is just to back up what we see with our eyes. I don’t know about the value of the comparisons, but you can compare to try and make sense out of what you’re seeing. We all know comparisons are faulty; the math will point to a probability, but they will never point to anything being certain.
Also, pinpointing the spot in the journey is helpful in figuring out what to do next. Allen, etc. did not figure it out on their own; this coaching staff has got to help Zach through this, so maybe they pick up some ideas by looking at what other teams did in similar situations.
I don’t know that there is a similar situation, though. Have we seen a QB that was so extremely reluctant to step up before (what we see with our eyes) or with such dramatic pressure/no pressure splits (what we see with the stats)? I want to find those guys, and figure out how they got better…if they did.
I agree. That was why I went back to look at the numbers: I couldn’t remember a QB who had Zach’s specific issues and turned it around. Maybe Daniel Jones and Geno Smith? Not exactly the same, but they also had the tendency to bail the pocket too early, drift backward and take bad sacks, and throw boneheaded picks instead of throwing the ball away. It’s not as if Jones is a star, either. If the Jets gave Zach a similar game manager role as the Giants have given Jones, Zach could probably do fairly well. But as Michael Nania said in his earlier article, the question is if the Jets are willing to settle for the game manager Zach.
I hadn’t done a game-by-game review of Josh Allen or any QB other than Zach, but I don’t consider that cherrypicking. However, you are correct: Allen threw three picks (and no TDs) against New England in Week 4 of the 2019 season. However, he did not play nearly as poorly in any game before or after that the entire season.
Furthermore, Allen did extensive work on his mechanics prior to his third season, as discussed in this article. More than anything else, that’s what primed his Year 3 breakout. If Wilson does such work, then something might change, since the core mechanical issues are similar. If not…
The game yesterday is very concerning given that he was playing well until he went into the tank of stupidity. All QB’s have picks for one reason or another, I could have lived with the pass that sailed on him prior to the half, but the lob passes to McCourty kill me. I’m TIRED of Jets QB’s lobbing passes to that guy. HE’S NOT THAT GOOD!
I also noticed the play in the end zone he took WAY too long to get rid of it. As for LaFleur, look all play callers have second guess calls, it happens. I think he’s good overall, and if you look at the all 22 from other games you can see he’s got some good plays dialed up. I’m sure he concerned with the QB.
That said, I’m giving Zach the season. Most of these issues seem mental, he’s young, and didn’t get much time vs. quality teams at BYU. I do think he will improve over the second half of the year. I’m not going to pile on, I am the perfect example of hot and cold with him. I wasn’t crazy about him coming out because he played at BYU, then I got excited, now I have questions.
Glad you mentioned Mr. Generational because he’s clearly the most overrated QB prospect ever. I’m going glass half full with Zach. I saw some great throws, the long ball to Wilson, the TD to Conklin some of the “outs” in pervious games. I think he matures and he’s ready to take next steps.
If he’s not…the good news is this roster has talent, it shouldn’t take 10 years to get someone to fill the void.
I agree about the first pick vs. the second and third. He was playing very well up until that first pick. I could live with it, but not the next two. He needs to stop drifting backward. I’d rather see him take sack after sack than do that.
I’m also giving him the season considering the lack of other options. I was not sure what I thought of him coming out of BYU, soured on him early, decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and then, over these last three games, have become more convinced that he’s not the answer.
It’s weird that he made several excellent throws in this game but also made such boneheaded plays as to cancel out the good ones in your memory.
Tell that to the Colts.
Unfortunately I’m seeing the same thing. I’ve said elsewhere this season doesn’t have to go in the tank. Saleh needs to stop being Mr Rogers and start being Bill Parcells when it comes to this kid. Tell him. Don’t ask him. Stop running around stop dancing stop throwing awful picks and stop losing games or you sit. That’s it.
This.
Execute the play competently and you keep your job, regardless of the results.
Go off-script and you get a little time out to get your head right. A penal series here and there from Mike White isn’t the end of the world.
Agreed. It could kill his confidence if it’s without a concrete purpose, but if it’s not “You threw a pick and therefore got benched” but rather “You threw a pick with your foot not facing the intended target” or “You spun around for 20 minutes and didn’t throw the ball away properly” then it’s more of a lesson.
I think it’s LaFleur more than Saleh, honestly, and even the QB coach (Rob Calabrese). He needs to be told that he’s going to be benched not for throwing picks, but for throwing picks without setting his feet, spinning around outside the pocket and making bad decisions, and the like. I would live with the growing pains if they were within the realm of normal. These are mental malpractice.
What may have been a fatal flaw in analyzing him as a prospect was the lack of tape of him facing pressure. Especially his last season at BYU. What may have started as a below average trait has turned into a full blown inferno after a year and a half of unrelenting pass pro problems. Add to that his impulsive unwillingness to not throw the ball away, plus the inexplicable unwillingness to run the ball makes for a very shaky QB situation for the Jets. He’s going to have to out-grow a lot to succeed. I now have my doubts.
That is likely true, but unfortunately, that’s the case with many college QBs. I don’t follow college football, but Wilson is not the first prospect to come out without exposure to pressure. There’s just no way to project whether the guy can handle it.
It’s not just the pass pro, though. As I cited earlier, Zach is responsible for 20% of his pressures and 50% of his sacks this season, per Pro Football Focus. A perfect example of this was on the play that Leger Douzable tweeted (embedded in the article). There was no pressure there, but he couldn’t sit in the pocket and make a throw.
Nail, say hello to the hammer.
Excellent piece with inarguable points and facts.
I appreciate it.