NY Jets QB Zach Wilson was ripped by former Jets linebacker Bart Scott for his underwhelming outing vs. Patriots
You know what they say about the New York sports market: When you win, there’s no place better. But when you lose, it might be the toughest place to play in the country.
After his disastrous outing in a 22-17 home loss to the New England Patriots, Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has been absorbing more heat from fans and media than ever before in his short NFL career. Even former Jets players are expressing their disappointment in Wilson.
Bart Scott, who played linebacker for the Jets from 2009 to 2012, vehemently criticized Wilson during a segment on SNY.
"He wasn't pressured. He created the pressure by bailing out of the pocket."@BartScott57 and @JeaneCoakley evaluate Zach Wilson's play through 18 career starts on Jets Game Plan: https://t.co/kmZPyascft pic.twitter.com/QKGiy6QJBG
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 4, 2022
“The reason why [the Jets] didn’t do well on the offensive side of the ball is because once again, [Wilson] made it about himself. It became more about hero ball, things that we had saw last year that we thought he had matured, and moved on.”
Scott explained that he believes Wilson needs to have a better feel for managing the game.
“You have to understand, you have the fate of the team in your hands because you touch the ball every single play. So you have to make sure that you manage the game appropriately. You do what’s needed to win. And what was needed to win was for you to have a clean game, for you not to escape the pocket, for you to be disciplined, and have great mechanics. And he made it about himself and he tried to play hero ball.”
Digging deeper into the intricacies of Wilson’s performance, Scott explained why Wilson’s under-pressure struggles are overblown, as he believes Wilson is responsible for creating much of that pressure.
“He wasn’t pressured. That’s the problem, he wasn’t pressured. He created the pressure by bailing out of the pocket. When you retreat, you shrink the field. Of course, that’s pressure. Want to know why that’s pressure? Because that’s where the lineman is taught to block the guy. … You created the pressure because you gave up and didn’t believe in your teammates. But you expect them to believe in you.”
Wilson has a massive disparity between his clean-pocket and under-pressure statistics. When kept clean, Wilson has a passer rating of 109.4 and a completion percentage of 72.6%. But when pressured, he has a passer rating of 7.1 and a completion percentage of 19.1%.
However, as Scott explained, getting better results out of Wilson is not as simple as giving him better protection, because even when he is well-protected, Wilson has a tendency to make clean pockets look like pressured pockets by holding the ball too long or bailing the pocket too early.
Scott described how he thinks Wilson can do a better job of handling pressure.
“Step up in the pocket, and you have an opportunity to deliver the ball down the field, or use your athleticism to give up. … He has to believe in the pocket, believe in his teammates. That’s what the issue is. When you bail and you run to the edge, then you’re telling me that you believe that you weren’t protected. And a lot of times he was protected. Or, the play broke down. When the play breaks down, don’t try to be Lamar Jackson. He’s one of one. Be Zach Wilson.”
Wilson’s ball security will be tested on Sunday against a Buffalo Bills defense that leads the NFL with 1.6 interceptions per game.
