In light of the star receiver’s recent complaints, New York Jets play-caller Todd Downing discussed how to make Garrett Wilson more satisfied with his role in the team’s offense.
“First of all, I’d say that all of that is a byproduct of people wanting to win. He’s a competitor just like Davante’s (Adams) a competitor, just like our tight ends have great competitive spirit, so it’s not a bad thing for somebody to want the ball when you don’t score enough point to win the football game,” said Downing.
“The staff and I work very, very hard to try to make sure that everyone comes into our meetings on gameplan install meetings and says, ‘Ok, I could definitely get the ball there, I could definitely get the ball there, alright, this play’s designed for me, this play I’ve got to do my job so that somebody else can do theirs.’
“Throughout the course of the season, we’ve done a good job of making sure that those opportunities are balanced across the gameplan. There are so many things that happen when the ball is snapped that can dictate where the football goes. When we only score nine points, we have to look at ways to get our playmakers the ball more. I feel like it’s been a balance that we’ve done a pretty decent job of throughout the course of the year, and obviously, we want to get our guys the ball as much as we
can.”
Downing also spoke about his individual conversations with Wilson.
“Garrett and I talk a lot during the week, during walkthroughs, and little things in between periods at practice and all that. We have great dialogue. I try to be intentional with my relationships, whether it’s a guy of Garrett Wilson’s stature or somebody on the practice squad. I want to make sure everybody feels their value in this offense, and so I definitely am very intentional with the conversations I have.”
To his credit, Downing has done a pretty good job designing plays for Wilson. The third-year receiver ranks fourth in the NFL with 141 targets. Wilson is consistently open at all areas of the field and makes plays when he is targeted.
However, game-planning is only one part of the equation. The quarterback, in this case, Aaron Rodgers, needs to execute the plays designed for Wilson and target the wideout down the field. This has been the main issue; Rodgers has turned down opportunities for Wilson in favor of forcing it to Davante Adams (who has out-targeted Wilson 94-to-74 since joining the Jets) or trying to scramble. As many targets as he has received, Wilson arguably should have even more. His separation is that good, as the film shows.
Until that issue is resolved, Downing can only do so much. He can concoct the gameplan, but Rodgers must execute the plays drawn up for Wilson during the games.
