Jets head coach Robert Saleh wants Zach Wilson to understand that, sometimes, it’s cool to play boring football.
On Sunday, Saleh watched his rookie quarterback play through a nightmarish outing in a 25-6 loss to the New England Patriots.
Wilson threw four interceptions, two of them occurred on his first two pass attempts of the day.
It wasn’t the first impression Wilson wanted to make in front of the home crowd. Because of the pandemic, this was Gang Green’s first game at MetLife Stadium since December 22, 2019.
Early in the fourth quarter, as Wilson continued to struggle, the cheers he heard at the start of the game eventually turned to boos.
The No. 2 overall pick in the draft, finished the day 19 of 33 for 210 yards, and the four interceptions. The Jets dropped to 0-2 on the season, they’ll head to Denver next Sunday.
Mac Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in the draft, went 22 of 30 for 186 yards for the Patriots (1-1).
“When you have a rookie quarterback — and they have a rookie quarterback, too — it’s OK to play a boring game of fb,” Saleh said to the New York media afterwards. “It really is. He is an electric dude, competitive. He wants to win so bad. Again, sometimes it’s OK to be boring. I guess that’s the lesson to take from this one.”
New England has surrounded Jones with a strong run game, along with their defense, to help carry the load. It doesn’t have to be flashy every week to get the job done. It’s okay to check down to the running back instead of forcing a pass downfield to a covered receiver. There’s a time to be aggressive and there’s a time to go the conservative route. And this appears to be a lesson Saleh wants Wilson to embrace.
But what can Saleh, the first-year head coach, do to help his first-year quarterback? Because if the Jets are going to keep Wilson’s early season struggles from snowballing on him, his coaches must also help put him in better situations to succeed.
First, the run game has potential. Rookie running back Michael Carter flashed for an impressive 88 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches. Moreover, he netted six first downs. Carter has vision, speed, and awareness to tote the rock in an increased role.
In a “boring” offense, it’s essential to have a running back that can get you three to five tough yards. Or be reliable in the passing game as a check-down for the quarterback. On plays where Wilson clearly was forcing the football downfield, those were opportunities where Carter could’ve been a better option. He gave Saleh, along with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, plenty to think about heading into Denver.
In his final year at BYU, Wilson threw only three interceptions. Two weeks into his first NFL season, he’s thrown his first four-interception game. He’s learning what it means when they say those throwing lanes that were available in college, close much quicker in the league where they play for pay.
The student of the game, that Wilson is, will go back and look at film to see where he went wrong. He’ll need to find the balance between aggressive gunslinger and game manager – it’s a must if he’s to succeed on this level.
And Saleh must continue giving his rookie quarterback the best opportunities to succeed. Let the run game help move the chains, let the defense get stops, or special teams do their part to help flip the field.
These are facets of the game Wilson will need to embrace, but it’s up to his coaches to make sure the message gets through. Because what’s not boring, is winning.
