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A lot of questions
to Zach Wilson today about his relationship with Aaron Rodgers. There really isn’t much there.
They met briefly during the Jets-Packers practices last summer.
That is it.
Wilson did talk about how great Rodgers’ accuracy is.
Wilson needs to ascend to Rodgers’ level of accuracy and field vision moving forward, and should watch a ton of tape of the Packer QB, especially since they play in the same offensive scheme.
Sunday is going to be a huge game in Wilson’s young NFL career. They aren’t facing Mitch Trubisky or Skylar Thompson, but a player who will likely put plenty of points on the scoreboard, and the Jets will need a little more than they got from Wilson in the first three quarters vs. Pittsburgh or against Miami, to keep up with the Rodgers.
It will be interesting to see what he can do . . .
While Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson won’t play this week, it doesn’t look like he will be out long with the ankle injury he suffered against Miami. He said he’s made a lot of progress this week and is feeling a lot better . . .
Carl Lawson had a remarkable number in his stat line last week with 7 QB hits.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a number that high for a defender on the stat sheet.
But his challenge this week will be a lot more significant than Miami offensive tackle Brandon Shell, who was forced into action early in the Jets-Dolphins game, when Terron Armstead re-injured a turf toe. It was a little shocking that Miami gave Armstead, a 5-year deal for $75 million with $43.4 million guaranteed, considering he was always hurt in New Orleans.
So Shell, a right tackle by trade, was forced to play left tackle, and Lawson dominated him.
Facing David Bakhtiari this week, one of the best and most highly paid NFL left tackles, will be a much bigger challenge for Lawson. And Lawson knows the challenge he’s in for this week, raving about Bakhtiari today calling him “a craftsman.” . . .
I think the Jets are better at cornerback this year with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, but hearing some of the questions about them in the press conferences recently, about how well their doing, we might need to put the brakes on that a little until we see what they do in Green Bay against Rodgers.
Once again Trubisky and rookies Pickett and Thompson, aren’t exactly a murderers row for a secondary.
And remember, before the last couple of games, the Jets had significant coverage issues, especially in zone concepts, with people being left wide open on explosive plays, some in the end zone.
Once again, there is no doubt the Jets’ corners, and secondary overall, is better than last season. But let’s see what happens on Sunday before we put anybody in Canton.
Gardner looks like he’s going to be special, but too much praise for any young player too soon can be bad for their mindset . . .
You gotta love the toughness of Kwon Alexander. The man loves football and it shows. After he lit up Miami’s Tyreek on a reverse on Sunday, the wide receiver complimented the linebacker on the hit, according to Alexander. It will be interesting to see what the Jets do when Quincy Williams comes back, which could be this week or next. The way the Jets roll, it’s fair to assume that Williams will get his job back from Alexander. Not big on line-up changes.
But you know what, in a way, it might be good for Alexander to be a guy who doesn’t play full-time, but is on a little bit of a snap count, because while he’s a really good player, he’s missed a lot of games due to injuries over the years, and the injury history was a big reason the Jets got the player on a very reasonable one-year deal in free agency.
So a pitch count might actually be a good thing for the former LSU standout . . .
October 13, 2022
