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As we have written before, Zach Wilson is like David Kingman – home runs or strikeouts.
A perfect example of this was on the Jets second to last possession of their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
On the first play of this possession, Wilson, under pressure, made an impressive throw off-balance to Allen Lazard on a crossing route for a 17-yard gain. A few plays later, Wilson attempted a pass to Lazard on the right side, and was picked off by linebacker Robert Spillane. Wilson might have taken the highly instinctive Spillane to the ball with his eyes.
Somebody in the press box made a great point about Wilson and whether he’s the best starter for the Jets right now.
Considering how well their defense is playing, and that they usually have a decent run game, they could probably use a consummate game manager to compliment this.
The press box observer feels that Wilson is not a game manager. He can provide some really nice highlight film plays, here and there, but is perhaps too inconsistent to be considered a game manager.
Like a Colt McCoy type. Not a star, but consistent short-to-intermediate accuracy – hits the layups. I’m not saying the Jets should sign McCoy at this point, but just trying to point out the kind of game manager who perhaps can complement the Jets’ defense and running game a little better.
Maybe that guy is Trevor Siemian who is on the Jets’ practice squad.
It’s surprising to some why Siemian, who has 30 NFL starts, hasn’t been active on game day, so if Wilson is struggling in a salvageable game, they can bring him in.
Maybe they don’t want to hurt Wilson’s feelings by doing that.
And Jets coach Robert Saleh is still high on Wilson, who has one touchdown pass in the last five games, and that was to short pass to Breece Hall that the running back took 50 yards for a touchdown.
“I feel like Wilson played a good game yesterday,” Saleh said about the Raiders’ game . . .
One of the problems with a lot of young quarterbacks is they don’t throw enough with anticipation. They wait to see a guy flash open, and then they fire the ball.
But on the NFL level, you need to throw with anticipation, like when guys are cutting, and trust them to be in the right spot, because the throwing windows are often so small, you don’t consistently have guys flash open like in college.
One of the things that has made Brock Purdy so successful early in his San Francisco 49ers career is the young QB is already very good at throwing with anticipation.
An example of a throw where Wilson should have thrown with more anticipation was late in the first half at Las Vegas.
On a third-and-3, Wilson threw an incompletion to Allen Lazard down the left sideline. The throws was inaccurate and late. Lazard ran a double move on cornerback Jakorian Bennett, but Wilson waited too long to throw, throwing too late, and the pass was unsuccessful. This is a pass that Wilson should have thrown much early, with anticipation, as Lazard was executing his double-move . . .
November 13, 2023
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