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This is so true . . .
When it comes to picking a starting QB, the players generally know who should be out there.
“You can’t fool the team,” said one former NFL GM.
The players in the locker room generally know which QB will give them the best chance to win.
After Joe Flacco took over as the Jets QB following the knee injury to Zach Wilson, Jets rookie receiver Garrett Wilson was asked about the difference playing with Flacco.
“There’s definitely a difference,” Garrett Wilson said. “It’s a lot of experience right there with Flacco. I feel like everything with him, he takes some pace off, puts some pace on the ball. He does a good job of making the passes receiver-friendly. That’s the best way I can put it into words. They’re pretty easy to catch. Takes some off the ball when you’re running a slant route versus an out route, put some zip on it because it’s gotta be. Things like that.”
Robert Saleh is saying that there is still “possible” that Wilson could play in the opener against Baltimore
He said he will announce the starter on Wednesday. Perhaps this is gamesmanship, making Baltimore prepare for two games. Tuesday is a heavy game plan day.
But if Wilson ends up not starting this week, it doesn’t sound like it will be long before he’s back out there as the starter.
“Once he’s healthy, he’ll be ready to go,” Saleh said.
The knee might be ready to go, but is the player?
In the last game we saw him, he threw into triple coverage against the Philadelphia Eagles, and was picked off linebacker Kyzir White the series before he hurt his knee scrambling.
“That interception to White was really high-schoolish,” said former NFL GM Mike Lombardi on VSIN. “It was predetermined where he’s going to throw and he makes a horrific throw and throws it into a crowd. It was non-chalant. Aside from the injury that he’s going to come back from, that (throw) was more concerning to me.”
“That was awful by Wilson,” said Eagles preseason TV analyst Ross Tucker after the play.
So the idea that he will be “ready to go” can be perceived in different ways, depending on your worldview.
The knee might be “ready to go” but is the player? Has he improved going through his progressions and with his accuracy from last year? Has he improved his study habits?
On March 28, 2022, at the NFL Owner’s Meeting in Florida, Saleh said he wants the QB to “own the playbook at a faster clip”
If Flacco looks good in the first game or two, it might be hard selling going back to Wilson to the locker room.
But perhaps the brass isn’t concerned with that.
“When he’s healthy and he feels good, he’s going to play football,” Saleh said.
So maybe this season is viewed by the decision-makers like the last one, where it’s about developing Wilson, and everything else is secondary.
However, by doing that, might you risk losing some in the locker room if things aren’t going well? That is certainly something to ponder. They have a lot of veterans in there who came from winning teams.
September 6, 2022