Jets' Zach Wilson excited to finally face a different defense

Zach Wilson is tired of running away from Carl Lawson, Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers. He’s ready to play against another NFL defense.

Wilson will get that chance Saturday night when the Jets open their three-game preseason schedule against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. The prized rookie quarterback only will play about a quarter, according to Robert Saleh, but Wilson will get to see and show how far he’s come since his first practice on July 30.

"I’m excited," Wilson said. "It’s going to be good to prepare, just to get back into a season. It’s crazy how fast it flies by from college to now, preparing with these guys. I feel like we’re learning a lot and we still got a lot of time to just keep learning."

Just about everything is new for Wilson, the No. 2 pick from BYU. He has some familiarity with the offense from college, but everything else is different, including the defenses he faces.

Wilson carved up defenses as a junior, completing 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

It would be an understatement to say that Wilson hasn’t been that crisp, sharp or efficient through 11 training camp practices.

The 22-year-old has been under pressure from the Jets’ aggressive defensive line, which should only prepare him more for what he might face each week, but Wilson is a film junkie and isn't afraid to ask questions.

Wilson doesn’t only pick the brains of his offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese, the former East Islip High School star QB. Wilson also meets with Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to learn more about what teams are going to throw at him.

"The reason I went to Coach Saleh just to talk ball was I want to know some of the differences between coverages in the NFL and college," Wilson said. "You see quarters, Cover 3, Cover 2. Everyone knows the base coverages, but in the NFL, they’ll throw a little wrinkle in there.

"So I just wanted to know like, ‘Hey, what are these guys thinking? If we throw these things at them, how are they playing it?’ It’s just adapting to the NFL game and I just love talking ball. He’s got some great insight, super smart guy."

Wilson was upset with himself after throwing no touchdowns and two interceptions in the Green-White scrimmage last weekend at MetLife Stadium. He had some up-and-down series and days in practice, but he showed progress later in the week.

He had one of his better days on Thursday, leading the offense on one touchdown drive and nearly another during a two-minute drill, but it stalled at the 2-yard line after Wilson threw incomplete on his last three pass attempts.

"He’s an absolute sponge learning from mistakes," Saleh said. "He’s trying stuff. A lot of stuff you see is he’s testing what he can and can’t get away with, which I think is awesome."

Wilson said he’s never going to get too high or low from a practice, and that the coaches don’t have to worry about hurting his feelings if they see something he does incorrectly or needs to improve.

"When I hold the ball, I’m holding all 11 guys on the field at once," Wilson said. "They’re putting their trust in me to be able to make the right decisions and so it’s an accountability thing. They understand that I’m trying to get better, and they’re trying to get better. It’s good to be hard on ourselves sometimes and just understand that it’s a process.

"Even after the scrimmage, obviously, some plays I want back but, I’m learning a lot. Every single play that we made, good or bad, was awesome for us. It was great learning, great to be in the stadium, and I’m excited to keep playing."