Jets' Zach Wilson showing a good head on his shoulders
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson returned to training camp carrying more muscle on his frame and additional attention and notoriety stemming from rumors about his personal life.
Even new Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah reported to camp wearing a T-shirt of a mock cover of Time magazine’s Person of the Year with a picture of Wilson on it.
The Jets’ second-year quarterback laughed at Uzomah’s shirt and isn’t concerning himself with all the headlines and social media posts about an alleged relationship.
“I’m really just focused on football,” Wilson said Wednesday. “I’ve never mentally felt like I was in a better spot than now, so I’m excited to be here.”
Wilson’s mental makeup has never really been a concern. The Jets believe he has what it takes from the neck up to handle all the pressures of playing quarterback in this market. Robert Saleh said Wilson is a mature, wise young man from a good family and has been impressed with how he carries himself.
The Jets are also confident that Wilson’s physical skills will shine through this season.
He had a good first day of practice, completing 7 of 10 passes during team drills, including a tight-window throw on the move to Tarik Black. Wilson’s lone mistake was a low throw that cornerback D.J. Reed picked off during a red-zone situation.
Wilson said he had some nerves, but he also felt much more relaxed than a year ago at this time. Wilson has a better understanding of the offense and he believes it will allow him to play freer and think less.
“Even when you make a mistake, I can correct myself now for the most part after,” Wilson said. “That’s a good thing because you feel like you can keep improving and getting better. I feel like just the understanding of what I’m asked to do in this offense and my ability to just make quick decisions and get through my reads is going to keep improving.”
Expectations are higher for the Jets this year and for Wilson following a good offseason for the young quarterback. His knowledge of the offense is much better, and he put in a lot of time with his skill players, building chemistry off the field that he hopes translates on it.
Earlier this month, Wilson got a group of players together at a ranch in northern Idaho. It was about the same time that rumors about his personal life went viral.
Wilson said about 10 players made the trip to Gozzer Ranch, where they played golf and went boating and spent time at hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s place nearby, enjoying the “sweet water slides” in his backyard. Wilson said he also tried to teach them how to wake surf. They found time to get some football training in, too.
“We had an awesome spot,” Wilson said. “We got to work on a lot of stuff. It was a good bonding moment for all of us, kind of sit by the fire at night and talk. It was a real cool trip, but we definitely had a blast together.”
Wilson believes it’s important to build a “personal connection” with his guys. It helps them lean on each other on and off the field.
“That’s what the Idaho trip was for: for us to spend time together and show them that I care about them,” Wilson said. “I want to get to know them and all the little details about their life. They can trust me on the field that I’m going to try to do everything I can to get them the ball.”
Wilson also dismisses the notion that for the Jets to be competitive and make a playoff push he needs to have a great season. He said players, coaches and game plans all have a hand in what happens.
“It’s not true at all. Of course not,” Wilson said. “Could you say if I don’t do my job the offense isn’t going to run? Of course, I touch the ball every play. I got to do my one-11th, my job. Everything else takes care of itself. That’s all; I got to focus on: What’s my job on this play?”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
