Jets coaches impressed by Zach Wilson's maturation
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson was far from perfect in his season debut, but his performance in the fourth quarter Sunday in Pittsburgh gives the Jets hope that they are nearing the corner and close to taking a turn.
Wilson’s poise, demeanor and play on the Jets’ two late-game touchdown drives impressed his coaches. They saw the second-year quarterback make strides during the course of the victory.
“To put together those two drives in the fourth quarter says a lot about those guys and says a lot about him as a leader, how much he’s just continuing to grow and grow and mature,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “He was last year in terms of being a leader. Through experience, it’s just going to continue to get better and better.”
Last week was Wilson’s 14th NFL game. He is very much a work-in-progress, but he didn’t look intimidated and was confident in the biggest moment on Sunday.
“I saw a lot of growth,” Jets quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese said.
After missing the first three games because of a knee injury, Wilson was rusty at the start (8-for-24 with two interceptions in the first three quarters). But he was very sharp at the end, completing 10 of 12 passes in the fourth quarter.
Wilson believes the Jets’ game-winning drive will be a stepping stone for this offense.
“Part of it is our mentality as an offense, what we’re trying to do and this growth mindset,” Wilson said. “In the huddle, you look at a situation, you feel the moment and vibes and you look at everyone in the eye, and you’re like, ‘We’re going to go down and score right here.’ I think that’s a cool thing, a special thing. I learned a lot from that last drive. It’s going to be good for us moving forward.”
LaFleur, of course, wishes it didn’t come down to that and he said he could have called some different plays to keep the Jets from going six straight series without scoring.
The Jets (2-2) can’t afford to do that Sunday against the more potent Dolphins’ offense that features dynamic receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Wilson was a full participant in practice Thursday after being limited with an ankle issue on Wednesday. He said he was able to go through enough Wednesday and took the majority of the first-team reps on Thursday.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot,” Wilson said.
Wilson will be tested by a more aggressive Dolphins defense. Miami likes to blitz. That could lead to some big plays from the Jets if Wilson takes another step in his development
The way Wilson was able to feel the Steelers’ pressure and escape it impressed LaFleur. He credited Wilson for studying film and knowing where the soft spots in the defense were.
LaFleur also liked Wilson’s in-game adjustments and maturation. He said there was a play in the third quarter when Wilson threw incomplete to his checkdown against a certain coverage. After consulting with Calabrese on the sideline, Wilson saw the same coverage again and held on to the ball a little longer and threw it for 35-yard gain to Garrett Wilson.
“That’s very encouraging,” said Calabrese, the former East Islip star. “There’s multiple times, similar concepts that he was able to say no to it in the first quarter and move on but then third, fourth quarter he had a feel for it, which was positive.”
Robert Saleh also noted the growth Wilson showed by finishing the game the way he did.
“The resolve to come back, stay confident, despite the pressure he was getting in the second and third quarter,” Saleh said. “If you watch that fourth quarter, he’s still hanging in the pocket, he’s not retreating like a young kid did. He’s staying in the pocket. He’s stepping up in the pocket. His feet are settled. He’s delivering the ball. He’s throwing dimes. All in the fourth quarter after just getting pressure all over the place, which tells me that he’s playing fearless, he’s playing with confidence,
“So what’d you like to see is just from the entire offense, just continue to jell and harness what we did in that fourth quarter. If we do that, we can be pretty explosive.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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