When football starts, social media stops for Jets' Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson at Jets camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, New Jersey on Aug. 2, 2022 Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson is more concerned with his snaps than social media apps. He’d much rather pore over the Jets’ playbook and work on reading defenses than what anyone has to say about him on any platform.
The Jets’ second-year quarterback said he scrubs all social media apps from his phone before training camp begins. He doesn’t download them again until he’s bored in the offseason. For Wilson, it’s about locking in and limiting distractions and voices and unwanted opinions.
“I feel like it’s a great way to disconnect and then it’s like my mind is 100% here, focused on what it’s supposed to be focused on,” Wilson said after practice Tuesday. “I’m spending time with what my coaches are saying in the meeting room rather than with anybody else is.
“It just comes to limiting what voices I need to really hear. Right now, it’s hearing what my coaches have to say, what the other quarterbacks and really my teammates, and what we’re thinking on every single play. Even parents sometimes can be a distraction.”
Wilson, whose mother has a big social media presence, said he started doing this while he was in college at BYU. He said he never scrolls down social media. Wilson also made a joke when he was asked about all the scrutiny he’s been under for his inconsistent play during the first six practices of training camp.
“Who’s scrutinizing?” Wilson said. “I’m sorry, I don’t read any of your guys’ stuff. It’s only [Joe] Flacco that’s scrutinizing me in our Ping-Pong tournaments we got going on.”
Surely, someone is telling Wilson what’s being written or said about him. He said he has a team that helps him with social media posts during the season.
But the Jets coaches have noted repeatedly how Wilson’s head is in the right place, that his main focus is football and improving and being the best quarterback he can be.
Wilson did have a much better day Tuesday than Monday when the offense stalled during the move-the-ball portion of team competition.
He was mostly accurate with his throws on Tuesday and had two nice completions for first downs when the offense was backed up deep in its own territory. Wilson rolled right and hit Braxton Berrios on the first and rolled left and found tight end Tyler Conklin for a big catch-and-run on the second.
During the last period, Wilson led a long drive that stalled at the 5-yard line when Jabari Zuniga came up with a “sack.” In two unscripted periods Monday, Wilson didn’t complete a pass and the offense went three-and-out both times.
Robert Saleh said he was happy with what he saw from Wilson and that it was a good day for him.
“He’s definitely better than he was a year ago this point,” Saleh said. “He has more control of the huddle. He’s got more command of the huddle. He’s got a lot more confidence than he did a year ago.
“Today I did think he had a really nice day in terms of running the offense. He showed a lot of accuracy, got the ball where he needed to. He’s going to continue stacking days. The more comfortable he gets with the scheme the more you can see his athleticism and his arm talent come to life.”
Wilson doesn’t judge himself on how he does during a practice. He said he goes back and watches video and evaluates every play and what he could have done differently or better. But he said practice is “frustrating” because he believes he’s going to be “perfect on every play, which is unrealistic.”
On the last play, Wilson said he wishes he threw the ball to one of his tight ends, and he’ll learn from that. He felt good that the offense put together a long drive at the end of a long, hot practice.
“I think that was good for us,” Wilson said. “As an entire unit you could see guys were tired. I thought that was really good because that happens in games. Guys are tired. You have to be able to focus. You have to be able to think. I thought that was a good drill for us.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
