The Jets have invested heavily in quarterback Zach Wilson. They used a No. 2 overall draft pick on him in 2021 and made moves each of the last two offseasons to build out his supporting cast.
But the second-year passer is still making those bone-crushing rookie mistakes. He’s coming off a three-interception performance in a 22-17 loss to the Patriots this past Sunday, the team’s 13th straight defeat against New England.
Fans are thus getting eager, even amid a 5-3 start. Including WFAN’s Craig Carton, who was pretty blunt when appearing on Kay Adams’ “Up & Adams” FanDuel TV Show Thursday.
“He’s not an @NFL quarterback…”
⁰@craigcartonlive on Jets’ Zach Wilson⁰
?: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/Lza5JefrvG— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) November 3, 2022
“He’s not an NFL quarterback,” Carton said. “It’s a sad thing — we keep convincing ourselves that Zach Wilson is the guy. And then every week that he proves to us he’s not the guy, we just complain about it. It’s like being in a bad relationship.”
“We’re going to pretend that he’s great,” he continued.” We’re going to support him. They’re going to lose by 40 to the Bills on Sunday. And then we have two weeks — because the bye week is right after that — we have two weeks to yell and scream about how much we need a quarterback. That’s what we’re going to do. Because it’s really what we as New Yorkers do best: we complain.”
Along with the three picks, Wilson finished Sunday’s game with a 48.8% completion rate and 64.6 passer rating.
Wilson was’t playing great prior to Sunday’s loss either (one touchdown, two picks through four games). But the three-interception performance has sent fans over the edge. Another bad game and loss, which is certainly possible against superstar quarterback Josh Allen and 6-1 Buffalo this Sunday, could set Florham Park on fire and send Wilson to the bench.
And speaking of Wilson’s job security, it’s very interesting how the Jets promoted Mike White to be the No. 2 quarterback against the Pats. They demoted Joe Flacco in the process. Flacco, who started Weeks 1-3 in place of an injured Wilson, was a healthy scratch against New England.
Is this head coach Robert Saleh’s attempt at pushing Wilson to play better?
It’s certainly possible — when it comes to keeping his starting job, I don’t think Flacco scares Wilson as much as White does. Especially after White’s unforgettable 405-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Bengals last year.
White breathing down Wilson’s neck could definitely push the latter to make the necessary on-field improvements.
Of course, all of this is just speculation. But if Wilson struggles mightily again on Sunday, and the Jets are trailing big against Buffalo, don’t be surprised if White enters the game.
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