The New York Jets have benched second-year quarterback Zach Wilson twice in just nine starts this year. His clear struggles have hurt this talented football team as they have to win out and get a little bit of help over the final two weeks to get into the playoffs.
The main Jets coach working directly with Wilson is also in his second year, Mike LaFleur. Earlier today, LaFleur met with the media for his usual Thursday press conference and spoke on the young quarterback’s issues.
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New York Jets OC Mike LaFleur discusses Zach Wilson’s lingering problems:
On what needs to get corrected and why LaFleur believes Wilson can still be a successful quarterback, he stated the following.
“He’s a talented football player. He’s a talented thrower. There’s things physically, in the lower half, that we gotta get corrected. We could start that today, we could start that last week, a month ago, we could start that last April in OTAs. But it’s gonna be all-encompassing. It’s gonna be again, the work he puts in today, but going through that whole offseason, resetting that lower half, getting those feet in the ground, getting balanced, and seeing where he can improve there.”
No surprise, as Wilson’s accuracy issues have stemmed fundamentally from poor footwork. LaFleur also made known that Wilson is “a New York Jet, and he’s not going anywhere. That’s the way my mindset is.”
While Wilson has most of the natural talent, one could ask for from arm strength, athleticism, a quick release, the ability to throw from different arm slots, throwing on the move, among other traits. His struggles have always come from fundamentals and, now seemingly, a lack of confidence.
He did play about as poorly as any starting quarterback throughout the National Football League in his second season. His completion percentage dropped this year to a low 54.5%. He was only throwing for 187.6 yards per game. Wilson had a disastrous touchdown to interception ratio of six to seven that led to a 72.8 quarterback rating.
Despite his immense struggles, Wilson’s play-caller has continually stuck up for him. LaFleur has certainly been in an unfavorable position this year but is always more than accountable. And the main point mentioned above, Wilson’s footwork, will be a point of emphasis for him to turn his career around whether he is with the Jets in 2023 or not.