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Many NFL fans and media pundits who saw Zach Wilson play on Sunday then watched his response to being asked if he felt like he let the defense down at all were disgusted.
After completing just nine passes for 77 yards in the Jets’ 10-3 loss to New England on Sunday, Wilson acted like he had no responsibility for the team’s offensive failures.
.@Connor_J_Hughes: "Do you feel like you let the defense down at all?"
Zach Wilson: "No." pic.twitter.com/tiJiTSrFPE
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022
Reportedly, Wilson’s poor attitude has understandably rubbed some of his Jets teammates the wrong way.
Wilson has been so bad this year that NFL quarterback turned analyst Dan Orlovsky openly wondered on Monday if he actually knows the Jets’ playbook.
Another former NFL player turned analysst, Richard Sherman went even further.
Responding on Twitter to the video of Zach Wilson claiming he didn’t let the Jets defense down, Sherman wrote, “Wow. 9 completions the entire game and 10 punts. You have let [the] defense down.”
Hubris
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) November 20, 2022
Sherman also wasn’t buying Zach Wilson’s excuse that it was “windy as hell” in Gillette Stadium during Sunday’s game.
Later, when NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah tried defending Wilson, Sherman wasn’t having any of that either.
A couple things can be true-
1) Zach Wilson didn’t play well (ok first half, terrible 2nd half)2) He had zero run game & played against a really good defense in less than ideal weather.
3) NE offense had a run game & produced same point total
4) dumb answer in postgame
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) November 21, 2022
“I understand finding positives,” Sherman replied. “But this terrible play has been the case for weeks. Mac Jones played under exact same conditions 23-27 for 246yds. Hes not good enough for the NFL and the sooner the Jets realize that the better off the rest of this team will be.”
Sherman backed up his argument by later re-tweeting some film of Wilson from Sunday’s game versus New England.
@MoveTheSticks https://t.co/93qIObsyX5
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) November 21, 2022
The former NFL cornerback also added that he believes the Jets could possibly pursue Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason and that if New York had him under center this year the team would be 8-2.
Earlier this month, longtime NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick voiced major concerns about Zach Wilson
While Zach Wilson has gone on record saying that “he doesn’t care about stats,” other people like fans and the media actually do.
After going 20-for-41 with three interceptions in the Jets’ first loss to New England this season, Orlovsky went off on Wilson, telling him, “It’s time to grow the fudge up, dude.”
“Sometimes, these young quarterbacks, especially the ones that get drafted high, get put in situations where there’s just not a whole lot around them,” Fitzpatrick said after the game. “This is a team where I’ve been very impressed with how they’re building, how fast their defense is, the playmakers they’ve surrounded him with.”
FitzMagic continued, “One of the biggest question marks I’ve had about him, and the thing that scared me last year, is when they called John Beck, his personal quarterback coach, to come out and help get his mind right during the season, and put him on staff. To me, that was a giant red flag. I don’t know Zach Wilson, but that scares me a little bit.”
He also added that “having to fly someone in to make sure he was okay, and coddle him a little bit” of a problem.
So is Zach Wilson, the Jets’ second overall pick in 2021, completing just 55.6 percent of his passes with just 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his first 20 NFL games. So far, Wilson’s career 70.7 QB rating puts him below such passing luminaries as Mark Sanchez, Bubby Brister, Gus Frerotte, David Carr, Tim Couch, and, yes, Ryan Fitzpatrick.