Former Jets QB still worried about Zach Wilson
Former NFL quarterback and current "The NFL Today" analyst Boomer Esiason remains concerned about New York Jets starting signal-caller Zach Wilson following Gang Green's 31-21 win at the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
"You can’t be just lazy and acting like you’re the next 'Joe Cool,' the next Joe Namath," Esiason said about Wilson during Monday's edition of the WFAN "Boomer and Gio" program, per Ryan Chichester of Audacy.
Specifically, Esiason was referencing how Wilson cost the Jets an opportunity to score at least three points when he failed to properly manage the clock in the final seconds of the game's first half:
"I’m assuming the coach is saying, 'Hey, we have no timeouts, you can’t throw the ball in bounds, we have to get it out of bounds or in the end zone,'" Esiason explained. "It’s as easy as that. It looked to me like he didn’t even understand what was happening…the lack of urgency with that spike and that play is what troubles me."
Esiason and Namath were among individuals associated with the Jets who ripped Wilson after the 24-year-old produced an outing to forget in New York's 15-10 home loss to the New England Patriots in Week 3. Wilson has since performed admirably across his last eight quarters of football and completed 19-of-26 passes for 199 yards with no touchdowns and a fourth-quarter interception versus Denver:
Esiason blamed Wilson for the turnover that became a forgotten moment thanks to cornerback Bryce Hall delivering a last-minute scoop-and-score.
"Then, this horrific throw to (wide receiver) Garrett Wilson," Esiason continued. "That throw is supposed to be outside the right shoulder, high, so Garrett could use his ability to go up and get it…they must throw that play in practice, they’ve probably thrown 5,000 times since (organized team activities)…That is a huge problem for this young kid. The awareness aspect of his game is just not there."
According to ESPN stats, Wilson began Monday ranked 29th in the NFL among qualified players with a 37.8 adjusted QBR and a 73.4 passer rating on the season. He tossed four touchdown passes and five interceptions across the campaign's first five games.
The 2-3 Jets will need Wilson at his best when they host the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Jets as 6.5-point home underdogs for that matchup.
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