Giants DC talks how Jets' Zach Wilson is different from last season

Add New York Giants defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale to the list of people noticing a change in New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson after he spent time this offseason working alongside teammate and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. 

"I think that you can tell that the guy has been around greatness," Martindale said about Wilson during a Thursday news conference, per the Giants' official website. "You guys know how I feel about Aaron Rodgers. You can tell the kid's confident — he's not a kid, he's a grown man — but the guy's confidence and how it's grown playing the position. So, I've seen the improvement in the way he's running the offense." 

Wilson, of course, was supposed to serve as Rodgers' primary backup throughout this season but was forced into action when the 39-year-old suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1. Following a couple of rough outings, Wilson helped the Jets earn two straight wins heading into their Week 7 bye, and both team captain C.J. Mosley and Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett noted this week that the 24-year-old is flashing more confidence than he did a year ago. 

While ESPN stats show Wilson began Thursday night ranked 29th in the NFL among qualified players with a 36.9 adjusted QBR on the campaign, it sounds like Martindale believes such numbers only tell a portion of the story regarding how the signal-caller performed over his past couple of games. 

Meanwhile, Martindale also offered high praise for Jets running back Breece Hall. Hall is averaging 6.5 yards per carry coming off the torn ACL he suffered last October and went into Thursday evening ranked ninth in the league with 426 rushing yards. That's impressive considering many teams haven't yet had their byes. 

"The biggest challenge that we're going to have is that running back because he's special," Martindale said about Hall. "You can tell that he's really come back from his injury, and he's one step and gone, so we need all 11 to get to him." 

Defense may ultimately determine the winner of this Sunday's showdown between the 2-5 Giants and 3-3 Jets, so Martindale must be ready for whatever Hackett throws his way. As of early Thursday evening, OddsChecker listed the Giants as two-and-a-half-point underdogs for the contest.