I wonder the same thing … do they go the draft route again or assuming the rest of the team is ready to they make a big trade (I’m aware not many teams are parting with QB) or do they go the FA route? And along the FA route how about not necessarily a clear cut starter but a young guy that comes in and lights a fire under Zach’s ass whether it leads to the new guy taking over the starter role or not? We know Flacco is toast and White probably is not a long term back up …
I saw the clip of him saying this and was scratching my head like really dude. Crazy thing is he says he sees nothing but most the time there is someone open he just doesn’t see it or recognize it. Just throw the ball away kid and grow up
So Zach - and MLF - have heard for a few weeks how they've handcuffed Wilson and that's contributed to his mediocre/poor play. And maybe yesterday they tried to answer those critics with the play calling. For most of the 1st half it worked. Zach seemed to be playing more loose and he moved the team with relative ease against the Patriots, but then the wheels came off. Something happened and suddenly we saw the "Bad Zach". Why? What triggered that change? Was it the RTQ call that negated the pick 6? Was it his first INT? Something else? IDK, but something happened to "flip the switch" from "Good Zach" to ":Bad Zach". I ask this, not in an effort to make any excuse. Zach needs to permanently disconnect the "Bad Zach" switch, but it's more to say how maddening it is to see him be the QB that earned him the #2 pick and then look like a guy who will never get it. And also, if there was such a turning point, MLF and Calabrese need to highlight this for Zach and make it clear so that he stops letting things like that send him into the tank. Good QBs don't let one thing throw them like that.
I know. You're absolutely right. Zach just flings the ball wildly like he's playing a pick-up game at the beach.
I think if Zach doesn't improve his play before the end of the year they might have a few options this offseason. Option A: Lamar Jackson. This one is probably a pipe dream and I'm not even sure if the FO and CS want Lamar but if you put Lamar on this team right now, I think we're right up there with the best of the AFC. Again, I think this option is the least likely of all of them but it's one they absolutely have to pursue if they want to capitalize on how this team is built. Option B: bring in a middle-of-the-road vet on a relatively cheap deal and have a legit QB competition in camp. None of these names are going to inspire anyone on this board but Jimmy G, Brissett, & Andy Dalton are all set to become FAs. Maybe throw a dart at Cooper Rush if the Cowboys let him walk? Either Zach really improves his play during TC and wins or the other guy wins the job. Either way this hopefully gives this team decent QB play next season. Option C: trade up or draft a QB early in the draft. It depends on how the rest of the season plays out, but it'll be highly unlikely we're in striking range for the top guys (CJ Stroud and Bryce Young). If you're sold on one of them, maybe you package some picks and try to make a play for one. Very risky as you're likely mortgaging the future but it's an option. Or you hope one of the other guys (Levis, Ward, Hooker, Richardson) are there with your 1st/2nd round pick. Take them and have a QB competition in TC. Same as above, either Zach steps up and wins or we've got a rookie QB that's a better option than Zach. EDIT: Minshew would be an option in the Option B category that I forgot to throw in there.
He consistently bails on relatively clean pockets instead of stepping up into a throwing lane. This also leads to him not stepping up and just running. He could’ve ran for a touchdown on the 4th and 5 miss to Conklin at the end of the game. Everything with him is horizontal.
That did seem to be a telling comment about where his head is at. I wouldn't say "bored" though, I'd say "frustrated". And that would indicate that they've had Zach on training wheels longer than what he'd like. If so, maybe they should take them off and let him fall a few times. And while he should show more maturity by not letting his "boredom" or "frustration" push him to make forced errors, the CS should sit down with him and figure out how to address his concerns. It's all well and good to say he should "grow the fuck up", but he's 22 years old and earned the #2 pick by playing loose. True, he tried playing that way in the beginning and had terrible results, so when he returned last year, they installed the "training wheels" and he began to improve. And they've kept the training wheels on up until yesterday and that has resulted in pedestrian stats but a winning formula. I think Zach is chafing under this formula like most 22 y.o. would do. I'm not saying they should simply give in and let him be a gunslinger, but if this is what's going on - and his comment seems to suggest it is - they need to sit him down and 'splain things to him.
IMO, it was his first INT. You could tell for the next few series that he was "pressing" to make up for that play. It's like he realizes that he made a stupid play but instead of shaking it off and moving forward it's almost like he gets this mindset that he's got to win the game on the very next play or he's completely failed the team. So when that doesn't happen, he spirals down further and presses more and more until he finally realizes that he can't do it all with one pass. Then once his back is against the wall (when we got down 22-10) the switch turns back on because at this point he's kind of in a nothing to lose situation so he just starts playing ball. It's up to Zach and MLF to figure out how to get him out of this mindset when things go wrong and just let him play ball for an entire game.
You’re wrong. His issues with interceptions don’t have to do with him being the hero. It’s not an ego driven thing. His problem, as I’ve been saying all along and called every name in the book for, is he has no idea how to read the defense. None. He doesn’t understand what the defense is doing, and he doesn’t understand how to exploit it because frankly I don’t think he really understands what our own offensive plays are designed to do in the first place. He doesn’t see the matchup advantages pre-snap, and he sure as shit doesn’t see them once the ball is snapped. He has limited football intelligence so he runs around like a chicken with his head cut off praying he finds someone open on a broken play. Catching up to the speed of the game means you have a good understanding of the game and strategies, but just have a hard time at real speed. I don’t think Zach has an understanding at all.
Totally agree with you. Zach has enormous talent he just needs to play smart. He can be a gunslinger but, not when he's running for his life from four defenders.
I could be totally wrong too. I'm not going to sit here and assume that I know exactly what's going on in Zach's head. This is just my opinion based off of watching him play for 18 games now. I sincerely hope that whatever mental issue it is that's bogging him down, Zach, MLF, and Calabrese work together and fix it.
Brady will be a free agent. Yes Tom Brady There is a good chance Derek Carr is available. There is an out in his contract after this season. McDaniels is going to want his own guy and at 2-5 they might be picking at the top of the draft (fancy rookie QB) Either of those guys could get a lot out of this offense but I would move hell & earth for Lamar Jackson as my top choice for sure
Thanks for that I respect NCs anger at Saleh and MLF but truly doubt they will be " benched" before Wilson is We have to look at the Jets winning as a team not focus on one player making it in the NFL>> ZW Jimmy G I always liked Dalton and Cooper Rush are intriguing deals too Are you ready for this ? that clown Geno Smith stepped in to the starting role and now has wins ...M Stafford left Detroit and led LA to a SB. Why not here for some majic to happen NC no disrespect ...you are a smart poster But even you entertained the idea of getting serial criminal Deshawn Watson over here as a Free Agent Watch how the Browns are transformed when his ban is over! Let me be clear ..most long time Fans want to see just 1 more SB before we pass on ...sigh Who will be our long term QB is too complex a question ..I say just win now!!
Zach’s problem is real simple. He doesn’t understand the strategies of an NFL defense, and frankly I don’t think he understands offense for that matter either. Every offensive pass play call is designed to exploit a defensive call on every play. Every quality QB in the NFL can walk up to the line and understand the D coverage before the snap, and exactly what receivers have the best shot against that D. The truly great QB’s can recognize what’s going on the moment the ball is snapped and adjust from the presnap look on the fly. Zach doesn’t know who to go to in the first place. He never has. Defenses aren’t confusing him with exotic schemes. They’re pinning their ears back and coming after Zach because they know he can’t make the intelligent decision before the blitz gets to him. The rushers in Zach’s face are not the OL’s fault. If Zach knew how to read the D and hit the hot routes then the D will eventually have to back off. He’s a prototypical physical talent and I think they felt they could coach up his intelligence. Personally I feel the learning curve is too steep for him. He might have a Geno-like resurgence if he sits as a backup for a few years but I don’t think he’ll do that. I think he’ll be out of the league after one more try somewhere else, he comes from money and I think he’ll end up starting some businesses and live the good life off the residuals.
It is the same mental issue since early last year. At the beginning of the year Saleh kept talking about Zach just needs to relax, play and stop over thinking. We have had improvement and elite QB play against Jax, Tampa and Miami and really good QB play in other games but we keep having the same issue that rears it's head 3-6 times a game where he presses. I think we can see it even more than that in some of these scramble plays. I am sure the CS has done all they can. At some point Zach needs to get out of his own way. Film review consistently shows he is very good at reading defenses, understanding defensive schemes and making the right reads, he is very accurate when he uses good mechanics, he is smart, he has incredible athleticism, he works really hard, he lives and breathes football, seems to have great relationships with everyone, and has amazing arm talent. He has everything he needs to be a top 5 QB but he keeps getting in his own way. Saleh has been saying since early last year at some point Zach will click, a light will go on and he will start dominating. There is only one reason he cannot dominate like he did against Pitt in the 2nd half, Miami the entire game or Tampa last year and that is himself. He is his worst enemy. It is reasonable to ask will he ever fix it? Will the game slow down for him where he can stop thinking and just execute? The odds are against him. The mental issues of playing QB is what destroys most QB careers. At this point he needs a reset and the bye week. He does not need to play like Mahomes he just needs to play smart like Mac Jones and take what is given to him, survive and not be the reason we lose. If he can do that and recapture the way he played the last 7 games of last year and the first two this year I don't think anyone would be unhappy. That would be a good rest of the season. That would be enough to survive and keep progressing. The problem is when things go bad for a young QB they snowball when that QB loses confidence. Right now he just needs to find a way to stop the bleeding and stop this downward slide. Three games in a row that have gotten progressively worse. I think we all can agree we have only a tiny shot at beating Buffalo. Let's just hope Zach does not continue this slide of playing worse each successive week and he is not the reason we lose to Buffalo.
I'd like a few games where he is a big reason why we win. It likely won't happen against the Bills, and possibly the Pats. But, when the Lions and Bears come to town, I want to come away thinking we won because of our QB, not in spite of him. Both are 22nd or worse when it comes to points allowed.
What I don't understand is how no one has sat Zach down and told him he needs to set his feet before he throws. It's a glaring issue leading to a lot of his overthrows. Or maybe they've been telling him and he's just not doing it for some reason? He may be too skittish due to the beating he took due to our bad OL at the beginning of last year when Zach saw his first NFL action. Zach - you're not Patrick Mahomes. Most QBs can't throw dimes mid-pirouette.
