You can't keep using the rebuild excuse. Wilson was drafted where he was because they thought he could contribute early. 3 seasons is not early. He needs to take a big leap this year. As far a the rebuild goes, Joe drafted mostly players that could contribute in year 1. The time to start winning is now, not a few years down the road.
Flacco is like 1-14 in his last 15 starts. I don't think we have to worry too much about him suddenly finding himself - although I guess anything is possible. The answer to your question though is that the Jets let Flacco throw the ball as much as he is comfortable with in the games he starts and then they rush Zach back and let him do the same and his performance looks terrible compared to the vets (see last year) and most of whatever chance he had of being anything evaporates cuz Jetz... What the Jets should do is use Flacco to establish a pattern with a successful running game and then having Flacco take a few shots down the field. Then everybody is comfortable with the offense most likely to help Zach out when he returns - which should be a game later than he looks ready just to be sure.
I didn't say anything about "a few years down the road"... nor have I ever used "the rebuild excuse" for anything. Fully expect this team to double the win total from last season... at least. I agree... Zach needs to get lots better this year. We're fucked if he plays like last year.
Sticking with Flacco would be a very Jetsy thing - and a panic move. They drafted Zach to be the FQB. I don't know how they can decide that he's not that guy given the limited games played and the mitigating circumstances in most of them. I get that the fans are desperate for wins, but a few more wins in the short term with Flacco won't translate to long term winning. They're going to give the ball back to Wilson when he returns and let him prove one way or the other if he is their FQB.
While we cant use the “we’re in a rebuild” excuse forever, we can use the “it’s not football season yet” excuse for a few more weeks.
Thanks for the kind words. That Eagles game was quite amazing. After 3 possessions and 3 offensive TDs we were losing 21-18. Because the Eagles scored a TD in all 3 of their possessions and we missed our extra points. I don't think I have ever seen that happen before. But maybe even worse is what happened after the half. The Eagles took the second half kickoff, drove 70 yards running out most of the 3rd quarter. Pretty much the story of the year for our defense and the predicament the offense would often find itself in. It created a situation where no matter what the offense did it was not enough. Making every offensive player feel like they had to be perfect and score on every possession. The end result is that kind of pressure causes the OL to press and miss blocks, receivers to run poor routes and drop balls and the QB to force plays trying to do too much. Not to mention how can the offense get into a rhythm when they are not even on the field. Hopefully the defense will improve dramatically. The secondary looks pretty darn good on paper and the DL looks solid with great depth. Even our LBs have potential and some depth with Alexander. Will all this result in improved play? I hope so but it certainly has to be better than last year which is great news for the offense. But, there will be growing pains with 6 to 7 new starters, on defense, it will take time for them acclimate to each other. But, it has to be a lot better than last year.
I think if Flacco comes out Week 1, looks great and beats the Ravens, you start him Week 2. It allows Zach to get back to 100%. I would treat it in a similar way that NHL teams handle a hot goalie. You don't stay hot forever, but you can ride it out as long as possible. Once Flacco starts to struggle, the fans see Zach Wilson warming up on the bench and the crowd erupts as he runs onto the field. Zach is back as QB1.
I agree with the first part of your post - if Flacco plays well against the Ravens, give him another game and make sure Zach is 100% healed up. But the hockey analogy only works if you have two proven goalies, and Zach has yet to prove himself. The longer you allow Flacco to take the snaps - and this indicates that he's having some success - the harder it will be to turn back to Wilson. That approach isn't necessarily wrong - having him sit behind a proven vet for awhile, but it should've happened last year. If they do go this route I believe Zach can handle it, but it seems like adding confusion and potential controversy into things. All that said, I'm not there, nor do I have the qualifications to assess the situation more than any other fan, I can only hope that Douglas and Saleh get this right.
We'll be going back to Zach sooner than later but here's the thing. If Flacco looks great and gets wins, and is then benched for Zach who doesn't look good over few games, there could be a QB controversy by midseason. Especially if we are near .500. I still think they'll stick with Zach but the heat on him will be turned way up.
It would be a good "problem" to have but Flacco hasnt looked great in years so we will "worry" about it if it even happens
If this happens, it will be up to JD and Saleh to manage things to avoid that controversy. As for Zach, if this does happen it will show he has a lot still to learn and he should stay open minded and learn all he can from it. From everything I've read about him, going back to H.S., he is a voracious student of the game and I believe this is the route he would take.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202111210nyj.htm I was at the game and he looked very good to me. Problem was the defense was fucking horrific, especially after we tied the game.
There's been only one QB this century (Alex Smith) who was bad both his first and second years and wasn't a bust, and Alex Smith was only ever good, not great. So if Zach is still bad this year, he's a bust as far as the Jets should be concerned.
I think Zach is probably already a reclamation project waiting for a very smart QB guru. If you gave him to Andy Reid he might still have a career.
When you have six wins over the past two seasons, yes, rebuilding is a real thing. If your expectations that don't reflect that reality, then you aren't being realistic. Calling it an "excuse" doesn't alter the reality that this team was terrible and that, no matter how much young talent we've brought in this year and last, it will take time before they hit their stride. That's not an excuse; that's just living in the real world.
