Sauce I'm so excited we got this guy. Super man crush. I love the fact that, right out the gate, we're hearing about how sticky he has been in OTA drills. It takes a lot of confidence for a brand new DB to play tight man coverage in his first NFL practices. NFL receivers got moves. In tight man coverage, if the DB makes even a slight error -- turns his hips a moment too quickly or shifts his balance even a little too aggressively -- a good receiver can break free and make a huge play. A lot of young DBs would give a little cushion to ensure they don't get beat, especially as they are adjusting to the quality of NFL receivers. If the reports are to be believed, Sauce has enough confidence to ignore all that and stay sticky like he did in college. And so far, I haven't heard that anyone completed a pass against him, and we have heard reports of Sauce breaking up passes. Of course, I'm probably not hearing everything. But I will double down on what I have said from the moment we drafted him: I think there's a high chance Sauce eventually becomes a HOF DB in the NFL. And I predict we'll start seeing why very early this year.
I actually had this thought driving to work this morning. I think 7 wins is the minimum where I "feel good" about the season. Obviously that is subject to change but that's how I feel right now. 7-10 or better and I think we've got something going with this core group.
Can't believe what I'm reading here about the OTA's being "too easy" Are you kidding me? Would another achilles tear be more pleasing? OK, maybe just an ankle sprain to Garret or Breece. Geez....
Didn't want to start an entire thread on this Twitter thread from Mike Giardi so here we are. Nice to hear some of these things coming from opposing defensive coaches. Some great observations that a lot of us have pointed out through last season and in the offseason as well. Some quick quotes: "Very few guys generate that kind of whip, which is why he can fling it off platform. I'd actually like to see him to do that more." "His arm is eye-popping but he misses a lot of layups. He's gotta clean up his footwork and he's also got to dramatically improve how he sees the defense." "Said they played a ton of man vs the Jets and Wilson last year. "They didn't have too many guys who could beat it, especially when Moore and Davis were missing time. And Zach would just stand in there and hope someone would break free."
I think we need at least two division wins. No reason we can’t beat Miami once and then get one win from the four combined games against NE or Buffalo. and yes, I would see 7 wins as a good season. Our over/under is only 5.5, so to me 6 is acceptable and 7+ goes from good on up.
if we can't beat Miami and NE once each our off season is basically a bust/ no progress has been made
Zach Wilson's rookie stats are actually slightly better that Josh Allen's rookie stats....I'm hoping for a similar career trajectory!
I think many of the NFL teams are going lighter on OTAs early in the phases. Ravens as someone stated are going lighter due to decimated injuries before the season. the only thing I am disappointed on Zac was when he was informed by reporters that his HC says “he’s thicc” , Zac failed to say, “That’s what she says”….
The Wilson defenders often talk about his dedication, study habits, arm strength, fitness and accuracy but few will approach his ability to read the defenses quickly and accurately. That was the biggest drawback I saw to him even before he was drafted and he still has done little to alleviate those concerns.
All of those things can be true and he also still needs to learn how to process the field quicker. Again I don’t know what the other criticisms of him could possibly be. That was very clearly his weakest link.
unless i see bunches of plays where there was an open dude he missed.. its just alotta talk did he hold the ball too long? yes. ( 1 v1 matchups waiting for guys to win and they dont covers alot of that)
It's hard to judge how much holding onto the ball too long was because he didn't process things quickly enough or because his receivers weren't getting open - not even "NFL open". IMO it was some of the former, but more of the latter. IDK what you watched of his college tape but he definitely processed things well then. And he showed improvement in this area towards the end of the season. With much improved receivers, running game, and OL I expect he'll do much better this season.
What any of us saw in his college tapes, particularly in the competition he faced, was immaterial to the competition he had to face in the NFL and, so far, he has not done well. We'll see if he can step up to NFL standards this season.
His perceived ability to read the defense was why he was drafted no. 2 overall. Needing “dramatic improvement” there is disappointing
I don't feel like this in entirely true. A lot of us have already said Zach was bad last year and there's really no disputing that but there's been plenty of evidence to show his decision making improved down the stretch. Whether you're just looking at the stats (2 INTs in final 7 games, 0 in final 5) or the tape, Zach seemed to become more comfortable after the injury which led to better decisions. This was also without his top 2 weapons for the vast majority of that stretch (CD missed 6 of the final 7 games & Elijah missed 5 of the final 7 games). Zach still has to improve his processing speed and footwork if he wants to take that next step but I think that'll come now that he's going into his 2nd season in the same system. We shall see.
