Why??? He drafted the second highest rated in QB in the draft. He can hardly be faulted for making a dumb decision in doing that! His other choice was keeping a QB who was ranked dead last in the league last year in the hope that it was the coach's fault. If Douglas had stuck with Darnold and he looked terrible in training camp, everybody would be calling for Douglas's head for squandering the opportunity to draft a franchise QB! Even if Wilson fails, Douglas really can't be given any responsibility for that. He made the best move he thought he could with the options he had available.
According to one pre draft article 23 out of 23 teams had Wilson ranked as the 2nd best QB in the draft. JD, the CS and the FO office all had a large gap between TL and Wilson and the rest of the QBs. In fact one article said that there were only 2 QBs the Jets FO thought were an upgrade to Darnold. Wilson might not have been loved by the media like Fields but unlike Fields he was loved by scouts and FOs. Further if you look what SF gave up to draft Lance and Phillys desire to trade up for Wilson we can see that the 2 and the 3 pick were much more valuable than the pick the Jets used for Darnold. We can then infer that NFL teams rated the top 3 QBs in this draft much higher than any in 2018. Certainly Wilson has all the tools to succeed. His arm talent and accuracy is out of this world. His athleticism and pocket presence is good. But what seems to set him apart is his work ethic and acumen. The mental part is what makes a good QB. He has all the physical tools if it clicks mentally then he will be very good.
Agree Dark night. I might get flamed, even though I have nothing but respect for the TGG forum , but let me share my view on the diverse type of fans we have. Most all want to see a winner, damn the rest. Some are negative and impatient based on our torrid past, some are right down angry and tired of bad performance and will remain non committal till we demonstrate a winning culture, many are sunshiners, look at the now as a new opportunity full of hope and will give this new regime every benefit of the doubt. Most are loyal above all, knowledgeable, passionate, look at the facts somewhat realistically, assessing good and bad, factoring in with an open mind the ups and down of the rookies. But in the end everyone will root for JD and the CS and this team to succeed above all. Together they don't give a damn to be proven right or wrong, and thrilled if Zach and the rest make this team a winner. But then there is the small elite group of insufferable Me first fans. " I know better than the GM, never liked Wilson, never wanted Wilson, we over reached for so and so, bad trade, and will soon prove everyone wrong" . Their agenda is first and foremost to prove themselves right. Damn winning, damn JD succeeding.. "I must be proven right above all. I want to be the first one to fire the same one liner every time Wilson misses a pass, or repeat it in fifty different threads if he throws an interception. Above all, I shall be there to tell all of you suckers I told you so. Forget the facts, I need to make my point stick." Yet, oddly enough, in some darker NFL universe, this group fancies themselves true Jet fans. Go figure.
Bottom line: I’ve had just about enough of prognosticating young QBs. No matter what it looks like I’m waiting for real success on the field before I get excited
The NY Jets bring out the GM in everybody... and why shouldn't it? We've sucked ass on every level for the last ten years. Shitty owners... shitty coaches... shitty QB's. What fan doesn't think they might do better?
A bad scrimmage doesn’t mean much but let’s stop referencing Manning’s rookie season, that was over 2 decades ago. The league is different now. Young QBs are taking less time to adjust now because they get so many more passing snaps than in the past. A rookie QB leading the league in INTs now particular in NY of all places would have a hard time keeping his job. Find better more current analogies.
Sadly, I think this is spot on. I truly think some fans would rather see the team, GM, CS, and individual players fail just so they can be right. IMO those are not Jets fans. Some are trolls, and some are like jilted lovers. They really hate the team now, but it's a habit or an obsession they can't break so they have to hang around. Thankfully, there are only a small handful of those here.
Agreed. If Wilson fails, he fails. But Douglas shouldn't take any flack for it. Drafting Wilson is what just about any GM in his position would have done.
That can only help him in the long run - as long as he doesn't get hurt. But with the "not hitting the QB" rule that alleviates much of that concern. Unlike Gase and Patton Oswalt, I have a lot of faith in Saleh & Co. being able to develop a QB.
I am huge on Wilson, I saw videos of him and wanted him at least a month before Zach to the jets was a done deal, so, yes, as of now I think Douglas absolutely made the correct move. that being said, I am not the gm and I am not getting paid the big bucks to make that decision. It is the gm’s job to get it right. Just because Wilson may have been rated #2 that does not absolve Douglas if it turns out to be wrong, he is getting paid to get it right and not to just follow the mock drafts.
Br4d, while I do agree with where you are going with this, I have to disagree with the statement "if the Jets had a real QB". How do you know they don't? Even if you did not like Wilson or think there was a better option, to blatantly say that they do not have a "real QB" is not a statement based in fact considering he has been on the practice field for 2 weeks. I get it, rinse repeat, rinse repeat. That does not take away from the fact that maybe this front office got it right this time. And yes, many of us, including myself, have said that before, but we can not have a "real QB" without drafting a rookie and going through rookie growing pains.
