New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson had some decent moments against the Giants on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium. The number two overall pick led the Jets on two drives and scored three points.
Wilson finished the game 6/9 for 63 yards, and the Jets would defeat the Giants 12-7
“He looked comfortable, especially on third down,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said about Wilson. “Made some good throws, directed the offense really well. Got in and out of the huddle. We moved it very well for those first two series. It was a good first day.”
Wilson agreed with Saleh’s assessment of his performance.
“I thought it was good,” he said. “Of course, still things to clean up, but it was a great experience. I really enjoyed having just that game-like setting and the introduction to the NFL and the whole game. It’s great for everybody, no matter how much football you’ve played. It was awesome just to be able to get out there and do that.”
With Wilson at the helm, the Jets were 2/3 on third down, which impressed Saleh.
“You just want him to get his feet wet,” Saleh said. “Show that the game’s not too big for him, which he obviously showed. Especially in those third-down moments, he had a couple of critical third-down conversions there that I thought is the epitome of playing quarterback in this league, staying on the field, and scoring points in 2:00 situations. He had an opportunity; obviously, with those third-down opportunities, 2:00, he’ll eventually get.”
Earlier in camp, there were reports that Wilson was having some struggles, but at this point, Wilson feels he is starting to get more comfortable with the offense and NFL football.
“I think it’s just like you were saying, getting more comfortable with everything,” he said. “The offense is all installed at this point. To an extent, we’ll throw some more things in there, but now it’s just repetition. It’s like, how much can I just keep working on the same exact plays, and now I’m getting every single different look in practice and then coming out here, it’s great for all of us to be able to just go through that whole thing because now we’re starting to settle in and being able to just keep working on getting better on all of these.”
The Giants rested a lot of their starters on both sides of the ball on Saturday night, and it’s preseason game number one, but seeing Wilson look comfortable and play an efficient game has to bring some excitement to the Jets organization.
