3 areas where Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson has improved since returning from injury

Robert Saleh’s optimism when it comes to Zach Wilson hasn’t wavered one bit.

“We’re really excited about where Zach is and we’re really, really confident that his arrow is definitely pointing up and it’s only going to get better,” the Jets head coach said on Monday. “What’s encouraging about him is he is learning so many different things and he is getting better at a lot of different things.

“But it’s like I said, he’s got to go through these tough moments … I think he’s going through a tremendous learning curve and it’s one that he’s going to be able to capture and run off of it and take with him to the offseason and grow off of.”

The Jets honestly believe Wilson — the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft — has shown strides in his development since returning at the end of November from his sprained knee.

To Saleh’s credit, Wilson has gotten better in a few areas, although the basic stats don’t paint a clear picture of his improvement.

In Wilson’s first six starts before his PCL injury against New England, he was averaging 223 yards per game with four touchdowns and nine interceptions. He completed just 57% of his throws and was sacked 19 times (per, Next Gen Stats).

Since returning for Gang Green’s Week 12 win over the Texans, he is averaging 185 yards passing per game with two TDs and just two picks. His completion percentage is still way too low (54%) and he is getting hit too often (15 sacks). But he has also had three rushing touchdowns — two of them on QB sneaks — and his TD against Houston was an impressive one.

The lower interception rate is the big obvious improvement, but the rest of his growth is a little harder to spot.

But let’s take a dive deep because the improvement, even if marginal, is apparent.

THE QUICK GAME

There’s been noticeable growth when it comes to Wilson playing the quick game. When Wilson is confident in his pre-snap read — and trusts his eyes post-snap — he’s efficient in getting the ball out quickly and is taking what the defense gives him. He is also placing passes where receivers can produce yards after the catch.

In his first six games on passes thrown within 2.5 seconds, he completed 77% of his passes. The problem was that he rarely got the ball away that fast. He only had 57 such attempts for 283 yards and a touchdown.

Since his return (four games), the stats are 338 yards with two touchdowns on 56 attempts. His completion percentage has dipped to 68% but there’s more production.

Even on throws between 2.5 seconds and 4 seconds, there’s slight improvement, and his turnovers have been cut way down.

The next step is operating successfully once the defense forces him to hold the ball a tick longer than he wants by taking away his initial read. He’s completing just 49% of his passes in those situations.

BYE UGLY STARTS

The odd first-half woes don’t seem as much of an issue since Wilson’s return from injury. He’s already thrown for more yards (346) and touchdowns (two) than he did in his first six starts (343 yards, no TDs, six interceptions, 49% completion percentage and 28 passer rating).

Wilson’s efficiency is aiding the overall execution from the offense as the unit is averaging 13 points in the first half compared to three points in his first five starts.

Wilson needs to carry that momentum into the second half, though, because outside of the Texans game the Jets have struggled when the opponents have adjusted their defensive game plan after the break.

But it’s better to start fast — like in the games against the Eagles, Dolphins and Saints – than to constantly be trying to play catch up.

INTERMEDIATE ACCURACY

Wilson’s accuracy on throws of between 10-19 yards was horrendous in his first six starts. He completed just 41% of his passes in the intermediate area of the field with an unseemly seven interceptions against just one touchdown. His yards per attempt was 7.4.

While his accuracy still needs work, he has been better here. His completion percentage is up to 50% (on 20 such passes), with only one interception and his yards per attempt has risen to 8.0.

NOW THE BAD NEWS

Playing under pressure is still a big problem for Wilson.

Wilson is 4-for-20 with one interception on throws under pressure since returning. He’s been sacked 15 times and you certainly can’t put all of the blame on the offensive line because his average time before hitting the turf is 5.14 seconds. That means there are plenty of plays when he has taken a sack despite time to either hit his check down or throw the ball away.

There’s also a handful of plays when Wilson will bail from a pocket in the face of some pressure instead of staying at home and delivering a pass under duress. Sometimes QBs must stare down the pressure and deliver strikes.

While his receivers need to do a better job of getting open quick enough to help Wilson against the blitz, it’s on the rookie QB to make plays.

The average completion percentage in the NFL this season under pressure is around 50%. Wilson is completing just 38%. That’s not good enough, but we’ll chalk it up to rookie growing pains.

Wilson has three games left in his rookie season to make the strides that he can build on this offseason.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/32iIQYE