The rest of us saw the Jets’ performance against the Chiefs a week ago, when they were meant to be a movie set metaphorically for the world champs, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and, of course, Taylor Swift, as a moral win.
To the rest of us, it seemed like a solid foundation upon which the team might expand. Zach Wilson might not have been broken. Perhaps a quick-thinking, aggressive defense was as excellent as we believed it to be before to Aaron Rodgers’ injury—which, now that I think about it, really shouldn’t have had much of an impact. After all, without Rodgers, maybe Garrett Wilson would have had his breakout season and Breece Hall would be back to where he was before he tore his ACL as a rookie.
But that’s just the rest of us, naturally.
That’s not actually how the important players in this equation were thinking at all.
“I’m not sure. As the Jets cruised into metro Denver on Sunday night, coach Robert Saleh reminded me, “There’s a whole lot of season left.” “I believe the greater disappointment among all of us stems from the fact that, despite our best efforts, we were unable to win the game in the end. However, I believe that this team is aware of its far greater potential. And this game, in my opinion, is one instance of it.
The Jets, in fact, didn’t see their convincing 31–21 victory against the Broncos as a surprise, unlike the rest of us, but rather as confirmation that their squad could really compete with the Super Bowl champions a week earlier. For Saleh and the other passengers on the bus to the airport, it served as more validation of their presumptions after a dismal crash landing in 2022 and of Rodgers’ decision to seek a career makeover with the star-crossed team.
Even after what the gang had previously gone through, there was still a lot of potential on that bus.
The way all those talented guys feel about it also doesn’t surprise anyone. On Sunday in Denver, for example, players like Wilson, Hall, Jermaine Johnson, and Quincy Williams made the biggest plays, demonstrating that Florham Park’s talent pool is much larger than any one player, no matter how significant that player may have been. For this reason, Saleh continued to raise the bar.
“We know we lost a lot of points on the board, but I think everyone is happy that we won,” he adds. “Everyone knows we can play even better, I’m sure of it. That’s encouraging, too. It was just for us, just talking to our men. It seemed like nothing unusual was going on.
It turns out that the Jets are still a really decent team despite a very difficult September that began with Aaron Rodgers’ injury and culminated in heartbreaking defeats to the Cowboys and Patriots.
As they were aware. Now, so do the others.
Zach Wilson was the first player that the rest of us waved the white flag at, and to be fair, those defeats to Dallas and New England didn’t exactly give us much reason to be optimistic about the second selection in the 2021 draft.
Against the Cowboys, he went 12-of-27 for 170 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions; vs the Patriots, he was 18-of-36 for 157 yards and a safety (among three sacks). In Week 3, he seemed confused and hesitant to make mistakes, and, at least on the outside, there was a lot of talk about how staying with Wilson was bad coaching.
With a square jaw and unwavering resolve, Saleh declared in public that he would remain loyal to Wilson.
Perhaps he didn’t really have any other options, which played a factor. It makes sense, however, since he and his general manager, Joe Douglas, tried to keep Wilson in the lineup in March and April as they sought Rodgers in the summer, hoping to give Wilson a fresh start and groom him for the future Hall of Famer.
It’s not these athletes’ fault that they were selected where they were, according to Saleh. And as a coach, you just like athletes and individuals who give their all throughout practice, video study, and preparation—players that turn over every stone and cross every T. Simply observing these athletes, you can see that guys like Zach do every task well, maintain a low profile, and give it their all each and every day.
“And then you see the arm talent and you think, God, this could turn into something really cool if you could just hang on to this young man, keep giving him confidence, and figure out a way to get him some success early on.” And our squad is full with athletes just like that.
Saleh was not through.
He believes, “You just have to have faith that it will eventually show up in the game.” Is it upsetting that everyone wants to win right now? Yes, that is rather annoying. Is it difficult for a coach to do that? Sure, it’s challenging. But development is what we have to do, and it won’t always be successful. In most cases, things work out for those who are created like Zach Wilson, with their mental makeup and passion for achievement.
Nevertheless, once Rodgers was injured, Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett realized they needed to assist Wilson more, even if it would take some time to do so.
In order to break the huddle, have a good understanding of the defense, and move players around independently, Rodgers has always liked his system to stay static and lack the mobility and movement seen in the majority of offenses in 2023. To be fair, he also enjoys the great degree of control that comes with it. And for the previous six months, the Jets’ offense was designed to support that.
After rupturing his Achilles tendon, Rodgers was left with a rookie quarterback who was not yet familiar with all the contemporary gizmos and was ill-prepared to use the line of scrimmage to take advantage of the opportunity to slow down the attack.
In order to adjust the system to suit Wilson rather than Rodgers during the previous two weeks, Hackett and pass-game coordinator Todd Downing had to put in a lot of effort. This wasn’t just for the quarterback; it was also for the other ten players in the huddle. A few weeks were always going to be needed for that. Everyone knew it deep within. For this reason, they realized that they had more options than merely to be patient with this. It was necessary.
According to Saleh, “there’s not as many things going on at the line of scrimmage as we were counting on, as we anticipated.” And it’s not meant to diminish him—after all, he is capable of anything. But in order for him to play football and use his arm, we just have to assist him. Zach will eventually take over the offense due to his exceptional skill, since he is capable of doing all the things that more seasoned and experienced quarterbacks can accomplish at the line of scrimmage. But for now, the only thing to focus on is playing the game.
That arm, too?
On Sunday, when it counted most, it was there.
With 10:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jets needed an offensive spark. Wilson rolled right off play-action and then threw back across the field to Garrett Wilson for 32 yards on the first play of a series that began on their own 28. The Jets led by two possessions at 24–13 after a field goal by Greg Zuerlein, which was set up by the play. Following a 75-yard drive by Russell Wilson to reduce the lead to 24–21, Zach Wilson was forced to convert on a third-and–four with 3:56 remaining. And he struck Tyler Conklin calmly down the seam for a gain of 37 yards.Many of the players who made the clutch plays the Jets needed on Sunday have backstories, including the intricate and convoluted one Wilson wrote.
Hall most definitely has his, having returned from an ACL rupture as a rookie to make a huge play like he did in Denver’s third quarter (a pivotal 72-yard run to the end zone after a rocky first half). And that big play this soon after the injury.
Saleh states, “It’s obvious that the play was blocked extremely well.” And it was fantastic to see him separate from the group and return home. .. Despite his large stature, he has an imperceptible speed. I discuss it often with [defensive coordinator Jeff] Ulbrich. You seem to be monitoring the subject well, and I’m thinking, Whoa, this guy is very quick. Man, he’s really skilled. In Buffalo, he had the breakaway and kind of ran out of gas. Against Kansas City, he had another opportunity. In all likelihood, he scores if he chooses an alternate cut.
“And then he made it work today when he had the chance.”
Subsequently, the Jets selected Jermaine Johnson, an overlooked 2022 first-round selection, following the acquisitions of Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. Though the rookie Florida State product only saw 34% of the field and finished with 2.5 sacks, the defensive coaches persisted in working with him, much as the offensive coaches have done with Zach Wilson, because they knew the skill will eventually surface.
It certainly did on Sunday. Johnson beat Garett Bolles off the edge on a crucial third-and-14 with the Jets leading 21–13 in the fourth quarter. He then made another attempt to pursue Wilson down, knock the ball out of his grasp, and force a punt.
“I would contend that Jermaine was extremely fortunate to be selected at the position he was because, as an NFL first-round D-lineman, there is an absurd amount of pressure to perform,” adds Saleh. And he was free to go at his own pace in front of what we believe to be a really strong defensive line. He also had an incredible offseason. He performed well in the preseason games, had an amazing training camp, and earned the opportunity to play.
And he will only get better from here.
Lastly, there is the tale of Quincy Williams, the elder brother of Quinnen Williams, who shined brightest in crucial situations and whose narrative parallels Wilson’s in some respects. With 1:33 remaining, Williams sacked Russell Wilson, seeming to come around the edge like he was blasted out of a cannon. With fewer than 40 seconds remaining, Williams again got to Wilson, slapping the ball loose for another sack, and Bryce Hall was there to pick it up and cover the final 39 yards for a score.
Saleh remarks, “He is [a freak athlete].” “He is a further example; he played nickel in college. In the third round, he is picked. Team rapidly becomes tired of him. He was cut. As I often say, what’s garbage to one guy is treasure to another. He has incredible athleticism. He is the fastest person in the planet. He is the world’s most powerful person. All he needed was time. And we had the good fortune to be able to get him.
And in his first year here, he immediately made his way into the starting lineup. And all he’s done is continue to become better. The fact that Joe [Douglas] paid him this summer and gave him a big deal, and he’s already found a way to improve off of that, is what’s so fantastic and encouraging about it. He hasn’t given up.
Thus, you have a very excellent squad and a higher chance of getting more out of a rookie quarterback when you add players like Williams, Hall, and Johnson to players like Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Quinnen Williams, who had a more direct path to NFL success.
And a great opportunity for each of these tales to be realized, which leads us to the most remarkable of them on this specific Sunday.