Grounded Jets
It sounds like Zach Wilson was the only guy in the Tri-State who didn’t enjoy watching Mike White ball out on Sunday
You won’t find a guy on an NFL roster who had a worse Sunday than (former) Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. After an abysmal performance in a loss to the Patriots a week ago, Wilson declined to take any responsibility, answering simply “no” when asked if he felt accountable to the defense. This reportedly rubbed many in the locker room the wrong way, including head coach Robert Saleh who demoted Wilson to third string ahead of the Jets’ game against the equally quarterback-stricken Bears on Sunday.
That meant Wilson wasn’t active on Sunday, but we was still forced to watch from the sideline in street clothes, November rain coming down as his replacement Mike White balled out, approaching many of Wilson’s season passing totals in the first half.
After the game, Jets rookie phenom Sauce Gardner threw more dirt on Wilson’s cold, lifeless body, offering up this innocent little anecdote to the media.
Tough scene? You betcha. But as an NFL quarterback, you’re supposed to grin and bear days like Sunday. You’re supposed to celebrate your team’s accomplishments, pat your replacement on the back, and maybe grab a headset and clipboard and help out. According to a report from The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, however, Wilson did exactly the opposite.
“Cameras caught him [Wilson] on the sideline, sitting alone on a bench, wearing a poncho, stone-faced. After one touchdown drive, White returned to the sideline and, together with Flacco, practice squad quarterback Chris Streveler and quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese, watched film on a tablet. Wilson sat alone, elsewhere.”
“As White conducted his postgame interview on the field with Fox, a handful of his offensive teammates mobbed him. Everybody was smiling, laughing. Wilson was already on his way to the locker room at that point, and by the time media arrived, he was nowhere to be found.”
Good, bad, or absolutely trash, this is not how you expect a former number-two-overall draft pick to conduct themself (not to mention the other ahem conduct issues Wilson has been accused of). There's a lot water still to go under the G-dubya, it appears Wilson’s time in New York is over before it really ever began; yet another green jersey for the dumpster fire.