NEW YORK — Robert Saleh isn’t sweating over his rookie quarterback’s early struggles through camp.
Zach Wilson is going through a string of rookie woes and Tuesday was no different. Wilson went 10 for 17 with an interception and took six sacks according to ESPN. But Saleh isn’t pressed about that and has been even more impressed with Wilson’s resolve through the roller coaster.
“He’s awesome. He asks questions, he’s in the defensive coordinator’s office asking questions about scheme. And he’s an absolute sponge learning from mistakes, he’s trying stuff,” Saleh said to reporters. “A lot of stuff you see is he’s testing what he can and can’t get away with, which I think is awesome.
“The kid’s going to be fine. He’s going through a process and what I love about it is he’s deliberate in his process and how he’s trying to find ways to get better. He’s focused on getting himself ready to be the best quarterback in the league and we’re all in love with his process.”
That’s the word of the season for the Jets first year under a rookie head coach and quarterback. That’s all the 2021 season will be based on and during training camp as part of that journey.
And eventually, Wilson will start improving. It’s not a matter of if, but when.
It could come this next week, the first month of the season, or by the end of the year. And Saleh believes it’s only a matter of time.
“His process is exactly where we want it to be, his study habits are exactly where we want it to be, his demeanor on the practice field is exactly where we want it to be,” Saleh said. “But the result is, that’s a pacifier to make people happy. He’s going in the direction that he needs to go. He’s got the right mindset; he’s doing everything that he needs to do and when it clicks it clicks.”
There are positives to Wilson’s struggles. Most of his problems have come from dealing with the pass rush which has made him uncomfortable. The main culprit of that is the Jets defensive line, Saleh’s bread and butter for his defense.
Each practice, the unit has brought constant heat to put the former BYU quarterback under duress. The ringleader of that pressure has been Carl Lawson, who has lived up to expectations throughout camp. He also had three sacks on Tuesday.
“Carl Lawson, he ain’t been stopped yet,” Sheldon Rankins said a week ago and that message still permeates.
Each day, Lawson lives in the backfield as if he owns property behind the line of scrimmage. The former Bengal has been a pressure machine through camp just like he was last year when he had 32 quarterback hits — second in the NFL behind the Steelers’ T.J Watt — and 64 pressures, sixth most. Saleh isn’t surprised how dominant Lawson has been.
“He does it to everybody. You watch the tape, he beats everybody. I think he was top three in pressures and quarterback hits,” Saleh said. “It’s not foreign to him to win, but what’s cool though is his work ethic and the way he goes about his day-to-day process. He is relentless with his body. There’s the old saying, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” and this dude, not only is he talented, but he works his absolute butt off. And because of it you see results.”
Saleh sees Lawson as a player that transcends the scheme and if this momentum rolls into the season, then a double-digit sack season is inevitable. As long as the secondary can make quarterbacks hold the ball.
