The Jets coach reiterated his belief in quarterback Zach Wilson on Monday, a day after a dreadful performance by Wilson in a 15-10 loss to the Patriots.
Jets fans booed Wilson through the game and called for him to get replaced after it.
But Saleh said the team is sticking with Wilson this week against the Chiefs and beyond.
“He’s our unquestioned quarterback, guys,” Saleh said Monday. “So long as he continues to indicate in his preparation, the way in which he’s been practicing and even in these games, guys. He’s not the rationale we lost yesterday. It’s at all times a team effort. So long as he continues to indicate improvement, and I do know from a box rating standpoint it’s not showing, he’s going to be our quarterback.”
Saleh feels like he’s in denial when he says Wilson just isn’t the rationale the Jets lost.
Wilson was unable to generate any offense outside of 1 fourth-quarter drive.
The defense held the Patriots to 13 points and kept them in the sport.
Wilson accomplished 50 percent of his passes and threw for just 157 yards, with most of those coming within the fourth quarter.
Saleh wouldn’t say whether or not they plan so as to add a quarterback this week, deferring to general manager Joe Douglas.
“That one is a Joe query,” Saleh said.
It is feasible the Jets add a quarterback this week, but that player might be brought in to learn the offense for just a few weeks before the they might even consider playing him.
For now, the Zach Wilson show continues, much to the fans’ chagrin.
“One thing I’m going to provide him credit for is he had a turnover-free game yesterday,” Saleh said. “He had no turnover-worthy throws from my recollection, and since of that we were in position and had the ball at midfield with 1:40 to go and two timeouts to go win the sport. Because we played a clean game of football on the offensive side of the ball and we were capable of win the field-position battle within the second half.”
The Jets never intended to have Wilson play in 2023, in fact.
This was purported to be a redshirt season for him to sit down and watch Aaron Rodgers, decompress and learn.
As a substitute, he was thrown back into the fireplace 4 plays into the season.
Saleh indicated Monday that the team has struggled to regulate the offense built for Rodgers into an offense built for Wilson.
“It’s not an excuse, but the truth is it was built a certain way and now we’re attempting to adjust on the fly, which is a challenge but a challenge but I believe we’re going to find yourself coming to a solution for,” Saleh said.
The Jets have to figure something out quickly in the event that they need to salvage this season.
Things can spiral uncontrolled quickly.
They face the Chiefs, Broncos and Eagles before their bye week.
The Chiefs and Eagles are two of the most effective teams in football.
At 1-2 now, it is tough to assume the Jets being higher than 2-4 on the break, but funny things occur sometimes within the NFL.
As for Wilson, Saleh insists that Wilson has not lost confidence despite plays on Sunday when it looked like Wilson was afraid to throw the ball downfield.
“I believe he’s fiddling with confidence,” Saleh said. “He’s throwing the ball accurately when it’s in timing and rhythm and his foot hits his backstep and he lets that thing rip. It’s pretty. He’s doing a extremely nice job in that regard.”
The Jets made the choice to persist with Wilson as their backup within the offseason after they began their chase of Rodgers.
That call looks questionable at best without delay.
“You only don’t throw people away, man,” Saleh said. “You’ve just got to proceed to work with him. He’s here. He gives us our greatest likelihood to win. As coaches, we’re going to do every little thing we will to assist him.”
