If you had to use one word to describe what you've seen from the 2021 New York Jets as the season nears its conclusion, "greatness" probably isn't the first noun that comes to mind. It might even be the last.
They're 4-11. They've allowed 29.9 points against them per game, which is highest in the NFL. The offense isn't much better, ranking in the bottom six in football by producing just 18.4 points per contest. No team has thrown more interceptions (20), and only a few quarterbacks have thrown interceptions at a higher rate than Zach Wilson (3.3), whose current TD-to-INT reception is 7-to-11.
But it's not for lack of shooting for — and "demanding" — greatness out there on the football field. According to offensive lineman Morgan Moses, that's exactly what Wilson, the potential long-term quarterback and future of the franchise, has been displaying in front of his teammates in recent weeks after an especially rough start.
In addition to striving for greatness and pulling it out of teammates — or perhaps as part of that initiative — the rookie has also become a much louder presence as a leader.
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These are important steps to take for a player who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick and who the front office envisioned as the face of the franchise for years to come, even if the on-field performance doesn't quite match the "greatness" he's trying to promote. And while there's no consistent "greatness," we sure have observed flashes of it. He hasn't thrown an interception in three consecutive games, which is significant progress after he started his NFL career with nine interceptions in five games. And did somebody say dual-threat?
Great quarterbacks also don't limit their "greatness" to what they do on the gridiron, and Wilson is already showing that he's taking steps in the community to become a figure that the region can really root for.
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