Jets offensive lineman Greg Van Roten put some of the blame on his unit for the pressure Zach Wilson once again faced on Sunday, but also added that the rookie quarterback has some adjustments of his own that need to be made in order for the offense to get into a groove.
“He's got to learn. This is the NFL, you've got to get the ball out,” Van Roten said. “You can't hold on to it and try to make a play and throw it deep downfield. And we've got to protect him better, it starts with us up front. We gotta get one the same page.
“I thought we were better today with our communication, for the most part. A few plays here and there we want to clean up…they didn’t pressure too much, but when they did, they were successful. That’s the kind of thing we need to stop.”
Van Roten’s performance has likely contributed to New York’s dreadful offensive output this season, as he was the team’s lowest-rated lineman through the first two weeks of the season, per Pro Football Focus, with a 52.1 grade that put him among the 10 worst guards in football. But Wilson needs to improve as well, throwing six interceptions in the last two weeks, while the team has managed a total of six points in that span.
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While Van Roten quickly put some of the blame on himself and the offensive line after calling out Wilson, he also added that the rookie’s rough road is sometimes a necessary one to improve in the long run.
But many of Wilson’s experiences so far have been painful ones, as he has taken several hits through the first three weeks of his career.
“This is the NFL. He needs the experience,” Van Roten said. “You’re gonna have games like this, you’re gonna have weeks like this. It’s just one of those things where you win or you learn. So we’re having a lot of opportunities to learn. It’s tough as a team, but this is very important for Zach to be able to experience this…it’s not gonna all come down to how you execute. We need to execute as an offense, and we need to execute collectively as a team. It doesn’t all fall on him. These are invaluable reps and learning experiences for him.”
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