Jets quarterback Zach Wilson will miss 2-to-4 weeks due to a sprained PCL in his right knee, and while it’s still to be determined if the Jets will place Wilson in injured reserve to open a roster spot – meaning he would miss at least the next three games – head coach Robert Saleh seemed relieved for both his team and Wilson personally that it’s a shorter-term issue.
“You never want to see someone lose a season to an injury ever," Saleh said Monday. "They work so hard and the window is so short, and for them to lose a season, it’s not ideal. It’s more for him than anything else that he’s not gonna have to miss the season. He can still be very active in his rehab, active in his learning, keep pace with the install of the offense, and he’ll be back before you know it.”
Mike White, who was 20 of 32 for 202 yards with one touchdown and two picks in relief of Wilson Sunday, “did a really nice job running the offense” according to Saleh, and will now step in as the starter with Josh Johnson likely to be elevated from the practice squad.
Saleh wasn’t sure if the Jets will add another quarterback in the interim as insurance, but he does believe there may be a “silver lining” of sorts for Wilson’s development out of this injury.
“I don’t think it’s a setback, I think it’s always good to be able to step away and just watch the offense through the lens of another quarterback," Saleh said. "If you want to look for a silver lining, when you can watch the same offense that you are running for the first six weeks run through the lens of another quarterback, and just to see how he operates within the same system, I think there’s a lot to be had.”
You can watch the greats, Saleh noted using Tom Brady as an example, and see how they do some things, but it’s quite different when it’s your systems being played out in front of you.
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"You can learn a lot off what other people do, but it’s different; he can sit and watch Tom Brady all he wants, but he’s not in that system and not sure what’s being told,” Saleh said. “But to be able to watch another quarterback go through the same system I think can help him generate more of an identity in how he operates within it.”
While he’s doing that over the next few weeks, Wilson will also be watching how everything develops around him while standing outside the fire.
“Obviously Zach is a big piece of this, so for him to be able to watch – thankfully, it’s not a serious injury – but to watch, rehab, catch his breath, see all the other moving pieces with regards to receiver play, O-line play, all that stuff, it’s all independent,” Saleh said. “We’re still going to be able to develop as an offense. We’ll be able to develop the scheme, and Zach will still be there learning it and just trying to absorb all the information as he can.”
And as for what Saleh expects from White, who had never taken an NFL snap before being pressed into duty on Sunday?
“It all comes down to playing quarterback, and if you look at the drives when he came in, I thought he came in and executed well and gave us chances to score points,” Saleh said. “We have a lot of faith in Mike and that’s why we kept him, and he proved to us that he can function within the system. He's a calm man and a great communicator with great command of the offense, and he doesn't panic."
The Jets will hope for a better result against Cincinnati on Halloween, because it really can’t go much worse than it did in New England.
“There’s not much to be said when you get punched in the mouth like we did, and we know what the film is going to look like and where we messed up,” Saleh said. “Our guys came in good today and they have the right mindset. This league is about urgency and doing the best you can every day, and if you’re not finding ways to get better, somebody is going to pass you up.”
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