Zach Wilson felt like the BYU market helped prepare him for the pressures of playing in New York, even if the attention and expectation surrounding his collegiate tenure were admittedly not close to what life is like as the Jets starting quarterback.
Even still, the rookie has kept his same approach from college as he looks to finish what has so far been a lackluster debut season in the NFL on a high note. Regardless of what the fanbase or media makes of his first season as the hopeful franchise savior, he won’t pay any mind to it.
“I guess a part of me almost didn’t really care about the opinions of others outside of the facility, just because it didn’t matter,” Wilson said of his BYU days. “Whether it was more or less than I expected, I almost didn’t care.
“Even now, what I say to my coaches and what they say to me is all I listen to. I don’t really listen to the outside noise. I feel like it's been what I expected. I don't feel like it's been challenging at all to handle.”
The challenge Wilson is much more concerned about will be gaining momentum through the final five games of the season, and show himself and his franchise that he was the No. 2 overall pick for a reason. Wilson led the league in interceptions before suffering a PCL injury, nearly saw his starting role handed over to Mike White, and is now back to solidify his place as the team’s future.
But Wilson is looking at his return to the field as more of a new start than a continuation of his rookie campaign.
“I'm kind of looking at this like this is my second year, like I already played the first season and took some games off because of injury,” Wilson said. “Now the excitement, the energy to want to play and finish this season is 100% there for me”
If that’s the case, Year Two for Wilson is off to an encouraging start, as he threw for two touchdowns and completed 23 of 38 passes on Sunday en route to his second Rookie of the Week honors, bouncing back nicely from a lackluster return from injury against the Texans in Week 12.
The Saints are on deck this weekend, and Wilson is ready to continue a complete a successful second half, or in his eyes, second season entirely.
“I learned so many things, worked to improve them, and now I gotta show them in the game,” Wilson said. “Now I feel like I’m two games into a new season. I feel like the last five, I gotta take very seriously as far as looking to improve every single day.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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