One of the biggest stories of the past week was the decision by the New York Jets to bench Zach Wilson. Keep in mind they selected the former BYU quarterback #2 overall last year. It is never a good sign when a team pulls the plug that fast. It speaks to how poorly he’s played in recent weeks, and matters worsened when he refused to accept responsibility following a particularly ugly loss to New England. Now the Chicago Bears are preparing to face career backup Mike White on Sunday. One person that has a unique perspective on this is Lamar Jackson.
No, not that one. The Bears’ current cornerback signed with the team earlier this year. Before that, he spent two years with the Jets in 2020 and 2021. He was there when they selected Wilson at #2 and had a front-row seat for his rookie season. As Chicago and New York prepare for Sunday, Jets media caught up with him. They asked the inevitable question regarding his thoughts on the Wilson situation. While he tried to avoid saying anything inflammatory, his words painted a clear enough picture.
The Chicago Bears should be grateful for Justin Fields.
Even before that draft, it was baffling to some how the Jets had convinced themselves Wilson was a better option than Fields. He had little big-game experience and was surrounded by maturity questions for months. The kid grew up in Utah. Asking him to handle the pressure cooker of New York felt like a dangerous gamble. All those warnings proved accurate. Wilson’s mishandling of the Patriots fiasco signaled his lack of accountability. When teammates don’t like you, and you don’t play well, your time in the NFL won’t last long.
Jackson is right about that. Mike White may not have the same talent level as Wilson, but he’s a leader that guys respect. That is enough for this Jets team. The Chicago Bears would normally applaud this situation. Facing a backup QB gives you a better chance to win. The problem is the Bears defense can’t stop anybody, and Fields is injured. New York may win regardless because they have the better roster. Sadly for them, the whiff on Wilson will likely haunt them come January.
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David is correct, and if I were a player, the only answer any media worms would ever get from me to any of their idiotic and bad faith questions is “No comment”.
No, GT, most people loved Jim McMahan. And it is not cocky if you back it up.
An unlikable cocky QB won the Bears only super bowl.
So that’ll put that to rest.
anyone that think Wilson comment wasn’t bad (A) Never played football at the HS level or (B) Just don’t know football. The comment was disrespectful to the team, especially the defense that is playing at a high level busting their ass every play, laying it on the line and for a guy that has played as terrible as Wilson has; to make those comments definitely will turn a locker room. You own it when you play bad, you own it period! he did let the defense down and not just the defense but the team. Thank God Fields don’t think… Read more »
I watched the Wilson interview because I wanted to know what everyone was talking about. Let me tell you that it wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be and not even close. He answered the questions pretty innocently and stated several times that he needed to get better and that he just needs to continue and work and get better. The very last question was “do you feel like you owe the defense an apology” and he just said “No” and left. I think a lot was just frustration over the media asking him the same question… Read more »