FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — During his three-year career at BYU, quarterback Zach Wilson became known as a dynamic playmaker. After throwing four interceptions last week, his new team — the New York Jets — want him to be “boring.”
The rookie hopes to adopt that mindset Sunday against the Denver Broncos, although he’s not planning to be Captain Check Down.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily challenging, it’s just being smart with the ball and understanding those situations in games like that,” Wilson said Thursday. “There weren’t check downs on some of those interceptions, right? It’s not just, hey, check the ball down. It’s being smart with the ball. How can you throw it away or get rid of it? That’s what I’m applying for this next week.”
Wilson was intercepted four times within his first 10 attempts in the Jets’ 25-6 loss to the New England Patriots — the first Jets player in 40 years to do that. Afterward, coach Robert Saleh called Wilson an “electric dude” who must learn to understand that “sometimes it’s OK to be boring.”
There’s a balance, of course. The Jets drafted him second overall in large part because of his ability to make off-schedule plays. Now they want to harness that improvisational skill to help avoid turnovers. Wilson said he’s “super anxious” to get back on the field as the Jets hope to avoid their third straight 0-3 start.
“I haven’t thrown four picks ever in my life in a game,” he said. “Obviously, I have to clean that up and take care of that. It’s being able to fight through that adversity every single week and how I can keep getting better and better.
“I knew it was going to be challenging coming here, and I knew there were things I’d have to adjust and keep getting better at. And that’s part of it.”
The Broncos (2-0) devoured No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence last week, holding the Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback to 118 yards on 14-for-33 efficiency, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Wilson said he’s hoping to go to school on that tape.
“I’m hoping to learn from things he saw and … what he went through, and how I can learn from those right now before we go into that game,” he said.
Wilson probably won’t have wide receiver Jamison Crowder, who didn’t practice for the second straight day. Crowder has a nagging groin injury and likely will miss his third straight game.
Wilson, meanwhile, is dealing with a minor groin injury himself. He said it happened in the opener and he “tweaked it again” last week. He showed up on the injury report this week, but didn’t miss any practice time. “I’m ready to play,” he said. “It’s not even bothering me.”