Jets Country

'Not Great': Jets' Zach Wilson Assesses MetLife Stadium Debut

New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson struggled in his MetLife Stadium debut, throwing two interceptions in a training camp scrimmage in front of fans

Max Goodman

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Wilson's MetLife Stadium debut did not go as planned.

The No. 2 overall pick struggled in Saturday's Green and White scrimmage, throwing two interceptions.

"Not great," Wilson said to reporters Saturday night, assessing his performance. "I have high expectations for myself, and for this offense, and I got to lead those guys, I got to make better decisions. But that's why this isn't Game 1. That's why we're doing this."

Reporters at MetLife Stadium detailed Wilson's tough night, as the 22-year-old was unable to move the football while throwing a pair of picks, forcing passes into coverage. 

In fact, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, Wilson completed just 11 of his 24 passes for 112 yards. Of the rookie's seven drives Saturday, New York punted on four of them, converting on one field goal.

As much as Wilson had trouble in the scrimmage, head coach Robert Saleh believes the experience will benefit the franchise quarterback in the long run.

"It’s his first time in front of the fans. There was a good crowd out there," Saleh explained. "These moments are priceless for him. He had some good moments and obviously he had some rookie moments. So it’s going to be a lot of tape to learn off of for him."

Wilson agreed, assuring that jitters didn't play a role in his performance. 

"It's just part of the process," he said. "We're all learning. I got to make some better decisions, but I know I'm learning from all those. The reason we do this whole thing is to be able to get used to that kind of stuff. Now we can clean it up."

New York still has over a month it opens the regular season with Week 1 in Carolina. Wilson won't take the field at MetLife in a game that actually counts until Gang Green's Week 2 matchup with the Patriots on September 19.

Until then, Wilson, the coaching staff and the rest of this young roster will look to build on this performance—and their work in training camp—leading into the preseason.  

After all, there were still some positives to takeaway from Saturday's scrimmage, even if Wilson was unable to shine.

"Great for all of us just to feel out the atmosphere and get in front of some fans and stuff," the quarterback said. "It was good for our team to get out here for sure."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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