Zach Wilson has only been a Jet for a month, but he has already made a strong impression on offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
One of Wilson’s responsibilities as a rookie quarterback is learning LaFleur’s West Coast offense. With some rookie quarterbacks, you have to be careful about throwing too much information at them at once. Wilson seems to be the opposite, though. LaFleur said on Thursday after the Jets’ OTA practice that Wilson wants to study more than just the bare minimum of the playbook.
“He wanted to do that on his own,” LaFleur said, per NJ.com’s Joey Chandler. “He wanted to learn the stuff that there is no way he can learn on his own and wanted to hear from us so he could start to process all that.”
LaFleur added that he is happy with where Wilson is at and with how much time the quarterback is dedicating to learning the offense.
“I don’t feel like we rushed it with him by any means, but there is no doubt, obviously the more film you get to watch with the guy, the more he wants to take in,” LaFleur said. “We are going to adjust what he can take in, and I think he has done really well with it.”
LaFleur even had a conversation with his brother, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, about Wilson’s study habits. Matt told his brother to be wary of giving Wilson too much, but Mike said Wilson wants more information thrown his way.
“He wants film to the face, and it is almost like, I was talking to my brother, and he was like: ‘You better not burn this guy out. You are taking a lot of film with him,'” LaFleur said “And it’s like, he is the one that wants to watch this film, so it is unique. It’s cool to watch him be able to sit there and stay focused and process all the information we are trying to give him.”
It is clear early on that Wilson wants to be as prepared as possible before he starts his first game for the Jets, especially with there being less on-field time this offseason. The NFL preseason is now three games instead of four, as well, so Wilson is trying to gain additional experience and information any way he can.
Based on his OC’s reviews, it sounds like he’s off to a strong start.
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