Robert Saleh took the blame for the Jets’ costly quarterback sneak attempt on 4th-and-2 against the Buccaneers, chalking the play up to miscommunication between the coaching staff and Zach Wilson.
Three former Jets players didn’t buy Saleh’s explanation, though. Rather, they believe Wilson “calling his own number” is what really happened, and that doing so displayed a flaw in his character.
Willie Colon, Leger Douzable and Bart Scott all took issue with Wilson keeping the ball instead of handing it off to Braxton Berrios for a reverse — which was New York’s intention — on SNY’s postgame show, deeming the play a selfish one.
“This is not about looks. This is about saying to myself, ‘It’s my time to be the guy, I’m going to win the game and everybody’s going to love me,'” Colon said. “This was about ego. This was about selfishness. This was about not understanding that at this point in the game, it’s not about quarterback Zach Wilson. This is about the New York Jets.”
The Jets Post Game Live crew discusses what went wrong for the Jets on their 4th and 2 play late in today's game: https://t.co/nMSyWuUNRO
(@SteveGelbs | @LegerDouzable | @willcolon66 | @BartScott57)
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— SNY (@SNYtv) January 3, 2022
Colon, Douzable and Scott were faced with instant backlash after their comments made the rounds. Saleh stood up for his rookie quarterback on Monday, challenging the notion that Wilson is anything close to a selfish player.
“I don’t know about that one,” Saleh said. “He’s a rookie, his head’s barely above water with regards to the scheme, he’s still in a pleasing motive of his career, in terms of just doing things the way it’s drawn up. If you’re talking Year 3, Year 4 and he does something like that, then I guess you can start, maybe.”
Colon doubled down on his, Douzable and Scott’s comments during an appearance on WFAN, but refuted that it was a personal attack on Wilson.
“First of all, we were calling his ability not to hand off the ball to Braxton Berrios when we felt like he knew he should’ve handed the ball off,” Colon said, per NJ.com. “And we felt like that was a selfish act, so we are calling that act, that play in that moment, selfish. That is what we are calling selfish.
“So, one, there is no agenda. There is no agenda, right? And as I started this interview, I have nothing personal towards Zach Wilson or his situation at all. I think once again, you are talking to guys that are frustrated, passionate, and trying to talk about ball on different levels. On top of that, I have heard things and I know things, but that is not for me to say.”
It remains to be seen how long this discourse will carry on with the Jets preparing to wrap up their season against the Bills on Sunday. Saleh is in full support of Wilson, though, and hasn’t seen anything out of him that would indicate New York needs to be mindful of his attitude or any selfishness moving forward.
“I think he executed the playbook exactly the way it was designed to,” Saleh said. “In future years, he’s just going to look to the sideline and just flip the bird to Mike [LaFleur] and say like, ‘Hey, we’re doing this buddy,’ and he’s going to make it work because he’s going to know. I don’t think he’s anywhere near close to being able to even make a decision from a selfish standpoint because his neck’s barely over water with regards to schemes.”
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