NEW YORK (AP) — There was a play two weeks ago when Zach Wilson felt the pocket collapsing around him, took off on a scramble and sprinted for a big gain.
NEW YORK (AP) — There was a play two weeks ago when Zach Wilson felt the pocket collapsing around him, took off on a scramble and sprinted for a big gain. The 18-yard run, punctuated by a baseball-style slide, by the New York Jets rookie quarterback against New Orleans was nice. He and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur knew it could’ve been even better. “He got an explosive (play), but I thought there was a lot more,” LaFleur said Thursday. “Keelan (Cole) was in a position to go block and I kind of just told him in that moment: ‘There’s more there for you. You’re a better athlete than you’re giving yourself credit for,’ albeit even in the NFL.” The message to Wilson was to be aggressive. Be smart, of course, but also take the big plays when they present themselves. Fast-forward to last Sunday when Wilson set franchise records for quarterbacks in the Jets’ 26-21 victory over Jacksonville. He had 91 yards on four carries, including a 52-yard TD run during which he maneuvered out of a sack, tiptoed the sideline near the 25-yard line, stayed inbounds and headed for the end zone. “He took off, and a little bit of an okie-doke on the sideline,” LaFleur said. “He was expecting to get shoved out, he didn’t, and then he just kept it going. And so, he made a few runs that were big for us.” Ron Middleton, the Jets’ acting coach last Sunday with Robert Saleh sidelined with COVID-19, wasn’t surprised. “The O.C. got on him pretty good and it paid off,” Middleton said. “I think he played free.
