New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has been facing the heat with many reporters questioning his decision to continue to roll with Zach Wilson as the starting quarterback. His answer stays consistent, as he repeatedly refers to the former second-overall pick as the guy who gave New York "the best chance to win."
The issue is certainly not the Jets' defense, as they only allowed 13 points against the New England Patriots in Week 3. Not only were minimal points scored against Saleh's defense, but they also didn't allow Mac Jones to take a single snap in the red zone.
The offensive line for sure is a flaw, but with the weapons New York attains it should be enough to overcome. Garrett Wilson is one of the most talented receivers in the game and consistently is spotted open downfield. Unfortunately, his third-year QB can never seem to find him in live action.
You can see the frustration from the Jets players, as the body language was not pretty this past game against their rivals. The second-year receiver was expecting a huge season from himself, but it's going to be hard if they continue to roll out the former BYU QB.
In three games this season, Wilson has completed 54.2 percent of his passes, while only throwing two touchdowns and four interceptions. The majority of players on New York's roster feel like they can still make the postseason, even without the four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
The only issue is that Wilson is under center again, and for the past three NFL seasons, his statistics show that he is not a very good QB. Almost every player most likely wants Saleh to sit the 24-year-old QB down in Week 4 vs. Taylor Swift's Kansas City Chiefs.
If Robert Saleh continues to start Zach Wilson, he'll lose the rest of the Jets locker room
No one can deny that the Jets do have a shot to make the postseason this year, but everyone knows it likely won't happen with Wilson as the starter. Right now the backup is Tim Boyle, and I don't think he's a reliable starting QB either, but he might be a better option.
New York needs to do something fast because this week could be a reality check for them. Just because it's early in the season, it doesn't mean these losses don't matter just as much as losses later in the season.
Saleh isn't a newbie anymore; this is his third season as the head coach of the Jets. He needs to get this team into the postseason, as Joe Douglas didn't build this team with scrubs.
Sauce Gardner, DJ Reed, Quinnen Williams, and C.J. Mosley are all defensive studs that deserve to play in the postseason. The former Ohio State WR is one of the more dangerous threats in the league, and they also have two elite running backs on the offensive end as well.
The only thing this team is missing is a reliable starting quarterback. They fumbled big time by not bringing in a more reliable backup QB, and continuing to defend and proclaim Wilson the "unquestioned" QB the rest of the way is unfair to the rest of the players.
It seems as if Saleh is almost giving Wilson more leeway than the other players, and it's been this way for the last three seasons. Usually, the head coaches are the ones who take the blame after continuously missing the playoffs, and it could happen a third time for Saleh.
In Week 3, the defense was lights out and gave the ball back to Zach Wilson multiple times late in the game. Saleh can think Wilson wasn't the reason they lost that game to the Patriots, but it for sure wasn't the defense.
If Saleh wishes to not be seen as the problem, it might be wise to start being time to start putting some weight on the QB's shoulders. Constantly defending him after he has held the team back isn't a good look.
The last thing Saleh needs is for the players to lose faith in him. If Wilson and the Jets continue to struggle, then the head coach risks losing the rest of the locker room. Once that happens, everyone knows the odds will be stacked against the Jets.