Expectations For Zach Wilson

Author: Patrick Sullivan

Editor: Fran Attie

Going into the 2021 NFL Season, the New York Jets are hoping to reinvent themselves as they have been consistently one of the worst teams in the league over the past decade. It’s been a very long ten years since the Jets have made it into the playoffs, which they hope to change as soon as possible. Head Coach Robert Saleh is an energetic and passionate football coach that is planning on changing the Jets’ culture into a winning one and, along with General Manager Joe Douglas, they are seemingly headed in the right direction: bringing in high character football players that love the game. This culture change is crucial to the Jets succeeding in the NFL in the upcoming years; however, the most important piece of this puzzle is rookie Quarterback Zach Wilson.

This past offseason, the Jets opted to draft Zach Wilson from BYU at number 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft instead of sticking with their former starting QB Sam Darnold. It’s an understandable move due to Wilson’s tremendous ceiling at QB in the NFL. Wilson has all the talent in the world, but the main concern is if he can translate his talents into the high-speed NFL game (which is the concern for all young QBs).

The expectations for the Jets as a whole are to improve from their dreadful 2-14 season last year. I think it’s fair to expect them to win at least six games, no more than nine, in an honest prediction for this season. Although this is the expectation, that can only happen with good play from Wilson. With his ability to stand in the pocket or roll out and make a play, I expect him to have a great rookie year. Along with this, he has great arm strength, is very accurate, and has mobility to extend a play if need be. However, he will only succeed in this league if this West Coast offensive scheme by Mike Lafleur plays to Wilson’s strengths. If this can happen, I expect him to throw for 3500 passing yards, 27 TDs and 14 INT, which would be a fantastic rookie season.

Overall, as long as Zach Wilson gives the Jets more than average Quarterback play in the 2021 season, it would be a success of a year that he can build upon in the seasons to come.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Under The Radar Dallas Cowboys

Author: Jack Casabonne

Editor: Brian Symons

With kickoff just around the corner, 53 man rosters have been finalized across the league. While it’s always painful to see players lose their jobs, it’s also a time where opportunities are created for under the radar players, such as undrafted free agents. In Dallas it was no different, where dreams came true for many. There will still be changes to the roster in the coming days, with CeeDee Lamb, Connor Williams, Carlos Watkins, Damontae Kazee, and Noah Brown all expected to be removed from the Covid-19 list. For now, however, three Cowboys players have realized their dream of making an NFL roster.

Israel Mukuamu:

With a roster as talented as the one in Dallas, most late round draft picks are seemingly competing for a practice squad spot, with little chance of cracking the 53 man roster in their first year. However, due to the Cowboys’ consistent valuation of their yearly draft classes, every draft pick made the roster. This wasn’t the only reason Israel Mukuamu ended up on the final roster, though. The former Gamecock had a phenomenal season, leaving the front office with no choice but to include him on the roster. In the preseason finale against Jacksonville, Mukuamu recorded an interception to go along with his six tackles. Standing at 6’4” and weighing 205 pounds, Mukuamu is a physical specimen. As just a 6th round draft choice, he has shown to be much more developed in his game than the team could have predicted, which bodes well for his chances of making a contribution this season, and certainly in the years to come.

Azur Kamara:

The Hard Knocks fan favorite seemed like a longshot to make the Cowboys roster at the beginning of training camp. However, Kamara showed significant improvement from his stint on the practice squad last season. As an undrafted free agent from Kansas, Kamara’s speed off the edge caught the eyes of Cowboys scouts. He has continued to put on size, with room to go. Currently listed at 6’4” and 235 pounds, this season will be all about continuing to make improvements in the weight room, as well as on the field. This is something that he will continue to focus upon, as the Ivory Coast native’s commitment to the game is apparent. With his family watching, Kamara made his presence known against the Cardinals in Dallas’ second preseason game. While his sack was called back due to a defensive penalty, his technicality at the point of attack was impressive, and definitely something that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn noticed.

Simi Fehoko:

One of the fanbase’s favorite draft selections, Simi Fehoko seemed like he was on the outside looking in due to the depth Dallas has at receiver. Headlined by arguably the best trio in football with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup, alongside veterans Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown, the Cowboys are stacked at receiver. Yet, they couldn’t resist selecting the Stanford product in the 5th round. He boasts top end height, weight, and speed measurables, coming in at 6’4” 223 pounds, while running a blazing 40 timed in the 4.3’s. Fehoko is still extremely raw, so anticipate him making most of his contributions through special teams in 2021. With Michael Gallup’s impending free agency, Fehoko’s development will be a top priority for coaches and executives within Dallas, with the hope that he can one day secure that 3rd receiver spot.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Zack Wilson Did Not Disappoint

Author: Zachary Patlin

Editor: Brian Symons

The much-anticipated debut of the number 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has finally arrived. On Saturday, August 14, the NY Jets played their first preseason game of 2021 against their crosstown rival NY Giants. This preseason game was also the coaching debut of Robert Saleh as head coach of the Jets, and the Jets’ performance did not disappoint.

After the opening kickoff to the NY Giants, the Jets defense committed a three-and-out, capped off by a sack by OLB Bryce Huff. The giants went on to punt, as Zack Wilson took the field for the first time in competition against another team in his Jets career.

After a long run play by Ty Johnson following Mechi Becton for 11 yards started off the drive, Mike Lafleur called for the first pass play, and it was a designed rollout for Wilson who hit Corey Davis in stride for 9 yards. In his first career pass attempt, the Jets offensive coordinator put Wilson in a position to succeed, as they allowed him to comfortably roll out to his right behind the O-line and make a throw he has made consistently for years at BYU.

The key to Zack Wilson’s rookie season will depend on two major keys: The first being that the offensive line is able to give him time in the pocket to get his reads and make the right decision without being under heavy pressure. The second is having the coaching staff put him in comfortable play calls that put him in a position to succeed, and they did just that in Saturday night’s opener.

After a couple of third down conversions on the opening drive, the Jets moved into field goal range and converted to take a 3-0 lead. Wilson’s first drive went as planned and he made a couple of plays that showed a lot of promise in his young career.

The second, and final drive played by Wilson in this game, began at their own 9 yard-line. Wilson completed 4 passes on this drive and took the ball into enemy territory, including a 16-yard beautiful throw over the middle to newly acquired Keelan Cole. The Jets, however, did not convert on a 4th and 1 inside of Giants territory and turned the ball over on downs. This signified the end to a short but sweet night for Zack Wilson, showing promise for the future.

There were a few key takeaways from Zack Wilson’s performance on Saturday night and for the most part, they were very positive. Zack was able to make throws in the pocket and rolling out to his right, and the protection was strong enough in front of him to not have to improvise during the two drives. Wilson also made a couple of big throws on third down to move the chains and allow the offense to continue to settle in. The second preseason game will be key to see if he learned anything from the first game, and how we will continuously improve and gain the confidence to take on the Panthers and former Jets QB, Sam Darnold, in week one.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE