ESPN NFL analyst: Expectations for Jets’ Zach Wilson are ‘unrealistically high’ - nj.com
“If you had asked me that four months ago, that question, my answer’s a little bit different that it is now because of the tragedy that happened to Greg Knapp. That’s kind of the sad truth of the situation. He’s walking into a relatively difficult situation right now. I mean, he’s going into a room that does not have a guy in that quarterback room that has ever taken snaps in the NFL. Now just because you have a veteran doesn’t mean you’re going to be great, but goodness, it helps. Imagine trying to learn how to ride a bike and no one can teach you how or no one can show you how. None of those kids have ever done it in the NFL.
“I think the second thing is his offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. Matt LaFleur, the head coach of Green Bay, his brother, he’s never called a play in the NFL. And while I love the scheme his bringing, and he’s been around Kyle Shanahan for a while, calling plays is a completely different animal. I have been around a lot of really, really, really good coaches, super-smart, great offensive minds, and they can’t call plays, because calling plays is rhythm and it’s art and it’s feel.
“And the third thing is the loss of Greg Knapp. Greg Knapp was one of the best quarterback coaches in the NFL, who had a track record with young quarterbacks, and he’s a guy that had experience calling plays in the NFL. I would imagine Mike LaFleur was going to lean on him some. And to have those three pieces not in place, that’s real life adversity with his passing, but also just football adversity with Zach Wilson.”