Zach Wilson is out of college, but he is still doing his homework.
Wilson isn’t officially the Jets’ quarterback yet — and can’t be until Thursday, when the No. 2 pick of the NFL draft is made. So, he can’t yet dive into the playbook.
But Wilson can get a better understanding of what is in store for him in New York by talking to his predecessors. And that’s exactly what he is doing.
Wilson has spoken over the phone to former Jets quarterbacks Chad Pennington, Mark Sanchez and Josh McCown, his trainer, John Beck, told NFL Network. That’s smart planning by Wilson, who comes from a tight-knit community in Utah and starred at nearby BYU.
Stepping into the pressure-cooker and shouldering the load of the Jets’ past failures — no Super Bowl win or appearance since 1969 and no playoff berth since 2010 — is a lot to handle. Being a franchise quarterback requires the right personality.
Mark Sanchez; Zach Wilson; Chad Pennington Ron Antonelli; BYU; Neil Miller“Zach Wilson’s story is that he is a preparer,” NFL Network reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala said. “I talked to John Beck, his quarterbacks coach who has known him forever, and he was saying how, when he was in high school, Zach was preparing to be a college quarterback, when he was in college he was preparing to be a NFL quarterback and now as it looks like he is going to the Jets he has been preparing to be a Jets quarterback.
“To that end, he has gotten on the phone with Chad Pennington, Josh McCown and Mark Sanchez to talk about what it means to play for that franchise in that environment. That, to me, says he is trying to eliminate any of the unknowns.”
Pennington was 32-29 over eight seasons with the Jets, starting 61 of 128 games, and he helped them to their last division title in 2002.
Sanchez was 33-29 over four seasons, starting 62 of 64 games, and he piloted a defense-led team to back-to-back AFC title games.
McCown offers a much different perspective. He spent his 16th and 17th NFL seasons with the Jets, but he was able to watch what Sam Darnold went through as a rookie.
Sanchez shared his advice to Wilson earlier this week on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” podcast.
“My only fear with him was, a little too riverboat gambler when you don’t have to be,” Sanchez said. “When it’s an easy just routine grounder to second, you just flip it to first base. Don’t give me any around-the-back, through-the-legs Harlem Globetrotters. Just get the guy out.”
