They look tentative to me. I'm referring specifically to Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, and Kenny Pickett. But in my memory I see others, I can't put a name on them, guys who appear uncertain, who are afraid of making a mistake, who play tight.
I ask this question because of Wilson's play in and his comments on his game yesterday. It was the best game of his career.
[Teammates] described an unburdened Wilson, who, frustrated by the way he has been treated by the organization, vowed to teammates that he'd play with a chip on his shoulder and for the team. That resonated in the locker room.
"He told me, 'I'm playing for y'all. I've got nothing to lose,'" cornerback D.J. Reed said. "He said, 'What's the worst that can happen, I get benched again?' That's what he said and that's the way he played. It showed."
Guard Laken Tomlinson said, "He said it early this week: F it. Go out there and have some fun. Leave it all out there."
...
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett opened up the game plan...
"The flow of just playing football today was there, and I can't say it's been like that a lot, unfortunately, in my career here," said Wilson...
On Sunday, he played with a purpose, and teammates said he took more risks than usual....
"As a coach, you're always like, 'Don't throw those,'" Wilson said. "Sometimes they go the other way. So, for me, it's throw it when you believe it's there, trust in it. Sometimes bad plays are going to happen, but you're going to have to trust in those and let it rip. It's part of football."
I give Aaron Rodgers a lot of credit. He came to Wilson's defense in the week prior to the game. That had to give Wilson a lot of confidence.
