Rex Ryan blames Jets coaches for Zach Wilson’s Week 2 struggles

Rex Ryan is still a big Zach Wilson fan despite the rookie’s four-interception performance in Week 2.

The former Jets coach actually lauded Wilson and called him “the most talented guy the Jets have had playing the position since Joe Namath.” So why does Ryan think Wilson floundered against the Patriots in Week 2? He believes the Jets’ coaching staff is to blame.

“If you’re a coach, you look at the mirror first. Why did my kid play this poorly, alright?” Ryan said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up. “So now, as a coach, you got to look at it. And when I talk about, well how can we make it easy? Obviously your play designs, right?”

All four of Wilson’s interceptions were on errant throws at least 10 yards downfield. But that wasn’t necessarily the coaching staff’s fault. Robert Saleh noted that offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur dialed up plenty of check-down options for Wilson and called a lot of run plays throughout the contest. Wilson just didn’t go for them.

Alternatively, Ryan pointed out that Mac Jones succeeded where Wilson failed because of the Patriots coaching staff around him, primarily Bill Belichick. Ryan explained that superior coaching played a huge role in the dichotomy between each rookie’s performance in Week 2. The Patriots didn’t ask Jones to do much more than move down the field and not turn the ball over. That strategy worked and the Patriots scored on more than half of their offensive positions.

“Belichick is a great football coach,” Ryan continued. “He has [Jones] throw the football down the field, about what, four yards? He’s throwing it four yards down the field while everybody’s building confidence. Big confidence. Big confidence. And now he’s able to throw it down the field later in the game.”

Ryan himself has plenty of experience playing against Belichick, both with rookie quarterbacks and veterans. Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith are two of the six rookie quarterbacks to beat Belichick in the past 21 years. However, Ryan is just 5-12 as a head coach against the Patriots.