Is another verbal beating in store for Zach Wilson after Sunday’s season finale in Buffalo?
Since the Jets’ 26-21 win over Jacksonville on Dec. 26, SNY’s Jets postgame crew of analysts — Bart Scott, Willie Colon and Leger Douzable — have aggressively questioned the rookie quarterback’s heart and ability to lead. Some of the criticism is personal. They even have referred to Wilson as “Peter Pan.”
After last Sunday’s late loss to Tampa, they all arrived at the same conclusion: That Wilson is selfish. That he already decided he was going to be THE MAN, before he tried sneaking through at least a thousand pounds of beefy defensive line-heft on a 4th-and-2 from the Bucs’ 7-yard line, rather than handing the ball to the elusive Braxton Berrios on an end-around.
The criticisms on SNY were based on feeling rather than fact, which is not unusual when it comes to many current hot-take NFL TV/Radio artists. Colon, the former Jets and Steelers offensive lineman, who never holds back, was actually compelling. Unfortunately, he made his criticism personal.
“This is not about (Wilson) looking at (defensive) looks. This is about saying to myself, ‘It’s my time to be the guy. I’m going to win the game; everybody is going to love me.’ This was about ego. This was about selfishness,” Colon said. “This is about NOT understanding that at this point in the game, this is not about Zach Wilson. This is about the New York Jets.”
Colon, who believes his critiques of Wilson have been “fair,” left us with the impression he had hard evidence leading him to flat-out state Wilson was inclined to play hero ball when he decided to sneak rather than pitch to Berrios. Nonetheless on Monday, during an appearance on WFAN’s “Carton & Roberts” show, Colon (he doubled down on his Sunday commentary) was pressed by Evan Roberts who wanted to know if the former lineman’s personal attack on Wilson had any facts to buttress it?
“I’ve heard things. I know things,” Colon told Roberts. “It’s not for me to say. But we are allowed to say something in the moment.” True.
But on “Carton & Roberts,” Colon opened the proverbial can of worms.
What has he “heard” about Wilson? And what does he “know” about Wilson? If they have the facts, either Colon, Douzable or Scott should deliver them, right?
Like we said, this verbal take-down of Wilson goes back to the day after Christmas. Scott, a man who had a checkered history with the media when he was a Jet, actually took the quarterback to task for the dismissive way he responded to a reporter’s question in the postgame press conference.
Of Wilson, Scott said: “You come off as a baby…You’re not a leader….The fact (is) you don’t walk like a leader. You don’t talk like a leader.”
So, through their few weeks of pounding, the SNY crew of analysts are basically saying Wilson is a selfish baby who puts his own ego ahead of the team. Yet they do this with no hard facts or evidence. Or at least the evidence Colon (“it’s not for me to say”) suggested he has.
The crew should do the right thing: They should use their final postgame show of the season to finally clear the air when it comes to Zach Wilson. Bring the goods. Or back off.
JUDGE WATCH
By no means will the Jets offering on SNY and ESPN-98.7 Sunday be the only must see/hear postgame show. If last week’s Joe Judge press conference (MSG and WFAN) is an indication of what’s to come the coach’s appearance after the Football Team and Giants end their regular season will be event television.
Or will it?
Last week, one question to the Giants’ coach resulted in Judge launching into a rambling soliloquy, where he tried selling the dubious theory that his team was doing everything the right way but still not winning football games; that It was all just part of building a foundation for the future.
Unfortunately, he was about as convincing as a coach with a 4-12 record.
The longer Judge rambled, the more desperate he sounded (If this was an audition for a TV analyst gig he would have failed, miserably). Did Judge even believe what he was saying? What was his purpose? To sell the plan to an angry/frustrated fan base? Or was this directed at ownership in an attempt to save his job? No matter who he was aiming his spiel at, he came off as out of control and not in charge. In subsequent sessions with the media, Judge engaged in unsuccessful damage control. The story wouldn’t go away.
Judge became a collaborator in his potential demise.
Going into his final postgame session of the regular season, the coach might want to think of editing himself. Don’t go to the microphone looking to convince anyone. Answer the questions but don’t be so defensive. Get in and get out. And if it’s at all possible, be self-deprecating. No matter what the future holds, leave them liking you.
ROSENTHAL REALITY
It really would have sent a message to the Free World if even one of Ken Rosenthal’s MLB Network colleagues voluntarily followed the veteran scribe out the door to protest the outlet not renewing his contract.
Yet economic reality often collides with idealism and anger. There was a lot of huffing and puffing over allegations Rosenthal was fired because he wrote something in The Athletic that ticked off Rob Manfred. Or could it be Rosenthal, still employed by “TA” and Fox Sports, is just part of another MLBN salary-dump?
Whatever. Yet the notion that anyone working for a league-owned network is truly independent is shaky, at best. Ultimately, either you co-exist with a commissioner, angry owner, league suit or try finding another gig with one of the ever-shrinking number of independent entities.
MODEL TALK
More evidence WFAN is going through some content changes was exemplified Thursday when Craig Carton and Evan Roberts interviewed model Ava Louise. She recounted her one-night stand Saturday evening with recently dumped Tampa wideout Antonio Brown in a Jersey City hotel.
Ms. Lousie’s previous claim to fame was licking a toilet seat on TikTok. Carton and Roberts pushed this interview about as far as it could go without falling off an FCC cliff. Considering the circumstances, they got some legit info on AB.
AROUND THE DIAL
No doubt influenced by the scheduled comeback this year of Beavis and Butt-Head, ESPN suits have paired their version of the duo, Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez, for an alternate “Sunday Night Baseball” telecast — eight games — on ESPN2. Recently, Beavis, er, Kay could be heard warming up for the gig by ripping Rob Manfred over his role in the Ken Rosenthal situation. Kay, on ESPN-98.7, was hilarious, calling Manfred “thin-skinned.” Pot meet kettle moment. Kay might be the most “thin-skinned” voice in the business. So much so, even he admits it. … Kudos to WFAN’s Danielle McCartan for doing the right thing. While most of her Gasbag colleagues cavalierly treat Dave Gettleman’s departure as a foregone conclusion, D-Mac always points out that the “Giants still have a general manager” before talking about the GM’s future.
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DUDE OF THE WEEK: JALEN HURTS
For showing concern. When a FedEx Field railing collapsed after Philly’s win over the WFT last Sunday, sending fans tumbling to the ground, Hurts’ first reaction was assistance and support. Two days later he followed through with a letter to the WFT and NFL asking what the two organizations are doing to provide “safeguards” to “prevent this from happening in the future.”
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: KIRK HERBSTREIT
When you work as both a studio and game analyst, as ESPN’s Herbstreit does, you will eventually get your wires crossed. Is that what happened to the network’s No. 1 college football analyst foolishly implied that players who skip meaningless bowl games don’t have a love of the game?
DOUBLE TALK
What Brian Griese said: “Ben (Roethlisberger) was immature at times. He made mistakes.”
What Brian Griese meant to say: “Ben had sexual assault allegations leveled against him twice. But he was never charged with a crime.”