The Jets benched quarterback Zach Wilson on Wednesday and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur got a chance to comment on that call at a press conference later in the day.
Wilson had a terrible game against the Patriots last Sunday and then made things worse by showing a lack of accountability for his performance during his postgame media session. LaFleur’s response to the benching was focused more on where he felt wrong than where he thinks Wilson went off track.
“First of all, it stinks because I know what kind of competitor he is and what kind of man he is and I wholeheartedly believe that. I’ve gotta do a better job. I’ve gotta do a better job for him, I’ve gotta do a better job for the offense. It starts with me and ends with me. I’ve gotta figure out a way to reset him, get him back to fundamentally sound football and, more importantly, just consistent football. He’s done some really good things, but I haven’t done a good enough job to get the consistency out of him so that starts and ends with me,” LaFleur said.
If Wilson had shown that kind of accountability after the loss to the Patriots, there’s a chance that the Jets would not have made the move they did on Wednesday. LaFleur said that he doesn’t think Wilson meant it when he said he didn’t feel he let the defense down, but “obviously can’t take it back” and the coordinator added that he hopes it will be a learning experience for the quarterback.