The Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Wilson connection has yet to produce the way many people expected it to through three games.
Wilson has a quiet 15 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown during that span. When asked about getting Wilson more involved, Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett didn’t seem too concerned.
“A solid offense is when a lot of people are touching the football,” Hackett said. “You never want one person to be doing it. You want defenses to have to be able to cover everyone and that’s going to free more people up to get big plays.
“I mean, [Tyler] Conklin had a big game, and he hadn’t seen a lot of touches. Mike [Williams] had some big, key catches, and Allen [Lazard] got a touchdown. That’s what you are looking for.
“When multiple people are scoring, you make the defense cover the whole field. Everything will come, we just have to get better every game.”
Rodgers had his best game in a Jets uniform against the Patriots, completing 27-of-35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. In the same game, Wilson caught five passes and a TD, but he only registered 33 yards.
Part of the reason for Wilson’s low yardage this season is the teams the Jets have played. Wilson had to go against a stout 49ers defense. He was also lined up against Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, one of the best at his position, and Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, one of the best-emerging talents in football.
This week won’t be any easier for Wilson as he will face Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, arguably the best cornerback in the NFL. What could help the Jets and Hackett is to mix up the play-calling early to get Wilson involved.
In the first two weeks of the season, the Jets were conservative to begin the game. That probably had much to do with Rodgers returning from his Achilles injury. But on their opening drive against the Patriots, the Jets passed to begin the game and had some success before having to punt the ball.
“It’s just process, you got to try and put him in situations where he can be the number one in the progression, which he is a lot,” Rodgers said about Wilson. “Then mix up the looks, so we got to, you know, do a lot of things to give him a chance to get moving and, we’d like to get the ball to him early, but it’s just a process.
“He’s got to be patient, we’ve got to be patient, we can’t force it. Pat’s a phenomenal player, but you know, Garrett is too, so it’s going to be a good matchup with those two guys, a lot of respect for Pat, because he plays both sides, plays in the slot, not many star coverage corners do that, so, a lot of respect for Pat.”
