NY Jets QB Zach Wilson has become public enemy No. 1 — why?

It's been a rough few years for NY Jets fans. Some could say it's even been a rough few decades, considering that's how long it's been since the good guys hoisted the championship trophy.

2021 hasn't been any easier on the team or its fanbase. Currently sitting at 3-9 with one of the worst products put on the field this season, fans are already looking forward to next season.

But keeping focus on the current year, the Jets haven't been hurting in terms of headlines. Not long ago, current head coach Robert Saleh and former head coach Rex Ryan exchanged pleasantries over comments that Ryan made about Saleh's coaching performance so far.

The team also cannot catch a break — no pun intended, when it comes to injuries. This year, the Jets have lost Marcus Maye, Zach Wilson, Brandin Echols, Carl Lawson, Lamarcus Joyner, and Denzel Mims to injury, or COVID-19 in Mims' case. That's only scratching the surface of names too.

Luck continues to evade the Jets even into December, losing their bout against the Philadelphia Eagles with no help from some awful officiating.

While you never want to blame officiating as the reason you lost a game, there's no denying it has an impact. There have been several occasions that the Jets haven't had the calls they deserve, and it has hurt the team.

Following the game against the Eagles, free agent signee Corey Davis was said to undergo season-ending surgery. The ball has seemingly bounced every possible way in order to inconvenience New York.

But there has been no bigger headline since October 24th than the quarterback room — the day that Zach Wilson was knocked out of the Patriots game on a late hit.

Since then, the Jets have cycled through three quarterbacks. The rise and fall of Mike White, Josh Johnson, and Joe Flacco. Just about everybody was ready for Zach Wilson to return from injury.

Well, almost everybody.

Patience is necessary with NY Jets QB Zach Wilson

It was quite apparent early on that many Jets fans weren't fond of the Zach Wilson pick. The consensus was that some fans wanted to hear Justin Fields' name called instead of Wilson -- which of course didn't happen.

And it seems that alone caused Wilson to lose the trust and faith of many of the New York faithful before he even walked on stage to accept his jersey.

Not exactly a fair assessment of a player if the main reason he isn't liked is because he isn't somebody else. Many even seem like they would be happier being correct about Wilson not being the quarterback of the future instead of being proved wrong.

The New York market hasn't been kind either. Of course, New York has been starved for competitive football for a while now, with the last playoff victory for either the Jets or Giants coming with the latter's championship in 2011.

The Jets themselves have gone just a bit longer, with their last appearance being most fondly remembered thanks to an upset win over the Patriots in the 2010 playoffs.

It's easy to understand why fans are so demanding of a quality product, as unless the Jets go on an unprecedented run over the remaining weeks, they will likely have missed the playoffs for an 11th straight season.

So where does Zach Wilson come into play with this? It seems he has painted a target on his chest to absorb the criticism of a franchise with more head coaches than winning seasons in the last decade.

It isn't unreasonable for fans to be frustrated that they're looking at mock drafts in November instead of hoping for a deep playoff run.

But this team wasn't built for success. At least not yet. The Jets had 12 rookies on the roster heading into the season, and were the youngest roster in the league. That isn't mentioning all the inexperienced coaches on the staff either.

Just as young players develop, so do coaches. It wasn't long ago that many fans were openly vocal about firing Mike LaFleur.

Looking at this in December, where Mike LaFleur should be receiving a lot of credit for helping slow the game down for Wilson, while also finding ways to get Elijah Moore the ball in order to showcase his talent, it seems crazy. It's a prime example that inexperienced personnel will grow with time, yet Wilson hasn't been given that same treatment.

NY Jets QB Zach Wilson is coming off perhaps the best game of his NFL career

In his games back, Wilson has scored four touchdowns to two interceptions, two scores coming from using his legs. Against the Eagles, Wilson started a game better than he has all season, with three touchdowns on his team's first three possessions. Although the offense fizzled out, it's proof that he's growing as a player.

Though it was a loss, and the defense did absolutely nothing to help get the offense the ball back, fans should at least be proud of what Wilson had done, right? Not quite. There were a number of fans who still chalked the loss to Zach Wilson.

In that case, is there any changing their minds?

Don't get it twisted. This isn't a defense of Wilson either. There were a number of plays that he's made this season that were painful to watch, and he has owned up to them.

Most of them seem like correctable mistakes. In the game against Philadelphia, there were several plays where he did make a mistake, including his interception. A few bad plays shouldn't overshadow the fact that he has improved.

But there are those who will continue to blame him. The New York media has done what they do best and joined in on the fun in pointing the finger at Zach Wilson.

When an offense is performing well, but they just aren't allowed on the field, what are they meant to do? It isn't as though Wilson can play defense to get the ball back himself.

Why has the national media turned its back on NY Jets QB Zach Wilson?

Now to answer the all important question: why has Zach Wilson received the ire of, not only Jets fans, but seemingly the rest of the league?

Could it be he's not a leader? That can't be the case. His teammates elected him captain prior to the season, which was the first time a rookie quarterback had ever been selected for the franchise.

There was also the notion that, after his injury and during that magical Mike White game, Wilson was upset to see the offense ran so smoothly by White and Josh Johnson. That wasn't the case either, as Wilson explained that he wanted White to perform well and was excited when he did.

Wilson has been nothing but positive and mature about his situation since coming to the team in April. He's been happy about wins, praised his teammates, and has accepted his mistakes when he makes them. Wilson has also shown flashes of what he can be in the games against the Eagles and the Titans.

Showing promise and progress is what the expectations should be for a rookie quarterback. Players like Justin Herbert and Baker Mayfield should be seen as the exception to these, not the standard. Wilson is growing at his own pace, and took a massive step forward against Philly despite what you might read from tweets and reports.

So, the ultimate answer to the question of why Zach Wilson has been lampooned by just about everybody and their mother?

The Jets don't have an identity right now. They have had some of the worst football teams over the last few years. They hired a laughing stock in Adam Gase as their head coach, keeping him for two years, and allowed Mike Maccagnan to throw money at players that wouldn't play out their contracts like Trumaine Johnson and Le'Veon Bell.

Their last winning season was in 2015, and even then they missed the playoffs in embarrassing fashion. Similar to how the Browns were the butt of jokes for most of the 2000s and 2010s, the Jets have become the next in line since the Browns can actually compete.

And in the biggest market, with the most eyes watching, of course the player in the most important position that was drafted second overall is going to have the finger pointed at him. In the NFL, whether we agree with it or not, winning and losing will always fall on the quarterback.

Not to mention that the NY Jets don't have a face of the franchise. Kansas City has Patrick Mahomes. Indianapolis has Jonathan Taylor. Tennessee has Derrick Henry. Who sticks out on the Jets? Michael Carter and Elijah Moore have been good, but not enough to garner widespread attention.

Wilson is the player everybody knows, and therefore is going to unfairly catch most of the negativity. The Jets have been losers for the last decade, and the toxicity is only just now being cleaned out.

All that the fans can do is buckle down and hope that Robert Saleh, Zach Wilson, and Joe Douglas can lift this team from the gutter.

That all starts with improvement. The Jets need to be taken seriously again. How does that start? It's exactly what Zach Wilson always says: