Q: What is the biggest difference for you entering Year Two compared to your rookie year?
Williams: Last year I was coming in and getting my feet wet. This year, I’m feeling it, man. I got my body right. I got my confidence back. I’m in great shape, great condition. I got my body fat down. I’m rocking and rolling. I feel myself being that person they drafted me to be.
Q: When somebody is drafted that high, was there a lot of pressure on you last year to live up to high expectations?
Williams: I didn’t have a horrible season, but I set myself to a higher standard, and my coaches set me to a higher standard because they know I can do it. The guys around me — Steve McLendon, Henry Anderson, they were pushing me this offseason. Having those guys away from the facility helped me build my confidence and helped me get back to the player I know I can be.
Q: Looking at the film from last year, what was holding you back a little?
Williams: After the season, looking at the things I did wrong and the small things I made mistakes on, just overthinking and not reacting. Just trying to get everything right. The same mistakes I made last year won’t be made this year.
This story is from the September 2020 edition of NY Jets Confidential.
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This story is from the September 2020 edition of NY Jets Confidential.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
FIRST DOWN- A lot of potential, but a lot to learn
There is a lyric in an old song by the rock group Chicago that sums up where Zach Wilson is right now:
IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF ULBRICH - Ulbrich breaks down Jets' defensive personnel
(Marcus Maye) can do it all. I would feel comfortable with him (at free or strong safety). He’s a guy that, to me, he can play deep, he can play the half field, he can play the middle third, he can do that and you feel comfortable with it. I think he’s got range, speed and athleticism. I think he’s got ball skills and instincts to be a deep safety. But I think he’s got enough size and girth and want-to and courage to play in the box. It’ll be fun to utilize all the things that he does. He can cover tight ends; he can cover some of the wide receivers in this league.
Dan's Minicamp Diary
Becton bombarded with weighty questions
Saleh calls Wilson ‘relentless' as a worker
QUESTION SESSION WITH QB ZACH WILSON
Jets hope initiatives will increase winning edge
Aside from adding as many good players as possible to help the Jets improve, coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas are trying to turn over every stone to find extra ways to give their team a winning edge, and two examples of this were announced over the course of the offseason, with the additions of a game management coach (Matt Burke) and the installation of an Athletic Care and Performance Department. Let’s take a closer look at these two moves and how they might help the Jets:
Dan's Spring Camp Diary
This time of year for learning, experimenting, not stats
AUDIBLES-Saleh doesn't cave on offseason work
Tom Brady might be wrong about this one.
SAFETIES
Justin Simmons, Broncos 6-2 • 202 pounds • 27 years old
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Trent Williams, 49ers 6-5 • 320 pounds • 32 years old
LINEBACKERS
Lavonte David, Buccaneers 6-0 • 226 pounds • 26 years old
