Broadway Joe changes his tune on Zach
Zach Wilson accepted Joe Namath’s public flogging last week, and said it was up to him and the Jets’ offense to prove Broadway Joe wrong.
It appears that Wilson’s performance in Sunday night’s 23-20 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs at least began to sway the Super Bowl III hero’s opinion.
Namath took to the airwaves again on Monday, one week after saying on ESPN NY Radio’s “The Michael Kay Show” that he had “seen enough” of Wilson following his “awful” play in consecutive losses to the Cowboys and the Patriots.
The Hall of Famer attempted to dismiss last week’s scorchedearth rant as being “just a PO’d fan,” and he eventually relented when pressed multiple times whether Wilson began to change his opinion.
“I said it. I take it back. I hope he stays for 10 years,” Namath said playfully at one point, as Kay and his co-hosts burst into laughter. “As a fan, you get really frustrated. I didn’t think for a minute they were going to get rid of him.
“Of course, they’re gonna stick with him. And he’s going to improve. Hopefully he’ll keep improving, and hopefully we’ll start winning games.”
Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, completed a career-high 28 passes — to 10 different receivers — on 39 attempts for 245 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, although he did commit a costly fumble in the fourth quarter.
It was easily his best performance since four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn left Achilles four plays into the season opener.
“He played well. He played pretty darn good, and that’s what we want to see,” Namath said. “Believe me, I am a
Jet fan. I want us to do well. I get fed up when something goes wrong, of course.
And I’m tired of losing. “Zach did some positive things, and we know he has athletic ability. We know he has good feet, and can run around, and we know he has a strong arm. He showed it [Sunday]. But it’s the mistakes that hurt us a bit.”
The 80-year-old Namath jokingly said that he doesn’t “throw things” while watching games at his Florida home, although he noted that he doesn’t let his grandchildren watch with him because “we get a little verbal and express our feelings.”
“If I wasn’t emotional about winning and losing, if I didn’t care, then I wouldn’t be saying these things,” Namath said. “I happen to care a great deal whether we win or lose . ... I don’t like losing.”
Wilson’s fumble came with the Jets trailing by three points with 7:24 remaining. He took his eye off the ball and the shotgun snap by center Connor McGovern glanced off his hands. It was recovered by Chiefs defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton.
“As any receiver has done before in their lifetime, he took his eye off the ball at the last second. a split-second, to see what’s happening [with the defense],” Namath said.
The 24-year-old Wilson took blame for the loss afterward, both in his postgame press conference and during a lockerroom address to the team, according to teammates.
But his improved play in Week 4 has the Jets — and maybe even the biggest icon in team history — encouraged by his progress.
“The guy’s got physical ability, I know that. And he’s going to get better and better. I can only hope that,” Namath said. “I saw he can do it, of course.
“Hey, he had a pretty darn good game against a very good football team. The entire team had a very good game. We just didn’t win, we didn’t finish it off.”