Okay, look: You know and I know that it makes no sense whether Zach Wilson would be a successful quarterback with the Jets. Logically, intellectually, sensibly, we can all agree that the number on a player’s jersey is only a way to find out who he is. A number has zero power. Less than zero. It is a piece of common sense, nothing more.
(Not that there is really anything logical, intellectual or sensible about such things in the game …)
So Wilson – who wore both No. 1 and No. 11 in Brigham Young – has chosen to wear No. 2 as a Jet. He made it official on Thursday.
“I’m just mixing it up, doing something new,” Wilson said. “I like any single digit number, I think they’re good. I was the second pick, so that’s a good reason to switch it up. There’s not much reason behind it, but I think it’s a good number. is.”
This too …
(And, again, that means absolutely nothing…)
It is also a number that the Super Bowl-winning quarterback has never worn. Matt Ryan came closest. He could, in fact, come as close to winning the Super Bowl as he did without winning the Super Bowl, when he led the Falcons to a 28–3 lead in Super Bowl LI before participating in the biggest gag job in the NFL. history.
Doug Flutie wore No. 2 to the Bears and Patriots, but by the time he switched to 7 in Buffalo, he had flakes of cereal to his name. No. 2 has been good for baseball players (especially Derek Jeter) and basketball players (Kavi Leonard) and hockey players (Brian Leach). The Secretariat wore number 2 when they won the 1973 Belmont by 31 lengths.
But football? There is just one player in NFL history who wore No. 2 (though he tapped with several other numbers) that earned a spot in the Hall of Fame: Charlie Trippy. Good news: He played a little quarterback for the Chicago Cardinals. The Bad: He took his last snap in 1954. Kickers and punters wear 2, mostly.
Still, no one had won the Super Bowl before wearing 4 before Brett Favre or 5 before Joe Flacco. Kurt Warner named 13, Brad Johnson 14, Doug Williams 17. Johnny Unitas is the only 19 to win one, though he played less than half of Super Bowl V before an injury and was replaced by Earl Moral (who joined Jeff Hostetler, Patrick Mahomes) and Bart Starr out of four QBs. A total of five wore 15 as one to win the Super Bowl).
Twelve, of course, was not available to Wilson because it belongs to Joe Namath forever. Twelve is also the most popular number to quarterback a Super Bowl champion. It has been done 18 times: by Namath and Aaron Rodgers and Ken Stabler (once each), by Roger Stoubach and Bob Griese (twice), by Terry Bradshaw (4), and a definitive 199th pick (7; in the 2000 draft). That’s Tom Brady, by the way).
Sixteen were available, and 16 have won the Big Game seven times (four for Joe Montana, two for Jim Plunkett, one for Lane Dawson). Wilson’s affinity for single digits earned him a ७ (John Elway and Ben Rothlisberger, two; Joe Theisman, one), ८ (Troy Ekman, three; Steve Young and Trent Delfer, one each) or ९ (Jim McMahon, Drew Breeze ). , Nick Foles) who has won in all multiples.
Or it could have prompted him to try still virgin numbers of 1 (despite Warren Moon’s best efforts), or 6 (Baker Mayfield trying to break that one). Russell Wilson won 3 wearing one (and the other should have won), meaning that right now, as we speak, another Super Bowl winner is the quarterback who wore “Wilson” on the back of the jersey as opposed to “2” . at the front.
But there is always room for new people. No one wearing 11 had won until Phil Sims (he was later joined by Mark Rapeian). No one had won 10 wearing one until Eli Manning had done so, and he lives there alone, as does his brother, Peyton, the only QB who won the Supers wearing 18.
So Zach Wilson may be the first. And if number 2 can ever run away from the field as Joe Namath once did, reminding the world who was number 1? He will not be the last. Book it
Weird of wack
I’m not sure what sparked the morbid curiosities of Mets fans this week: The Mariners released Jared Kellenic or the Pirates to Todd Frazier. One is gone (for at least the next six years). It seems that one never really goes. Both gifts that keep on giving, courtesy of Brody van Wagenen.
Admit it, Knicks fans: That loss was terrible for the Lakers on Tuesday night, it was really good to lose sleep again in a basketball game, right?
I am not saying that the Giants should make a play for Aaron Rodgers, but I am not going to lie and say that it would not be a very good development if it ever happened. Which probably won’t happen. right? Could not understand anything. but still …
I know this is a small part of a great show, but I really want to know how good Easttown’s basketball player Mare was. Is UConn good? Fordham good? Solid D-II good? Is it too much to detect in some way?
Wack on wack back
Richard Zyontz: I am 63 years old, a fan of lifelong Mets. On Willie Mess’s 90th birthday, shouldn’t New York have a chance to honor him and retire his number? For people my age, it will be a flood of nostalgia and love; For those younger people, an appreciation for education and history. And for Citi Field, little balance to go with Wilpons’ dull Dodger-filia.
Blank: Please sign me up for this. Willie played only one and a half seasons with the Mets, but he was the last true superstar of the National League of New York. The Mets represent it. 24 retired.
Rick Bouse: Want more proof New York is a basketball city? The day Gerrit Cole vacated the Rays and the Mets welcomed Matt Harvey back with his seventh straight win, the back page headline at The Post announced “Thayer In” as the Knicks made the playoff for the first time in eight years. Achieved a berth. Nuff said.
Blank: I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: It wasn’t that long ago that the baseball season in New York – a 100 percent real baseball city – didn’t really begin until the day the Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs I went.
@Billy_liance_: It is very difficult to grow up and go through adversity. This is even more difficult to do with Matt Harvey’s level of fame in New York. I am glad that people took the elevated path because he seems like a changed man.
@Mikewack: I’ve been around Matt Harvey many times since pitching. He was never better than Wednesday. The credit goes to him.
Richard Siegelman: If Patrick Mazika could somehow continue his pace of three RBIs for every four plate appearances – and if he could match Pete Rose’s 14,053 bats – Mazika would accumulate 10,539 RBIs.
Blank: fear the Beard!
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