FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Robert Saleh is watching practice, Zach Wilson running team drills, and in the coach’s periphery, he hears a voice, someone talking through the play under his breath. Every play, the same voice. When Saleh finally turns his head, he sees Tim Boyle, running through the play as if he were a part of it.
“I’m just looking over and I’m like: Good for him,” Saleh said.
That was when Boyle was still just the New York Jets’ backup quarterback. There were no plans for him to start, not yet, at least. Wilson was locked in as the starter with Aaron Rodgers out.
But Boyle has been doing that in practice for most of his NFL career. It was the way he learned to stay ready as a backup, never knowing when (or if) he’d actually get his opportunity to take the field. He hasn’t had many of them in six NFL seasons since signing with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
“That’s the weird part about being a backup. You don’t really get the reps at all during the week but I have to work through my process like I’m playing the games,” Boyle said Nov. 3. “Zach gets the physical reps so I gotta make sure I get the mental reps. It’s funny that (Saleh) notices. … I have a good process of hearing the play, pretending I’m in the huddle, spitting it out, and then seeing the defense and going through a mental plan of what I would do.”
Now Boyle will get a chance to show what he can do Friday against the Miami Dolphins. Saleh benched Wilson on Monday — for the third time dating back to last season — due to poor performance and in an attempt to give the Jets offense a shot in the arm. Boyle will replace Wilson as the starter. The Jets have a 4-6 record with one of the NFL’s best defenses — and one of its worst offenses. The unit ranks last in third-down conversions, red-zone conversions, 30th in yardage and 30th in scoring. Wilson wasn’t the only problem but he was a big part of it, ranking near the bottom of the league in most relevant statistics — including 37th of 38 eligible in EPA per dropback.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Robert Saleh is watching practice, Zach Wilson running team drills, and in the coach’s periphery, he hears a voice, someone talking through the play under his breath. Every play, the same voice. When Saleh finally turns his head, he sees Tim Boyle, running through the play as if he were a part of it.
“I’m just looking over and I’m like: Good for him,” Saleh said.
That was when Boyle was still just the New York Jets’ backup quarterback. There were no plans for him to start, not yet, at least. Wilson was locked in as the starter with Aaron Rodgers out.
But Boyle has been doing that in practice for most of his NFL career. It was the way he learned to stay ready as a backup, never knowing when (or if) he’d actually get his opportunity to take the field. He hasn’t had many of them in six NFL seasons since signing with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
“That’s the weird part about being a backup. You don’t really get the reps at all during the week but I have to work through my process like I’m playing the games,” Boyle said Nov. 3. “Zach gets the physical reps so I gotta make sure I get the mental reps. It’s funny that (Saleh) notices. … I have a good process of hearing the play, pretending I’m in the huddle, spitting it out, and then seeing the defense and going through a mental plan of what I would do.”
Now Boyle will get a chance to show what he can do Friday against the Miami Dolphins. Saleh benched Wilson on Monday — for the third time dating back to last season — due to poor performance and in an attempt to give the Jets offense a shot in the arm. Boyle will replace Wilson as the starter. The Jets have a 4-6 record with one of the NFL’s best defenses — and one of its worst offenses. The unit ranks last in third-down conversions, red-zone conversions, 30th in yardage and 30th in scoring. Wilson wasn’t the only problem but he was a big part of it, ranking near the bottom of the league in most relevant statistics — including 37th of 38 eligible in EPA per dropback.