Rosen shows maturity in first NFL start
Five dropped passes might not seem like an inordinate amount, but it was enough to prevent Josh Rosen from having a 300-yard passing game with three touchdowns, which would have been one of the best debuts ever by a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start.
It also likely cost the Arizona Cardinals a game they should have won.
Instead, Rosen finished with 180 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers and the Cardinals fell to the Seahawks, 20-17, on a last-second field goal.
Instead of moping about it or getting in the faces of his receivers, Rosen kept his composure throughout and kept constantly offering words of encouragement. It’s one of the sides to Rosen that head coach Steve Wilks absolutely loves and he’s looking forward to seeing more of it this Sunday when Rosen and the Cardinals meet the 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif.
“It shows a lot to his maturity, the kind of person he is,” Wilks said. “We know what kind of player he is, but just the kind of person. You need that in your quarterback. Not to get frustrated, because again, he’s counting on those guys, and those guys are going to bounce back this week.”
Rosen said being angry and using bad body language can only make things worse. There may be times, he said, when he has to let his frustrations out, but it isn’t now.
“I said after the game, once I’m not smiling, you guys should be worried,” Rosen said. “So I’m a happy guy. I’m very demanding of my team, as I expect them to be of me. But I’m always a positivity guy and I will continue to be.”
There were several other encouraging moments during Rosen’s first start that Wilks enjoyed watching. One of them came at a point in the game when the play clock was ticking dangerously low and the coach wasn’t sure if the rookie was going to get the play off in time.
“Clock was running down, we were about to get a delay of game, so I called timeout,” Wilks said. “After that series, he was coming over to the sideline and he said, ‘Coach, I got it. I’m looking at the play clock. Trust me, I got it.’
“I love it. I love the confidence. I love that he’s in control. I’m all for it.”
SERIES HISTORY: 54th regular-season meeting. 49ers lead series, 29-24. The Cardinals have won each of the past six meetings and seven of the last eight. Their six consecutive wins over San Francisco represents their longest active win streak against any opponent.
