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Look, I understand
that there is a good chance that the Jets will a veteran backup QB at some point, with former 49ers Nick Mullen being a possibility, but I’m telling you, they might have something in Mike White.
The former USF and Western Kentucky QB, looked good in training camp last summer, and at Thursday’s open to the media OTA practice, he once again looked like a viable backup candidate.
The size (6-5, 218) and arm strength are obvious, but we all know there is more to the position than that, and what White did a good job with on Thursday (and last summer) is smoothly going through his progressions. There was one play on Thursday where he went from this first read, to his second read, to a check down, and looked confident and smooth doing it.
The big question how he will look in real tackle football this preseason. Remember, last summer there were no preseason games, so the Jets have only seen him in practice (with them) where you can’t hit the QB. So the big question is how will he look (pocket presence, going through progressions) when opposing defenders are coming after him in a real NFL pocket.
We shall see, but I think Douglas really likes him. Remember, White was a Douglas add in September of 2019, not a guy inherited from the prior regime.
While Douglas also likes James Morgan, he isn’t as advanced as White, and probably not a candidate to be the primary backup just yet . . .
Some guys who were held out on Thursday, probably for medical reasons (minor undisclosed injuries – teams don’t need to report injuries in the spring): Tight end Daniel Brown, running backs Ty Johnson and Josh Adams, defensive ends Jabari Zuniga and Sharif Finch, defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall, linebacker Milo Eifler and safety Bennett Jackson.
Defensive end Kyle Phillips was also held out, but we know he’s coming off a broken ankle, suffered last year, so his medical situation isn’t a mystery. Wide receiver Corey Davis was held out on Thursday after suffering a shoulder strain in an earlier OTA practice. This was likely leaked by an agent to a media surrogate.
And as we mentioned on Thursday, defensive end Foley Fatukasi (leg) and wide receiver Lawrence Cager (leg) were hurt early in Thursday’s practice and didn’t return . . .
It was surprising not to see Ashtyn Davis at Thursday’s OTA. Once again, we need to be careful with passing judgement on absences without knowing if there was a family matter involved, but on the surface, he’s clearly a guy who needs a lot of work. The Jets’ previous staff rushed him into the lineup last year, and he struggled, often a tick late reacting in coverage. He has a big upside with his range and hitting ability.
I’m not saying there was anybody out there replacing Davis in the starting lineup, because there in no starting lineup yet, but a guy who was very active on the practice field was J.T. Hassell. If you remember, he was a late season addition to the Jets last year, who blocked a punt in the team’s upset of the Los Angeles Rams. Hassell, who had stints with Cleveland and New England before joining the Jets, is a product of Division II Florida Tech, and a very inspirational story, playing football born with only two fingers on his left hand.
“I had to work twice as hard as anyone else,” Hassell told the Browns’ website in the summer of 2019.
May 28, 2021
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*Mike White photo courtesy of the New York Jets
