He told us it was coming

It’s pretty obvious what is going on here.

Joe Douglas clearly promised Joe Flacco, an old friend from Baltimore, that he would have a chance to start.

Remember this quote from Flacco, that was somewhat disrespectful to Mike White, who had just taken over from the injured Zach Wilson as starting QB?

“I think I see myself playing here at some point in the next couple weeks.” – Joe Flacco, October 29, 2021.

Three weeks later it happened. So clearly Douglas and Flacco had a chat around the time of the trade about what the plans were.

Secondly, Douglas traded a sixth-round pick to Philadelphia for Flacco, so making him the starter today helps justify that trade.

Third, this allows the Jets to seamlessly go back to Zach Wilson against Houston, a bad team, on the road, a good point to get him back in there.

If Mike White had lit it up against Miami, it would have made it harder.

So this move helps them go back to Wilson after Flacco starts in Miami. It really doesn’t matter how well Flacco does against Miami, he’s not going to be the team’s long-term starter. It’s a lot easier to go back to Wilson after Flacco starts one game, than if White had a great game.

So those are clearly some of the reasons for this surprising move.

But this concept that Flacco gives them a better chance against Miami’s complex schemes, including a lot of exotic blitzes, is a reach.

First of all, even though he’s a veteran, Flacco has never been that great at reading defenses. He’s a good sightline thrower, which means he sees the field well based on his height (6-6). He’s not a high-level processor.

Ever since his Super Bowl year in Baltimore, which was a perfect storm, kind of like Nick Foles in Philly, were he had a hot streak late in the year and in the playoffs, Flacco has been pedestrian.

Don’t assume just because he’s a veteran that he’s great at reading defenses. He’s not.

And the concept that he could handle Brian Flores creative defense better than White is dubious since Flacco started for the Jets last year against the Dolphins, and went 21 of 44 passes for 186 yards, with one pick and a 50 passer rating, in a Jets loss.

So it’s a reach to claim that, on paper, he’s a better option against Miami’s defense.

White struggled last week against the NFL’s top-rated defense with very bad protection, so you throw him in the dumpster? That’s unfortunate.

This probably won’t play well in the locker room, where White is very popular.

And where is the level of accountability with some of the players on defense who continue to start, or play a lot, and some of them probably shouldn’t be on the team? Where’s the accountability with them? Many have had a number of bad games, but their roles don’t change.

If you are going to hold White to such a high standard, where he’s not allowed to have one bad game against the NFL’s top defense, in his third career start, shouldn’t you apply that to the whole roster?

But the reasons for this are obvious, as I stated at the beginning of the article.

Hey, Flacco was pretty transparent. He told us this was coming.

November 17, 2021

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