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The Jets can only hope QB-needy teams look at it like this.
Talking about the narrative that Mike White’s great game against the Cincinnati Bengals was an aberration, and he’s not a viable starting QB.
“Magical as MetLife Stadium became on that holiday afternoon, it was nothing lasting,” wrote a scribe for Jets X-Factor. ” The Jets don’t have time to reminisce on single-game nostalgics.”
If this is how teams looking for a QB this off-season view White, that would be a pipe dream for Jets GM Joe Douglas.
If the rest of the league marginalized him, like the Jets did last year, it would be great for the Jets’ football operation.
Because then, they would be able to keep him easier.
If another team signs him to an offer sheet the Jets can’t match, and they let him go,and take the draft pick commensurate with the round he was tendered, the Jets might rue the day they let that happen.
Because at this point, there is no categorical evidence that Zach Wilson is better than White. That might turn out to be the case moving forward, but nothing we saw last year, proved that.
White led the Jets to a 34-31 win over the Bengals, completing 37 of 45 passes for 405 yards and 3 touchdowns, and being named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Then in the next game, against Indianapolis, he engineered an impressive drive early in the game that ended with a 19-yard TD pass to Elijah Moore, where he went through his progressions smoothly, looked right, looked center, and then turned left and hit Moore.
*This is a confident quarterback.”
*”He has a good feel for what he’s doing back there.”
*”The sacks are down and primarily that’s because he’s not holding on to it.”
*He’s going to make good decisions and he throws the ball pretty accurately.”
And let’s not forget White’s first-ever NFL pass in New England, a perfect strike to WR Corey Davis, who was tightly covered on the left side of the end zone. The pass was put the only place the two defenders couldn’t get it, and Davis made a nice grab.
We all know White struggled against the NFL’s #1 defense, Buffalo, and that was all she wrote, and he was then marginalized.
But a really, really astute NFL GM, who ignores the noise, would look at White’s entire body of work last year, and say, “This guy is pretty good.” He goes through his progressions smoothly and throws with anticipation.
If I were a team without a QB, I’d make him an offer, that is for sure.
But Jets can only hope that the entire league views White as a one-game wonder, and don’t offer him a nice deal.
That would be the best-case scenario for the Jets.
Because as we sit here right now, we don’t know if Wilson is better than White.
And if Wilson flounders in Year Two, White could be a pretty good fall-back option.
February 24, 2022
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