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A surprise?
Obviously, going 37-45 and three touchdowns was probably a surprise, but not the talent that was on display, to smoothly go through progressions and deliver the ball accurately.
As we’ve written on many occasions, Jets fans were misled by some observers on what the team had in Mike White.
It seemed like some had their minds made up about White, that he was an also-ran, and the Jets needed to go out and sign a veteran backup. How many times did you read that or hear that on the radio?
I saw a guy who outplayed Sam Darnold in the 2020 camp, and Zach Wilson in the 2021 camp, and told you guys that on a number of occasions.
I’m not acting like I’m Bill Walsh evaluating quarterbacks. To me, I consistently saw a guy go through his progressions smoothly and make good decisions with the football, and that is what I reported. It wasn’t rocket science.
If you don’t want to believe me, ask RB Michael Carter.
“I see it every day from him, so I’m not surprised by what he just did. Y’all are, but I’m not at all,” Carter said to the media in a post-game press conference.
I wrote a few weeks ago, even before Wilson got hurt, that he should sit for a few weeks, to take a step back, and they should let White play.
This isn’t about me padding myself on the back, but more letting off a little steam about a player who was unfairly portrayed for two years.
Now you all saw for yourself.
37-45 and three touchdowns. He threw two picks, and perhaps they weren’t the best passes, but they did bounce off his intended targets, so it’s not like he airmailed these throws to some safety in back of the receiver.
And this was against a good defense, that shut down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense last week in Baltimore.
“An ascending Cincinnati team with a No. 1 overall pick (Joe Burrow) faces a floundering New York team with a No. 171 pick (Mike White) in a lopsided quarterback matchup. The Bengals are coming off a 24-point win over the Ravens, whereas the Jets are coming off a 41-point loss to the Patriots. Get the picture?” – ESPN reporter.
Yes, we got the picture, Mike White is pretty good . . .
The media is going to turn this into a full-blown QB controversy, but you know what, this is a good problem to have, and surely Joe Douglas knew that starting White for Wilson could lead to this.
But good leaders don’t lead from behind.
Some teams would try not to play another young QB, who could potentially show up the first-round QB. We all know that. But what kind of way is that to run a football operation? That’s childish.
Look, Douglas likes White a lot. That is why he kept him around, either on the practice squad, or regular roster, in 2019-20, and made him the primary backup this year. Douglas is the one who signed him after Dallas surprisingly moved on from him in favor of former Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson, who is out of the league.
We know this is going to turn into a major QB controversy, but who cares? It’s a good problem to have.
If White keeps doing this, you should be able to trade one of them in a blockbuster trade for a truckload in return.
But we are getting way ahead of ourselves. Who knows what is going to happen in the coming games.
But if White keeps doing what he did today, it’s a good problem to have, not a bad one . . .
October 31, 2021
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