Getty New York Jets quarterback Mike White celebrating during an NFL game.
Earlier this week the New York Jets had a quarterback controversy.
After the blowout win over the Chicago Bears, Gang Green has an obvious answer. Mike White is the clear-cut QB1 moving forward.
Head coach Robert Saleh described his superpower after the game as “mastering the obvious”:
“Mastering the obvious. He is really good at doing his job. He gets rid of the ball, he gets it where it needs to get to, and I thought out O-Line did a good job of protecting him. When he needed to be aggressive, he was aggressive. I don’t think there was a guy in the locker room that didn’t think he’d be able to perform today.”
#Jets HC Robert Saleh said QB Mike White’s (@MikeWhiteQB) superpower is ‘mastering the obvious, he’s really good at doing his job’ + ‘I don’t think there was a guy in the locker room that didn’t think he’d be able to perform today’: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight #Bears #DaBears
Mike White Flexes His Muscles, Jets Teammates Support Him
Saleh was right that he is able to do all of the simple things, but White also proved he is more than capable of doing extraordinary things.
ESPN Stats and Information revealed that White is the first quarterback in NFL history to have multiple games with at least a 75 percent completion percentage, 300 passing yards, and three passing touchdowns within his first four career starts.
The only other quarterback that is in his general vicinity statistically speaking is Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, you read that right.
The last two QB with multiple games of 300 Pass Yards and 3 Pass TD in first 4 starts
Patrick Mahomes
Mike White
Pat McAfee said White appears to have all the makings of a “DAWGGGGG!”
Mike White does appear to have all the makings of a …. DAWGGGGG
Apparently, his Jets teammates agree as Connor Hughes reported before the game and we saw it come to fruition during the on-field interview with the Fox crew talking to White whom his teammates love.
Jets rookie sensation Garrett Wilson praised White for always going “about things the right way” and said he’s been doing it since he was the “third-string quarterback.”
Garrett Wilson said Mike White “goes about things the right way” and he’s been doing that since he was the third string QB. #Jets
On the other side of the ball, Sauce Gardner said the defense was chatting on the sideline during the opening drive and said it was the “first time they were able to chill a little bit longer” at the start of the game because the offense was moving.
Sauce Gardner said the defense was talking on the sideline during the first drive about how it was the first time they were “able to chill a little bit longer” at the beginning of a game since the offense was moving. #Jets
The Jets took nine plays to go 75 yards down the field in 4:48. White finished the drive off with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to put the team up 7-0 over the Bears.
Zach Wilson, End of a Jets Era?
White didn’t just check the ball down, he took deep shots and got this offense moving all over the field.
He averaged over 11.3 yards per attempt, recorded 315 passing yards, threw three touchdowns, and didn’t commit a turnover.
That kind of performance not only ensures his job heading into next week but possibly even longer than that.
Zach Wilson was a healthy scratch for this game and the Jets want him to get back to basics as it pertains to his fundamentals.
If the team keeps winning and White keeps putting up these kinds of stats, perhaps this will mark the surprising end of the Wilson era in New York.
The true test will come over the next two weeks.
Gang Green will hit the road to face the Minnesota Vikings (9-2) and the Buffalo Bills (8-3). Those will be hostile environments against two of the best teams in the entire NFL.
If White struggles in those games perhaps the door will be ajar for Wilson to reclaim his starting gig. However if the fan-favorite wins one or both of those matchups, there may be no looking back as the Jets prepare for a playoff run.
Which would set up quite the offseason with White set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.