The New York Jets are still without the services of their hopeful franchise quarterback.
Zach Wilson was injured during the preseason and he isn’t expected to return for a few more weeks. In his stead veteran, Joe Flacco stepped in and didn’t impress during the season opener.
That has raised serious quarterback questions heading into the Week 2 road trip against the Cleveland Browns.
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A Quarterback Change Could Be on the Horizon
On Monday head coach Robert Saleh spoke with the media on a zoom call and was asked about the Mike White chants in the stadium and whether or not he’d be open to change:
“Everything is always under discussion and under review. Obviously, we aren’t done with our post-game evaluation and all that stuff. Much appreciated with the passion with quarterbacks. Joe has been very steady throughout OTAs, training camp, and last year threw for over 300 on Miami in a really good game. We have the utmost faith in Joe, but does that mean something can’t happen tonight? I can’t promise you anything but as of now Joe is our starting quarterback.”
#Jets HC Robert Saleh left the door open for a possible QB change heading into Week 2 vs #Browns, ‘everything is always under discussion’ + did say it’s most likely going to be Joe Flacco but won’t promise anything 👀: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight #NYJvsCLE
Rich Cimini of ESPN then followed up by saying Saleh is leaving the door open for a QB change to which the coach responded, “it’s more likely going to be Joe, but the door is open on every position, every week.”
Flacco also tossed for over 300 yards in this Baltimore Ravens game, 307 to be specific, although it took him 59 attempts to get there.
That passing yardage total is currently sixth best in the NFL after Week 1, but no quarterback had more attempts than the former Delaware product after the opening week.
Even the Jets caught a stray bullet on the Manningcast on Monday Night Football with Peyton Manning saying, “well the Jets threw it 59 times and that worked out well for them yesterday, they looked good”:
“The Jets threw it 59 times and that worked out well for them yesterday.”
Peyton Manning throwing shade early 😅
An Interesting Change of Heart
Okay, Flacco didn’t exactly light the world on fire in Week 1, you won’t get many opposing arguments there.
However just over a month ago Saleh, of his own volition, emphatically pounded the table stating that “Joe Flacco is a starting quarterback in this league”:
#Jets HC Robert Saleh just sounded off on QB Joe Flacco (@JoeFlacco), ‘he could start in this league I believe that’ + ‘sometimes people get labeled & their opportunities get limited but Joe Flacco is a starting quarterback in this league’ 😤: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight #JetsCamp
It’s important to note that Saleh sounding off back on August 3 about Flacco was prior to Wilson getting hurt. It isn’t as if his young QB got hurt and he was trying to blow smoke up the skirt of the new guy coming in, this was just a random act of belief.
Now just a month later Saleh is now leaving the door open for a quarterback change? What in the name of everything that is holy is going on?
I’m not even remotely close to a Flacco defender, but Saleh for Pete’s sake can you make a decision?
If he is going to make a change there is only one other quarterback on the active roster and that’s White. On the expanded 16-man practice squad Chris Streveler is cryogenically frozen down there, but when I spoke with Connor Hughes of SNY he completely shot that possibility down (you can watch that full interview via my YouTube channel here).
The only way Streveler rises to the moment prior to Wilson getting back healthy is a rash of injuries to the quarterback room.
Is Saleh simply trying to put a fire under Flacco’s tush ahead of this game? Could he be legitimately thinking of a quarterback change after the very first week?
So many unanswered questions but one thing stands out true, the Jets need to win some damn football games regardless of who is playing quarterback.
Gang Green has lost 13 straight games in the month of September and it appears the only two games remaining in that month (at Browns, versus Pittsburgh) will require a Jets backup quarterback to win them.
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Robert Saleh Addresses Potential QB Change After Blowout Jets Loss