Let’s pour more fire on the Zach Wilson-Mike White Jets quarterback debate, shall we?
Joe Benigno does a weekly spot on WFAN’s Tiki and Tierney to talk Jets every Monday during the season. It’s always entertaining, but it’s usually a good idea to listen after a loss because it could make you feel better. He was at it again after the Jets’ tough Week 14 road loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Benigno made comments about how he’s down on the Jets’ defense due to a lack of turnovers in the past four games. What will probably make people raise an eyebrow is what he said regarding the Jets’ quarterback situation.
White replaced Wilson three games ago. He torched a not-so-great Chicago Bears defense en route to a blowout win, but New York has failed to secure a victory the past two weeks. Benigno is still a White fan, and his gripe is with Gang Green not going with him to start the year, instead choosing Joe Flacco. Here’s what he said (quotes via WFAN):
He should’ve been the QB all along, and probably the biggest mistake this Joe Douglas/Robert Saleh regime has made is that he was the best quarterback the whole time. Last year they set him up in the Buffalo game, and at the start of this year, they started Joe Flacco because they knew they’d have to go back to Zach Wilson – and how do you do that if (White is) terrific? If he played against New England, we’d have two more wins and we wouldn’t be freaking out, but they drafted Wilson second overall, and that’s why he gets the chances.
Benigno continued to say he thinks White is the long-term answer, even suggesting New York should try to find a trade partner for Wilson. The former second-overall pick hasn’t even dressed in the past three games. Joe thinks there’s something going on that the public doesn’t know about:
Joe Flacco is done, and I don’t ever want to see him ever again in a Jet uniform. Zach needs to be the backup next week, but I think there’s a lot more going on in that room than we know….so if you don’t want to activate Wilson, let Chris Streveler be the backup. At least he’s alive; Flacco is a statue, and it’s over.
Could there be something going on? Joe has a point here, especially since head coach Robert Saleh has said multiple times that he plans on getting Wilson back on the field again this season. Or, maybe nothing is going on and we’re all thinking about it too much.
The Jets head home to face a red-hot Detroit Lions team at MetLife Stadium this Sunday. Unless something drastic happens (or injury prevents him from playing), we can expect White to start under center once again for New York.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
